Running costs NL some runs

O'Neill's throw kills NL's eighth-inning rally

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Posted: Monday July 13, 1998 08:38 PM

Strange Brew: Instead of having the bases loaded with no outs, Milwaukee's Fernando Vina (1) was thrown out at the plate trying to score -- killing the NL threat

DENVER (CNN/SI) -- Paul O'Neill was playing out of position in left field during Tuesday night's All-Star Game. Nothing out of position about his throwing arm, though.

With the National League down by four runs in the eighth inning of the game eventually won 13-8 by the American League, Houston's Moises Alou singled off Boston's Tom Gordon and Florida's Edgar Renteria reached on an error by New York Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius.

Milwaukee's Fernando Vina then walked to load the bases, and NL manager Jim Leyland sent up Greg Vaughn to pinch hit for Houston's Craig Biggio, who had struck out three times.

Vaughn ripped a two-run single to left to make it 10-8. Arizona's Devon White followed with a base hit to left, but instead of holding Vina, NL third base coach Rich Donnelly of the Marlins waved him around.

O'Neill, the Yankees' everyday right fielder, came up throwing. His throw to Sandy Alomar never bounced and the Cleveland catcher slapped the tag on a sliding Vina.

"It was no big brainstorm," O'Neill said when asked why he chose to throw home rather than to second base. "I just took the ball and threw it as hard as I could."

Vina had to hold up momentarily to make sure White's ball would drop. The delay probably cost him from scoring.

"That throw was right on the button, wasn't it?" Vina said. "It would have been nice to score there, but what are you going to do?"

O'Neill said he hadn't been in left field since first joining the Yankees.

"It seemed like 20 years ago when I went out there tonight," he said.

From the AL dugout, O'Neill's Yankees teammate, Derek Jeter, said he knew Vina was in trouble from the time the ball left White's bat.

"As soon as it was hit, I told Cal [Ripken] and Alex [Rodriguez] he was going to throw him out," Jeter said. "He's been doing it all year. That was the turning point."

Donnelly's decision to send Vina brought up Andres Galarraga with runners at first and second and one out, instead of with the bases loaded and no outs.

Galarraga then ended the NL's best chance at rallying when he hit a ball through the middle that Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel scooped near the bag, stepped on second for the force and threw to first for the double play.

NL manager Jim Leyland said he was anxious to see why Donnelly elected to send Vina.

"I haven't talked to him about it," Leyland said. "It might have been a situation, to be honest with you, where he thought the ball might go to second base and got burned by it. ... I don't have any problems with those things. It's baseball."

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Paul O'Neill describes the game-saving throw to the plate which cut down Vina (293 K) Click here for the latest audio and video
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.