#17: Bell Blasts Three On Opening
Day, 1988
Toronto Blue Jays (5) at Kansas City
Royals (3)
Monday, April 4, 1988
Royals Stadium
The
Toronto Blue Jays finished 1987 in a rather disappointing fashion, having
dropped their last seven games of the season, and surrendering a 3 ½ game lead
to lose the American League East to the Detroit Tigers on the last day of the
regular season. However, for Jays’ left-fielder George Bell, 1987 was his
career year, having hit 47 home runs and adding 134 RBIs in earning the
American League’s MVP Award.
But
both the Jays and Bell were entering 1988 on a rather bitter note. Bell was
unhappy with Toronto manager, Jimy Williams, who now planned on using Bell
primarily as a designated hitter, rather than playing in the outfield. A young
Jays’ rookie, Sylvestre Campusano, was going to play centre field, while Lloyd
Moseby would be moving from centre to left. Never one to take a decision
against him lightly, while also priding himself on his defensive play as well
as his bat, Bell voiced his frustrations over his reduced role.
Many
fans and media, and possibly some of the Blue Jays’ players, were wondering if
this internal feud might destroy the whole season before it even got started.
But on Opening Day, Bell proved that he wouldn’t let off-the-field distractions
affect his play by smashing three home runs, the first time in Major League
Baseball history that had happened to kick off a season.
After
the Blue Jays went in order in the top of the first, George Brett put the
Royals ahead 2-0 when he hit a two-run homer off of Jays’ starter Jimmy Key.
But Bell was leading off the top of the second and he quickly deposited Bret
Saberhagen’s first pitch of the inning over the wall in left field to cut the
lead to 2-1. Home run #1.
In
the fourth, after Jays’ “new” left-fielder Moseby reached base on an error and
shortstop Tony Fernandez flew out, Bell came to the plate to face Saberhagen
again. This time it was a 2-2 pitch that Bell slammed over the left-centre
field wall to give Toronto a 3-2 lead. Home run #2.
Later
in the inning, right-fielder Jesse Barfield would hit a sacrifice fly scoring
third baseman Rance Mulliniks to give the Jays a 4-2 lead.
Bell
would come up again in the sixth, but this time fly out on a line drive to left
field. Meanwhile, Key had settled down since the Brett home run and didn’t
allow the Royals to score again during his six innings of work. In the seventh,
Key was replaced by another left-hander, David Wells, who yielded a run to
Kansas City on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Seitzer.
Saberhagen
went back to the mound in the eighth and got Moseby and Fernandez out before
Bell ripped into another one of his pitches (this time on a 2-1 count) down the
left-field line and over the wall. The Jays led 5-3 and Bell had home run #3.
For
the day, Bell was 3 for 4, scored three runs and had four RBIs. Youngster,
Campusano, also managed to get a hit in his debut, but proved he wasn’t good
enough to be an everyday player in the Majors. Bell was back in left field
before too much of the season had gone by.
As
for the pitching, Key picked up the win while Saberhagen suffered the loss, and
Jays’ closer Tom Henke pitched two perfect innings to pick up his first save of
the season.
It
was just another display of Bell coming through when the pressure was on,
something he did on a regular basis for the Blue Jays. Unfortunately, the team
didn’t have nearly as good a season as 1987 and finished in fourth place, two
games back of the first-place Boston Red Sox.
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