|
|
 |
Company
|
|
|
|
Our Team
|
|
|
|
Clients
|
|
|
|
Draft
|
|
|
|
Information
|
|
|
|
PREVIEW (Hou)
PREVIEW
(TB)
|
|
 Recent
Client News |
|
|
Green's
first career homer helps spark Braves
|
By GUY CURTRIGHT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 5/31/04
Nick Green's first major league homer
finally brought his first curtain call.
Part of one, anyway.
"I didn't know what they wanted," said
the Braves' rookie second baseman, who
initially ignored the pleas of his
teammates, as well as the 24,945
standing and cheering at Turner Field.
"Chipper [Jones] kept yelling at me that
I needed to get up there," said Green,
breaking into a grin. "I didn't go to
the top step [of the dugout] like I was
supposed to, so I don't know if anyone
saw me or not. Maybe they at least saw
me wave my hand."
For what he has done as a fill-in for
Marcus Giles, the 25-year-old Duluth
resident definitely deserved the
recognition. The Braves have found a
surprise hometown hero.
After Rafael Furcal was walked
intentionally with two outs in the
seventh inning, Green broke a tie with a
three-run homer as the Braves beat
Montreal 8-2 on Memorial Day.
Green had struck out swinging on curves
in his first two at-bats. But Livan
Hernandez hung a 0-and-1 slider on the
inner part of the plate and Green
hammered the ball 391 feet into the
left-field seats.
"He missed his spot," Green said of the
pitch. "I know he's not happy with it."
Afterward, the home run ball was sitting
in Green's locker, courtesy of some
negotiations by Braves catcher Eddie
Perez.
"I'm thankful the fan was willing to
give it up," said Green, whose family
cheering section at the game included
his mother's sister and her family from
Pensacola, Fla. "All I had to do was
sign a couple of other balls in
exchange."
When Green joined the team from Class
AAA Richmond on May 14 in Milwaukee, it
was supposed to be for just a few days.
But Giles suffered a broken collarbone
in the next game and Green has been a
godsend for the Braves.
"He's come in and has just been
awesome," said Russ Ortiz, who won his
third consecutive start thanks to
Green's blast. "Not just at the plate,
but also on defense."
This time, the Braves' needed Green's
bat most after Brian Schneider tied the
game in the top of the seventh with a
two-run homer that ruined Ortiz's
shutout bid.
"It's great to see [Green] doing so
well," said Giles, who will likely be
out another six weeks. "It makes me feel
a little less guilty about not being in
there."
Green was just a .256 hitter in the
minors before this year, but he was
hitting .370 at Richmond before his
recall. In 16 games with the Braves, he
is hitting .304 and has seven RBIs.
"I don't want this to end," Green said
of his first exposure to the big
leagues. Maybe it won't.
"He's definitely got his foot in the
door at this level," said Giles, who was
hitting .339 and headed for the All-Star
Game. "You couldn't have asked for
anybody to do a better job.
"He's worked so hard, and he obviously
wants to learn and get better. He's
always asking questions."
Braves manager Bobby Cox said that the
determination to get Green to take a
curtain call showed how well he is
thought of by his teammates.
"They only do that to people they like a
lot," Cox said. "Obviously, Nick has fit
in here very well."
Green smiled and said, "I try to keep my
mouth shut and respect my elders. But if
you play well, you're always going to
fit in."
Green is obviously playing well. Very
well. |
|
|
|
1
1-800
