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| Craig Biggio |
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He hasn't had the greatest season, but man, some of the games . . . .
When you see him interviewed, he doesn't appear as if he's hamming for the cameras, or looking for a bigger stage, but you gotta be impressed by what Biggio has done when under the spotlight this season.
When poised on the precipice of one of the biggest milestones in sports, and one that has led some of the greatest hitters of all times into weeklong slumps, Biggio went out and had a five-hit night.
And now, after an emotional day in which he announced he was ready to hang 'em up at the end of the year, he uncorks his second slam of the year, joining a very select group in Astro history.
| Year | Astro | Date | Opp | Date | Opp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Bob Aspromonte | 6/11 | CHI | 7/26 | NY |
| 1964 | Bob Aspromonte | 6/11 | CIN | 6/29 | PHI |
| 1966 | Bob Aspromonte | 8/11 | at CHI | 8/26 | CHI |
| 1970 | Bob Watson | 9/7 | at SD | 9/17 | at LA |
| 1973 | Lee May | 5/6 | at NY | 7/4 | at ATL |
| 1985 | Mark Bailey | 6/11 | SD | 8/20 | at STL |
| 1989 | Kevin Bass | 8/20 | CHI | 9/20 | at ATL |
| 1992 | Eric Anthony | 7/27 | at ATL | 8/31 | PHI |
| 1995 | Tony Eusebio | 5/19 | MON | 6/28 | STL |
| 1996 | Sean Berry | 6/13 | at SF | 6/25 | at SD |
| 2001 | Jeff Bagwell | 5/6 | at MON | 5/21 | at SD |
| 2007 | Carlos Lee | 4/13 | at PHI | 6/28 | COL |
| 2007 | Craig Biggio | 4/20 | at MIL | 7/24 | LA |
No Astro--or Colt, I guess I should add, seeing Aspro's name--has hit three slams in a single season.
I'm not sure what it says that Biggio now has the uncontested season lead in Game Hero awards. I STILL believe Biggio's 2007 OBP has been way too low to lead off, and I STILL believe that Biggio's power has fallen off to the point where he should probably be batting seven or eight when he plays.
But Biggio has somehow found the ability to make these truths (at least as I see them) fall away on certain special nights, and the greatness that used to be on display at all times has shone through on select evenings, even during the general decline. In their own strange way, the things he's done this year are as amazing as the things he did in his prime, simply because he's got less to work with now.
He won't score 146 runs this year, or do the 50/50 thing again, but then again, grand slams, and five-hit games don't grow on trees, either, even for those still in their prime.
Biggio and Lee become the first Astro teammates to each have two grand slams in a single season, and the team comes within one of the team record for slams, even as it still sits one away from the team record for walkoff homers.
| Number | Year | Players |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2001 | Bagwell 2 Berkman Castilla Lugo Merced Ward |
| 6 | 2007 | Biggio 2 Lee 2 Lamb Pence |
| 6 | 1989 | Bass 2 Biggio Doran Meadows Ramirez |