One swing all Manny needs for grand slam
LOS ANGELES — One pitch. One swing. One spectacular drive into the heart of Mannywood.
Even Manny Ramirez thought his pinch-hit, tie-breaking grand slam Wednesday night was the most improbable happening to date in his 12 awfully eventful months with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"It's crazy. I can't believe it," Ramirez said. "It was one of the best moments in my career. I'm just glad it happened in LA."
And on his own bobblehead night, no less.
With a sixth-inning shot that stretched even his adopted hometown's propensity for unlikely plot twists, Ramirez and the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 for their fifth consecutive victory.
Ramirez wasn't even planning to play after bruising his left hand when he was hit by a pitch one night earlier, but Dodgers manager Joe Torre couldn't resist using his most potent bat with the bases loaded.
"Just the way he was sort of stalking around the dugout, I had a real good feeling that if he had an opportunity, he'd be ready to do something," Torre said.
The sellout crowd leaped to its feet in cheers when Ramirez's filthy batting helmet poked out of the dugout, with many fans holding aloft the bobblehead doll sporting his dreadlocks and baggy uniform. After a pitching change, Manny kept them standing with a whip-quick shot into the section of outfield seats bearing his name.
"I'm running around the bases amazed, just laughing," said Los Angeles' Matt Kemp, who was on second base. "I was in awe. He's amazing, man. I can't really explain him. I've never seen somebody who can go up there, no warmups or nothing, and just go hit."
Ramirez claimed he got "a good pitch to hit" from Nick Masset, who had just relieved Bronson Arroyo. Masset's first pitch actually was low and fast, but didn't sink enough to elude Manny's bat.
