An epic 18-pitch at-bat showed bond between future World Series skippers Alex Cora, Dave Roberts

Ball One. Called Strike One. Ball Two. Foul Strike Two. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul.nfl nike jerseys cheap china

That's one way of describing the first 17 pitches of the battle between Alex Cora of the Los Angeles Dodgers and starter Matt Clement of the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, May 12, 2004. It was the bottom of the seventh, and there was a man on (Jason Grabowski) with no outs and the Dodgers holding a 2-0 lead.

"The 18th pitch ... a high fly ball into right field. Back goes Sosa, way back to the cage, and it's gone. ... Home run, Alex Cora on the 18th pitch, and the Dodgers lead four to nothing. Hah! What a moment! 9:23 on the scoreboard, if you want to write it down for history! ... That's one of the finest at-bats I've ever seen, and then to top it off with a home run, that's really shocking."

As Scully described the moment, Cora circled the bases. Except for a brief tap to the bill of his helmet and a slight smile, Cora refrained from any histrionics until he crossed the plate. But when he took a hard right to return to the dugout, he saw a line of Dodgers waiting to greet him. At the front of the receiving line was a teammate who gave him an "I am not worthy" salaam and then embraced Cora as if he hadn't seen his friend in years.cheap nike nfl jerseys from china

After the initial reception, Cora went back into the dugout. But Roberts and the other Dodgers pushed him back onto the field amid the adoration of 43,233 fans. As Scully put it, "Yeah, take your bow, Alex. You deserve it and then some."

Now, both Cora and Roberts are taking bows on baseball's biggest stage, in baseball's most hallowed park, as the managers of two of baseball's most storied franchises, the Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers. It's actually the first time in World Series history that the opposing managers will have played for both teams in the Series. It's also the first time two minority managers will meet in the Fall Classic. And to top it off, the close friends are fondly remembered in both cities.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Roberts says. "The suspense started building with the sixth foul tip, and I was top-stepping it. Alex wasn't exactly a home run hitter, so we would have settled for a single, but then for the at-bat to culminate in a two-run homer? Wow, that was something."

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