Frank Catalanotto has a well-earned reputation as one of the most studious hitters in the game, spending hours watching game-tape in the hope that he can pick up something he didn't see before.
On Saturday night, all the extra effort paid off in a big way: Toronto's left fielder came through with six hits, a career-high and an unprecedented feat in franchise history.
"It seemed like I was on the right page with the pitcher at all times. Whatever I was looking for, I got it right in that spot," he said after Toronto's 10-6 win. "It's an unbelievable feeling. Nights like this don't come around very often, so you want to take advantage of them and enjoy them."
Frank Catalanotto / LF
Born: 04/27/74
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: R
In a telling indicator, Catalanotto's toughest moment came in the postgame interviews. Mixing metaphors at different moments in the conversation, he said that the baseball looked like a grapefruit and a beach ball. One thing wasn't in debate: It was a career night for Catalanotto and a footnote in baseball history.
"He can hit. He showed that to us last year," said Toronto manager Carlos Tosca. "When he gets on fire, he just wears it out."
The last time somebody got six hits in a game was last June, when Nomar Garciaparra went six-for-six in a 13-inning game. The last time somebody did it in nine innings was almost two years ago, when Shawn Green hit four homers en route to a six-hit night.
"I took a different approach," joked Catalanotto, who had five singles. "Gosh, I'd take just one home run."
He didn't need the extra bases. Catalanotto compressed an entire week's work into a few hours, raising his average more than 50 points (from .276 to .329) in the process. He got his hits off four different pitchers, including a left-hander and a funky pitcher he'd never faced before.
The last one came off Shingo Takatsu, who came at Catalanotto with an eclectic collection of pitches.
"It seemed like he throws a lot of eephus pitches and stuff like that," he said. "I was just saying to myself, 'Just stay back, look for something slow and give yourself a chance.' I didn't want to strike out in that situation.
"Sure enough, I was looking for something slow and I got something slow. It looked like a beach ball to me -- I swung the bat and it fell in. It's tough to explain that type of thing."
The Blue Jays were keeping track of the accomplishment throughout the night. When he got his fifth hit, Catalanotto said his teammates greeted him with congratulations and questions about his career-high. He told them he had never gotten six, and they told him he might get a chance. Sure enough, in the eighth inning of a blowout, Catalanotto came through.
"It was unbelievable. It's very rare to see that happen, and it couldn't happen to a better guy," said Vernon Wells, Toronto's center fielder. "It's not something you see too often, and no matter what the situation was in the game, I think everybody would've been cheering him on."
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Frank Catalanotto / LF
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