This is one of my favorite cards of Tino Martinez of my
favorite moment of his career. In Game One of the 1998 World Series, with the
game knotted at 5 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Mark Langston delivered
the perfect 2-2 pitch to Tino Martinez. I admit, it probably should have been
called strike three. But it wasn’t. The ump called it ball three. The next
pitch, Tino sent the ball into the upper deck in right field. From that moment
on, the series was pretty much over. The no-call was a back breaker so early in
the series.
I’ll never forget watch the ball leave Tino's bat. I know
exactly where I was watching from in my house…up on the landing from the dining
room that looked down into the family room. See the fans go crazy and beer
spray everywhere, and the jubilation of not only the crowd, but of Tino’s
Yankee teammates. They were jumping around like kids.
Tino came out for a curtain call, and I remember just being
so emotional and having goose bumps. When you see your hero do something of
that magnitude, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed. There are a few cards that
mention this moment, but this card captures it perfectly. The swing. Both Tino
and Carlos Hernandez watching the ball disappear. And on the back, the
intensity that made Tino so loved.
The card itself was part of Series One, but had a different look than the base cards. I think that's kind of cool. Nowadays, everything looks like the regular base cards but with a little line of text under it, such as "Most games played has a Yankee." I like having a slightly different look for the World Series cards (or other season achievements).
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