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Curt Flood and the history of free agency
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With huge free agency contracts being awarded to players, such as the landmark off season agreement between Albert Pujols and the Angels, do you ever wonder how free agency came about in baseball?
Curt Flood was a successful MLB player who earned seven Gold Glove Awards, played in three All-Star Games, and won two World Series. In 1970, after being traded to the Phillies against his wishes, Flood challenged baseball’s reserve clause, fighting it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Although Flood lost the court case, his step of suing MLB ultimately paved the way for reforms like the 1975 Seitz Decision, which granted baseball with free agency, a great benefit to everyone affiliated with the game.
Flood is considered by many to be the pioneer of free agency, but he paid a significant price for his contributions by sacrificing a flourishing MLB career for what he believed was right not only for him, but for all who played.
One of our readers, Blayke Tatman, a 7th grader from Orange County, California, conducted a research project on Curt Flood for his National History Day Project. To learn more about Flood and the history of free agency in baseball, stop by his website. You can also stop by his website and see what current players such as Gerald Laird and past players think about Flood, and what his decision to stand up against Baseball did for the game.
Will the real Jonathan Broxton please stand up
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The Dodgers are fresh off a 3-1 series win over the World Champs. But everything isn’t perfect in Dodger land. Dodgers’ closer Jonathan Broxton appears to be continuing his post all-star form as he has allowed 2 home runs in three games (3 innings) to start the season. Yes, I understand that he did in fact get the save in all three victories and didn’t blow any of the games, but it is the way he closed the first and fourth games that raises questions.
Dodger fans have become spoiled over the years (and especially as of late) as they are used to seeing dominant closers take the ball. From Eric Gagne and his 84 consecutive saves to Takashi Saito and his 1.95 ERA, the ninth inning became almost automatic.
Yes, Dodger fans have come to expect a dominant closer performance night in and night out. Broxton though has been just as dominant as Gagne and Saito. In 2009, Broxton threw 76 innings while saving 36 games with a 2.61 ERA. Not too shabby for someone who is entering his seventh season. But then the tale of two Broxtons hit in 2010. In his first 33 appearances the first Broxton struck out 48 and walked just five in 32 2/3 innings, leading to a 0.48 ERA.
But then June 27th and the Yankees came to town. Broxton blew the save that night and threw a career high 48 pitches and the other Broxton settled in and he pitched to a 7.58 ERA the rest of the season. Yes his velocity dipped a bit but he was still hitting mid 90’s on the radar gun.
So what is going on with Jonathan Broxton? He has yet to crack 100 MPH this season but he has still tipped the radar guns in the high 90’s so I don’t think his velocity is the issue. Is it a mental issue or is he trying to blow the ball past everyone? Whatever the issue is, Broxton allowed just 2 home runs in 2008, 4 home runs in 2009 and 2010. He’s already given up 2 this season to the “I’m way over my prime” Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell duo. His career K/9 is 11.7 but he has only 1 strikeout this season (3 innings).
Though I don’t think it’s time for the Dodgers to push the panic button as it is way to early, I do think there is some cause for concern. In 2010, Broxton in his first 3 appearances allowed zero runs while striking out 4 and allowing only one hit. This season, in his first 3 appearances he allowed 1 single, two solo-home runs with only 1 strike out. Broxton also is throwing around 5 pitches per batter which could create issues down the line with the Dodgers using him on back-to-back nights.
Luckily for the Dodgers and Broxton, the season is just under way with plenty of time to fix the problem at hand. Don’t panic too hard, just take notice and hope Rick Honeycutt can help get the big guy back on track to being the once dominant pitcher we all remember him as.
What is the key for success in baseball?
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In the last decade, we’ve had nine different world champions in the Majors. Including a couple of teams that won it for the first time in their franchise history, the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001) and the Los Angeles Angels (2002).
You can’t help but ask yourself what should a team do to win a World Series. That is not an easy question to answer. You will hear people talk about teams needing a solid rotation, bullpen depth, solid defense, effective offense, and a deep bench in order to win a World Series, but to achieve all of the above is merely an illusion.
If you think this through, you can see what a difficult task team owners and General Managers have to build successful franchises. You have to fill every hole you have in the organization with a limited budget (unless you are the Yankees) and try to keep all the players happy and motivated.
Yesterday, I caught a tweet from Buster Olney of ESPN that said that the Giants also have a great rotation, a great bullpen and deeper offense than the Phillies. The Phillies are pinpointed as the early favorites to be the NL Champions and possibly the World Champions by a lot of people, but favoritism has not paidoff very well this last decade. If you don’t believe me I’m going to give you a little history lesson right now.
In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the often-picked New York Yankees in a seven-games World Series. In 2003, the Yankees were defeated again, but this time by the Florida Marlins, who reached the post-season as the NL Wild Card. In 2004 although the Red Sox were favorites to win the World Series, they had to overcome a 0-3 deficit in the ALCS against their long-time rivals the Yankees. In 2007 and 2008 two underdogs teams, the Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays reached the World Series but eventually lost. Last season, the Giants beat the favorite Rangers in five games to give the San Francisco city their first World Series title.
So what did those teams have in common the year they won the World Series? I don’t know. They all had good seasons followed by better post-seasons, but the only common denominator I can find is “inspiration”. It definitively helps to have the best players in the league on your team, but even with that you’re not a lock to win a World Series.
Mets continue cleaning house
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Not too long ago in 2007, the New York Mets’ and Philadelphia Phillies’ players were exchanging words about who was the best NL East team. That same year, the Mets suffered an incredible meltdown in September and they watched their biggest division rival clinch the division in the last day of the regular season.
After yet another disappointing season in 2010, the Mets decided to go for a quiet off-season and began their house cleaning. They first fired manager Jerry Manuel and General Manager Omar Minaya. Over this weekend, the house cleaning continued when they decided to release second baseman Luis Castillo (link here) and left handed pitcher Oliver Perez (link here), both of them with big money contracts ($6mm and $12mm) and incredibly poor 2010 seasons.
Let’s not forget that this is a team that in just a few years added players like Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez. If you take a close look at those names, you’re talking about great baseball players, most of them in the “prime” of their baseball career, but what happened?
Well, Venezuelan lefty and two time Cy Young Award winner Santana got injured in back-to-back seasons. The other Venezuelan Rodriguez, hasn’t quite been the same after he established the Major League Baseball record for most saves in a single season, plus he got injured last year after fighting with his father in law in the stadium. Both Delgado and Beltran had their share of injuries too. Beltran is actually injured right now, yes, again and Delgado is recovering from offseason surgery as he attempts to prolong his career one last time.
Minaya also signed reliever Kelvim Escobar in December 2009, a pitcher who didn’t pitch in 2008 and only pitched five innings in 2009. The outcome, he didn’t play at all in 2010.
Bad luck or bad management? I think a little bit of both, but the truth is the Mets are beginning a serious process of house cleaning right now, and I don’t think they will be contenders for years to come.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #3-1
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Moment 3: Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits his 71st home run of the season on October 5, 2001.
Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. Bonds’ accomplishments during his baseball career place him among the greatest baseball players of all-time. He has a record-setting seven MVP’s, including a record-setting four consecutive MVP’s. He is a 14-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove-winner. He holds numerous Major League Baseball records, including the all-time Major League Baseball home run record with 762.
In 2001 Bonds’ offensive production reached even higher levels, breaking not only his own personal records but several major league records. In the Giants’ first 50 games in 2001, Bonds hit 28 home runs, including 17 in May (a career high). This early stretch included his 500th home run. He also hit 39 home runs by the All-star break (a major league record), drew a major league record 177 walks, and had a .515 on-base average, a feat not seen since Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams over forty years earlier. On October 4, he tied the previous record of 70 (set by Mark McGwire in the 162nd game in 1998) in the 159th game of the season. He then hit numbers 71 and 72 off of Chan Ho Park the following night. Bonds added his 73rd off of Dennis Springer on October 7.
Moment 2: An RBI single by Arizona’s Luis Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth gives the Arizona Diamondbacks a victory in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.
The 2001 World Series was the first ever played in the state of Arizona, while it was the third World Series Game 7 to end on a hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the final inning. After two game-tying home runs by the New York Yankees in Games 4 and 5 helped them take a 3-2 series lead, the Diamondbacks took game 6 and forced a decisive game 7.
Game 7 was a matchup of two twenty-game winners in the Series finale that would crown a new champion. Roger Clemens at 39 years old became the oldest Game 7 starter ever. Curt Schilling had already started two games of the Series and pitched his 300th inning of the season on just three days’ rest. The two aces matched each other inning by inning and after seven full, the game was tied at 1–1. The Diamondbacks scored first in the sixth inning with a Steve Finley single and a Danny Bautista double. The Yankees responded with an RBI single from Tino Martinez, which drove in Derek Jeter. Bob Brenly stayed with Schilling into the eighth, and the move backfired as Alfonso Soriano hit a solo home run on an 0–2 pitch. After Schilling got one out, he gave up a single to David Justice, and he left the game trailing 2–1. Brenly brought in Miguel Batista to get out Jeter and then in an unconventional move, brought in the previous night’s starter Randy Johnson in relief to keep it a one-run game. It proved to be a smart move, as Johnson retired all four Yankees he faced.
With the Yankees ahead 2–1 in the bottom of the eighth, manager Joe Torre turned the game over to his ace closer Mariano Rivera for a two-inning save. Rivera was one of the strongest closers in the game and struck out the side in the eighth.
In the ninth Mark Grace led off the inning with a single to center. The real turning point was Rivera’s errant throw to second base on a bunt attempt by Damian Miller, putting runners on first and second. Jeter tried to reach for the ball, but got tangled in the legs of pinch-runner David Dellucci, who was sliding in an attempt to break up the double play. Rivera appeared to regain control when he fielded Jay Bell’s bunt and threw out Dellucci at third base, but third baseman Scott Brosius decided to hold the ball instead of throwing to first to attempt to complete the double play. Midre Cummings was sent in to pinch-run for Miller. With Cummings at second and Bell at first, the next batter, Tony Womack, drove a double down the right-field line on a 2–2 pitch that evened the score and blew the save. Bell went to third and the Yankees pulled the infield and the outfield in as the potential winning run stood at third with less than two outs. After Rivera hit Craig Counsell with an 0–1 pitch, the bases were loaded. On an 0–1 pitch, Luis Gonzalez lofted a soft single over the drawn-in Derek Jeter that barely reached the outfield grass, plating Jay Bell with the winning run. This ended New York’s bid for a fourth consecutive title and brought Arizona its first championship in just its fourth year of existence, making the Diamondbacks the fastest expansion team to win a World Series, this was the first time since 1991 that the home team won all seven games of a World Series.
Moment 1: Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, the first Japanese-born position player in Major League Baseball, earns 2001 American League MVP and Rookie of the YearAward.
Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport’s single-season record for base hits with 262. He has had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto nine All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event’s first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had six hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
The left handed hitter had a remarkable 2001 Rookie season, accumulating a rookie-record 242 hits, the most by any MLB player since 1930. With a .350 batting average and 56 stolen bases, Ichiro was the first player to lead his league in both categories since Jackie Robinson in 1949. The season included hitting streaks of 23 and 21 games.
Aided by Major League Baseball’s decision to allow All-Star voting in Japan, Ichiro was the first rookie to lead all players in voting for the All-Star Game. That winter, he won the American League MVP and the Rookie of the Year awards, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn) to receive both honors in the same season.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #6-4
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Moment 6: Joe Carter of Toronto hits a series-ending, three-run home run off Phillies reliever Mitch Williams in the bottom of the ninth in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.
Carter first reached the majors in 1983 with the Chicago Cubs, but was then traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he blossomed into a star.
In 1993, the Blue Jays reached the World Series again, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 6, with the Blue Jays leading three games to two, Carter came to bat with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Blue Jays trailing 6–5 and Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base. On a 2–2 count, Carter hit a three-run walk-off home run off Phillies pitcher Williams to win the World Series, only the second time a Series has ended with a home run, and the only time the home run has been hit by a player whose team was trailing in the bottom of the 9th inning in a potential championship clinching game. Upon hitting the home run, Carter went into a hysteria, jumping up and down many times most notably rounding first base, where his helmet came off from the dancing. Tom Cheek, radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays at the time, then went on to say “Touch ‘em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!.”
Moment 5: Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record.
Ripken played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001).
On September 6, 1995, many baseball fans within and out of the United States tuned in to cable TV network ESPN to watch Ripken surpass Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record for consecutive games played (2,130 games). The game, between the Orioles and the California Angels, still ranks as one of the network’s most watched baseball games. Cal’s children, Rachel and Ryan, threw out the ceremonial first balls. Both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were at the game. President Clinton was in the WBAL local radio broadcast booth when Ripken hit a HR in the fourth inning, and called the home run over the air. When the game became official after the Angels’ half of the fifth inning, the numerical banners that displayed Ripken’s streak on the wall of the B&O Warehouse outside the stadium’s right field wall changed from 2130 to 2131. Everyone attending (including the opposing Angels and all four umpires) erupted with a standing ovation lasting more than 22 minutes, one of the longest standing ovations for any athlete; ESPN did not go to a commercial break during the entire ovation. During the ovation, Ripken did a lap around the entire Camden Yards warning track to shake hands and give high-fives to the fans. The humble superstar had to be convinced by his teammates (who in fact playfully shoved him out of the dugout) to take a victory lap around the stadium, shaking hands and creating a highlight reel moment that’s been replayed repeatedly in the ensuing years.
“It was very spontaneous.” Said Ripken “I was feeling a sense of anxiety that it was unfair to stop the game in the middle of the game. You felt for the pitchers—it’s almost like a rain delay. I just kept saying to myself, ‘okay, let’s get the game started. Thank you very much. I’ll celebrate it as much as you want after it’s over, but let’s stay with the game.”
“Bobby Bonilla and Rafael Palmeiro pushed me out of the dugout and said, ‘Hey, if you don’t do a lap around this thing, we’ll never get the game started.’ I thought it was a ridiculous sort of thing, …but as I started to do it, the celebration of 50,000 started to be very one-on-one and very personal. I started seeing people I knew. …Those were the people that had been around the ballpark all those years, and it was really a wonderful human experience.”
Moment 4: The Cardinals’ Mark McGwire and the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa race to break Roger Maris‘ single season home run record. McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the season on September 8, 1998.
In 1998 as the season progressed, it became clear that McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sosa were all on track to break Maris’ single-season home run record. The race to break the record first attracted media attention as the home run leader changed often throughout the season. On August 19, Sosa hit his 48th home run to move ahead of McGwire. However, later that day McGwire hit his 48th and 49th home runs to regain the lead. Griffey eventually had injury problems during the season and fell behind McGwire and Sosa.
On September 8, 1998 at 8:18 p.m. CDT, McGwire hit a pitch by the Cubs’ Steve Trachsel over the left field wall for his record-breaking 62nd home run, setting off huge celebrations at Busch Stadium. The fact that the game was against the Cubs meant that Sosa was able to congratulate McGwire personally on his achievement. Members of Roger Maris’ family were also present at the game. The ball was freely given to McGwire in a ceremony on the field by the stadium worker who found it.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #9-7
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Moment 9: Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals third base in a game against the Yankees in Oakland on May 1, 1991, for career stolen base 939, eclipsing Lou Brock’s previous record.
Henderson made his major league debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979, getting two hits in four at bats, along with a stolen base. He batted .274 with 33 stolen bases in 89 games. In 1980, Henderson became the 3rd modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season.
On August 22, 1989, he became Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout victim, but Henderson took an odd delight in the occurrence, saying, “If you haven’t been struck out by Nolan Ryan, you’re nobody.” A year later, Henderson finished second in the league in batting average with a mark of .325, losing out to the Kansas City Royals’ George Brett on the final day of the season. Henderson had a remarkably consistent season, with his batting average falling below .320 for only one game, the third of the year.
On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke one of baseball’s most noted records when he stole the 939th base of his career, one more than Lou Brock’s total compiled from 1963 to 1979, mainly with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Moment 8: Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh career no-hitter, extending his Major League record. The Rangers defeated the Blue Jays 3-0 in Arlington on May 1, 1991.
During a Major League record 27-year baseball career, Ryan pitched in 1966 and from 1968–1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers.
Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. Despite the seven no-hitters, he never threw a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award.
In 1990, Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter (on June 11 against the Athletics), and earned his 300th win (on July 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers). On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke Brock’s career stolen base record by stealing his 939th career base. However, Henderson’s achievement was somewhat overshadowed because Ryan, at age 44, set a record that same night by throwing the seventh no-hitter of his career, striking out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out. Coincidentally, Ryan’s second baseman in his first two no-hitters had been Alomar’s father, Sandy Alomar Sr.
Moment 7: Jack Morris pitches 10 shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves and leads the Minnesota Twins to a victory in Game 7 of the World Series on Oct. 27, 1991.
Morris played in 18 Major League seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career.
In 1991, Morris signed a one-year contract with his hometown Minnesota Twins. He enjoyed another great season, posting 18 wins as Minnesota faced the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. Morris started for the Twins three times, with his final outing being Game 7. In a postseason performance for the ages, the 36-year-old hurler, known throughout his career as a clutch “big game” pitcher, lived up to his billing by throwing 10 innings of shutout baseball against the Braves as the Twins won the World title on a 10th inning single by Gene Larkin that scored Dan Gladden. Morris was named the World Series MVP for his fantastic performance and joined fellow pitcher Sandy Koufax as the only players to win the Babe Ruth Award twice. He holds the record for most wins by a Twin in a single postseason, with 4 acquired in 1991.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #12-10
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Moment 12: Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds became the new Major League Baseball’s career hits leader on September, 11, 1985.
Rose made his major league debut on April 8, 1963 (Opening Day) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got his first Major League hit on April 13, and hit .273 for the year and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Rose had his best offensive season in 1969, setting a career high in batting (.348) and tying his career-best 16 homers. As the Reds’ leadoff man, he was the team’s catalyst, rapping 218 hits, walking 88 times and pacing the league in runs with 120. He hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, He drove in 82 runs, slugged .512 (a career best), had a .432 OBP (also a career best). Rose and Roberto Clemente were tied for the batting title going into the final game, Rose bunted for a base hit in his last at-bat of the season to beat out Clemente (.345).
On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show.
Moment 11: The New York Mets come back from a 3-2 series deficit to win Game 6 and 7 against the Boston Red Sox and clinch the 1986 World Series.
In the bottom of the tenth inning of game 6 (October, 25, 1986), the Red Sox were one out away from the series victory. The scoreboard in right-center field actually had flashed, briefly, “Congratulations, Boston Red Sox, 1986 World Champions.”
Down to their final out, the Mets would go on to stage a historic comeback. After being down to a final strike, Gary Carter singled to left field. Then Kevin Mitchell singled to center field and Carter advanced to second.
Mitchell was followed by Ray Knight, who also was down to a final strike. On an 0–2 pitch from Calvin Schiraldi, Knight hit the next pitch into center field for a single that scored Carter and advanced Mitchell to third base, bringing the score to 5–4 and leaving the tying run in third base.
Red Sox manager John McNamara, with left fielder Mookie Wilson coming to the plate, removed Schiraldi in favor of Bob Stanley. On the seventh pitch of the at bat, Stanley’s pitch was too far inside and slipped past catcher Rich Gedman for a wild pitch, sending Wilson to the ground and allowing Mitchell to score from third base with the tying run. Knight moved up to second base.
On the tenth pitch of the at-bat, Wilson hit a slow ground ball up the first base line that appeared to be an easy play for Boston first baseman Bill Buckner. As the speedy Wilson busted out of the box, the ball snuck between the legs of Buckner. The ball slipped under his glove, and rolled slowly into right field. Knight grabbed his helmet as he jumped on home plate to win the game in an iconic image of one of the most famous comebacks in World Series history.
In the seventh game the Mets easily defeated the Red Sox 8 to 5 and Jesse Orosco provided one of the most memorable images of that World Series, which would become an iconic image to the Mets and their fans: he threw his glove way up in the air after a strikeout for the final out, and immediately dropped to his knees while catcher Gary Carter ran out to the mound to embrace him.
Moment 10: Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley with two outs in the bottom of the ninth gives Los Angeles a 5-4 win in Game 1 of the World Series, October 15, 1988.
Early in his career, Gibson was proclaimed by manager Tigers’ Sparky Anderson as the next Mickey Mantle. Later, Anderson apologized and said that probably put too much pressure on a young and inexperienced Gibson. Nevertheless, Gibson was considered a versatile power/speed player in the 1980s who was able to hit home runs as well as steal bases.[4] He finished in the top 10 in home runs 3 times in his career and ranked in the top 10 in stolen bases 4 times.
Gibson is perhaps best known for his one and only plate appearance in the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. With a stomach virus and injuries to both legs sustained during the League Championship Series, Gibson was not expected to play at all. In Game 1, on October 15, 1988 at Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers trailing by a score of 4–3, Mike Davis on first, and two out in the ninth inning, manager Tommy Lasorda inserted Gibson as a pinch hitter. He limped up to the plate to face Oakland’s future Hall of Fame closer Eckersley. Gibson quickly got behind in the count, 0–2, and with an awkward, almost casual swing, Gibson used pure upper-body strength to smack a 3–2 backdoor slider over the right-field fence. He hobbled around the bases and pumped his fist as his jubilant teammates stormed the field. The Dodgers won the game, 5–4, and would go on to win the World Series, 4–1.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #15-13
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Moment 15: Hank Aaron of Atlanta breaks Babe Ruth’s career record of 714 home runs on April 8, 1974.
On April 13, 1954, Aaron made his major league debut and was hitless in five at-bats against the Cincinnati Reds. Two days later Aaron collected his first major league hit, a single off Cardinals’ pitcher Vic Raschi. Aaron hit his first major league home run on April 23, also off Raschi. He then changed his number to 44, which would turn out to look like a “lucky number” for the slugger. Aaron would hit 44 home runs in four different seasons, and he would hit his record-breaking 715th career home run off Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, who coincidentally also wore number 44.
As the 1974 season began, Aaron’s pursuit of the record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta, and were therefore going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. But Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two games in the first series. He played two out of three, tying Babe Ruth’s record in his very first at bat off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series.
The team returned to Atlanta, and on April 8, 1974, a crowd of 53,775 people showed up for the game. In the fourth inning, Aaron hit career home run number 715 off Downing. Although Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner nearly went over the outfield wall trying to catch it, the ball landed in the Braves’ bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it.
Moment 14: Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox led off the bottom of the 12th with a home run off the left-field foul pole at Fenway Park in Game 6 of the World Series on Oct. 21, 1975.
During a 24-year baseball career, Fisk played for both the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971-1980) and Chicago White Sox (1981-1993). He was the first player to be unanimously voted American League Rookie of the Year (1972).
The defining moment of Fisk’s illustrious career came in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series at Fenway Park. He hit Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pat Darcy’s second pitch down the left field line that appeared to be heading into foul territory. The enduring image of Fisk jumping and waving the ball fair as he made his way to first base is considered by many to be one of baseball’s greatest moments. The ball struck the foul pole, giving the Red Sox a 7–6 win and forcing a seventh and deciding game of the fall classic.
The image of him waving the ball fair changed the way baseball was televised. During this time, cameramen covering baseball were instructed to follow the flight of the ball. In a 1999 interview, NBC cameraman Lou Gerard admitted that the classic shot was not due to his own skills as a cameraman, but because he had been distracted by a nearby rat.
Moment 13: Reggie Jackson hits three home runs in three consecutive at-bats during Game 6 of the World Series on Oct. 18, 1977.
Jackson debuted in the major leagues with the A’s on June 9, 1967, a 6-0 A’s victory over the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland. Following that season, the Athletics moved to Oakland. Jackson hit 47 home runs in 1969.
During the World Series against the Dodgers, Thurman Munson was interviewed, and suggested that Jackson, because of his past post-season performances, might be the better interview subject. “Go ask Mister October”, he said, giving Jackson a nickname that would stick. Jackson’s crowning achievement came with his three-home-run performance in World Series-clinching Game 6, each on the first pitch, off three different Dodger pitchers.
Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #18-16
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Moment 18: Roger Maris of the Yankees hits 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in 1961.
During a 12-year baseball career, Maris played from 1957-1968 for four different teams, appearing in seven World Series and winning three of them.
In 1961, Yankee home runs began to come at a record pace. One famous photograph lined up six 1961 Yankee players, including Mickey Mantle, Maris, Yogi Berra, and Bill Skowron, under the nickname “Murderers Row,” because they hit a combined 165 home runs that year. As mid-season approached, it seemed quite possible that either Maris or Mantle, or perhaps both, would break Ruth’s 34-year-old home run record.
As 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now “Mickey Mantle’s team” and Maris was ostracized as the “outsider,” and “not a true Yankee.” The press seemed to root for Mantle and to belittle Maris. Mantle was felled by a hip infection late in the season, leaving Maris as the only player with a chance to break the record.
On top of his lack of popular press coverage, Maris’ chase for 61 hit another roadblock totally out of his control. Along with adding two teams to the league, Major League Baseball had added eight games to the schedule. In the middle of the season, baseball commissioner Ford Frick announced that unless Ruth’s record was broken in the first 154 games of the season, the new record would be shown in the record books as having been set in 162 games while the previous record set in 154 games would also be shown. It is an urban legend that an asterisk would be used to distinguish the new record.
Moment 17: Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Paige was a right-handed pitcher and was the oldest rookie to play Major League Baseball at the age of 42. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47, and represented them in the Major League All-Star Game in 1952 and 1953.
In the wake of Ted Williams‘ 1966 Hall of Fame induction speech urging induction of Negro Leaguers, and on the recommendation of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Bowie Kuhn empowered a ten-man committee to sift through hundreds of names and nominate the first group of four Negro League players to go to the Hall of Fame. Because Paige pitched in Greensboro in 1966, he would not have been eligible for enshrinement until 1971, as players have to be out of professional baseball for at least five years before they can be elected. All of the men on the committee agreed that Paige had to be the first Negro League player to get elected, so this gave Kuhn plenty of time to create some sort of Negro League branch in the Hall of Fame. On February 9, 1971, Kuhn announced that Paige would be the first member of the Negro wing of the Hall of Fame.
Moment 16: Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates doubles off the Mets’ Jon Matlack in the final game of the season (Sept. 30, 1972) for his 3,000th career hit.
Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pirates (1955-72). He was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1966. During the course of his career, Clemente was selected to participate in the league’s All Star Game on twelve occasions. He won twelve Gold Glove Awards and led the league in batting average in four different seasons.
Struggling with injuries, Clemente only managed to appear in 102 games in 1972, but he still hit .312 for his final .300 season. On September 30, in a game at Three Rivers Stadium, he hit a double off Matlack of the New York Mets for his 3,000th hit. It was the last at-bat of his career during a regular season, though he did play in the 1972 NLCS playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds. In the playoffs, he batted .235 as he went 4 for 17. His last game ever was at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium in the fifth game of the playoff series.
On 1972 Clemente decided to go to Nicaragua and help the victims of the December 23 earthquake. The airplane he chartered for a New Year’s Eve flight crashed into the ocean off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico immediately after takeoff on December 31, 1972. A few days after the crash, the body of the pilot and part of the fuselage of the plane were found. An empty flight case apparently belonging to Clemente was the only personal item recovered from the plane. Clemente’s teammate and close friend Manny Sanguillen was the only member of the Pirates not to attend Clemente’s memorial service. The catcher chose instead to dive into the waters where Clemente’s plane had crashed in an effort to find his teammate. Clemente’s body was never recovered.
