Bacsik Gives Up 756

I missed watching Barry hit #756 last night by about 15 minutes. Didn't really read too much about it until I noticed a write up in the Dallas Morning News this evening about the pitcher who gave up the historic home run -- Mike Bacsik.

Rewind to 1995. Belinda and I attended just about every Grand Prairie High School (my alma mater) baseball game that year. GPHS was ranked #2 in the nation by USA Today behind Germantown, TN who was ranked #1. Our ace pitcher was Kerry Wood, famous as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs and for tying the single game strikeout record (20) in 1998. Our #2 pitcher was Kevin Walker, who pitched for the San Diego Padres for several years. Shortstop Jeff Ryan went on to be the National Collegiate Player of the Year for Wichita State. Third Baseman Lale Esquivel went on to start for the National Champion Miami Hurricanes. Catcher Danny Fatheree went on to play in the Houston Astros organization. This team was loaded. Rangers GM Tom House said it was the greatest high school baseball team he had ever seen.

Yet, on a cool night in April 1995, Belinda and I watched as Mike Bacsik, pitching for our hated rival Duncanville Panthers, matched Kerry Wood pitch for pitch, and due to a couple of errors, was leading the game 2-1 going into the 7th inning. The winner would cinch up the district championship. In the bottom of the seventh, Bacsik walked the first batter, then gave up a shallow single. Kerry Wood then hit a walk off, 3 run homer to win the game and the place went nuts.

I hadn't thought much about Mike Bacsik until tonight. Didn't even know he was pitching in the majors. Hope I didnt bore you with the baseball details, but I thought I would share a little history from the annals of Dallas Fort Worth baseball history.