Favorite Baseball Moments While Waiting for Release

[Anteater]

One of my favorite moments was Kirk Gibson's walk off home run to win game 1 of the 1988 World Series. We had been living in Cincinnati for about 10 years then after moving from Southern California in 1978. Loved watching him limp around the bases and Tommy Lasorda running on to the field. As luck would have it Reds opening day the next season was against the Dodgers and we had tickets. 55,000 people in the stadium wearing red and two of us wearing blue. We went on to live 30 more years in Cincinnati and very gradually moved on to becoming Reds fans.

[Reed]

Okay, showing my age.
First MLB game I went to. July 1961.
Our little league team and several others took train from Ft. Wayne to Chicago to watch Yankees play White Sox. Sat in Left Field and remember Yogi Berra playing left and waiving at us. Roger Maris hit a home run enroute to his 61. The Sox had 3 home runs making to scoreboard go off. The Sox got a 4 or 5 run lead but the Yankees came back to win 9-8 in 10 innings. Minnie Minoso made an outstanding defensive play. The experience was a thrill.
During the pandemic while shut in I found a radio broadcast of the game on the internet so I got to listen to it after seeing it 60 years earlier. My wife thought I was crazy for listening to it.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Reed

Okay, showing my age.
First MLB game I went to. July 1961.
Our little league team and several others took train from Ft. Wayne to Chicago to watch Yankees play White Sox. Sat in Left Field and remember Yogi Berra playing left and waiving at us. Roger Maris hit a home run enroute to his 61. The Sox had 3 home runs making to scoreboard go off. The Sox got a 4 or 5 run lead but the Yankees came back to win 9-8 in 10 innings. Minnie Minoso made an outstanding defensive play. The experience was a thrill.
During the pandemic while shut in I found a radio broadcast of the game on the internet so I got to listen to it after seeing it 60 years earlier. My wife thought I was crazy for listening to it.

Oh my, were you a Ft. Wayne Komets fan?

[Pelican]

Wilson Alvarez no-hitter against the Orioles in a day game at Memorial Stadium in 1991. I got two seats from a colleague who had season tickets, about a dozen rows behind the Baltimore dugout. I took my oldest son, who turned seven that year. There were so many baserunners via walks, it did not seem like a no-no. Bottom of the ninth, fans on their feet, wanting to see a no-hitter. My son could not understand why everyone was rooting against the Orioles. His little voice cried “get a hit, Cal”, tears streaming down his face. “There’s the only true Orioles fan here”, one guy said. Oh, fun fact, because Memorial Stadium never had enough parking, we parked on the street. The sign said alternate side parking, changing at 3:00 pm. The usher told me I would be towed, so we left for a half-inning to move the car to the other side of the street. So I saw "most" of a no-hit game.

[Reed]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Oh my, were you a Ft. Wayne Komets fan?

Went to about a half dozen of their games. That was fun too. If I remember correctly, you lived near Detroit and now live in Shreveport. My daughter and her family live in Bossier City and she works it the schools.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Reed

Went to about a half dozen of their games. That was fun too. If I remember correctly, you lived near Detroit and now live in Shreveport. My daughter and her family live in Bossier City and she works it the schools.

Close. I grew up in Saginaw, home of the Saginaw Gears Loved the Komet's nickname and loved their uniforms. Yup on the Shreveport. Does your daughter like down here?

[Reed]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Close. I grew up in Saginaw, home of the Saginaw Gears Loved the Komet's nickname and loved their uniforms. Yup on the Shreveport. Does your daughter like down here?

She really likes it there. Her husband retired from the Air Force there. He now works as a civilian contractor 2 doors down from the office he worked at when he was in the Air Force. My grandson graduates from Airline High School next month.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by Reed

She really likes it there. Her husband retired from the Air Force there. He now works as a civilian contractor 2 doors down from the office he worked at when he was in the Air Force. My grandson graduates from Airline High School next month.

Very cool.

[David Watts]

Buddy of mine got tickets to game 3 of the 84 ALCS. Was able to see my Tigers beat the Royals for the AL Pennant.

[WestCoastGuy]

Last game at Candlestick. Seven of the Mariners' 116 wins in 2001, including opening day and Ichiro's first game and hit. First game at Petco.

[neugey]

The Cal Ripken 2,131 game stands out in my mind. My then-girlfriend and I watched pretty much the whole thing and she was mesmerized even though she normally never cared too much about baseball outside of the Twins. It's hard to put into words why it's so poignant to me; I think it just happened at a key time in my life that made it more remarkable.

[BirdWatcher]

I was at Tiger Stadium in 1974 and saw one of the great Al Kaline's final home runs (which landed not far from where my father and I were sitting.) I was only 9 at the time and it was my first in-person MLB game and I don't remember a great deal of detail but I will never forget that. I can't be sure what the date was, but given that Kaline hit just 13 homers that season and given that my father and I would likely have been at a weekend game during the summer (out of the school year), I think the most likely date was Saturday, August 3rd versus the Baltimore Orioles. This is a game that Kaline went 3 for 4 in as the DH, driving in both of the Tigers runs in a 6-2 loss. Lolich would have been on the mound for the complete game loss.

Also, a few years later, in 1976, was at Tiger Stadium to see Mark Fidrych pitch against the then California Angels and future Tiger Frank Tanana (pretty sure this was the game of August 17th, which saw Fidrych get the 1-run win and improve to 14-4 in the Year of the Bird). My father decided we should stick around overnight and we returned to see the great Nolan Ryan pitch the next day, a game in which Ryan pitched 10 innings and struck out 17 Tigers batters (wow, I forgot that part completely, until I looked this up on Retrosheet) and the Tigers lost in 11. (Fidrych, the previous day, had a typical start for him- 9 innings pitched, just 5 hits allowed, 2 K's and just 1 walk allowed, although he did give up a home run to Ron Jackson.)

As might be guessed by my user name and photo here, the Year of the Bird was probably what sealed the deal in my fate of being a lifelong baseball fan.

[Mr. Marlin]

2011 Game 162. The whole day but especially Longoia and the extra inning walk off HR

[ubernoob]

The home run derby in 1996 in a small Wisconsin city that included Griffey, ARod and a young David Arias (Ortiz) that only happened because the game between the Mariners and their single A team got rained out.

I was like 9 when I went to this and it is still fresh.

[joefromchicago]

April 4, 1989. Opening day at Wrigley Field. I'm in the upper deck with my buddy watching the Cubs go into the ninth inning leading the Phillies 5-4. On the mound is Mitch Williams, the Cubs' new closer acquired in the offseason.

Well, three dinky singles later and the bases are loaded with no outs and Mike Schmidt is at the plate. I, along with about 30,000 fans, was thinking "oh no, here we go again, the Cubs are gonna' blow it." Schmidt, who hit about half of his career 548 career home runs against the Cubs, quickly goes ahead in the count 2-0. Williams, who had already earned the nickname "Wild Thing" with the Texas Rangers, is looking shaky, but Cubs' skipper Don Zimmer gives no indication that he is thinking of going to the bullpen. This is gonna' be all Williams. He'll either be the hero or the goat.

The left-hander recovers, and then, on a 2-2 pitch, throws a nasty slider down and in and Schmidt swings and misses. Strikeout number one.

Chris James up next. Now Williams is throwing nothing but fastballs. Strikeout number two.

Everybody in the stands is standing. Clapping. Cheering. Hollering. Journeyman Mark Ryal is at the plate.

First pitch: fastball at the letters, swinging strike.

Second pitch: fouled back out of play.

Third pitch: high and outside, 1-2.

Fourth pitch: fouled off.

Fifth pitch: high and outside, 2-2.

Sixth pitch: the high heat, Ryal swings and misses. Ballgame over. Cubs win!

I've been to scores of MLB games before and since. I don't think I ever heard a crowd as loud as when Williams blew that fastball past Ryal for strike three. It was a great game (three future hall of famers - Schmidt, Andre Dawson, and Ryne Sandberg), and the start of a memorable season. And, as Casey Stengel might have said, you can look it up:

[graniteknighte]

Originally Posted by joefromchicago

April 4, 1989. Opening day at Wrigley Field. I'm in the upper deck with my buddy watching the Cubs go into the ninth inning leading the Phillies 5-4. On the mound is Mitch Williams, the Cubs' new closer acquired in the offseason.

Well, three dinky singles later and the bases are loaded with no outs and Mike Schmidt is at the plate. I, along with about 30,000 fans, was thinking "oh no, here we go again, the Cubs are gonna' blow it." Schmidt, who hit about half of his career 548 career home runs against the Cubs, quickly goes ahead in the count 2-0. Williams, who had already earned the nickname "Wild Thing" with the Texas Rangers, is looking shaky, but Cubs' skipper Don Zimmer gives no indication that he is thinking of going to the bullpen. This is gonna' be all Williams. He'll either be the hero or the goat.

The left-hander recovers, and then, on a 2-2 pitch, throws a nasty slider down and in and Schmidt swings and misses. Strikeout number one.

Chris James up next. Now Williams is throwing nothing but fastballs. Strikeout number two.

Everybody in the stands is standing. Clapping. Cheering. Hollering. Journeyman Mark Ryal is at the plate.

First pitch: fastball at the letters, swinging strike.

Second pitch: fouled back out of play.

Third pitch: high and outside, 2-1.

Fourth pitch: fouled off.

Fifth pitch: high and outside, 2-2.

Sixth pitch: the high heat, Ryal swings and misses. Ballgame over. Cubs win!

I've been to scores of MLB games before and since. I don't think I ever heard a crowd as loud as when Williams blew that fastball past Ryal for strike three. It was a great game (three future hall of famers - Schmidt, Andre Dawson, and Ryne Sandberg), and the start of a memorable season. And, as Casey Stengel might have said, you can look it up:

Attachment 867759

*Pokes head in from Phillies land* Oh Wild Thing, being Wild Thing. Carry on then


My greatest memory as a baseball fan would have to be two I would say. Either of these in no order. 1. Wilson Valdez pitching and winning in 19 innings vs the Reds. or 2. 2008 World Series, I was working in the local grocery store and it had gotten so late to the game that the store was basically empty, my manager/the store owner (same chap) piped the game's audio through the store's speakers and we listened to it. Then, when my dad came to pick me up it was Harry the K calling the last three outs live, and Dad had the radio in the car BLARING he was so happy.

[Anteater]

I've had some wonderful overall memories also. Growing up a Dodger fan in Orange County then moving to Cincinnati at 24 during the height of the Dodgers-Reds rivalry of the 70's. The Dodgers only having two managers, Alston and Lasorda, for the first 42 years of my life. Vin Scully and then Marty Brennaman as my only two radio announcers until I moved to Florida 4 years ago. Great Dodger rivalries with the Giants and then the Reds. Hating Juan Marichal. Hating Pete Rose as a Dodger fan then understanding why Cincinnati loved him so much after moving there. The Reds 1990 "wire to wire" season and World Series sweep which began my move to becoming a Reds fan. Opening day Findlay Market parades in Cincinnati. Listening to baseball on a real transistor radio.

[MathBandit]

Got to be the Bautista Bat Flip.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

I was at Tiger Stadium in 1974 and saw one of the great Al Kaline's final home runs (which landed not far from where my father and I were sitting.) I was only 9 at the time and it was my first in-person MLB game and I don't remember a great deal of detail but I will never forget that. I can't be sure what the date was, but given that Kaline hit just 13 homers that season and given that my father and I would likely have been at a weekend game during the summer (out of the school year), I think the most likely date was Saturday, August 3rd versus the Baltimore Orioles. This is a game that Kaline went 3 for 4 in as the DH, driving in both of the Tigers runs in a 6-2 loss. Lolich would have been on the mound for the complete game loss.

Also, a few years later, in 1976, was at Tiger Stadium to see Mark Fidrych pitch against the then California Angels and future Tiger Frank Tanana (pretty sure this was the game of August 17th, which saw Fidrych get the 1-run win and improve to 14-4 in the Year of the Bird). My father decided we should stick around overnight and we returned to see the great Nolan Ryan pitch the next day, a game in which Ryan pitched 10 innings and struck out 17 Tigers batters (wow, I forgot that part completely, until I looked this up on Retrosheet) and the Tigers lost in 11. (Fidrych, the previous day, had a typical start for him- 9 innings pitched, just 5 hits allowed, 2 K's and just 1 walk allowed, although he did give up a home run to Ron Jackson.)

As might be guessed by my user name and photo here, the Year of the Bird was probably what sealed the deal in my fate of being a lifelong baseball fan.

Ugh, completely missed out on seeing The Bird in action. I did get to see him start a game, but it was in 1980 and it was not pretty. In fact, the Rangers destroyed the Tigers in both games of a doubleheader that day. Al Oliver had 3 bombs in the second game, 1 in the first and drove in I want to say 7 or 8 runs. Only good thing for the Tigers that day was the ceremony between games honoring Al Kaline.

[swoboda]

I was sitting in the upper deck way out in left field for the 1973 NLCS, Mets vs. Reds, you got it Bud Harrelson vs Pete Rose 3 Rounds winner-takes-all dust-up.