By Jim Greenidge
Boston Globe
8/11/2002
Shea Hillenbrand had never faced Twins starter Joe Mays, but the result from his first encounter was as successful as the Red Sox third baseman's breakout season.
Hillenbrand brought home the Red Sox' first run yesterday with an RBI double down the left-field line in the second, and came around to score on a Rey Sanchez single during a 2-0 win over Minnesota at Fenway Park.
''I just tried to get a pitch I could handle, to just put it in play,'' said Hillenbrand, whose only hit supplied Pedro Martinez with all the run support he would need. ''The pitch was inside. I believe it was a changeup, down and in.''
The double, Hillenbrand's 30th of the season, followed a leadoff double by Cliff Floyd. It also continued Hillenbrand's recent hot streak; he's hitting .382 (21 for 55) in his last 14 games and has four multihit games in his last eight.
''I'm trying to get more experience as the season goes on,'' said Hillenbrand, 27, who was the starting American League third baseman at the All-Star Game in just his second big-league season. ''When you get more experience for a young player, you have to work. I have a lot of great resources around here with the coaches, manager, and players, so I'm just going out there and working hard and just trying to be consistent with my work ethic and consistent with my approach and consistent with my at-bats.
''I'm very pleased at what's going on with my season, but the No. 1 thing is what happens with the team. If I'm doing well, I'm going to be able to go out and help the team.''
Hillenbrand didn't need to contribute much in the field yesterday. While Martinez was busy getting 14 ground outs in improving to 16-2, only one went the third baseman's way, for the second out of the third inning.
''It sounds like a broken record. `Groundhog Day,''' Hillenbrand said of Martinez. ''It's fun, watching the intensity with which he goes about things. He's consistent with his mind-set and his approach, physically and mentally.
''He has a lot of confidence in his defense and we have a lot of confidence in him. He was able to go out and get a bunch of ground balls.''
The Red Sox will need all the confidence they can muster as they fight for a postseason berth. They are four games behind the Yankees and a half-game behind Anaheim in the wild-card race.
''All we can control is our preparation and the way we go about our business and the way we prepare ourselves,'' said Hillenbrand. ''If we keep consistent with that, good things are going to happen.''