ONE HAS TO WONDER

     

                   As I write this blog piece I am currently watching the bottom of the 15th inning of Game 3 of the World Series. After watching the last out in the inning I have to wonder what it might have been like had I been in attendance back on April 18th & 19th only to conclude on June 23rd in 1981. The 2 teams were the Pawtucket Paw Sox taking on the Rochester Red Wings. Yes it was a minor league game but when the game concluded the Majors were on a labor strike so of course it made news for being the longest game in history of organized baseball.  The game lasted 8 Hours 25 minutes can you imagine telling your significant other saying your going to the game & you sit through all 33 innings how would you explain where you were when asked where the hell have ya been & they don't believe that you were at a ball game that long. Also as you can see from the picture featured on the top of the post it featured 2 Future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs for the Paw Sox & Cal Ripken Jr. for the Red Wings.  

Imagine doing this scorecard.

Cal Went 2 for 13 in the game Wade well he did a little bit better he went 4 for 12. Again I pose the question for you with the 1981 design Heritage year only 5 years away will Topps discuss this game or will they only offer it in the Minor League version. Well as I type this line Freddie Freeman just hit his Game Winner ending the game in 18 inning again I have to think of all those times I would go to a ballgame if the game was something memorable what type of a piece of history would I want to own from that game. What I am refering about say I attended a perfect game would I want a foul ball from the team that was being held to no hits or one that was hit by the team doing the Perfecto. This thought is always on my mind when I go to a game due to the fact that I remember that in 1974 when Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth for career home runs the ball he hit was caught in the bullpen by relief pitcher Tom House who ran all the way from the bullpen to home plate to present the ball to Hank. That leaves me with a lot of unsolved mystery type questions about certain balls here's a list of balls that somehow no one knows who actually has that ball in no particular order & keep in mind as I type this another unknown person made the list.

1. 2025 Game 3 World Series walk off Winner Home Run hit by Freddie Freeman.
2. 2024 Game 1 walk off Grand Slam winner hit by Freddie Freeman. 
3. September 27 1999 The Grand Slam that marked the last home run at Tiger Stadium hit by Robert Fick that hit the roof.
4. July 13 1971 The Home Run was hit by Reggie Jackson during the All-Star Game that hit the light tower at Tiger Stadium.
5. October 3rd 1951 The Shot Heard Around the World hit by Bobby Thomson off Ralph Branca giving the Giants the National League Pennant over the Dodgers. 

Many claim they have it but no one knows for sure 

6. September 28 1960 The last time The Spendid Splinter (Ted Williams) hit a ball in his final at bat at Fenway Park for the Red Sox.
7. October 18 1988 The only at bat during Game 1 of the World Series Kirk Gibson Home Run off Dennis Eckersley.



These are 7 Home Runs that are not countable that have some very valuable so I leave it to my readers tell me what Home Run do you wish you could catch from my list or let me know what ones I am missing that could be added to the list. Until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby talking about signing autographs for kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."