Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Clearwater's 3Bends All-Star Game

Juan Richardson gives the Western Division FSL team a 3-2 victory with a home run in the ninth inning.

By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 19, 2002

CLEARWATER -- Juan Richardson said all he wanted to do was make contact and get a hit when he came up in the bottom of the ninth inning.

He did that and more.

The third baseman from Clearwater ended the 40th Florida State League All-Star Game by hitting a ball that cleared the trees behind the fence in left-centerfield. His home run gave the Western Division a 3-2 victory Tuesday at Dunedin Stadium.

"I could tell that he hit a home run because he turned back at the dugout and was laughing once he saw the ball leave his bat," said Dunedin catcher Guillermo Quiroz, a teammate of Richardson's with the Western Division.

Richardson, who went 3-for-4 and was named MVP, had to smile at his good fortune. A free-agent signee by the Phillies in 1998, he moved up to Clearwater this season and had 10 home runs the first half of the season.

Last year while he was playing for Lakewood in the South Atlantic League, Richardson had 22 homers and 83 RBIs.

But he wasn't added to the roster until Sunday when two of Tampa's designated hitters, Brian Myrow (injury) and Aaron Rifkin (promotion), were unable to participate.

"We had a lot of promotions and guys injured and that opened some doors for others to play, including Juan," said Tampa manager Mitch Seoane, who managed the Western Division. "It wasn't like Juan didn't deserve to be here. He had a good first half, got his chance and had a really great game."

Richardson said he was in his hotel in St. Lucie when his manager told him he was selected.

"I went from being disappointed to being excited," Richardson said. "I approached the game like any other, but it feels great to have a game like this."

Besides being selected for the game, he also participated in the home run derby and was eliminated after the second round.

Before Richardson's winner, Jupiter's Will Smith and Charlotte's Ramon Martinez were the likely candidates to share the MVP award.

Smith was 2-for-4 and scored in the second to give the Eastern Division a 2-0 lead.

After scoring in the sixth, the Western Division tied the score in the eighth when Martinez, who was hit by a pitch and stole second and third, scored on a single by Fort Myers' Josh Rabe.

Then with the game threatening to end in a tie for the third time, Richardson came up and hit his shot with one out.

"I wasn't thinking home run," Richardson. "I was just concentrating on getting a good hit."

The home run came off Vero Beach reliever Lino Urdaneta, who picked up the loss.

Richardson and Urdaneta became friends in 1998 when they met at the Dodgers Academy in the Dominican Republic. Urdaneta had signed and Richardson was there trying out for the club.

Richardson did not make it, but the two have remained close and reminisced Monday night at a banquet.

"We talked and had a good time," Urdaneta said. "We're still friends."

But that friendship was tested with one swing of the bat.

"I gave up the hit but that's okay," Urdaneta said. "It was a good night for him. Bad night for me."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright