Kevin Millar makes millions playing for the Baltimore Orioles, but on Sunday night, he found himself in the middle of the final game of the American League Championship Series.
The Orioles first baseman, who remains a fan favorite in Boston after helping guide the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2004 ? the team?s first in 86 years ? threw out the first pitch before Boston and Cleveland played in Game 7 at Fenway Park.
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Millar, 36, batted .254 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in his second season with the Orioles. Knowing he?d return for the 2008 season, he sought the approval of Orioles management ? namely president Andy MacPhail.
MacPhail did not return phone calls Monday, but an Orioles spokesperson confirmed the Red Sox approached Millar about throwing out the first pitch – much like they did for other clubs. Dodgers coach Bill Mueller, a former Red Sox infielder, threw out the first pitch before Saturday?s Game 6.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Dave Roberts ? whose stolen base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS sparked the Red Sox?s rally against the Yankees ? is supposed to throw out the first pitch in Game 1 of the World Series in Boston Wednesday.
Millar was simply one leg of the Red Sox rekindling the magic of the team that made baseball history by becoming the first to rally from a three-games-to-none deficit to win a seven-game series in baseball history.
“It all happened real fast and at 6 a.m. [Sunday] I was driving to the airport,” Millar told reporters in Boston. “We were able to get a babysitter, so here I am. It?s probably a first. It?s certainly a little different. It?s usually a retired player or an actor or a famous person.”
Millar acknowledged he has emotional ties to Boston, he also said he has friends in the Cleveland clubhouse, including former Oriole utility man Chris Gomez, who was traded to Cleveland in August.
“I?m a little torn,” Millar said. “You root for your friends and the game will take care of itself.”
Red Sox manager Terry Francona wasn?t sure how to take Millar?s appearance.
“I don?t get it,” Francona told reporters before the game. “This is another one of those things where he can pull it off. He?s a member of the Baltimore Orioles, he?s going to be spurring on the Red Sox and nobody is going to say a word. He?ll probably bring the house down. I love it, but I don’t get it. It?s Millar. It?s hilarious.”
