September 4, 2006: Charlton Jimerson’s home run in first at-bat ends Cole Hamels perfect game bid

It was veteran pitcher vs. rookie as the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies squared off for an afternoon game at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park: ace Roger Clemens of the visiting Astros and rookie Cole Hamels for the home team.

Making his 15th start in his 23rd major-league season, the 43-year-old Clemens entered the game with a 6-4 won-lost record and an impressive 2.29 ERA. His season hadn’t begun until June 22 as he recovered from a strained hamstring suffered during Game One of the 2005 World Series.

Hamels, a 22-year-old from San Diego, had been having a respectable first year. He came into the game with a 7-7 record and a 4.50 ERA, which stood as evidence of bright spots and the occasional rough outing. His previous start, on August 30, was one of his best all season long: eight innings pitched, four hits and one run allowed, in a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

Entering the game, neither team was where it had anticipated it would be at the beginning of the season. After 88 wins in 2005, the Phillies in September 2006 were sitting at 69-68, 16 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East Division. The Astros, a year from their first World Series appearance (swept in four games by the Chicago White Sox), were 67-70 and seven games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central Division.

The Astros lineup included 40-year-old future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio batting leadoff. He was followed by left fielder Chris Burke, power-hitting first baseman Lance Berkman, and Jason Lane in the cleanup spot. Aubrey Huff, Eric Bruntlett, Adam Everett, and Brad Ausmus batted fifth through eighth in the order.

The Phillies countered with a dangerous offensive lineup that included speedster Jimmy Rollins batting first, followed by Shane Victorino and All-Stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Howard would be named the 2006 National League MVP after batting .313, hitting 58 home runs, and driving in 149 runs. The bottom of the Phillies’ lineup featured veterans Pat Burrell, Jeff Conine, Chris Coste, and Abraham Nunez.

On September 1 major-league teams could expand their rosters to 40 players. Both teams called up a few minor-league players and were hoping to finish the last month of the season with momentum.

The game did not start well for the Astros. They went down in order the first time through the lineup. Through the first three innings, Hamels surrendered no hits and struck out four. He was lights out. Clemens was nearly as good. At the end of three innings, he had notched four strikeouts and allowed only a single, to pitcher Hamels.

The pitching duel between Clemens and Hamels continued. Hamels sent the Astros down in order in the fourth. The Phillies broke through with a run against an uncharacteristically wild Clemens in the bottom of the fourth inning. He gave up a leadoff walk to Victorino, hit Utley, and walked Howard to load the bases with no outs. Clemens struck out Burrell swinging for the first out, but hit Conine with a pitch. Victorino came home and the Phillies went up 1-0. The inning ended on a Coste double-play ball.

Hamels struck out the side in the top of the fifth: Lane, Huff, and Bruntlett. Clemens countered by sending the Phillies down in order in the bottom of the frame.

After two outs on five pitches in the sixth inning, Hamels had retired 17 straight Astros. So far he was perfect. Clemens was due up third in the inning. Instead, manager Phil Garner decided he was done for the day after 71 pitches and a strained groin.1 Garner called on Charlton Jimerson to pinch-hit. Jimerson had made his major-league debut nearly a year earlier. On September 14, 2005, he came in as a ninth-inning defensive replacement for the Astros in a 10-2 win over the Marlins. He did not make a plate appearance.

A recent call-up due to the expanded roster, Jimerson was getting his first major-league at-bat. With the count at two balls and one strike, Jimerson launched Hamels’ fourth offering to deep center field, way over the 409-foot sign for a solo home run. With one swing, Hamels’ perfect game was over. The game was tied, 1-1. Brett Dolan, the Astros’ play-by-play announcer, made the call:

“Jimerson swings. High fly ball! Deep center field! Victorino looks up. It’s GONE! A HOME RUN! Jimerson’s first at-bat in the big leagues and he’s gone yard to break up a perfect game!”2

Phillies fans responded by throwing the home-run ball back onto the field. Victorino tossed the ball back to the Astros dugout for Jimerson, who was all smiles after rounding the bases. He was congratulated at home plate by Biggio and returned to the dugout with high fives and hugs from teammates Chris Burke, Willy Taveras, and Luke Scott. All three had played together with the Double-A Round Rock Express. Jimerson became the third Astros player to hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat, following José Sosa on July 30, 1975, and Dave Matranga on June 27, 2003.

Relief pitcher Russ Springer came in for the ailing Clemens in the bottom of the sixth. Springer quickly retired both Victorino and Utley before issuing a go-ahead home run to cleanup hitter Howard. At the end of six innings, the Phillies led 2-1.

The seventh inning went quickly: three up and three down for both teams.

However, in the top of the eighth, the Astros tied the score, 2-2, on a leadoff home run by summer trade acquisition Huff. In the bottom of the inning, the Phillies had a runner in scoring position after Rollins singled to right field and stole second base. The scoring opportunity ended when reliever Trever Miller struck out Utley to end the inning.

The Houston ninth resembled the Phillies’ effort in the eighth, with scoring opportunities going unfulfilled. With one out, Chris Burke singled to center field and stole second base. He took third on Lance Berkman’s groundout. But the inning ended when Mike Lamb struck out against reliever Matt Smith.

With one last chance to end the game before extra innings, the Phillies began the bottom of the ninth with new pitcher Chad Qualls issuing a leadoff intentional walk to Howard. Pinch-hitter Joe Thurston attempted to sacrifice Howard to second, but popped his bunt to third baseman Morgan Ensberg. Conine followed with a double to center field that sent Howard to third. Qualls loaded the bases with his second intentional walk of the inning, this time to 33-year-old rookie catcher Coste. The Phillies squandered the chance to win the game when the next two batters, pinch-hitters David Dellucci and José Hernández, struck out swinging and popped up to first base, respectively, to end the inning.

After nine complete innings, the game was tied 2-2. Three solo home runs and an RBI via hit-by-pitch were the only runs of the game.

The top of the 10th inning started promisingly for the Astros. Huff led off with a double to center field off reliever Rick White. But White retired Bruntlett, Everett, and pinch-hitter Orlando Palmeiro to end the scoring threat.

Astros closer Dave Borkowski took over in the bottom of the 10th and began with back-to-back fly-ball outs by Rollins and Victorino. Then on Borkowski’s 15th pitch of the inning, Utley hit a walk-off home run to right-center field for a 3-2 win. It was the first Phillies victory over the Astros since May 18, 2003, and sent the crowd of 44,674 home happy.3

The Astros and the Phillies went on to play their last 24 games to identical records of 15-9. The Astros finished the season at 82-80, taking second place in the NL Central Division behind the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies finished their season 85-77, 12 games behind the National League East champion New York Mets.

Astros analyst Jim Deshaies said after Jimerson’s home run in the sixth inning: “Can there be a better feeling than homering in your first major-league at-bat?”4 Play-by-play announcer Dolan was more direct: “That was awesome.”5 Jimerson, in his book Against All Odds: A Success Story, recounted his first home run this way: “Following the greatest moment of my baseball career, I had the biggest smile on my face. For the next 30 minutes, I sat on the bench and replayed the home run in my head.”6

Sources

The author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, BaseballAlmanac.com, and MLB.com Film Room.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200609040.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2006/B09040PHI2006.htm

Photo credit: Charlton Jimerson, courtesy of the Houston Astros.

Notes

1 Associated Press, “Strained Right Groin Forces Rocket to Leave vs. Phils,” ESPN, September 4, 2006. https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2573236.

2 MLB, “Jimerson’s First MLB Home Run,” FILM ROOM, https://www.mlb.com/video/jimerson-s-first-mlb-home-run-c1875017783, September 4, 2006.

3 Jose de Jesus Ortiz, “Phillies Defeat Astros 3-2 in Extra Innings,” Houston Chronicle, September 4, 2006. https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/phillies-defeat-astros-3-2-in-extra-innings-1903888.php.

4 “Jimerson’s First MLB Home Run.”

5 “Jimerson’s First MLB Home Run.”

6 Charlton Jimerson, Against All Odds: A Success Story (North Charleston, South Carolina: CreateSpace, 2015), 130.