Word: mussina
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...arrived in time to watch the Yankees capitalize on a Lou Merloni error in the top half of the ninth and finally score against a former teammate and the last person to pitch a perfect game, David Cone. With a one-run lead, Mussina took to the mound three outs away from the 15th perfect game in modern baseball history, the fourth in Yankee history, and the first in the 89-year history of Fenway Park...
...hard grounder to the right side. Seemingly out of nowhere, Yankee first baseman Clay Bellinger (who had scored the lone run in the game when he replaced Tino Martinez on the basepaths) lunged at the ball as it skipped into his awaiting mitt. He flipped the ball to Mussina for the first out in the ninth...
Next up was Merloni, who had botched a grounder mere minutes before that could have resulted in an inning-ending double play instead of an eventual Yankee run. Merloni couldn’t atone for his blunder and struck out, giving Mussina his 13th K of the game and putting him within an out of perfection...
...there it was—the movie’s climactic final scene. The pitcher facing the final batter. The hometown crowd cheering for the David against the dominant Goliath. The tension built as Mussina worked the count to one ball and two strikes. With one more strike, Mussina would list his name alongside some of the game’s greatest pitchers and the Yankees would mob him on the mound...
...crowd erupted and Mussina was left with only a bittersweet smile...