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Wednesday, June 14, 2000 D. Scott Smith, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Atlanta Braves outfielder Bobby Bonilla got what he expected when he came to bat last night at Three Rivers Stadium: a chorus of boos.
But, Bonilla is surprising critics this year with a solid season. Bonilla, a standout on the Pirates' last two division championship teams, has been the Braves' best hitter off the bench with six RBIs. Bonilla started last night and had a double and an RBI in three at-bats, but the Pirates rallied for a 7-6 victory in 10 innings.
Bonilla said the jeering doesn't bother him, and he actually likes revisiting the city where he played from 1986-91 and had perhaps the best years of his career.
"It's always great to come to Pittsburgh," Bonilla said. "I enjoy coming here every time. I still have a lot of friends here. So it's always enjoyable. The boos have been going on for years. That wasn't the first time and won't be the last. That's not a problem."
Injuries have plagued Bonilla, a six-time all-star, in recent years. He missed a large part of last season because of continued problems with his left knee from a 1998 Achilles' tendon injury. Surgery on his left wrist also limited him to 333 at-bats in '98.
"Whenever you have injuries and you try to play through that and you don't get the results you're looking for everybody is going to say the things they do," Bonilla said. "So I never looked at it in a negative way. I just always felt that I wasn't healthy enough."
Others around the league understood Bonilla's struggles.
"One thing about him, he loves being out there," said Tommy Sandt, the Pirates' first base coach. "When you're hitting on one hand and one leg it's pretty hard to play, I don't care if you're name is Babe Ruth or Bobby Bonilla."
The New York Mets found Bonilla expendable after he hit .160 in 119 at-bats last season. That led many to believe, including Sandt, that Bonilla had seen the last pitch of his career.
"There comes a time when everybody's done," Sandt said. "I mean, Babe Ruth retired. It kind of looked like Bobby was there. The older you get, the longer it takes to get back."
But Bonilla, 37, has done that. The Braves signed him to a minor-league contract before the start of the season, giving him another chance to prove he could still play.
"I fully understood the situation that was handed to me when I came in here," Bonilla said. "Bobby [Cox] explained to me everything that I was going to do, and I'm more than happy to do it."
Braves Manager Bobby Cox said it was more than just experience that made Bonilla attractive. Cox still believed Bonilla could compete.
"All the experience is good, but experience is no good unless you can still play," Cox said.
"Bobby has the experience and can play so that makes it a good combination."
Bonilla is hitting .303 in 122 at-bats this season.
"He's gives us one of the things we've been missing on this team for a while, some experience at the end of the bench," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "He's been one of our key bats off the bench. This year we have ample thanks to him and that's going to help us come playoff time."
An added benefit of playing for the Braves is that they have won their division eight of the past nine years..
"That's what you want to set your sights for, but you can't look too far ahead," said Bonilla. "You still have got to think about the next game and keep focus there before you stretch it."
He also is not discounting the possibility of being a starter again.
"I'm not necessarily looking for that," Bonilla said. "I just want to help in anyway I possibly can. Nothing more, nothing less. Just be myself. I don't want to do too much when I get in there. I want to stay focused and help."
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