Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 17, 1993 TAG: 9309170207
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium
Thursday night, he again showed there's only one Winfield, becoming the 19th player to record 3,000 career hits.
He singled in the ninth inning off Oakland's Dennis Eckersley in his fourth at-bat, driving in a run that helped Minnesota tie the game at 2. The Twins eventually won 5-4 in 13 innings.
Winfield was presented with the ball at first base while many in the Metrodome crowd of just 14,654 tossed paper on the field.
In the seventh inning, his chopper off the plate put him within one hit of the milestone. No. 3,000 came two innings later off Eckersley, the dominant relief pitcher of this era.
Winfield fouled off a 1-2 pitch and then grounded a hard single past diving third baseman Craig Paquette. He pumped his right hand in the air, shook hands with first-base coach Wayne Terwilliger and raised both arms amid a standing ovation.
Winfield turns 42 on Oct. 3. Only Cap Anson, 46 when he got his 3,000th, reached the milestone at an older age.
Last September, Robin Yount of Milwaukee and George Brett of Kansas City also reached 3,000 hits.
It was Winfield's 10th career hit off Eckersley. Kelly Downs, on the mound for the infield hit, was the 681st pitcher to serve up a hit to Winfield.
Winfield also ranks high in several other categories: ninth in at-bats (10,558) and games (2,840), 11th in total bases (5,044), 13th in RBI (1,780), 15th in extra-base hits (1,053), 18th in homers (453), 25th in doubles (515), and 29th in runs (1,616).
Winfield, who missed the entire 1989 season with a back injury, has played in 12 All-Star games. Now primarily a DH, he also won seven Gold Gloves as an outfielder.
But his biggest triumph came last season when he helped Toronto win the World Series, proving he could perform in the clutch, too. His two-run double in the 11th inning of Game 6 gave him his first championship.
That capped an outstanding season in which Winfield became the first 40-year-old to drive in 100 runs.
"I never thought about numbers when I was drafted," Winfield said. "I was drafted as a pitcher."
In December, the native Minnesotan signed with the team he rooted for as a youngster, but he has had one of his worst offensive seasons - batting .262 with 21 homers and 70 RBI. The team has been out of the AL West race for months, making Winfield's chase for 3,000 hits the main focus.
He has fought through several long slumps this year and entered Thursday's game with 18 hits in his previous 110 at-bats.
Despite this season's struggles, Winfield has put up remarkable numbers since his 40th birthday. In 292 games, he has batted .278 with 47 homers and 180 RBI.
Winfield went right from the University of Minnesota to the San Diego Padres, never playing in the minors. He got his first hit off Jerry Reuss in his debut, June 19, 1973.
Aside from Brett, Yount and Pete Rose, every player who has 3,000 hits has been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Brett and Yount are still active.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB