View Full Version : Holding the ball
mordeci
10-10-2006, 07:39 AM
SC today, showing their contractually obligated 5 hours of yankees' coverage, showed the final out of the '96 series, caught by that yankee legend . . . Charlie Hayes. It got me thinking about unlikely players who were holding the ball at the end of a world series. I remember Todd Benzinger for the '90 Reds. Any others?
Ubiquitous
10-10-2006, 09:03 AM
Rogers Hornsby holding the ball for the last out in the 1926 World Series. What is so unusual about that? He tagged out one
Babe Ruth who was trying to steal second in the bottom of the 9th inning of game 7 down by one run.
The most famous would have to be Mientkiewicz, wouldn't it? Because of the ball controversy.
Sultan_1895-1948
10-10-2006, 11:52 AM
Rogers Hornsby holding the ball for the last out in the 1926 World Series. What is so unusual about that? He tagged out one
Babe Ruth who was trying to steal second in the bottom of the 9th inning of game 7 down by one run.
Yup. You're right. And Alexander was on the mound. He'd gotten the last out in the seventh by way of strikeout, sat down the Yanks 1-2-3 in the eighth in dominating fashion, and had gotten the first two men in the ninth rather easily until he walked Ruth on a 3-2 count. Meusel was up, who was 3 for his last 21 and on the pitch Meusel swung through and missed it. It was not a good move by Ruth considering the outcome, but at the time a very good argument could be made of the calulated risk he took. Alexander was in rare form and the chances of the Yanks putting together two hits in a row was lower than the chances of Ruth successfully stealing, considering his aim was to catch them off guard. Had Meusel gotten a piece of the ball none of this would be an issue. He'd probably go on to get struck out or ground out and we wouldn't have this to talk about. Ruth's quote, "I wasn't doing any "bleeping" good on first."