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Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 12 »
June 11, 2007
When teammates plaster a shaving-cream pie in your face after a game it can only mean good things.
That’s exactly what happened to Pawtucket Red Sox catcher George Kottaras last night after his three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the PawSox a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Ottawa Lynx at McCoy Stadium.
Kottaras, who entered the game with a lowly .195 average this season, went 2-for-4, including his second homer of the season and a perfectly executed hit-and-run.
Defensively he threw out a would-be base stealer and almost a second.
“That has to feel so good for him right now,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “I am so happy for that kid. The ball jumps off his bat, it explodes. He’s scuffled but he showed signs of coming out of it on the road trip.”
Kottaras made the most of it with his heroics at the plate that proved crucial last night.
He crushed a fastball off Ottawa reliever Brian Sanches that hit the roof of the concession stand behind the visitor’s bullpen for the victory.
“It felt great,” said Kottaras. “It was a confidence booster as well. My plan when I go up to the plate is just to have a good at-bat, see the pitches and put something in play. I just try to hit it hard on the barrel and I was able to do it tonight. I’m stressed about my batting average. I’m just trying to go out there and have fun and help the pitchers because that’s my primary goal.”
Even though Kottaras ended the game in theatrical fashion, teammate Bobby Scales had an outstanding game. He went 3-for-3, including a single, a RBI-triple and a two-run homer.
“He’s a manager’s dream,” admitted Johnson. “You get quality at-bats from both sides of the plate and he can play every position in the field. His presence is great in the clubhouse, and it was good to see.”
--JOE McDONALD
Posted by Corey Bourassa 
at 10:48 PM to PawSox
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