Notes on Baker's Game-Winning Ninth-Inning Home Run |
CLEMSON -- Clemson junior third baseman Jeff Baker socked a walk-off
ninth-inning home run to defeat Winthrop on April 3 at Kingsmore Stadium. It was the first ninth-inning, game ending home run for the Tigers since May 6, 1997 when Eric DeMoura hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to defeat North Carolina, 5-4. Baker's home run was the fourth walk-off home run for the Tigers under Jack Leggett (since 1994) and the 17th game-ending hit since Leggett has been head coach. Sixteen of the 17 game-ending hits took place at Kingsmore Stadium. The only exception was a game ending single by Kurt Bultmann against NC State in the 1999 ACC Tournament in Durham. Baker has had many clutch hits in his three-year career, but the home run against Winthrop was his first walk-off hit. Four different active Tigers now have game-ending hits in their careers. Khalil Greene has two, one against Coastal Carolina in 2001 and one against South Carolina earlier this year. Zane Green and Steve Pyzik are also current players in the walk-off hit club. Baker's home run in the ninth to beat Winthrop was also his third home run of the game. Baker became the 10th Clemson player in history to hit three home runs in a game, the first since April 11, 1993 when Shane Monahan hit three home runs at NC State. It was the first time any Clemson player had ever hit three home runs in a game at Kingsmore Stadium. The last time a Clemson player hit three home runs in a game on the Clemson campus was on April 14, 1964 when Jack McCall hit three against Georgia Tech.
Walk-off Game-Winning Hits under Jack Leggett
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