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Six pack Burnitz, Sexson hit three homers each in Brewers' win
Updated: Wednesday September 26, 2001 9:11 AM
PHOENIX (AP) -- Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson made baseball history with a tag-team home run barrage against Arizona. Now the Diamondbacks can look forward to facing them in five of their remaining 11 games. Burnitz and Sexson became the first teammates to hit three home runs apiece in a game Tuesday night as the Milwaukee Brewers pounded the Diamondbacks 9-4. "It was just one of those nights you'll never forget," Burnitz said. The Diamondbacks, opening a nine-game homestand, stayed 1 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the NL West. The Giants lost to Los Angeles 9-5. Burnitz, who had gone 69 at-bats without a homer since Aug. 27, hit solo shots in the second, fourth and sixth innings. It was his second three-homer game of the season. With a chance to tie the major league record for home runs in a game, Burnitz struck out looking in the seventh. Burnitz drew a walk in the ninth after Sexson connected for a two-run homer. "It's definitely something that I'll look back on when my career is over and say that I was part of something that's pretty rare," Sexson said. "I'm very privileged to even play the game, then for Jeromy and I to do something that's never been done, I guess it will sink in in a couple of days." Sexson had his first career three-homer game and drove in five runs, and he loves hitting at Bank One Ballpark. Last year, he homered in each victory of Milwaukee's three-game sweep at Arizona. "I seem to see the ball well here. I don't know what it is," Sexson said. "It's not like I'm from here. I don't have any ties to here or anything like that. But when I come here, it's a great atmosphere. There are certain parks that every player has that he enjoys playing in, and this is definitely one for me." Milwaukee won consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 20-21. This was the first time the teams have met this season, and they play five more times in the final 11 games. Burnitz's 31 home runs made him the first Brewers player to hit at least 30 home runs in four consecutive seasons. "They don't get any cheap ones," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said. "They have tremendous power, both of those guys. When they hit them, they don't just barely clear the fence." Burnitz hit one 424 feet and another 416 feet. Sexson's first traveled 428 feet and his last one went 426 feet. Burnitz also robbed Reggie Sanders of what would have been a two-run homer with a leaping catch just above the right-field fence to end the fifth inning. Four of the homers came off Albie Lopez (3-7), who is 0-4 in his last five starts. Arizona manager Bob Brenly said his pitchers did just what they weren't supposed to do against a Milwaukee team that holds the major league record for strikeouts in a season. "We talked at length this afternoon that this is the striking out-est team in the history of major league baseball, that we should get ahead and expand the zone," Brenly said, "and for whatever reason we continued to throw pitches in the strike zone." Tony Womack was 3-for-5 with two doubles and scored twice for Arizona. Luis Gonzalez had an RBI double but has just three hits in his last 22 at-bats. Erubiel Durazo and Greg Colbrunn had pinch-hit, RBI doubles in the eighth to cut the Brewers' lead to 7-4. Womack singled to put runners on first and third, but Danny Bautista hit into a double play to end the rally. Jeff D'Amico (2-3) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings for his first victory in four starts since coming off the disabled list. He had missed four months with a compressed nerve in his right arm. Sexson and Burnitz homered to start the fourth to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Sexson's two-run shot after Geoff Jenkins walked to lead off the sixth ended the night for Lopez. Burnitz followed with a homer off left-handed reliever Troy Brohawn and it was 6-2. Doubles down the right field line by Womack and Gonzalez gave Arizona a 2-1 lead in the third. Notes: Sexson has 39 home runs, breaking the club record for most homers by a first baseman, 36, set by George Scott in 1975. ... Hundreds of area firefighters and police officers joined the Brewers and Diamondbacks players on the field for a pregame ceremony that featured the entire crowd singing the national anthem. It was Arizona's first home game since baseball resumed play on Sept. 17. ... Diamondbacks catcher Damian Miller left the game with a strained right shoulder in the eighth inning. ... Twenty-five couples were married on the field before the game.
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