Fielder on the all hands front and center for Cecil Fielder after his roof-clearing home run, a two-run drive in the fourth off Dave Stewart. It put the Tigers ahead, Fielder stamps self as special with one swing A - a When sweet nticipation. was feeling the in last the time ballpark we've as known when such Cecil Fielder is walking to the plate? Kirk Gibson? Yes. Al Kaline? No. Willie Horton. Yes. Norm Cash? Somewhat. Rocky Colavito? Somewhat. It takes a special kind of player - someone who can bounce them off the light standards - to hold the attention of everyone in the ballpark. I've known two men in my life who, when I knew they were coming up, I wouldn't dare go to the little boys' room. Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle. Here, in Detroit, you have to go all the way back to the days of Hank Greenberg to find a man who captivated our entire city. He was very spe- roof Homers 40, 41 help top Athletics By Dave Dye Detroit News Staff Writer Unless left fielder Rickey Henderson is willing to climb up near the light towers, there is no shift that can stop Cecil Fielder. The phenomenon of the Tigers' Shelby cycle bid stopped/4E Rickey Henderson, MVP?/5E Charting Fielder's day/7E Clemens 5-hits Jays, 1-0/8E 1 Joe Falls cial. Henry could drive them deep into the stands and he could do it consistently, so when he stood at the plate, slightly hunched over, with those muscles rippling through his shoulders and down his arms, every eye was on him. They came out to see Greenberg and he did not disappoint them. When he hit 58 home runs in 1938 to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60, he 13 DALE 5-4, on the way to G. YOUNG / The Detroit News a 14-4 victory. Left, out Players who homered over Tiger Stadium's left-field roof: Harmon Killebrew, of the Minnesota Twins, off the Tigers' Jim Bunning on Aug. 3, 1962. Frank Howard, of the Washington Senators, off the Tigers' Mickey Lolich on May 18, 1968. Cecil Fielder, of the Tigers, off the Oakland Athletics' Dave Stewart on Aug. 25, 1990. Japanese import reached a new height Saturday afternoon in a 14-4 victory over • Oakland, when Fielder became the third player to homer over the left-field roof at Tiger Stadium. No Tiger had ever done it. Only Minnesota's Harmon Killebrew (off Jim Bunning on Aug. 3, 1962) and Washington's Frank Howard (off Mickey Lolich on May 18, 1968) have accomplished what Fielder did against Athletics right-hander Dave Stewart in the fourth inning before 45,474, the largest crowd of the season at Tiger Stadium. "That's the longest home run I've had hit off me," Stewart said. "I was just glad nobody got hurt in Iraq." Fielder, who couldn't win a starting job with Toronto, went to play in Japan last season. He was signed as a free agent during the off-season by General Manager Bill Lajoie. "Give credit to Bill Lajoie," Fielder said. "He's the one who gave me a chance to play here in Detroit. "I finally got an opportunity to play in the big leagues, and I'm making the best of it." Fielder had another two-run homer in the first inning, which landed in the upper-deck bleachers in leftcenter. He leads the majors with 41 homers and 108 RBI. "It's a home run whether they go over the roof or not," said Fielder, who in typical fashion seemed embarrassed to discuss his feat. "Basically, I'm just trying to hit the ball hard. "(Homer) No. 40 is really what I care most about. That put me in an elite group of guys who've played here. That's not something that happens every year." Only four other Tigers have hit 40 Please see Tigers/7E banged 39 of them in Briggs Stadium - which is a 'major-league record to this day. Fielder isn't there yet, but he is starting to get close. When he came up the first time Saturday against Oakland, the fans gave him a nice reception, but nothing that would shake the girders. If anything, the noise should have been louder because here was a man who had brought some excitement to our city this summer - a bright spot in a dull season. And he was coming up to answer the massive home run hit by Jose Canseco in the top of the first inning. But 39 home runs do not alone make a hero, so the welcome was a restrained one. Please see Falls/4E
