BALTIMORE - Former Brandon High star Chone Figgins slashed Jorge Julio's 98 mph fastball to leftfield to drive in the winning run in the 10th inning, but the Angel didn't really dwell on it. He stole a glance to his left as the throw bounced all the way to the plate, he rounded first base, he sprinted to second, then he finally took a moment for some personal joy.
He slapped his hands together and he laughed.
Maybe it wasn't just individual elation Figgins was feeling, but a little relief for his teammates, too. Friday night wasn't just Figgins' greatest day in baseball. It saved his team one of the most embarrassing nights imaginable.
Anaheim blew a nine-run lead, but Figgins, who had four hits and five RBIs by then, allowed his team to pull out a 10-9 victory over the Baltimore at Camden Yards.
Figgins finished 5-for-6 with six RBIs.
Bartolo Colon was bad, Troy Percival was worse and yet Figgins made sure the mood wasn't quiet and simmering in the clubhouse afterward. For a small man who had not hit a major-league home run before his second-inning grand slam eked over the rightfield scoreboard, that qualifies as a satisfying evening of work.
"I didn't think it was gone," Figgins said of his first big-league homer. "I didn't think it was high enough. I didn't realize it was a grand slam until I got to home plate and saw all those people standing there. "I've never hit a grand slam, I've never had a major-league home run, I've never had five hits in a game and I've never had a game-winning hit. It's unbelievable."
