If you're going to hit just one, this is the one

October 24, 2005
CHICAGO,
Scott Podsednik?
Seriously. Scott Podsednik?Well, sure, if you had consulted A.J. Pierzynski beforehand - and at this point, that should be mandatory - your brain wouldn't have melted from watching the leadoff hitter, who had ZERO regular-season homers in 507 at-bats, take Brad Lidge deep for the walk-off blast."You know what the best part is?" Pierzynski, Chicago's catcher, shared last night, moments after the White Sox's 7-6 victory in World Series Game 2. "He told me, before the game, he was going to hit a home run today. I laughed at him."Could the White Sox, up 2-0, make a laugher out of this Fall Classic, now headed to Houston? The Astros shouldn't be buried yet, not after overcoming Albert Pujols' dramatic blast last week in the National League Championship Series.But then again, their closer, Lidge, surrendered a homer to Pujols a week ago tonight, then Podsednik last night. That's like getting knocked out by 1988 Mike Tyson and 2005 Mike Tyson in the same week. The White Sox seem like a team of destiny, so far. They can't close out a 6-4 victory in the top of the ninth, so they take a deep breath and simply clock an extra half-inning. No sweat, not even for the power-challenged Podsednik."That's when things are going your way," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "You can ask Pod what's the biggest hit in his life. He's going to say today."As usual, Guillen was correct."To go out and hit one out of the ballpark for a game-winner is pretty much indescribable," Podsednik, the 2005 Tyson, said.Podsednik's poor throw home from leftfield, on Jose Vizcaino's single, helped Chris Burke to score the tying run in the top of the ninth. It sucked the life out of U.S. Cellular Field.Here slugger Paul Konerko had ripped a seventh-inning grand slam off Chad Qualls, putting the Sox up 6-4, rendering moot a terrific start by the Astros' Andy Pettitte. Only to see Game 1 stud Bobby Jenks invite Houston back inside the party.Yet all that top-of-the-ninth sequence did was set up Podsednik for October immortality.There was one out and the score was tied at 6, and with Lidge on the mound for Houston, logic dictated this rain-soaked game was destined for extra innings. But Lidge fell behind Podsednik 2-and-1, and the leftfielder thought along with his flame-throwing opponent."I thought, let's put a good swing on this fastball," Podsednik said. "It was a good pitch to hit. I was able to drive it out."Easily out, over the fence in right-centerfield, and the sellout crowd exploded with shock.Just amazing. Remember, to acquire Podsednik and reliever Luis Vizcaino from the Brewers last December, the White Sox traded slugger Carlos Lee, who is about 1,000 times more likely than Podsednik to end a game with a homer. The whole idea was to create a better-rounded team, one that wouldn't rely as much on the long ball."I don't think anyone in the ballpark was thinking about me hitting one out," said Podsednik, who has two homers this postseason against his zero in the regular season."Podsednik, to hit a home run off Lidge, is something that just doesn't happen," Pierzynski said.According to Pierzynski, it's not as if Podsednik is the type of guy who calls a homer every time he steps to the plate. That's what Luis Sojo used to do in his Yankees playing days, generating laughs but also a reputation as a poor fortune-teller.

Source: http://www.newsday.com/