Craig Alan Biggio

June 28, 2007

W: Moehler | L: Fuentes

March, 1989. I don’t recall the exact date but I remember it was fucking pouring rain and I was sitting in the stands at Baseball City Stadium, Haines City, Florida, Spring Home of the Kansas City Royals. The Astros were “in town” and it was a rare night game. The rain had begun about the 5th inning and had been coming down steady for about 30 minutes. The scoreboard showed the “home” team up by a couple. Games like these get called in a heartbeat and 90% of the fans had already left for the exits.

I stuck around. I had been in Florida for less than a year, after having spent my entire life in Texas, and I wasn’t going to let a little rain keep me from seeing my team. Perseverance paid off and the game resumed after about an hour delay. There were literally no more than 100 people left in the stands but the teams played on. Recollections are cloudy but I do know the Astros came from behind and won, with Dave Smith striking out the Royals’ last chance, into the mit of a young Craig Biggio. Being one of maybe 3 Astros fans still in attendance, I was standing in a box right next to the dugout and as the team ran in, Biggio flipped me the ball. I remember thinking I should try to have Smith sign it.

I still have the ball. It’s covered in signatures. From Nolan Ryan to Yogi Berra. Mike Scott to Gerald Young. And Craig Biggio.

Forget 32-46. Forget the 2-7 road trip. Forget impotent offense and bullpen implosions. Just for tonight, forget all of that, because tonight is all about Craig Alan Biggio. 3 hits shy of 3000 and on a mini-hot streak, Pigpen busted out the whoopin’ stick for 5 hits against the Rockies, including a “clutch” 2-strike-2-out-hustle-his-fucking-ass-off infield single that was classic Biggio and sparked the rally that won it all for the Astros in the 11th, 8-5.

Hit #2998 was a looping liner to left in the 3rd. Hit #2999, 5th inning, was an infield shot to 3rd ruled a hit after Atkins fielded it cleanly to his right but sailed the throw over Helton’s head. Replays showed that Bidge would have beaten the throw. Next at bat in the 7th, Ausmus on 2nd, Bidge takes 2 off the plate then rips a floating liner to center. As Willy tracks to his left to field the ball, Craig’s 41-year-old afterburners kick in and he rounds 1st in full stride, gunning it with all he had. Willy’s throw comes in a bit high but in plenty of time to nail Bidge at the bag. Ausmus scored the tying run before the out was recorded and hit #3000 was in the books.

After getting up from the slide and dusting his Pigpen self off, all the Astros players met him out on the infield to congratulate him. A huge, vertical “3000” banner was unfurled. His wife and 3 children came down onto the field for hugs and kisses. I’m holding it together pretty well here, slight grin and glassy eyes. Then I see Craig run to the dugout and start to pull someone out onto the field. It’s Bags. Shit. Lump in throat. Sweaty hands. Tears. Baggy doesn’t want to take away from Craig’s moment but it’s clear he wants him there. They hug and raise their arms in the air to the crowd. I was a laughing/crying mess.

Roy pitched well, 7 innings, surrendering only the Iannetta solo shot in the 3rd. The bullpen, not so good:

Top 8:
reverT – double
Qualls – homer, single
Bork – single

3 runs, right after Bidge had tied the thing up. But the rest of the line-up came through with 3 of their own in the bottom of the frame. After PENCE!!! grounded out, Berkman connected on a shot just over the yellow line in left center. Lee fouled out and Loretta singled to bring up Lamb with 2 outs and he pounded Hawkin’s 94 MPH speedball into the right field bullpen. Folks, it’s tied up!

Craig led off the 9th with hit #3001, a liner to right and with PENCE!!! and Berkman up, it looked like the good guys had a chance to win this thing in the last at bat. Pence grounded to short to erase Biggio at second, narrowly beating the throw to first himself, then a strike-em-out, throw-em-out DP with Berkman at the plate ended regulation tied at 4.

Wheeler pitched 2 perfect innings in relief, striking out 1 in the ninth and the side in the 10th. Garner had little left on the plate when he ran Moehler out to start the 11th. First batter, Troy Tulowitzki crushed Moehler’s third pitch over the tracks in left center and the Rockies take the lead. Moehler gets the side out without any more runs but the hill still looks tough to climb.

With Rockies closer Brian Fuentes on the mound and the Astros down 1, Luke Scott K’s swinging and PH Burke flies out to right. 2 outs for the Man of the Evening. I gotta think Craig loves to be in this kind of situation. It sure showed in his approach as he flailed at 2 off-speed pitches from Fuentes before reaching down to get a third pitch in the low-70’s and chop it to Tulowitzki at short. It was the prototypical Biggio at-bat, busting his ASS to get down the line and beat the throw by more than he should have. #3002!

I would be lying if I told you I knew the Astros would win after Craig’s hit but given the way the night had gone so far, if you told me that, I’d believe you. After PENCE!!!’s at-bat, I would have bet on it. He reached down and tapped a ball up the middle that just got under Fuentes’ glove and continued to dribble past second between Tulowitzki and Matsui and creeped into centerfield. By the time a Willy touched the ball, Bidge was easing into 3rd and Gunther into 2nd. The slowest double I’ve ever seen. 2nd and 3rd with 2 out for Berkman right-handed. Fuentes’ 2nd pitch brushed him off the plate, his 3rd dotted him and now the bases loaded for El Caballo!

KABOOOOONNNNNNNGGGG!!!! First pitch. The only question, was it fair and boy, was it. Lee’s understated impression of Ensberg’s overstated impression of Fisk did the trick as the ball landed deep in the Crawford Boxes. Lee reached down, just like PENCE!!! did, just like Bidge did. The special night had just become magical and I feel lucky just to have watched it on my tiny, compressed computer screen.

Say what you will about how Craig, and the Astros have chosen to wind down his Hall of Fame career. Arguments have been, and will continue to be made for and against his continued play at 2nd this season. I choose to just watch, for, as an Astros fan, I feel I have been given a gift, the ability to watch, and root for, two of the classiest ballplayers to ever play the game. The emotions I felt tonight, watching those two celebrate, are not emotions I typically have for people I don’t know. But they were there. I felt them. And I’m glad I did.

Congratulations, Craig!