METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE APRIL 30, 1965 GAME:
Bob P
November 18, 2003
From retrosheet.org:Ron Swoboda lost a grand slam at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. In the first inning, after a single, double and intentional walk, Swoboda hit a long drive to center field off John Tsitouris. At that time, there was a double fence; the main wall was concrete and it was topped with a plywood extension to protect the road construction crew outside. The concrete was in play while the plywood was a homer; Swoboda’s ball hit the plywood and bounced back. Vada Pinson threw the ball back to the infield; second base umpire Frank Secory ruled that the ball was in play. The slam turned into a 1 RBI single. Coach Yogi Berra was ejected for arguing the call for the first time in his National League career. After the game he uttered one of his classic lines: "Anyone who can’t hear the difference between wood and concrete must be blind."
Alan
November 25, 2007
Yes, this was it, almost exactly. However, in my memory the double fence was one in front of the other, with the plywood fence 3-6 feet behind the concrete fence. The reason it was only a single was that Swoboda hit it so hard the runners barely moved, and everyone was confused, first thinking that Pinson (a great center fielder; probably only Flood and Mays better then) would catch it, and then certain that it was a homer. Two more notable things to remember: Crosley Field had the incline, and the Mets announcer (I don't remember which one) went as crazy as Yogi did.
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