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Hurler Hernandez makes baseball history at plate
2008-06-23
NEW YORK (AFP) - Felix Hernandez grabbed a slice of baseball history Monday as he became the first American League pitcher in 37 years to hit a grand slam, but his celebration was short-lived. Venezuela's Hernandez became the first Seattle Mariners pitcher to smack a home run, but departed in the fifth inning of the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the New York Mets with a sprained left ankle. The game marked the opener of a three-game interleague series between two teams that fired managers last week. Hernandez had won his last four starts and was on his way to a fifth thanks to a grand slam off compatriot Johan Santana in the second inning. It was the first grand slam by a pitcher in the AL since Steve Dunning of the Cleveland Indians belted one off Diego Segui of the Oakland Athletics on May 11, 1971. The last grand slam by a pitcher also was at Shea Stadium, when Dontrelle Willis - then of the Florida Marlins - homered against the Mets' Jose Lima on July 7, 2006. But Hernandez's night ended suddenly with two outs in the fifth when he threw a wild pitch and ran to cover home plate. Carlos Beltran, who had reached on a leadoff double and stole third, slid into home and spiked Hernandez. After the incident Hernandez tried to throw a warm-up pitch but landed awkwardly and promptly was removed by Riggleman just one out short of a victory. Hernandez, 22, allowed one run and two hits in 4 2/3 innings. Ryan Rowland-Smith, the second of four Seattle relievers, pitched two scoreless innings to get the win.
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