91: Andy Benes and the Home Run That Gave Him Chills

Andy Benes gave up the home run that tied a playoff game, and three decades later it still gives him chills. The man who hit it was Don Mattingly, and Yankee Stadium came unglued.

Keith Tyner and Phil Byers sit down with Andy Benes, the number one overall MLB draft pick in 1988 and a 14-year veteran of the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, and Arizona Diamondbacks, for an All-Star break conversation about the moments that stick. Andy and Don Mattingly both grew up in Evansville, Indiana, yet never faced each other until the 1995 playoffs, when Mattingly turned on a Benes fastball and the crowd threw their drinks on the field chanting "Donnie Baseball." From that pitch to the catcher who taught him to trust, Andy tells the stories behind a big-league life.

Key Topics:
• What it felt like to give up Don Mattingly's home run at Yankee Stadium
• Why two kids from Evansville, Indiana never crossed paths until the big leagues
• How catcher Tom Pagnozzi changed Andy's career with one talk about trust
• Who really leads a clubhouse, from Scott Rolen to Albert Pujols
• Why baseball's unwritten rules still settle scores with a fastball
• What 14 years and four teams taught him about winning together

It's the kind of conversation that reminds you the best lessons rarely show up in the box score.

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