If you listen long enough, you can still hear it. The sound of thunder reverberating throughout the sky from last night’s Marlins walk-off grand slam against the Phillies.
The Gods on Olympus forged his arms out of molten lava and rawhide; his balls were cast from pure steel. His name is Dan Uggla. And you will know his might.
With the game knotted up at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, with Phillies reliever Tom Gordon shooting fireballs from the mound, with the NL East on the line, Uggla stepped up to the plate and delivered salvation with his bat, giving the Marlins their second ever walk off grand slam. All with one swing of his mighty hammer.
“The whole at bat, I’m looking for one pitch in one spot,” he of the steel balls said. “Whether I get it or whether I chase something, I’m looking for something I can drive out in the outfield.”
And drive it he did. The shot was a no-doubter the second it left his bat. Right off the bat, screaming through the thick night air, over the outfield wall, and into our hearts (actually, into the empty blue seats in left center where it rattled around like a pinball because that’s what happens to homeruns when only 300 people show up to these games). Uggla rounded the bases, touched third, threw off his helmet and jumped into the waiting mob at home plate. A hero’s welcome.
Jorge Cantu had provided the Marlins’ only two runs for the entire game prior to Uggla’s heroics, hitting two solo homers off of an otherwise dominant Cole Hamels, who struck out 13 Marlins on the night. The Phills managed to tie the game in the top of the 9th, taking advantage of a late throw to first by Hanley Ramirez. In the bottom of the ninth, Uggla stepped in with the bases loaded. A sacrifice fly into the outfield would have sufficed, since the Marlins had only one out. But Dan Uggla scoffs at such things. Dan Uggla is going to win with style. He knows no other way. And so he did. The Phillies’ NL East lead is now down to two games. Thanks to yet another cockpunch, this time courtesy of Dan Uggla: The God of Thunder. -- Chris Joseph
