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Sunday, September 30, 2001

In the past few years, we've been exposed to road rage. And then air rage. Not to mention Rage Against The Machine and the Philadelphia Rage.

But Tuesday night in Bank One Ballpark, we got a glimpse of strikeout rage.

For the past couple of weeks, the Milwaukee Brewers have been the subject of many and sundry guffaws for their propensity to strike out this season (a major-league record 1,341 times going into the weekend).

And so, doing their best Peter Finch imitations, Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson -- two of the bigger breeze kings with 321 strikeouts between them -- went out and told the world "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore." Their anger morphed into three home runs apiece in a 9-4 win vs. Arizona, the first teammates ever to homer three times in the same game. More batter's box rage than even Dylan Thomas could have imagined in any good night.

"I'm honored," said Sexson. "I'm thinking, 'Any way to get into the Hall of Fame ... except for strikeouts."

Moaned Arizona Manager Bob Brenly: "We talked at length this afternoon that this is the striking out-est team in the history of major-league baseball, that we should get ahead and expand the strike zone. And for whatever reason we continued to throw pitches in the strike zone."

More specificially, Albie Lopez continued to throw pitches in the strike zone. He allowed five of the six homers. But, considering the issues he's dealing with these days (see below), perhaps he can be excused.

Arizona had its revenge, though. And revenge had a name: Randy Johnson (Thursday, 6 2/3 IP, 16 Ks).

On the road to 70

Jottings on the road to 70 home runs... After hitting home run No. 67 Monday, Barry Bonds was asked what has allowed him to put up such amazing numbers at age 37. "My genetics," Bonds answered. "I have to give my parents their due." Funny. Barry's dad, Bobby, retired at 35. ... Bonds (69) and Rich Aurilia (36) broke the record for home runs by NL teammates, surpassing the Cardinals' tandem of Mark McGwire and Ray Lankford (101 in 1998). ... MLB spokesman Pat Courtney says about 350-400 media credentials were issued for this weekend's series vs. San Diego, only about half of the number issued during Mark McGwire's record run in 1998. "That was so universal and so new," Courtney said. "It's different when it took 37 years to break a record compared to only three. That doesn't at all diminish [Bonds'] feat, but this is definitely a different feel." ... After San Diego today (4 p.m., ESPN), Bonds finishes with three vs. Houston and three vs. Los Angeles.

Coke with a smile

Tapping the same vein of sentiment reminiscent of the Mean Joe Greene commercials in the 1970s, Coca-Cola this week debuted a Cal Ripken commercial. Ripken is alone in the middle of an empty stadium, the fans gone, his teammates gone, taking one last look around the ol' ballyard, the highlights of a Hall of Fame career playing in his head. Five seconds, 10 seconds in quiet reflection.

Finally, out of the dugout steps his waiting 11-year-old daughter, Rachel.

"Dad, ready to go?" she calls.

Ripken turns around, looks down at her. "Yeah."

Ready or not, Ripken plays his last at 7:05 p.m. Saturday vs. Boston at Camden Yards. San Diego's Tony Gwynn leaves us a day later.

Series of the week

Phillies (82-73) at Braves (84-71), Tuesday-Thursday. ... Tuesday (7:35 p.m., TBS), Thursday (7:35 p.m., TBS). ... The teams have split 16 games. ... Atlanta's string of nine consecutive postseason appearances hangs in the balance.

Stretch runnings

Notes and quotes from the playoff races. ... It could only happen to a Cub. Sammy Sosa became the first player to homer three times in a game three times in the same season last Sunday. The Cubs lost two of those games. For the record, two other players homered three times in a game twice in a season and lost both. One was Dave Kingman (1979), also a Cub. ... Seattle's Jamie Moyer (19-5) won the 150th game of his career with a 9-3 win vs. Texas Monday. Has any pitcher won 150 games more quietly? Since 1996, the year he joined the Mariners, Moyer is 91-40, a .695 winning percentage. For comparison's sake, over the same period: Greg Maddux is 107-51 (.677), Roger Clemens 98-46 (.681), Randy Johnson 99-37 (.728) and Pedro Martinez 97-38 (.719). ...

For a change, the Mets-killer wasn't Chipper Jones, but fellow Brave Brian Jordan. Jordan beat the Mets with home runs in the ninth and 11th innings last Sunday, then drove a dagger through their playoff hearts with a ninth-inning grand slam to beat them, 8-5, yesterday. An unlikely hero? Until last Sunday, Jordan was hitting just .109 (6 for 55) vs. the Mets this season. ... Said Mets reliever John Franco after giving up Jordan's slam: "Stupid pitch. Stupid pitch. Stupid pitch. And I'm an idiot for throwing it." ... Hard luck? The Braves have been shut out eight times. Beaver's John Burkett (11-12, but a 2.90 ERA) has started four of those games, including a 1-0 loss to Florida Monday. ... Just because the Mariners have clinched doesn't mean phenom Ichiro Suzuki has let up. With two infield singles Friday, he tied Shoeless Joe Jackson's rookie record of 233 hits. ... Mark McGwire (.186, 111 Ks in 280 ABs) might be having an awful year, but he has had an impact on the Cardinals' fortunes. The Cardinals are 19-6 in games in which he homers.

This 'n' that

With 37 strikeouts this week, Arizona's Curt Schilling (285) and teammate Randy Johnson (366) became the all-time strikeout duo with 651 Ks. They broke the old mark of 624 set by the Angels' Nolan Ryan and Bill Singer in 1973. ... Johnson needs 17 strikeouts to tie Ryan's record of 383 in a season. Incredibly, he's thrown 83 1/3 fewer innings than Ryan in his record season. ...

If a team falls in an empty stadium, does anyone hear? The Expos played their final home game of the season (and ever?) at Stade Olympique Thursday, a 12-6 loss to the Mets. Attendance: 6,968. ... Hey, hey, hey, lost in the shuffle of the Jeromy & Richie Show Tuesday, Arizona's Albie Lopez's lost his 19th game (12 with Tampa Bay, 7 with Arizona). He gets his first crack at becoming the first 20-game loser since 1980 this afternoon vs. the Dodgers. Somewhere, lovable loser Brian Kingman is sticking pins into his Albie voodoo doll.

Shot and a jeer

Shot: OK, another cheap age shot at Arizona's Mike Morgan. But birth certificates do not lie (usually). Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre drove in the winning run against Morgan Sept. 22. For the record, that's the same Adrian Beltre who was born 10 months after Morgan began his big-league career.

Jeer: Hey, Barry! Better get 70 today. Have you seen tomorrow's date?

Box score lines of the week:

Never had teammates hit three home runs in the same game. "We were just trying to hit the ball as hard as we can," says Burnitz. Hard and long. Their six home runs laid end to end totaled 2,430 feet, or a bloop single short of a half-mile.

Came on in the sixth inning Monday and got hits in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings -- the team's final three times up -- then collected hits in the first, second and third innings Tuesday, giving him hits in six consecutive innings.

Case in point why the team ERA is 5.86 in September.