Louis Gonzalez's home run

When Louis Gonzalez hit, what would prove to be, the game winning home run, it turns out it quite out of the ordinary.

It was the second pinch-hit homer of Gonzalez's career. His previous one came on June 13, 1992, playing for Houston against San Francisco. 

 Besides being the first pinch-hit home run he has hit in nearly 16 years, it moved him up a spot on the all-time home run list.

It was only the second pinch-hit homer of Luis Gonzalez's career, and it gives him 348 career home runs, tying him with George Foster for 78th on the major-league career list.

The home run aside, Gonzo is proving to be everything the organization wanted when they signed him.

The idea was to bring in Luis Gonzalez to give the Marlins some old-school leadership, a veteran who could change a sour clubhouse of youngsters. An old straw to stir a new, young drink.

Gonzo is just that. He is the first one there, the last to leave, and in between he is laughing, teaching, telling stories and, little by little, tugging this team along, changing the feel of a team that needed some leadership as much as any team in the game.

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''There are a lot of guys who talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Gonzo walks the walk,'' Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``He works hard and shows these guys how to work hard. He's a special player, and he's got a lot of pop.''

I must admit, he has done an excellent job so far.