May 19, 1994: Garey Ingram makes it look easy with home run in first at-bat for Dodgers

The wind was blowing in from center field at 18 mph as the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the Colorado Rockies at Mile High Stadium in Denver on May 19, 1994, in front of 51,515 fans. It was the final game of a four-game series before the Dodgers headed to Cincinnati for a three-game series with the Reds.

From May 6 through May 14, the Dodgers had played eight consecutive one-run games, winning the last five, including three on walk-offs. On May 15 the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 7-1 at Dodger Stadium.

The night before, the San Antonio Missions, the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, were playing the Tulsa Drillers in a Texas League game. In the middle of the eighth inning, as the Missions returned to the dugout after retiring the Drillers, San Antonio manager Tom Beyers met Garey Ingram at the dugout steps and told him to shower and pack his bags for LA. Other Missions players gathered around to give Ingram high-fives, but Ingram wasn’t buying it. With so many pranks played on baseball players, he thought this was just another one. He stayed in the dugout until it was his turn to bat, but he was replaced by a pinch-hitter. Then he realized there was no joke.1 The call-up was required because infielder Dave Hansen of the Dodgers had been placed on the 15-day disabled list and Ingram had experience at second base and in center field.

Earlier in the season, Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley and executive vice president Fred Claire were at a Missions game scouting Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park when they noticed Ingram, who was playing well in the series. They were impressed with Ingram’s progress in learning to play second base as well as his confidence, so he was the choice when Hansen went down. “Yeah, it was a big surprise,” said Ingram.2

Ingram reported to the Dodgers and the next day he entered the Padres game in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement. The first batter, Tony Gwynn, hit a grounder to Ingram, who threw to first to retire Gwynn. After the game, Gwynn presented Ingram with an autographed ball.

Fast-forward to the game on May 19. The Dodgers had already taken two of three in the series and Orel Hershiser was on the mound against the Rockies’ David Nied.

Henry Rodríguez homered leading off the top of the second to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, Nied grounded out to second followed by a single to right by Walt Weiss. Mike Kingery grounded to first baseman Eric Karros, who tried to force Weiss out at second, but threw wildly, allowing Weiss to advance to third with Kingery safe at first. Dante Bichette singled to left, Weiss scoring an unearned run and Kingery stopping at second. Andrés Galarraga grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop Raúl Mondesí and Howard Johnson grounded out to second baseman Delino DeShields to retire the side with the game tied, 1-1.

The Dodgers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth when Brett Butler laced a one-out triple to right field and scored on Mike Piazza’s single through the hole on the right side. The Dodgers were up 2-1.

Kingery tripled to right with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but Hershiser retired Bichette and Galarraga to strand Kingery at third.

The Dodgers broke it open in the top of the sixth. Rodríguez singled to right and Karros singled to center. Mondesí doubled to right, scoring Rodríguez with Karros stopping at third. That was it for Nied, and Kent Bottenfield entered the game. José Offerman walked, loading the bases. Hershiser struck out Mondesí for the first out of the inning. Butler stroked a line drive to center, scoring Karros and with Offerman stopping at second. DeShields singled, loading the bases again. Piazza singled to center, scoring Offerman and Butler, with DeShields advancing to third. Tim Wallach grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning, but not before the Dodgers had opened up a 7-1 lead.

Hershiser struck out Howard Johnson and Charlie Hayes and got Danny Schaeffer to ground out to shortstop in the Rockies’ half of the sixth.

A two-out triple in the top of the seventh by Mondesí just beyond first baseman Galarraga was all the noise the Dodgers could make in the top of the seventh as Bottenfield retired Offerman to strand Mondesí at third and retire the side.

Roberto Mejía laid down a bunt to start the Rockies’ seventh, but Hershiser grabbed it and retired Mejía at first. John Vander Wal, pinch-hitting for Bottenfield, doubled to left. With Weiss at bat, Hershiser uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Vander Wal to go to third. Vander Wal scored as Weiss grounded out to first. Kingery popped out to retire the side. Dodgers 7, Rockies 2 at the end of seven.

Mike Munoz came into to pitch for the Rockies and Ingram was called upon to pinch-hit for Hershiser. Ingram had made his major-league debut a few days earlier as a defensive replacement against the Padres, but this was his first at-bat. On a 2-and-2 count, Ingram homered to left. After the 384-foot blast, Ingram circled the bases with a big smile. When he got back to the dugout, Piazza had something to say to him: “I told him it wasn’t that easy.”3

DeShields walked and Piazza both singled later in the inning, but Munoz was able to get out of the inning surrendering just one run. The score in the middle of the eighth was 8-2.

Roger McDowell came in to pitch for Hershiser in the eighth and walked Johnson before Hayes grounded into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

Bruce Ruffin put the Dodgers down in order in the top of the ninth. McDowell did the same in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the win for Hershiser in the non-save situation. Hershiser improved his season record to 3-0, while Nied dropped to 5-3 with the loss.

Since the string of eight one-run games, the Dodgers had scored 35 runs in five games, including this 8-2 victory over the Rockies.4

The Dodgers kept their hot streak going, winning eight of their last nine, including the five one-run games.

On May 17, the Dodgers and Giants were tied for first place in the NL West Division with 21-18 records. The next night the Dodgers beat the Rockies 5-2 and the Giants lost to the Astros 4-2. The Dodgers took over first place, a spot they never relinquished for the rest of the strike-shortened season that ended on August 11.

Sources

In preparing this game story, the author used Retrosheet.org and Baseball-Reference.com for stats and game information.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199405190.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1994/B05190COL1994.htm

Photo credit: Garey Ingram, courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Notes

1 Guerry Clegg, “It’s No Joke, Ingram Learns,” Columbus (Georgia) Ledger-Enquirer, May 17, 1994: 17.

2 Clegg.

3 Maryann Hudson, “First-Place Dodgers Higher Than, Well, Mile High,” Fresno Bee, May 20, 1994: 55.

4 Hudson.