Which moment made A.J. Pierzynski a White Sox legend?
It’s easy to point to his famous dropped third strike in the 2005 ALCS against the Angels. His heads-up play running to first base after catcher Josh Paul might or might not have caught the ball on Strike 3 saved the game and possibly the pennant for the White Sox.
It was a brilliant decision by Pierzynski. The stakes couldn’t have been much higher. The White Sox went on to win the World Series. Pierzynski, along with Paul Konerko, Scott Podsednik, Orlando Hernandez, Geoff Blum and Mark Buehrle all became postseason heroes.
But to me, the legend of Pierzynski reached its zenith the following season, when he became both an icon on the South Side and Public Enemy No. 1 on the North Side during a red-hot baseball summer in Chicago that concluded with Cubs fans throwing piles of garbage onto Wrigley Field — thanks to Pierzynski.
Creating eternal love for White Sox fans and infinite hate for Cubs fans?
I can think of only one White Sox player on the planet who’s ever done that: Pierzynski. Legend.
It all started May 20, 2006, when Michael Barrett sucker punched Pierzynski with a blow to the face after the White Sox catcher banged into the Cubs catcher at home plate while scoring on a sacrifice fly.
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By the way, happy anniversary to both of them!
Barrett got suspended for 10 games. Pierzynski got a sore jaw.
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And six weeks later, A.J. got something else: revenge at Wrigley.
Down 6-5 in the ninth inning with two men on, all eyes were on Pierzynski, who came up against closer Ryan Dempster. Squatting behind home plate, Barrett called for a breaking ball, and Pierzynski crushed it high over the right-field bleachers and onto Sheffield Avenue for a game-winning three-run homer.
As Pierzynski raced around the bases trying to contain his emotions, here’s how Fox broadcaster Kenny Albert described it: “A.J. Pierzynski says, ‘Take that Cubs fans.’”
“Am I going to be (Steve) Bartman from now on?” Pierzynski asked reporters after the game. “That’s the way it is. Fans have a hero and an enemy, and I guess I’m the enemy.”
Cubs fans in the bleachers showed their appreciation for Pierzynski by littering the outfield grass with garbage, causing a long delay while workers cleaned up the mess.
And the baseball he hit out of the ballpark was caught by, of all people, a Cardinals fan who happened to be walking out of a bar across the street when Pierzynski hit it. The fan later reached out to the White Sox to give the baseball to Pierzynski, who to this day has it displayed in his man cave at home.
So was that the moment that truly made Pierzynski a White Sox legend?
You can point to his snap decision on the dropped third strike against the Angels. The White Sox might not win the World Series without it. I get it.
But this city loves its baseball, especially when both teams share the same field. So when a player does something that simultaneously sends blood to the heart for fans on one side of town and blood to a boil for fans on the other, that’s when the story becomes mythical and legends are born.
That's my opinion. What's yours? We broke it all down on the latest edition of the White Sox Talk Podcast. Give it a listen!
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