MINNEAPOLIS -- They haven’t all been easy and they haven’t all been pretty. Some have been blowouts and some have been nail biters. But it’s probably safe to say that none of Bud Black’s 500 victories as Rockies manager were secured by a 7-6-3 double play.
The win gives Black a career record of 1,149 wins and 1,312 losses overall, and 500-599 with the Rockies. And it made him the first person in Major League history to win at least 100 games as a pitcher and at least 500 games as a manager with two teams.
“I like round numbers. I like math,” said Black, who is 35 wins shy of passing Clint Hurdle for the most managerial victories in franchise history. He expressed his gratitude toward the executives who gave him chances to manage both in San Diego and in Denver. “And then the players, probably first and foremost, who’ve played hard and have played to win regardless of our record and our standing. They’ve played hard for the coaches and I. The coaches have been great both places I’ve been. Grateful for all of that but again the opportunity and grateful for the continuation and the belief of the people above me who’ve kept me in this position.”
Cave, who joined the club late in Spring Training, showed in the bottom of the seventh inning why he’s been known as a defensive ace in previous stints with the Twins and Phillies. The Twins had just cut the Rockies lead to 4-2 on Byron Buxton’s two-run homer. Carlos Santana then singled to chase reliever Victor Vodnik.
Pinch-hitter Jose Miranda jumped on Jalen Beeks’ first offering and hit a looping fly ball down the left field line. The crowd behind home plate erupted, thinking they’d just seen Miranda tie the game. But he didn’t make solid contact on the pitch, and it veered toward the foul line a good 40 feet from the fence.
Cave chased it down after a long run and made the catch. Meanwhile, Santana had already rounded second base and couldn’t scamper back in time to beat the relay from shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, giving the Rockies a rare 7-6-3 double play.
“I kind of was nonchalant after I caught it because I figured I’d look up and see Santana almost to second base and just throw the ball in and nothing’s going to happen,” Cave said. “But I saw somebody around second and I was like, ‘Is that him?’
“And then Tovie had his hands up and was saying, ‘Come on!’ I actually thought for a second about throwing it all the way to first base but he was so far around second that I knew if I hit Tovie with a good cutoff we’d get him easily and that’s how it worked.”
Black said his first reaction when the ball came off the bat was, “Oh no!” But then Cave did what his manager said he’s done multiple times already this year -- change the game with his glove.
“He’s had at least five plays that have been instrumental in the wins that we’ve had,” Black said. Diving catches in both left and right field, throws that he’s made -- defensively he’s won us some games. Tonight was another example.”
Cave prides himself in being a complete player, but defense is definitely part of that all-around package.
“I just feel really confident in my defensive game right now,” Cave said. “I feel like they could put me at any position out there and I feel like I could impact the game on the defensive side. I’m glad to hear [Black] say that because I’ve felt that.”
Black is one of the more popular figures in baseball, as Twins manager Rocco Baldelli noted after the game.
“He’s a class act. It’s not hard to see why people put a lot of faith in him and rely on him. He’s a smart baseball man, but he’s really great with people,” Baldelli said. “I’ll say congrats to him too on my own. But it’s a heck of an accomplishment, and that’s multiple organizations that really believe in him. As they should.”