(25 July 1996; Day 6)
United States centerfielder Jacque JONES performed his own rendition of a track and field meet in leading his USA squad to a 15-5 victory over Japan on 26 July.
In a game that featured seven of the nine USA starters hitting home runs, JONES set himself apart from the rest on a night that seemed more like a "Home Run Derby" contest than a baseball game. While JONES also joined the derby, his contribution was varied to the point where he came within a double of hitting for the coveted cycle (single, double, triple, home run).
"We heard it was a good hitting park," said JONES, who also ran around the bases in addition to his home run trot.
In the first, JONES competed in his interpretation of the hammer, sending a blast over the fence in rightfield to give the USA a 3-0 lead out of the blocks. His teammates would follow that lead, hitting four more home runs in the inning to set an Olympic record with five. The four subsequent homers after JONES' three-run shot came in succession as the 52,384 fans in attendance went wild.
In the fifth, JONES raced down the 90-foot line, in record pace to out-distance the Japanese pitcher, who was attempting to beat him to the bag for a single to kickstart a second USA rally. Crossing the plate one play later, JONES again got the crowd excited by performing the long jump through the home plate area, soaring over the Japanese catcher and landing perfectly on the plate for the first run of the inning.
"I saw the coach waving me in, but the ball was not hit that well," recalled JONES, who finished 3-for-5 on the night. "My first thought was to run over the catcher, but if I ran into him I would be out. My second thought was to jump over him. I'd seen it done on television and it felt great."
JONES would follow his sprint with a distance event, racing for a triple as the ball rolled to the fence in right-centerfield with his second at-bat in the fifth. In between the two events, the USA added four more runs, with three coming on a shot by Jason WILLIAMS. The inning would end with the USA placing another seven on the scoreboard to lead 14-5 through five.
With the chance to complete the cycle JONES came to the plate in the seventh and final inning needing a double.
"I just tried to hit the ball hard in the gap, and no matter what happened, I was going to stop at second," said JONES of his potential feat.
With two outs and one runner aboard, JONES hit it hard to gap, but the Japanese centerfielder caught up to it to end his bid for the cycle.
JONES' lone failure to make contact on the night, a swinging strikeout in the third inning, must be considered what else but a false start.
This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Steven R. Shaff.
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| The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts. |