Thursday, April 8, 2021

40 years ago: Bobby Murcer hits a pinch-hit grand slam on Yankees' Opening Day

(Correction: I really am old ... I got the dates mixed up. It was April 9, 1981, not April 8.)

------

I was at the game - left field, lower deck - and when Murcer was sent up with the bases loaded,  I was praying he'd hit one out. 

As soon as ball met bat, I yelled "He did it!!" My older brother next to me said, "Maybe not ..." thinking it might die out and fall short, but I knew. 

I was 15 and Bobby Murcer was my baseball hero. I was certain that the baseball gods wouldn't be so cruel to tease me like that.

I've learned, in the four decades since, exactly how cruel those juju gods can be, but that day, at least, they weren't.

40 years. Damn, I'm old.

7 comments:

mik said...

The "old" stadium. The "actual" stadium. The "house-that-Ruth built". That sound. That feel. The ghosts. Gone forever. The memories are great but the reality hurts.

ranger_lp said...

That's a nice memory...

el duque said...

I remember that game.

Tommy John pitched for us. Willie Randolph at 2B. Winfield. Watson. Piniella... Terrible team. Those were the days.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Well, milk, actually The Real Original Famous Ray's Stadium was pretty much gutted in the 1974-75 "rebuild." Only the steel undercarriage remained, beneath a dumpy, plastic replica. But I agree: it was still better than the current oddity.

HoraceClarke66 said...

And I was at that game, too. And plenty pissed off, because we were "only" up 5-3 going into the 7th. Then came the heroics from Sweet Lou and Bobby, too.

It was indeed Winfield's debut. He had two hits. So did Randolph, Watson, and Piniella. Bucky had 3, including a homer.

Those were the days, my friends. "We'd fight and never lose..."

Anonymous said...

Remember when homers AND putting the ball into play mattered? I bet Bobby Murcer and Roy White never had fitness gurus to keep their finely tuned bodies humming like the current Yanks. I literally can't remember any Yankee hurting an oblique swinging the bat prior to 2010.
But, then again, I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday
The Archangel

Nitish Kumar said...


LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever