On July 1, 1982 — At Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, Mark Fidrych, mounting one more attempt to return to the majors, and Dave Righetti, the AL Rookie of the Year who was sent down by the Yankees to Triple-A Columbus after a slow start in his sophomore season, match up in one of the most memorable games ever played in the minor leagues. The chanting and cheering overflow crowd of 9,389, packed into the ballpark designed to accommodate 5,800 fans, vocally displays their support for the ‘Bird’ throughout the game and becomes delirious when he strikes out Butch Hobson for the final out in his improbable complete-game 7-5 victory.
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National Pastime January 28
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