Ryan Roberts imitates Kirk Gibson after walk-off grand slam
Sep 28, 2011, 3:36 PM | Updated: 4:37 pm
With Vin Scully in the booth — once again, Kirk Gibson’s famous fist pump as he trotted around the bases in the 1988 World Series resurfaced Tuesday night at Chase Field.
Ryan Roberts liked the first pitch he saw from Javy Guerra and laced it into the seats in left field for a grand slam, giving the Diamondbacks an improbable 10-inning, 7-6 victory over the L.A. Dodgers; and as he made his way home, he pointed to his teammates in the dugout pumping his fist just as his manager had done 23 years earlier.
“I’ve never hit a walk-off home run before in my whole career,” Roberts said after the game. “It was talked about at the beginning of the year and I always said my thing would be if I hit a walk-off home run is to do it, and I didn’t do it all year. I finally got to do it, I’m glad I remembered it.”
Roberts’ manager said he didn’t see it.
“Some things rub off,” Kirk Gibson joked. “Hey, you look at it if you deserve it, do it.”
The D-backs, who kept pace with the Milwaukee Brewers and remain one-game back in the race for the second-best record in the National League, scored six runs after allowing five runs in the previous half inning.
“It was unbelievable,” Roberts said. “I’ve never been a part of something like that.
“Everything on this team blows my mind.”
It was the team’s eighth walk-off of the season and their 48th comeback victory.
It was Roberts’ first career grand slam and first career walk-off home run.
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• Micah Owings, despite giving up the five runs in the 10th, was the winner improving to 8-0 on the season.
“Guys will cut up and joke about it, I had a rough night and a rough outing, but I feel like I’ve pitched well the majority of the year,” Owings said after the game. “I won’t ever get disappointed about a win.”
• Justin Upton was removed from the game after getting hit in the head for the second time in three days on a ball that ricocheted off the right field fence.
“Crazy coincidence,” Upton said. “I guess my head’s a target right now…for everything.”
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