ATLANTA – For 135 games, Fredi Gonazalez made replacing Bobby Cox as Atlanta Braves skipper look easy.
No, the Braves weren’t going to catch the Phillies for the National League East crown. But in September’s first days they led the St. Louis Cardinals by eight and a half games in the wild-card race. No NL team since the 1964 Phillies had blown a lead so large. And there was no way the Braves were going to copy those Phils, who became known as the Pholds around the City of Brotherly Love.
At least there was no way that was going to happen until Sept. 19, a Monday night that will live in infamy with the Bravos.
That was the night Atlanta entered the bottom of the ninth at the Florida Marlins’ Sun Life Stadium with the lead and ace closer Craig Kimbrel on the mound. That was the night Kimbrel got the first two outs before forcing Florida’s Emilio Bonifacio to hit a high chopper toward the Braves’ Chipper Jones at third.
Only Jones whiffed on the play, losing the ball in Sun Life’s lights, which are set up more for football – the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and college football’s Miami Hurricanes both play there – than baseball.