Where Were You?: July 28, 2001

By Jeff

Editor's note: "Where Were You?" is a series where blog contributors will share where they were for memorable moments in Pittsburgh and general sports history.


According to BaseballAlmanac.com, there have only been 24 walk-off grand slams in the history of Major League Baseball, which began 1876 (Some will argue 1869). To put that in perspective, BaseballReference.com  says there have been 396,186 games played and 261,043 home runs hit. For you math geeks, or people with a calculator handy, of all the home runs hit in the history of MLB, much less than 1 percent of them have been walk-off grand slams (It's like .00009). Brian Giles hit one of those walk-offs for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the team's inaugural season in PNC Park.

I was there.

Blog contributor Mike, his father, his godfather and I attended the afternoon game against the Houston Astros on a beautiful day. It was perfect for baseball. There were some hotties sitting in front of Mike and me that we didn't dare make a move on, as we decided to get wings that were all over our hands. Also, I can't remember that well if they were actually hotties. I was much more in to devouring my wings and watching the game.

The day I almost witnessed magic.

The day marked the first time I met Mike's godfather. He seemed like a nice guy. He bought the wings and was cracking jokes the entire time. He was very energetic and seemed to like talking to Mike and me, which is the exact opposite of Mike's dad. But Mike's dad provided the tickets (And a lot more after) so I am obligated to praise his generosity and all-around goodness.

Back to the game.

Roy Oswalt pretty much shut down the Pirates for six innings, as he allowed two runs on seven hits. Pirates starter Bronson Arroyo was OK, except for the two bombs Luis Castillo hit. Then Omar Olivares came in and Castillo took him deep as well.

Basically, the game was the Pirates vs. Luis Castillo, and Castillo was dominating. Not only did he have three home runs, but he was inches away from a fourth. Giles robbed him of what would have been a home run. Castillo actually received a standing ovation from Pirates fans after his third bomb. He deserved it.

Well, Castillo's assault and Oswalt's solid performance gave the Astros an 8-2 lead in the ninth inning. Fortunately, the fans rallied around their team and stayed to the bitter end. And boy did they get rewarded for their loyalty.

Astros reliever Mike Jackson, who entered the game in the eighth inning, struggled in the ninth. He gave up three runs, including a two-run homer (It ended up being the final home run of his MLB career) to cut the lead to three runs. Jackson allowed two more baserunners before he was pulled in favor of closer Billy Wagner, who finished the season with 39 saves in 2001. All of this was with two outs.

Game over, right? Yes, but not the way it was supposed to.

Wagner allowed a baserunner, bringing Brian Giles to the plate with the bases loaded. Fans were going nuts. Down three, bases loaded and the Pirates best hitter up to bat; could it get any more intense? Well, maybe if the Pirates were fighting for a playoffs spot, but let's not nitpick.

What followed was the 21st walk-off grand slam in the history of MLB. The crowd was roaring, Pirates players were racing to be the first to congratulate Giles, fireworks were exploding, and I was in a car crossing the Fort Pitt Bridge listening to the damned thing on the radio!

That's right, with the score 8-3 in the ninth inning, Mike's godfather wanted to beat the traffic all Pittsburghers know and despise. As we walked through the parking lot, we heard some fireworks that were the result of Meares' home run. When we got in the car, we didn't listen to the radio. Maybe Mike's godfather and dad didn't want us to hear the potential comeback, maybe they just didn't think to turn it on. I can't confirm or deny either event.

After a few minutes, the radio was turned on and I immediately began to dislike Mike's godfather. The postgame host could hardly describe the scene that had just occurred at PNC Park. The Pirates had won on a walk-off grand slam by Giles. One of the rarest accomplishments in all of baseball and I was in the backseat of an SUV on the middle of the Fort Pitt Bridge! And I'm pretty sure there was still traffic.

Can anyone blame me if I recently wrote a letter to Seal Team 6 regarding a special mission to Detroit?

In Mike's dad's defense, he, Mike, my dad and I were at a baseball game two years ago again where the Pirates were losing to the Kansas City Royals. It started raining pretty good and Mike's dad and the rest of us were miserable. But at no point did he propose we leave early. When I finally brought up heading out, he said along the lines of, "I wasn't going to say anything or else you'd hate me forever too."

We left and the Pirates didn't win. But we did leave early on July 28, 2001, and it's an experience that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Ben Folds - Sleazy (Ke$ha Cover)