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Another Game 162 feat: Pena "called" Johnson's HR

 
Published Jan. 24, 2012|Updated Jan. 26, 2012

Carlos Pena is a deft fielder, powerful hitter and inspirational speaker.

He is also, apparently, a good prognosticator.

Pena was telling the story Tuesday about he and former Ray Matt Garza - and the rest of their Cubs teammates - lingered in the clubhouse after their final game of the season to watch the Rays-Yankees and Red Sox-Orioles Game 162 drama play out, and how excited he was for his former mates when it worked out.

"I felt excited for the ballclub,'' Pena siad. "I wasn't even part of it, and I felt like I was part of it.''

More impressively, Pena said he predicted Dan Johnson's improbable ninth-inning game-tying home run.

Pena said he was talking to Cubs OF Marlon Byrd when Johnson was at the plate, Rays trailing by a run and down to their last out. "At two strikes, I said Dan Johnson is going to hit a home run right now,'' Pena said. "He said, why do you say that? I said because that's just what I think a good script would be. ... The magic. ... Sure enough, he hit a home run. I almost died. He's like, I can't believe this. So I called it. I'd seen it before.'''

Still, Pena admitted, it was pretty amazing to be right: "I was like, let's go play the lottery right now.''

Posted by Marc Topkin at 11:06:05 pm on January 24, 2012