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Man of his word Brenly promises rally, then Diamondbacks come through
PHOENIX (AP) -- Curt Schilling had worked seven tough innings only to give up the go-ahead home run to Alfonso Soriano in the eighth. "Hell of an effort, big man. You're my hero," manager Bob Brenly told him as he removed him from the game. "We'll get that one back. That's not going to beat us." The promise seemed far-fetched, to say the least, with seemingly unbeatable Mariano Rivera on the mound for New York. Arizona trailed the deciding Game 7 of the World Series 2-1, and Rivera had 23 consecutive postseason saves. What followed was a shocking rally that made the Diamondbacks champions. First up in the bottom of the ninth was Mark Grace, who had singled twice off Roger Clemens. He knew what to expect from Rivera, he just didn't know how he was going to hit it. "He's throwing you a cut fastball about 140 mph," Grace said. "I'm glad I hit it with the bat because I think it would have hit me right in the chest if I missed it. But that's my job. That's the kind of player I am. I'm an on-base percentage guy." Grace, who spent his career with the Chicago Cubs before signing with Arizona as a free agent, lined one up the middle for a single off Rivera, and the loud, wild crowd at Bank One Ballpark roared. "You could just sense it in the dugout, that something good was going to happen, and Gracie got it started," Brenly said. Next up was Damian Miller, who had struck out three times. Miller squared for a sacrifice bunt and the ball rolled toward the mound.
Rivera picked it up and decided he had a shot at a force out at second. But Derek Jeter couldn't handle Rivera's errant throw, and pinch-runner David Dellucci slid in safely, slamming into Jeter's ankle in the process and leaving the Yankee shortstop limping. There was a constant buzz in the ballpark now. "We felt like if there was any destiny to be had this year, it was ours," Brenly said. Pinch-hitter Jay Bell, who lost his starting job during the season and was playing in his first World Series, tried to sacrifice the runners to second and third. But his bunt was too strong and Rivera threw Dellucci out at third. Tony Womack, who had singled his last time up, came to the plate. The shortstop had been through an emotional roller coaster all season, never quite getting over the death of his father and enduring the boos from the home crowd when he struggled at the plate. Womack worked the count to 2-2, then he lined one into the right field corner, scoring pinch runner Midre Cummings from second and tying the game at 2. A shaken Rivera hit Craig Counsell with a pitch to load the bases, and the crowd was deafening as Gonzalez came to the plate. "Stepping to the plate there, ninth inning, that's what everybody dreams about," Gonzalez said. "A key situation to drive in the winning run in the World Series against one of the best relievers in all of baseball." Gonzalez had carried the team's offense for most of the year, but he was hurting. "Gonzo played hurt throughout this entire series," Brenly said. "His wrist was bothering him tremendously. It limited what he could do at the plate." Gonzalez figured his best bet was to choke up on the bat and try to hit one to the opposite field. "To be honest with you, that's the first time I choked up all year," he said. "I was just looking in on everything and got jammed. I knew the infield was playing in and I didn't have to try to hit it hard, just loop something out there and get it in play." The ball sailed softly over the infield and landed in the grass as Bell ran home with the winning run. The first teammate to hug him was Matt Williams. They were the first two free agents to sign with the expansion Diamondbacks before the team ever played a game. Now they were World Series champions for the first time in their long careers. The Diamondbacks were the first team to rally from a deficit to win in the ninth inning of a World Series Game 7. The only comparable thriller came in 1912, when the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the New York Giants in the 10th inning of Game 7. In the clubhouse, Jerry Colangelo clutched the World Series trophy as Schilling -- the co-MVP with teammate Randy Johnson -- doused the owner's head with champagne. Colangelo had tried for three decades to win a championship with his NBA Suns but never quite made it. His Diamondbacks did it in just four years, the quickest in baseball history, and gave Arizona its first major professional sports title. "I would have to say this has to be one of the very classic World Series," Colangelo said. "The ebbs and the flows and the great games and plays." Grace stood and let the champagne flow over his head, vowing not to shower, to go home bearing that sweet, sticky smell of glorious victory. "Was there any doubt in anybody's mind that somehow, some way, Game 7 was going to win crazy, unlikely?" he said. "How could you get more unlikely than beating Mariano Rivera? But I'll tell you what, this team believes."
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