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Riley wows in career debut Game played on June 1, 2002 | By Justin Hastings There was lots of hype for the debut of Pat Riley. There was his baseball background. There was his article in the 2002 HMWL Preview. There was his overall confidence and athleticism. And there was the added stress of the HMWL media'a audio diary. And there he was, despite all that, hitting the game-winning homer in his first HMWL game. "That was a swing and a drive...allright, we got the 1-run lead, let's go," said Riley in his audio diary (listen). The kid even knew to deflect personal highlights and to earn victories. Clearly, his dealings with the media were well-researched, as he also gave compliments to his opposing pitcher. "My first game at Hastings Park, a victory, despite some great pitching from Craig. I got two hits, so yay," said Riley (in actuality, Riley had three hits). The game was nothing more than a pitcher's duel through the first two innings between brothers Craig & Justin Hastings. A scoreless game through three, the game reached extra innings, where Riley led off the top half of the fourth with a solo homer. After two more solo homers by J.Hastings, the game ended 3-0 with J.Hastings taking home his third victory of the year. "Any time you have a new player making a debut, it's exciting," said Hastings in retrospect. "But to go out and pitch well, and to beat two stars in Craig and Rich McMackin, that was exciting too." Check out the old-school box score below:
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 Riley's debut audio Riley arrives at the park (328k) Riley reviews his first two at-bats (96k) Check back for more trips through the way-back machine as every now and again, HMWL.net with relive a landmark game in the league's history. |
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