Untitled Document

Home Run

When???

Friday 6th August 2004

Time - 8.24pm - 10.24am Saturday in Australia
......and there were 7118 spectators at New Britain Stadium - a sell-out crowd!!!

Where???

New Britain Stadium - game against the Rock Cats

The at-bat

Third plate appearance of the game

Righthanded pitcher - Henry Bonilla
About Henry Bonilla - Born - 16th August 1978
How Obtained:Twins' 8th round draft pick in 2000 June draft
PROFESSIONAL CAREER - 2003 Highlights
Promoted to New Britain, May 1
Was second on club in wins, innings, and strikeouts
Was seventh in Eastern League in ERA
Was fourth among Twins' minor leaguers in wins (10)
Pitched for Grand Canyon in the Arizona Fall League

THE BASES ARE LOADED!!!
TWO DOWN!!!

Called strike
Ball - way inside
Swing&miss - change-up
"And that is belted into rightfield and it's going to get out of here"
"There it goes!!! - A GRAND SLAM TO BRETT RONEBERG"
HOME RUN ...... AND 4 x RBI's!!!

Notes and Comments

(1) Here is what the commentator said
(A) "That ball cleared the sixteen-foot high wall in rightfield"
(B) "Roneberg leaves for the Athens Olympics in a few days
and he is putting on an Olympian performance tonight"
(C) "That is the first Grand Slam for the Sea Dogs this year"
(D) "That hit breaks an 0-for-19 slide by Brett"
(E) "Brett now has 5 x RBI's for the game"

(2) DOG'S GRAND SLAM DOWNS CATS, 6-4
"Portland used a five-run fifth inning
- including Brett Roneberg's grand slam off Rock Cats starter Henry Bonilla -
to win 6-4 on Friday night"

(3) Roneberg's slam sparks Sea Dogs
"Brett Roneberg exploded for five RBI and Mike Lockwood scored twice
as the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the New Britain Rock Cats, 6-4,
in the Eastern League Friday night
Roneberg got the Sea Dogs on the board in the top of the first
with an RBI sacrifice fly that plated Lockwood
With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth,
Roneberg hit his 14th home run of the season,
a grand slam to right field"

(4) Roneberg’s grand slam dumps Rock Cats
"Portland Sea Dogs right fielder Brett Roneberg is slated to leave for
Athens, Greece after Monday’s game to represent his native Australia
in the Olympic baseball tournament
As far as the New Britain Rock Cats are concerned,
the Games should have been moved up a week
Roneberg, the "Allied Home Mortgage 'Big Dawg' of the Game", hit a grand slam
and drove in five runs Friday night to lead the Sea Dogs to a 6-4 win
over the Rock Cats before an overflow crowd of 7,118 at New Britain Stadium
The score was tied 2-2 in the fifth inning with the sacks full and two out
when Roneberg crushed a 1-2 pitch from New Britain starter Henry Bonilla (8-9)
well over the wall in right-center
Hanley Ramirez, Mike Lockwood and Kenny Perez scored ahead of him.
"They had been pitching me inside all night," said Roneberg,
who was 0-for-19 going into the at-bat
and had never hit a grand slam before at any level
"They had done it before in other series but I wasn’t looking in
I just reacted to a pitch that wasn’t quite in as far as he wanted it to be"
Rock Cats manager Stan Cliburn said the pitch was a mistake for two reasons.
"You cannot throw a fastball hitter a fastball in the middle of the plate," he said
"He centered a fastball in his first at-bat and he just missed it
Roneberg’s their best hitter
He’s the only guy in their lineup that can hurt you
and the only pitch he can do it on is the pitch he did it on"
Roneberg, who hails from Cairns, Australia,
becomes a one-man gang when he sees Rock Cats pitching.
He now has a team-best 17 RBI against New Britain this season
"I’ve played in this league every year since 2001
and I’ve always seemed to hit well here," he said
"I feel comfortable here and I’ll come back here as often as they want me to"
Portland (53-59), which moved one-half game ahead of New Britain
in the battle to stay out of the Northern Division basement,
took a 1-0 lead in the first inning
After Lockwood singled to right, Perez laced a laser shot
that deflected off first baseman Garrett Jones’ glove and into the grandstands
next to the dugout for a ground-rule double
Roneberg plated the run with a sacrifice fly
The Sea Dogs tied it in the fifth when Raul Nieves doubled and scored
on a single by Ramirez, his first RBI since joining the Sea Dogs
Lockwood and Perez followed with singles to set the table for Roneberg’s slam"

(5) Olympian Effort Beats Rock Cats
"The Rock Cats had another sellout crowd at New Britain Stadium Friday night,
but Olympian Brett Roneberg was a rude guest
Roneberg, an outfielder who'll play for Australia in the Athens Games,
hit a grand slam in the fifth to lift the Portland Sea Dogs to a 6-4 victory before 7,118
Bonilla quickly got into trouble, as Portland loaded the bases
on Mike Lockwood's single, Kenny Perez's ground-rule double
and a walk to Stefan Bailie with one out in the first
Roneberg then hit a sacrifice fly to center field
But the Sea Dogs hammered Bonilla in the fifth
Top Red Sox prospect Hanley Ramirez hit an RBI single with one out
and Roneberg delivered the big blow with his two-out grand slam
It was Roneberg's 14th home run and gave him 67 RBI
Roneberg, headed to Greece Tuesday, hit a 1-and-2 fastball off Bonilla
for the first grand slam of his career
"They had been pitching me inside all night," Roneberg said,
"and I just reacted to a pitch that wasn't quite as far in as he wanted"
Said Cliburn - "He made a mistake pitch
You cannot throw a fastball hitter a fastball in the middle of the plate right there
Roneberg is their best hitter"

The Stadium

DIMENSIONS
Leftfield - 330 feet
Centrefield - 400 feet
Rightfield - 330 feet
HEIGHT OF FENCE
16 feet