Chris Young, Diamondbacks still earning respect
Aug 12, 2011, 10:02 PM | Updated: Aug 13, 2011, 12:49 am
Chris Young’s walk-off homer Thursday night against the Astros was his first home run since July 2nd. That alone would make it a refreshing moment, but the fact that the Astros disrespected Young by leaving a lefty in to face him made it even more satisfying.
“I hadn’t hit a home run in a while, so it felt good to square one up,” Young told Sports 620 KTAR’s Burns and Gambo Friday. “At the same time, it caught me a little off guard that they left the lefty in.”
Young said he didn’t know if it was the right or wrong call for the Astros to leave Sergio Escalona in to face him, but we’ll say it for him: it was the wrong call.
“I definitely did take it to heart a little bit that they left him in there and I figured I was the guy that had to get it done right there,” Young said.
Young most definitely got the job done, as he helped the D-backs come away with a win that they maybe didn’t really deserve.
No one will ask them to give it back, though, and the victory extended Arizona’s NL West lead to one game over the San Francisco Giants.
That in and of itself is a surprise to most people, and there are many “experts” who still don’t buy the Diamondbacks as being contenders.
“You can’t really let any of that, positive or negative, get into your head,” Young said. “You have to take it amongst yourselves and if you believe in yourself as a team and have the talent, you know, the sky’s the limit.”
Indeed it is, and while all the Diamondbacks can do is win games, Young says that still may not help the perception others have of them.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to give us any credit until we’re in the World Series because I can see us being in the playoffs and people still saying the same things that they’re saying now, so that’s not really anything of our concern.
“We’ve just got to go out there and continue to have fun.”
Of course, it’s easier to have fun when you’re winning, and the Diamondbacks would be quite happy doing just that, walk-off homers or not.
