By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The 1993 Rochester Red Wings won the International League East behind a patient offense, overpowering pitching and a slim game-and-a-half margin over the Ottawa Lynx.
Until June 13, however, the Red Wings were 0-16 when trailing after seven innings. Jeffrey Hammonds and Randy Ready handled that dubious statistic, galvanizing the Wings in a six-run eighth that led to an 11-10 victory over the Charlotte Knights.
“It’s the law of averages,” Tommy Hinzo remarked. “We’ve got too good of a team.”
The Knights jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs on three hits off Anthony Telford. A 22-year-old Jim Thome, who won the International League MVP that season, hit a run-scoring single, followed by Sam Horn’s three-run home run to extend the lead.
Rochester regained two of those runs in the third, including Hammonds’s RBI double, but Alan Cockrell and Beau Allred hit back-to-back home runs to start the fourth. The Knights held a 7-5 advantage entering the eighth.
Unfettered by their past inability to win from behind, Rochester produced an epic two-out rally. After Bill Wertz retired Mel Wearing and Darin Campbell, Tim Holland worked a walk and advanced to second on Bruce Dostal’s single to center field. An error scored Holland, followed by Hammonds’s go-ahead double to give the Red Wings an 8-7 edge.
Ready’s three-run shot was the insurance the Wings needed as Charlotte, ever the thorn in Rochester’s side, scored three runs in the ninth. Mike Cook survived a second-and-third jam as Rochester avoided a two-game sweep.
“We just keep pushing,” Ready commented. “As soon as somebody gets on, there’s a little fire lit. If we smell it, we’re tough to stop.”
Charlotte batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Ken Ramos | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Mark Lewis | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jim Thome | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sam Horn | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Alan Cockrell | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Beau Allred | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| George Canale | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Orlando Mercado | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mark Davidson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Kunkel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Rochester batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Bruce Dostal | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Tommy Hinzo | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Hammonds | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Mark Leonard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Ready | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Scott Coolbaugh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mel Wearing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Darin Campbell | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Holland | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Bobby Dickerson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
E- Schaefer, Holland, Dickerson LOB- Charlotte 7, Rochester 8 2B- Kunkel, Hammonds 2, Holland HR- Horn, Cockrell, Allred, Ready SB- Dostal SF- Hammonds
Charlotte 4 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3- 10
Rochester 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 6 X- 11
Charlotte pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Scott Scudder | 5.2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Bill Wertz (L, 4-2) | 2.1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Rochester pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Anthony Telford | 4.1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Don Schulze (W, 6-1) | 3.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Mike Cook | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Time- 2:55 Attendance- 5,470
Also on this day: Dick Ricketts threw a five-hit shutout as Rochester defeated Richmond 7-0 in 1960… Roric Harrison hit a grand slam and pitched a two-hit shutout as the Red Wings routed Toledo 11-0 in 1971… John Valle tied Luke Easter for 10th on the team’s career home run list but the Red Wings fell 7-5 to Toledo in 1984… Dave Gassner gave up one run in six innings, scattering four hits as the Red Wings won 3-1 over Syracuse.
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