Super Obscure Anniversary Time! Except I missed it yesterday -

[The Polack MSgt]

So it's actually Belated Super Obscure Anniversary Time!

64 years ago today, on July 25th, 1956 a baseball miracle took place before a sparse crowd at Forbes Field.

In his sophomore year with the Pittsburgh Pirates​, Roberto Clemente came to bat with the bases loaded, nobody out, and his team trailing the Chicago Cubs​ 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth at Forbes Field. He faced pitcher Jim Brosnan.

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:
"Brosnan made one pitch, high and inside. Clemente drove it against the light standard in left field. Jim King had backed up to make the catch but it was over his head.

The ball bounced off the slanted side of the fencing and rolled along the cinder path to center field.

Here came Hank Foiles, Bill Virdon and then Dick Cole, heading home and making it easily.

Then came Clemente into third. Bobby Bragan had his hands up-stretched to hold up his outfielder.

The relay was coming in from Solly Drake. But around third came Clemente and down the home path. He made it just in front of the relay from Ernie Banks.

He slid, missed the plate, then reached back to rest his hand on the rubber with the ninth run in a 9-8 victory as the crowd of 12,431 went goofy with excitement."

Little did the crowd know but the play that ended the Pirates-Cubs game on July 25, 1956. was, in fact, the ONLY walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam in baseball history.

An excerpt from http://lithub.com/the-greatest-forgotten-home-run-of-all-time/

[Ohiogal]

1. What a thrill that must have been

To see that live. I was too young to remember Clemente, but Mr. O says he was such an exciting player to watch.

[The Polack MSgt]

2. He was my first hero and when he died I cried

Like only heartbroken 9 year olds can

[Ohiogal]

3. I can imagine....

[matt819]

4. I'm not a baseball fan...

... but that was an interesting read. A window into 1950s racism in baseball, indeed, almost full-on white supremacy.

I wasn’t a baseball fan in the 60s either, though I recalled being a fan of Clemente, though I can’t recall why.

[The Polack MSgt]

6. It was a well written essay

Pittsburgh in the 70s started to come to terms with how racist they were with one of the best baseball player to ever live.

When Tanner was the manager, he brought it up, reporters did mea culpa stories on the anniversary of his 3000 hit or on New Years.

Hell, the Pirates and The Steelers made racial milestones in the mid 70s by starting and all black squad in an MLB game and naming a black quarter back as a starter.

It didn't take though.

All my neighbors and cousins swallowed the "Cadillac Driving Welfare Queen" Reagan Racism without questions and my home is as racist if not more racist than andy place I've ever been.

I have spent years in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

I don't say that lightly

[underpants]

5. That's cool.

[rurallib]

7. Back in the day when the Cubs could invent ways to lose

For some reason when a one of a kind way to lose happened I knew the beloved Cubs of my youth would be involved.

[The Polack MSgt]

8. I had to laugh

And I hear ya. But sorry,

I can't work up much enthusiasm for Cub sympathy.

I. Am. Just. So. Glad to see baseball again

[kairos12]

9. Excellent history. Thanks.