The Ballad of Bill Cahill

Bill Cahill

At heart, he's just a mild-mannered Georgia boy, happy to man the hot corner and bat in the eight-hole. "I'm just as happy as grits on Tuesday to be playin' ball for a livin'," says Bill Cahill.

When you play in the bright lights of New York, where fans expect championships, playing for the love of the game is not enough. The fans want wins. And when that New York team starts the season rough, then you best not be enjoying yourself much—especially when all you are is a journeyman third-sacker with a light bat. Suffice to say, this mild-mannered Georgia Peach hadn't endeared himself to folk in the Big Apple.

But sometimes the summer skies are clear and the stars align and a miracle happens.

The Mafia come into their series with the Montreal Bandits on their first real hot streak of the year. They'd just swept So Cal and Greenville. If they can keep it going against Montreal, then they can go into the All-Star break with a .500 record and their heads held high.

July 6. The Bandits, not knowing what destiny has in store for them, feel pretty good entering the bottom of the ninth. And in their position, who wouldn't? They're up eight to four, and they're bringing in closer Homer Turner—a man who has struck out 67 men in 47 innings while walking only 3. Even after Herman Campbell hits a two-run home run, they can't be too worried. A pair of singles, a ground out, and a single scores a third run, and suddenly it's a one-run game. A fly ball to left. A walk. And here we are.

Light-hitting Bill Cahill is at bat with two outs and the bases full.

He falls behind in the count, but he hangs in there and works it even, and then Cahill drives a ground ball between first and second. Holden Adams comes in to tie it. Joe Herman flies around third. Tom Becker throws home, but it's up the line. The Mafia complete the comeback—scoring five in the bottom of the ninth—and Bill Cahill is the hero.

July 7. This time it's Montreal who make a comeback. Down eight to three, the Bandits score three in the sixth and two in the seventh. The game goes into extra innings. In the tenth, Montreal's Joe Lowry gets a pair of outs but walks the bases loaded—and look who's coming to the plate.

Light-hitting Bill Cahill is at bat with two outs and the bases full.

He falls behind in the count, but he fouls off pitch after pitch and works the count full, and then Cahill singles to right, and (once again) it's Joe Herman racing up the third base line for the winning run, and (once again) the New York fans are going crazy for their mild-mannered Georgia boy.

July 8. Hitting game-winning, walk-off hits in consecutive games is a good story. Whatever happens tonight, the Mafia, winners of eight straight, have made it to the All-Star Game with a .500 record. That's a pretty good story too.

But would you believe it? New York goes up three to one but Montreal ties in the seventh. The game goes into extra innings. It's the bottom of the tenth again, but this time it's Ray Brady on the hill. Ashton Finley singles. Joe Herman singles. Marvin Bowman singles. And would you just look at who's coming to the plate.

The light-hitting journeyman third-baseman—a man who at heart is just a Georgia boy, loving his time playing baseball in the big leagues—New York's favorite adopted son Bill Cahill is at bat with the bases full.

This time he swings at the first pitch. It's a line-drive single to right. Joe Stone (pinch-running for Finley) trots home.

For the third night in a row, Bill Cahill has come to the plate with the bases loaded, and for the third night in a row he has singled in the winning run. The Mafia win their ninth in a row, and it seems like all New York is celebrating.

Because sometimes the summer skies are clear and the stars align and a miracle happens.