Neill’s clutch pinch-hit delivers an Olympic berth for Team USA

25 years ago today - on August 1, 1999 - the stakes were incredibly high for the USA Baseball Pan Am Team in Winnipeg, as they faced Mexico in a do-or-die semifinal. A win meant a trip to the 2000 Olympics; a loss meant going home. Mark Mulder took the mound for the U.S., while Jesus Rios pitched for Mexico. Tensions were palpable as both teams struggled to score early on, with Mexico managing to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.

In the sixth inning, Team USA tied the game when Peter Bergeron drew a walk and eventually scored on an Adam Kennedy single. Manager Buddy Bell brought in Dan Wheeler from the bullpen, who had been stellar against Cuba in a previous game. Wheeler proved to be the hero of the night, keeping the game tied into extra innings.

The turning point came in the top of the tenth inning. Marcus Jensen hit a clutch double and was replaced by pinch-runner Shawn Gilbert. With two outs, pinch-hitter Mike Neill stepped up to the plate. On a full count, Neill delivered a broken-bat single, driving in Gilbert and giving Team USA a 2-1 lead.

Neill’s pinch hit single in the 10th proved to be the difference, and sent Team USA to Sydney.

Gilbert scores the winning run vs Mexico in the semifinal game of the 1999 Pan Am Games.

The bottom of the tenth was nerve-wracking, but Wheeler remained unflappable, securing the final three outs and clinching the victory. Wheeler had faced 12 batters in the game, and retired them all under gut-wrenching circumstances. “The intensity of that game was just awesome. It was everything you could ask for as a baseball player, and it was what you had been practicing for and playing for your whole life,” said Wheeler. “To be put in that kind of situation, and to be able to successfully focus on making great pitches, that experience in itself gave me so much confidence, and really helped launch me into the major leagues. When we finally scored that run, there was no way I was going to let them get one back on us. It was one of the greatest moments of my baseball career.”

The American team celebrated in the locker room after the win, knowing they had qualified for the Olympics. The hard-fought victory was a mix of relief and joy, as the expectations on the U.S. team were immense.

How USA Baseball ends up choosing Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda to lead their team in Australia, selects the 24 players and prepares for the Olympics, and advances and all the way to the gold medal game vs Cuba in Sydney – is chronicled in my book “Miracle on Grass” - available for sale on Amazon.