September 6, 1998: Benito Santiago doubles for Blue Jays in first start since offseason car accident

The Toronto Blue Jays experienced three consecutive losing seasons after back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. General manager Gord Ash, who oversaw two of the losing seasons, decided to overhaul his roster for 1997. Among Toronto’s top acquisitions was veteran catcher Benito Santiago,1 signed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract after hitting 30 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996.

Santiago, however, was one of many Blue Jays who failed to live up to expectations throughout the 1997 season as Toronto slumped to a 76-86 record.2 The Blue Jays even made him available to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft on November 17, 1997. But neither team snatched up the 32-year-old Santiago, who was later dubbed Ash’s “personal albatross” by one local columnist.3

About seven weeks later, Santiago’s Toronto tenure took a turn for the worse.

On January 4, 1998, Santiago was driving his yellow 1997 Ferrari Spider sports car in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At about 1 P.M., he hit a bump in the road near Sixth Street, lost control of the car, and slammed into a tree near Southeast Eighth Street.4 Witnesses estimated Santiago was traveling faster than 60 MPH – and perhaps double the posted speed limit of 35 MPH.5 As he recovered in a hospital bed, police charged him with failure to use due care, and he wondered if he would ever play baseball again.

Santiago was wearing his seatbelt but still suffered major injuries.6 His initial medical diagnosis included a fractured vertebra, a concussion, and several lacerations to his face – but doctors thought he had a chance to be ready to play on Opening Day. Upon his release from the hospital on January 7, Santiago acknowledged that he “could have been dead,”7 and he later said he looked at his recovery as God “giving me a second chance.”8

When Santiago reported to spring training in Dunedin, Florida, in February, he struggled to walk, and he underwent testing that uncovered a fractured pelvis and sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL).9 Sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews operated on Santiago’s knee on February 20, putting him on a timetable to return to action around June 1.10

Santiago experienced some setbacks on the road to recovery, finally beginning a 20-day rehab assignment at Class A on August 15. He made his season debut in early September – just in time to help the Blue Jays’ bid to overcome a sizable deficit in the race for the American League wild-card berth.

Santiago doubled in his second at-bat against the Boston Red Sox in his first start of the season on September 6.11 His efforts helped Toronto open up a 7-1 lead after six innings, and the Blue Jays withstood a furious Boston comeback attempt to secure their 10th straight victory, an 8-7 triumph before 38,374 fans on a Sunday afternoon at SkyDome.12

During the winning streak – the second-longest in franchise history to date13 – Toronto had gained 7½ games in the wild-card chase and improved to 77-66. After the win, the Blue Jays still trailed Boston by five games with only 19 games left on the schedule. The Red Sox, losers of eight of their past 11 games, fell to 81-60 with 21 games to go.

Santiago’s first two appearances of 1998 were as a late-game defensive replacement, but he drew the start on September 6 in place of the left-handed-hitting regular catcher Darrin Fletcher against Boston southpaw Pete Schourek.14 In the first inning of Santiago’s first major-league start in 345 days, he handled 13 pitches as 23-year-old Blue Jays right-hander Chris Carpenter struck out the side.

The Blue Jays took an early lead on José Canseco’s 40th home run of the season,15 a two-out solo shot in the bottom of the first that gave him 1,200 career RBIs, and they added two more runs when Shawn Green launched his 32nd homer of the year with two outs in the third.16 Canseco and Green became the second pair of Blue Jays teammates to homer in three straight games.17

Boston’s Mo Vaughn slugged a solo homer in the top of the fourth, his 35th of the season, but the Blue Jays piled on more runs in the fifth and sixth to seemingly put the game out of hand.

Santiago – who grounded into a double play in his first at-bat – led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on Craig Grebeck’s grounder. Santiago trotted home when Alex Gonzalez flied out to deep left for a 4-1 lead, as Schourek’s struggles since joining the Red Sox shortly after the trade deadline continued.18

Canseco singled to open the sixth off reliever John Wasdin. Carlos Delgado followed with a walk, and both runners advanced when José Cruz Jr. grounded out to first. The Red Sox intentionally walked Tony Fernández, bringing up Santiago. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Santiago watched a borderline pitch sail past for a controversial bases-loaded walk that led to Boston manager Jimy Williams’s third ejection of the season.

According to Williams, he saw Wasdin’s pitch cut across the heart of the plate, and his argument with home-plate umpire Dale Scott ended with him kicking dirt in what the Boston Globe called “Lou Piniella-like landscaping.”19 After the tirade – and thanks in part to Santiago’s keen batting eye – Grebeck poked a two-run single to center to give the Jays a 7-1 lead.

Seeking his 11th win of the season, Carpenter took a three-hitter to the seventh. But Troy O’Leary walked to open the inning and Mike Stanley pounded his 29th home run of the year against his former team to chase Carpenter from the game and cut Boston’s deficit to 7-3.20 After John Valentin singled against righty Carlos Almánzar and Vaughn walked against lefty Dan Plesac to open the eighth, O’Leary smashed a one-out, two-run double off Plesac. Stanley followed with an RBI double against the third reliever of the inning, Paul Quantrill, and Darren Bragg poked a grounder up the middle for an RBI single that tied the game at 7-7.

Tensions ran high after Boston catcher Jason Varitek grounded into an inning-ending double play. As Quantrill, a former Red Sox pitcher, walked to the dugout, he argued with Scott and first-base umpire Ted Barrett about a pickoff call earlier in the inning and was ejected. Scott also ejected first-year Toronto manager Tim Johnson.21 Neither Johnson, any Blue Jays coach, nor any Blue Jays player had been ejected all season.

In the bottom of the eighth, Fernández singled22 with one out for Toronto and stole second and third to set up Grebeck’s tiebreaking triple to left-center off Derek Lowe – the last mark against Boston’s bullpen, which allowed 10 runs in 10 1/3 innings during the series.

Toronto’s Robert Person pitched a one-two-three ninth for his first career save.23 Lowe took the loss and fell to 3-9, while Quantrill picked up the win and improved to 3-4 as Toronto won the season series, 7-5.

Boston led for only one inning during the series, scoring in the top of the fifth in the series opener before Toronto scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. But even after getting swept, the Red Sox still controlled their postseason fate.

“The number one thing is not to doubt yourself, second-guess yourself,” Vaughn said. “Just play the game, dammit. Don’t add any extra pressure. We’re in the lead, we’re in command. How we respond in the next week will determine whether we deserve to be in the playoffs or not.”24

Boston lost five of its next seven games, but the Blue Jays only pulled within three games by September 13. Wins in seven of the next 11 games helped the Red Sox clinch the wild card by September 24 and return to the playoffs for the first time since 1995.25

As for Santiago, he hit .310 in 15 games down the stretch, sending five of his 11 hits for extra bases. Though Santiago was no longer the rifle-armed whippersnapper who could throw out would-be base stealers from his knees,26 the Chicago Cubs signed the four-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover to a one-year contract for 1999, giving him another chance to continue his comeback.

“I’m just lucky to be here, man. We could have been dead,” Santiago said in February 1999. “… I was able to play those 15 games because I worked so hard. I’ve been lifting, running, and playing catch, and doing everything so I can get back to the same player I was before.”

Three years later, as a 37-year-old, Santiago returned to All-Star form with the San Francisco Giants, leading them to the National League pennant as the NL Championship Series MVP. He played three more seasons after that, though his legacy was clouded by alleged steroid use after he was named in the Mitchell Report in December 2007.27

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Victoria Monte and copy-edited by Len Levin. Special thanks to Tony Lewis and John Fredland for research assistance.

Photo credit: Benito Santiago, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted the Baseball-Reference.com, Stathead.com, and Retrosheet.org websites for pertinent statistics and the box scores. He also used information obtained from the Toronto Sun, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and Santiago’s book Benito Santiago Behind the Mask: My Life of Baseball.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR199809060.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1998/B09060TOR1998.htm

Notes

1 In addition to Santiago, the Blue Jays signed starting pitcher Roger Clemens and acquired infielder Carlos García, outfielder Orlando Merced, and relievers Dan Plesac and Robert Person in trades. Toronto also introduced a new logo and uniforms.

2 Santiago hit .243 and collected 13 home runs during his first season in the AL. He earned a Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement total of 0.8, his second-lowest mark since becoming a full-time player, and unanimously won NL Rookie of the Year honors with the San Diego Padres in 1987. (His WAR was 0.7 in 1993 with the Florida Marlins.)

3 Richard Griffin, “Jays Choke on Good News,” Toronto Star, February 26, 1998: E8.

4 Santiago’s passenger Francisco Arroyo, his 43-year-old boat mechanic, was ejected from the car, and both were transported to Broward County Medical Center and listed in serious condition.

5 Witness estimates of Santiago’s speed ranged from 60 to 90 MPH, according to news reports. Fort Lauderdale police spokesperson Clinton Ward said there was no way for detectives to estimate an exact speed because Santiago’s car went airborne before smashing into the tree. “We have no way of pinpointing the exact speed,” he said. “There weren’t too many skid marks laid down because when he hit the bump he went airborne for a while before hitting the tree.” Associated Press, “Santiago Says He’ll Return Soon,” Naples (Florida) Daily News, January 6, 1998: 2C.

6 Arroyo was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained a compound fracture in his left leg and skin damage that required plastic surgery. Santiago later revealed he initially planned to have his young son sit between the two front seats of the car during the brief drive, but another friend of his convinced him otherwise. Benito Santiago with Charlie Hudson, Benito Santiago Behind the Mask: My Life of Baseball (Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Press, Inc., 2017), 64.

7 Dave Sheinin, “Santiago Out of Hospital,” Miami Herald, January 8, 1998: 2D.

8 Mark Zwolinski, “Santiago’s Season in Jeopardy,” Toronto Sun, February 20, 1998: D13.

9 Santiago was not the only Blue Jays player to receive special evaluation at the onset of spring training. In mid-February, reports circulated that indicated Toronto pitcher Kelvim Escobar fell asleep and twice rolled his Jeep while driving in Venezuela. He escaped major injury and made the Opening Day roster.

10 Initial fears were that Santiago had torn his MCL, which would have forced him to miss the entire season. Before Santiago’s accident, the Blue Jays signed catcher Darrin Fletcher to replace Charlie O’Brien and platoon with Santiago, but Fletcher ultimately handled the bulk of Toronto’s catching duties from 1998 to 2001. During spring training, the Blue Jays acquired Texas Rangers rookie catcher Kevin L. Brown in a trade to become Fletcher’s backup.

11 Santiago made his season debut in the second game of the series against the Red Sox on September 4, entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of an eventual 12-1 Blue Jays victory. He played again the next day, coming in as a defensive replacement for the ninth inning of a 4-3 win.

12 The crowd was the seventh-largest of the season at SkyDome. The attendance figure swelled in part because of a Beanie Baby giveaway. The stuffed blue jay was named “Rocket.” According to the one report, some families lined up at the gates six hours before the scheduled first pitch to ensure they received the highly coveted collectible plush. Associated Press, “Blue Jays Sweep Sox,” Greenfield (Massachusetts) Recorder, September 7, 1998: 11.

13 The Blue Jays won 11 straight games from June 2 to 13, 1987. The 1998 winning streak began on August 27 and Toronto matched the 1987 record on September 7 with a 15-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. Through the 2024 season, the Blue Jays have five 11-game winning streaks, also accomplishing the feat June 11-23     , 2013; June 2-14, 2015; and August 2-13, 2015.

14 Before Santiago’s activation, Kevin Brown and Mark Dalesandro had handled most of the catching duties when the Blue Jays faced left-handed pitchers. Fletcher had 67 plate appearances against lefties coming into this game, while Brown had 58 and Dalesandro had 23. Down the stretch, Santiago came to bat 11 times against left-handers, while Brown had four appearances and Fletcher had one.

15 Canseco became the third Blue Jays player to reach the 40-home-run plateau, joining George Bell (47 in 1987) and Jesse Barfield (40 in 1986). For Canseco, it marked his third such season (42 in 1988 and 44 in 1991), and he finished the 1998 season with a career-high 46 home runs and his fourth Silver Slugger award.

16 With 72 combined home runs, Canseco and Green sat three behind the franchise record for single-season home runs by two players, which was set in 1987 when George Bell hit 47 and Jesse Barfield slugged 28. By the end of the season, a late-season power surge from Carlos Delgado gave him and Canseco the new record of 84 homers (46 for Canseco and 38 for Delgado). With Green’s 35 added in, the trio smashed the old record for single-season home runs by three players, also set in 1987 with Bell, Barfield, and Lloyd Moseby combining for 101 homers. Toronto’s 1998 total was 119.

17 From May 30 to June 1, 1993, Toronto’s Ed Sprague and John Olerud each homered in the same three straight games. Through the end of the 2024 season, no pair of Toronto teammates had replicated the feat. Canseco homered the next day to become the fifth player in franchise history to hit home runs in four straight games, joining George Bell, Joe Carter (twice), Carlos Delgado, and Green. Three years later, José Cruz Jr. homered in six straight games from September 29 to October 5, 2001, and Kendrys Morales bested Cruz’s streak with home runs in seven straight games August 19-26, 2018.

18 After the Houston Astros acquired Randy Johnson at the trade deadline, Schourek became the odd man out of their rotation, so the Astros placed Schourek on waivers and the Red Sox claimed him. Including this start, Schourek held a 7.08 ERA since joining Boston, surrendering 16 earned runs on 26 hits and 10 walks in 20 1/3 innings over 6 appearances. Before joining the AL for the first time in his career amid his eighth big-league season, Schourek had gone 7-6 with a 4.50 ERA for the Astros.

19 Gordon Edes, “Sox Are Swept Out of Toronto,” Boston Globe, September 7, 1998: D1.

20 It was Stanley’s final home run of the season. He began the 1998 season with the Blue Jays, who traded him to the Red Sox on July 30 for prospects Peter Munro and Jay Yennaco.

21 Johnson had never been ejected during his seven-year major-league playing career or in four years as a coach for the Montreal Expos and Red Sox. He earned a second ejection on September 11 during a brawl with the New York Yankees.

22 Fernández went 8-for-15 during the four-game series and had six consecutive hits from the seventh inning on September 4 through the second inning on September 6.

23 Person, a 28-year-old who had made his major-league debut in 1995, had spent most of August learning the nuances of closing with the Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs. He received a September call-up to the big-league roster and immediately became Toronto’s closer to record six saves over the final month.

24 Edes, “Sox Are Swept Out of Toronto.”

25 The Red Sox closed the season at 92-70 but finished 22 games behind the AL East Division champion New York Yankees, who won the World Series. In the AL Division Series, the Cleveland Indians beat the Red Sox 3-1. Toronto finished third in the AL East at 88-74.

26 Santiago did not throw out any of the 10 runners who attempted steals against him in September 1998.

27 Santiago denied the allegations.