On ,April 30 1965 — 4/30/1965: Met 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.”
[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Subscribe to This Day In Baseball” subscribe_text=”Get our latest Posts in your in box” subscribe_button=”GO” show_subscribers_total=”0″]
This Day In Baseball on Patreon
Own this Day and Be Part of Baseball History
Sources:
