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1982 - Baseball Clip - Hall of Fame Simulation - The Greatest Baseball Game Never Played · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons
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.com for more sports history. Hello again, everybody.
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I'm Jack Buck. And I'm Lindsey Nelson. And this
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is The Greatest Baseball Game Never Played. The
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Greatest Baseball Game Never Played was played
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on July 14, 1982 at Old Scheib Park in Philadelphia.
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The National League defeated the American League
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5 -4 on a home run by Henry Aaron off Walter
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Johnson. to break a tie on the bottom of the
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ninth. Grover Cleveland Alexander was the winning
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pitcher. To say the least, it was an amazing
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contest, as the greats of all time came together
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on one field, at one time, to battle for their
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respective leagues. It had begun eight months
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earlier, at BFV &L Promotions of St. Louis. General
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Manager Don Weber was there. Last spring, a group
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of us at BFV &L got involved in a baseball discussion.
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We started talking about who were our favorite
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players and who were the greats of all time and
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our idols. And after a lot of conversation, we
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resolved it by wouldn't it be great if we could
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capture those players in one game of baseball.
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About a month later, we were doing a computer
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project for a client, and the two ideas collided.
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Why not use computer technology to create the
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greatest baseball game never played? The hardware
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and the software for the project were provided
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by Apple Computer. The hardware, an Apple III
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computer, the software, a program created especially
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for the greatest baseball game never played by
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Jamie Friend. It's essentially an interactive
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program. That means that it's a conversation
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between the computer and a human being. And in
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fact, there are two people who play this game
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who play the roles of the managers for the two
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weeks. The first thing the program asks them
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is to... pick their lineups. They have a roster
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of 30 players in each club, and each one of the
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managers can pick his lineup from that, specifying
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their defense positions, of course, and their
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batting orders. And once that's done, the program
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goes into the play of the game. After each play,
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the managers are asked if they want to make any
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substitutions, for example. and what kind of
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strategies they want to play. For instance, the
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defense might decide that they want to walk this
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batter, or the offense might decide that they
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want to make a sacrifice play. Once those decisions
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are made, then the program essentially decides
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which one of the possible outcomes would happen
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under those circumstances. The remaining task
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was to select the teams of all -time great baseball
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players. That responsibility fell to the editors
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of the Sporting News, the venerable Bible of
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baseball. As the publisher of the Baseball Guide,
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Baseball Register, Baseball Dope Book, and World
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Series Record Book, the Sporting News had built
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up a library of sports information unequaled
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anywhere and a staff of experts known for their
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baseball savvy. The editors prepared the greatest
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game ballots and published them in April and
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May of 1982. Fans from around the nation voted
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on those greats nominated by the editors or wrote
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in favorites of their own. Some races for positions
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in the starting lineups were quite spirited.
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Others were runaways. Lou Gehrig received the
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largest number of fan votes and was the clear
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choice to play first base for the American team.
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It was not until the final week of balloting
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that Ty Cobb beat out Joe DiMaggio for the third
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position in the American League outfield. that
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Roy Campanella won out over Johnny Bench for
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the National League catcher. And Phil Rizzuto
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passed Louis Aparicio by a scant 12 votes to
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win the American shortstop position. And so the
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fans selected the starting lineups. For the American
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League, it was Rizzuto batting first and playing
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short. Ty Cobb was in center. Ted Williams in
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left. Babe Ruth in right. Lou Gehrig at first.
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Rod Carew at second. Brooks Robinson at third.
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Yogi Berra catching. and Whitey Ford on the mound.
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Starting for the national team, Pete Rose led
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off and played first. Mike Schmidt was at third.
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Stan the Man Musial was in right. Hank Aaron
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in left. Willie Mays, the center fielder. Rogers
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Hornsby was at second. Honus Wagner was the shortstop.
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Roy Campanella behind the plate. And the starting
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National League pitcher, Sandy Koufax. The Sporting
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News editors named the 21 reserves on each squad.
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For the American League... Joe DiMaggio, Tris
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Speaker, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and Carl
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Yastrzemski were reserve outfielders. First base
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reserves, Jimmy Fox and George Sisler. Eddie
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Collins and Charlie Gerringer were available
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for second base duty. Third base, George Brett.
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At shortstop, Joe Cronin and Luis Aparicio. Reserve
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catchers, Mickey Cochran and Bill Dickey. And
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the remainder of the pitching staff, Lefty Grove,
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Bob Feller, Walter Johnson. Cy Young, Jim Palmer,
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Raleigh Fingers, and Gaylord Perry. National
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League reserves included Melott, Roberto Clemente,
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Lou Brock, and Frank Robinson in the outfield.
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Bill Terry and Johnny Mize at first base. Frank
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Frisch and Jackie Robinson at second. Pi Trainer
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and Eddie Matthews at third. Ernie Banks and
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Pee Wee Reese at shortstop. Catchers Gabby Hartnett
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and Johnny Bench. The remainder of the National
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League pitching staff were over Cleveland Alexander,
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Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson, Carl Hubble, Christy
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Mathewson, Tom Seaver, and Steve Carlton. Casey
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Stengel was named to manage the American team,
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recognized for his 12 -year career with the Yankees,
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during which they won 10 American League pennants
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and nine World Series. Named to manage the Nationals
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was the little Napoleon, John McGraw, who in
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30 years as manager of the Giants led them to
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10 National League pennants and three world championships.
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The site for the greatest baseball game ever
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played was selected, historic Scheib Park in
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Philadelphia. Scheib had been the home of the
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National League Phillies and the American League
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Athletics. 33 ,608 persons could be accommodated
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in the double -deck grandstand with the roof
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topping the upper tier. In left field stood a
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double -deck stand that extended from the foul
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line corner to straightaway center, an inviting
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target for right -handed power hitters, although
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a ball hit into those stands was not a cheap
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shot. The distances were 334 down the line in
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left, 405 up the power alley in left, 400 feet
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to the alley in right, 331 down the line to the
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foul pole in right. The rule says good pitching
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will stop good hitting. but seldom has good pitching
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faced hitting the likes of Babe Ruth with a lifetime
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average of .342, Hornsby at .358, Williams .344,
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Ty Cobb .366, Musial .331, or Carew .332. It
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was hard to predict what would happen, but Lindsey
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and I knew it would be explosive. It didn't take
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long for us to find out, however, as Phil Rizzuto
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came to the plate on the top of the first to
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face lefty Sandy Koufax. Schmidt comes in to
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guard against the bunt, and Koufax is ready to
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go. Here is the first pitch of the game, and
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ball went up and in, and he really spun Rizzuto
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around with a blistering fastball, and Rizzuto
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is saying, hey, this is just a fun game. Well,
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it may be a fun game as far as Rizzuto's concerned,
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but Sandy Koufax is a very serious young man.
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And now the next one coming. Strike called right
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down the middle with a fastball. Koufax with
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that fastball and a tremendous curveball as well.
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One ball, one strike on Rizzuto. He'll be followed
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by Ty Cobb and then Ted Williams. The pitch is
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outside, just missed, and it's ball two. Tommy
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Conley is the plate umpire this evening. Jocko
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Conlon, Bill Clem, and Bill McGowan. are the
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base umpires. Ball three is high, and now it's
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a 3 -1 count on Rizzuto. He's tough to pitch
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to. He showed the bunt that time, but pulled
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the bat back and took ball three, and it is 3
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-1. And now a foul right back up here into the
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press box area, and a full count on the leadoff
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man. Koufax with the new ball, back behind the
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rubber. And he gets that curveball over with
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such regularity, Rizzuto doesn't know what to
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expect, the windup and the pitch. It is ball
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four, outside with a fastball. Rizzuto with the
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eagle eye, took it for ball four, and that's
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the way the greatest game never played gets underway.
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The count went to one and one on the next American
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League batter, the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb. Koufax,
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once again, ready to go. Cobb waiting the pitch.
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Swing and a line drive. Base hit into right field.
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Rizzuto around second. Now stops, turns around
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and comes back as Musial gets the ball back.
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And it's a good start for the American Leaguers.
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With two base -dealing threats on base, Sandy
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Koufax faced Ted Williams. The count went to
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one and one. Koufax ready to go once more. He
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brings it home. There's a smash up the middle.
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That ball goes through. A base hit. Rizzuto is
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going to score without a play. There goes Cobb
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for third. Mays throwing to third, and everybody's
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safe, and the American League's out in front
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1 -0. A walk to Rizzuto, a base hit by Cobb,
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an RBI single by Williams. He stays at first.
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As the play went to third base, Rizzuto crosses
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the plate, and Koufax has yet to retire his first
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man, and who's coming up now? It wasn't going
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to get any easier for the Dodger pitcher as Babe
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Ruth came to the plate. And now the third baseman
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Schmitz over talking to Koufax. I'm sure he's
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not saying let him hit the ball. A walk, a couple
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of hits, and the American Leaguers are out in
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front. Babe Ruth standing in. A lifetime mark
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of .342 in the batting average department. 714
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home runs. And you know where they're playing
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in the National League outfield. Koufax in trouble.
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Runners on at first and third. Here's his first
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pitch to the babe, and there's a hard -hit ground
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ball to Hornsby. He grabs it, gives to Wagner
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at second. On to first, a double play. Cobb scores,
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and it is 2 -0. So Koufax retires Ruth on the
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4 -6 -3 double play. Williams is taken care of
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at second, and then on to first for the twin
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killing. And a run is home. It's 2 -0. The bases
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are empty. Lou Gehrig flied out to end the inning,
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but not before the American League had gotten
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off to a very auspicious start. It was the American
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League 2, the National League nothing. In the
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bottom of the first, Stan Musial drew a base
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on balls, but was stranded, the first of 11 men
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the Nationals would leave on base during the
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course of the game. Koufax settled down in the
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top of the second and put the side down in order.
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In the bottom of the inning, Willie Mays led
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off against Whitey Ford. Mays stands in, and
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he always has a good time when he plays the game.
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They play him straight away. The first pitch
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is a strike. He showed the bunt. He took a strike.
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And Whitey Ford, who gave up a walk in the first
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inning, gets ahead on the count to say, hey,
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Willie Mays. Now the next one. A smash back up
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the middle, and that ball goes through. It's
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a base hit. Ford's angry with himself. He took
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a swipe at it, thought perhaps he could catch
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it, but he didn't. Willie took a wide turn at
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first, just wanting to go, but decided he'd gone
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far enough so he goes back to the bag at first.
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May singles for the first hit for the National
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League. Rogers Hornsby was unable to advance
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the runner as he flied out to Babe Ruth and Wright.
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With Hannes Wagner, a skilled bat manipulator
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at the plate, Willie Mays, a base -steeding threat
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at first, and Whitey Ford, known for one of the
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slickest pickoff moves in the game, the situation
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was fraught with tension. The count went to two
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balls and one strike on Wagner. Ford looks around,
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checks the defense. There have been no changes.
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It's Robinson, Rizzuto, Carew, and Gehrig on
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the infield for the American League. A check
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on the runner, and the pitch to the plate, and
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there goes the runner, Mays, and the throw to
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second, and he is out. Bear up. Touchdown, Willie
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Mays, trying to steal for the second out of the
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inning, and the count has gone to 2 -2 on Wagner.
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What a throw by Yogi. Yogi got it right down
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there on the money, trying to protect him. Wagner
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took a cut and missed, of course, just trying
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to delay the throw, but he was down there in
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time. And that's where it had to be. Had it been
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off the mark at all, Mays would have stolen it,
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but he's out, and there are two gone. And Wagner
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is up with the bases empty. After that, could
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Wagner get something going for the National League?
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24 to the rosin bag. Now he'll work off the full
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windup. He does. Here it comes. A swing and a
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line drive into right center field. That ball
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plugs the gap. It's going to go to the wall for
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extra bases. Wagner digs for second. He may try
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for three. He goes for third. The relay over
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there is not in time. Wagner triples with 10
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and out. And now the National League fans are
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saying, why, oh, why did Willie have to be thrown
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out? Dodger catcher Roy Campanella, who grew
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up in North Philadelphia, came to the plate hoping
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to keep it going for the National League. Now
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the pitch to Campanella. Swing and a line drive.
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That's a base hit over Rizzuto's head into left
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center. Wagner in to score. Campy's going to
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try for two. The throw in by Cobb, and it is
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not in time. And the National League is on the
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board. A two -out triple by Wagner. He scores
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on the follow -up double by Roy Campanella. He's
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the tying run down at second base. Frank Robinson
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batting for Sandy Koufax couldn't get the tying
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run home, and the inning ended with the National
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League trailing the American by the score of
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2 -1. It took the American League team less than
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an inning to go up by two again. It started innocently
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enough. Warren Spahn was on the mound for the
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Nationals. Reggie Jackson was the pinch hitter
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for Whitey Ford. Here is the pitch now swung
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on high fly ball to right field. Sam Musial is
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moving over. He's underneath now waiting and
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the ball is off the glove. Musial drops at his
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feet now. Picks it up quickly. Fires it back
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in. Turning and holding is Jackson at first base.
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Reggie Jackson is on and it's being scored. As
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an error on Stan, the man out in right field.
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Shame on you, Stanley. He doesn't do that very
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often. And Jackson, by the way, should have been
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at second base. Well, he figured it was odd.
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He simply jogged on to first, took the turn,
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and by the time he saw the ball hit at the feet,
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he had no place to go. And look at Spahn looking
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out at Musial. Spahn will never, ever forget
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that as long as he lives. And he'll never let
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Musial forget it. Reggie Jackson was forced at
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second when Phil Rizzuto grounded to Honus Wagner.
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He threw to Rogers Hornsby. Rizzuto, however,
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beat Hornsby's throw to first, and the American
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League still had a man on. After Ty Cobb flied
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out, Ted Williams came to the plate to face Warren
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Spahn. And Rizzuto takes the lead off the bag
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at first base. He is taking a wider lead now
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as Spahn sets it up, kicks high, and delivers
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the pitch. There goes Rizzuto, and the throw
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is going down to second base, and Rizzuto is
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sliding in safely with a stolen base. Ball was
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in there high as Williams watched it, and the
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count has gone 2 -0 to him, but a stolen base.
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That should have been a pretty good throw for
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a pitch for Campanella to handle and make the
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throw, but Rizzuto just got almost a running
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start off first. That doesn't happen very often.
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Just kept right on going. I think Spahn was concentrating
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on Ted Williams as much as he possibly could.
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Williams then walked, and with two men on base
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and two outs, Babe Ruth came to bat against Spahn.
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Rizzuto leads at second. Ted Williams leads at
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first. Here is the pitch. It is swung on. It's
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a line drive going out into right field. Rizzuto
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is coming on to score. Williams around second
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on his way to third. No throw over there. The
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ball comes back to second base. One run is in
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and they're runners at first and third. Ruth
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with a single to right and a run batted in. Well,
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he got Babe Ruth in the first inning on a double
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play, but not this trip. He slammed it into right
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field and Musial had to go a bit to his right.
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He wasn't in very good throwing position as a
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result, so there was no play at third base. Rizzuto
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crosses the plate. Runners on at first and third.
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Lou Gehrig went down on strikes to end the inning,
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but the Americans had lengthened their lead again
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to two runs. In the bottom of the inning, it
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looked like the Nationals would tighten the score
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again. With one out, Pete Rawls was on at first.
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511 -game winner Cy Young was pitching for the
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American League. Stan Musial was at the plate.
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Muziel is waiting. Here's the pitch. It's swung
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on. It's a line drive going out into right center
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field. Rose is around second. He's on his way
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to third. And there's a throw coming across as
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Muziel turns and holds. Not in time. And Rose
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is sliding in safely, evading the throw over
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there at third base. And so it's Musial moving
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up to second at the throw when it's going to
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be scored at the double. Look at those tracks
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over there at third base. I guess Rose must have
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been on the dirt for about 12 feet before the
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base. He just loves it. Musial is double. They
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give him a double, figuring that Stan could have
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made it, but Rose must have missed a step going
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around second because it was pretty close over
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there. Hank Aaron was the next National League
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batter. Henry Little loves this situation with
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a fellow like Mays hitting behind him. Ordinarily,
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with a base open, they'd be walking Aaron, but
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they can't afford to do it here. Frequently during
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the regular season, Aaron just put on base constantly.
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He'll get a chance to swing the bat here. Aaron
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is back in there now. Cy Young checks the runners.
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He's set to deliver, and here is the pitch. Swung
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on. There's a high fly ball going out into left
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field. Williams is going back. He'll be able
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to play it. Rose is tagged at third. Williams
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makes the catch now. Here comes Rose down the
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line. The throw to the plate. Yogi Berra takes
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it. A big cloud of dust. A collision there. And
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hanging on to the ball. Yogi Berra hangs on to
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it for the put out. And Rose is tagged out. It
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is a fly ball double play. Aaron hit the fly
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ball to left field. And the catch was made by
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Williams who knew that he's going to have to
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get rid of the ball as quickly as he could. He
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got the throw in there. One big hop to Yogi Berra.
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and Pete Rose went barreling into Barra. There
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was a big crowd at us, but Yogi Barra held on
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to the baseball. It's a double play, and the
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side is retired. And so the National League threat
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was erased in the third. The pitchers for both
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teams were in control during the middle innings.
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Warren Spahn was followed to the mound by Carl
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Hubble and Bob Gibson, who held the American
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League scoreless. Cy Young and Jim Palmer returned
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the compliment for the American League. But in
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the bottom of the sixth, Palmer did get into
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a jam. It started with two out and Lou Brock
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at the plate. Back in is Lou Brock. Here's the
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pitch, and it is swung on. There's a line drive
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going out into right field. It's in there for
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a base hit. Babe Ruth, one opposite, plays it
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back. Turning and holding with a single to the
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right is Lou Brock. And no matter what the score,
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and it happens to be the American League three,
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the National League one here in the bottom of
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the sixth inning, you can look for Lou Brock
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to do some running. All eyes were on first base.
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Everyone was waiting for the all -time base -stealing
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king to do his thing. That, of course, included
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Palmer and catcher Bill Dickey. Jackie Robinson
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was the National League batter. And Mr. Dickey
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is keeping a keen eye on Lou Brock. He has come
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up ready to throw with each pitch. Brock over
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there now taking just a moment to get his spikes
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cleaned out. And with the count of one ball and
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one strike... Lou Brock is ready again. As Robinson
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is waiting. Palmer checks back over his shoulder.
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Ready to deliver the pitch. There goes Brock.
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The pitch is outside. Here's the throw from Bill
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Dickey going down to second base. Not in time.
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Lou Brock has stolen second. Sliding in underneath
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the tag. He got a good jump. And Lou Brock has
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a stolen base. Yerringer didn't have any trouble
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taking the throw, but he just couldn't get it
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down there in time for Lou Brock. He does his
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thing and gets a big hand from this capacity
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crowd. Any man who can steal 118 in the season
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is likely to steal one in an all -star game,
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and he just did. Even though the National League
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had two outs, it seemed that they really had
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something going when Palmer proceeded to walk
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Robinson. With two speedsters on base, Ernie
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Banks came to the plate to face Jim Palmer. It's
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Lubrock at second base and Robinson at first
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base. They both can run, but they're both playing
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it cozy with two men out. And, of course, behind
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the plate, Bill Dickey is well aware of the fact
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that they might be going. Runners take their
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leads. Ernie Banks bending in there now with
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that bad cock. Checking is Jim Palmer. There
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was a pitch. The runners are going. The pitch
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is outside. Taken by Dickey. He fires it down
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to Brett at third. Not in time. Lubrock sliding
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in. And, of course... The man on the back end
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of that double steal is Robinson, and they both
21:12
are safe. I don't know. It's only an all -star
21:14
game, and they haven't had much time to visit,
21:16
but Robinson knew that Brock was going to run,
21:19
and he trailed him down to second. He did just
21:21
that, and it's the second stolen base for Lou
21:24
Brock. All Palmer needed was one out to get out
21:27
of the inning. All Banks needed was a single,
21:29
and the Nationals would be right back in the
21:31
game. The count went to 2 -2 before Palmer threw
21:34
a fastball past Banks for a called third strike.
21:37
and the side was retired. Two more National League
21:41
runners were stranded, the fifth and sixth runners
21:44
to be left on base in the game. Once again, the
21:47
American League had held off a national threat
21:49
and continued to lead in the game 3 -1. In the
21:53
top of the seventh, Bob Gibson held the American
21:56
League scoreless, and Roberto Clemente was credited
21:59
with all three put -outs, catching fly balls
22:02
off the bats of Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, and
22:05
Mickey Mantle. In the seventh, another 300 -game
22:09
winner was on the mound for the American League,
22:11
Lefty Grove. With one out, Gabby Hartnett pinch
22:15
hit for Gibson. And Hartnett is a big guy. He
22:18
fills that batter's box. One out, nobody on.
22:21
Bill Terry on deck. And the pitch. A swing and
22:24
a line drive. Base hit into left. That's a hit
22:27
into left. Ted Williams gets the ball back into
22:29
second base. And once more, the tying run comes
22:33
up for the National League. A tough left -handed
22:36
batter, Bill Terry, came to the plate to face
22:38
Grove. As American League manager Casey Stengel
22:41
came to the mound to talk the situation over
22:43
with his pitcher, I recall some of the details
22:45
of the relationship that existed between Bill
22:48
Terry and his manager, John McGraw. Terry, of
22:51
course, is one of the toughest left -hand hitters
22:53
in the history of this game. As we animated earlier,
22:56
he hasn't always managed to get along with manager
22:57
John McGraw. There was a year he held out all
23:00
spring and came to New York on the train and
23:02
arrived the morning of opening day. Hadn't had
23:04
a bat in his hand at all, and McGraw sent him
23:06
up in the bottom of the ninth inning with a tying
23:08
run at third, the winning run at second, and
23:10
he struck out on three pitches. He went back
23:12
to the dugout. And McGraw was waiting for him
23:15
and said, Terry, you can ask for more money in
23:17
the wintertime and produce less in the summertime
23:19
than any man I've ever known. Stangle with a
23:21
pat on the back for Lefty Grove and goes back
23:23
into the dugout. And Bill Terry gets back into
23:26
the batter's box. One on, one out. And a 3 -1
23:30
game here in the bottom of the seventh inning.
23:32
A check on the runner. Hartner with a very short
23:35
lead. Here comes the pitch. There's a swing and
23:38
a high fly ball to deep right field. That ball
23:41
might go. It is a home run, and we have a tie
23:45
game. Bill Terry hit the ball into the street
23:48
beyond the high ball and right, and it is all
23:51
tied now in the National and American Leaguers.
23:53
And Lefty Grove is storming around the mound
23:56
out there. He made a pitch that was down and
23:59
in and right into the power area for Bill Terry.
24:02
And he golfed that ball high in the air. Ruth
24:05
went back to the fence and watched it go. He
24:08
went back and admired it as it sailed across
24:10
the fence and out of the ballpark. And now we
24:13
have a tie game. The American League had led
24:15
throughout after scoring two in the first inning.
24:19
And now we're all tied up. That wasn't the end
24:22
of the National League threat. Ty Traynor was
24:24
next. There's a ground ball. It goes up the middle
24:27
and into center field. And that's a base hit
24:29
for Traynor. And now the National Leaguers have
24:32
an opportunity to gain the lead here in the seventh
24:35
inning. That was all for Lefty Grove, who, to
24:38
say the least, was not pleased to give way to
24:40
reliever Raleigh Fingers. Fingers was welcomed
24:43
rather rudely to the game by Roberto Clemente.
24:46
Here's the pitch. There's the ground ball, and
24:48
it goes through the hole into left field for
24:51
a base hit. Williams in, feels it cleanly, and
24:54
Trainor stops at second base, and the National
24:56
League is hot. But the handlebar mustachioed
24:59
reliever of the Milwaukee Brewers proved to be
25:02
a master of the situation as he struck out Henry
25:05
Aaron and got Charlie Garinger to ground out.
25:07
The score was tied, but fingers had helped get
25:10
the American League out of a real jam. Tied 3
25:13
-3, the top of the eighth rolled around. Christy
25:16
Mathewson was on the mound for the National League.
25:19
Joe Cronin, the first batter for the American.
25:40
Chris Speaker was the next batter to face Mathewson.
25:44
Joe Cronin takes the lead off the bag at first
25:48
base. Again, Mathewson up easy with that delivery.
26:01
Two men on, nobody out, and the score all tied
26:05
up. Scheduled to bat, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth,
26:08
George Sisler. Manager McGraw decided to go to
26:11
the bullpen and came up with three -time Cy Young
26:14
Award winner Tom Seaver. The situation got immediately
26:18
worse for the Cincinnati Reds pitcher as he walked
26:21
Williams. If you want the definition of a challenge,
26:24
this was it. The bases loaded, no outs, and at
26:28
bat, Babe Ruth. Seaver is a fellow who responds
26:31
to a challenge. This is not exactly a place that
26:34
a young man from Fresno, California would choose
26:36
to be, I should suspect. Babe Ruth up there with
26:38
the bases loaded. But Seaver is looking in now
26:41
to Johnny Bench. Runners at first, second, and
26:44
third. And here is the slider, and it just misses
26:46
off the corner, and it is ball one. 1 -0 to Babe
26:49
Ruth. Ruth, of course, left -hand hitter. Seaver
26:54
walks around to the grass of the infield back
26:56
of the mound to rub up the ball. Steps back up
26:59
there. Cronin's at third. Trish Speaker's at
27:01
second. Ted Williams at first. And here is the
27:04
pitch blazed in there for a called strike. It's
27:06
1 -1. Ruth took a look as Seaver got the fastball
27:09
in, and it's gone to one ball and one strike
27:12
now. Babe Ruth, of course, capable of riding
27:14
the ball out of any ballpark at any time, and
27:17
he has ridden a great many of them over the right
27:18
field fence here at Chi Park. Infielders are
27:21
back. They'll give up a run for the double play
27:24
ball if they can get it. They would indeed. As
27:28
again, Babe Ruth is back into the batter's box
27:30
now. Waves that bat around and scrabbing a little
27:32
circle with the barrel of the bat. Here's the
27:34
pitch, and it's swung on and missed. He swung
27:36
right from the heels, took the big cut, and it's
27:39
one ball and two strikes. Babe Ruth back out
27:42
of there now, brushing himself off a little bit.
27:45
Bases are loaded as Ruth comes back in. Seaver
27:50
looks in, gets the sign. And here is the pitch
27:52
it swung on as a fly ball to center field. Lou
27:54
Brock is going back. Brock is lining it up now.
27:58
Runner Cronin is tagged at third. Brock makes
28:00
the catch. The throw is going to third base as
28:02
Cronin scores. No play at third. And so movement
28:06
in over there is Speaker. And Williams is holding
28:09
it for his face. And so they're runners at first
28:12
and third, one run in, and the American League
28:15
has taken the lead on the sacrifice fly and the
28:18
run batted in. George Sisler's bouncing ball
28:20
to Bill Terry advanced Williams to second, but
28:23
Speaker held at third. With two out and two men
28:26
on, Eddie Collins was given an intentional walk.
28:29
Once again, the bases were loaded. A lifetime
28:32
.320 hitter came to the plate, Mickey Cochran.
28:37
Mickey Cochran steps back just for a moment,
28:39
now left -hand batter. Cochran, who played a
28:41
lot of baseball in this ballpark, back in there
28:43
now as Seaver is set to work. He has the sign.
28:46
Here's the pitch, and it's swung on as a fly
28:48
ball to center field. Lou Brock moving back,
28:50
way back there in the center, but he's underneath
28:52
and waiting, and Brock gathers it in for the
28:54
put -out that retires the sign. Well, earlier
28:57
it was the National League stranding runners,
28:59
eight, and now the American League in the eighth
29:02
inning, one run, two hits. They've left three
29:06
in this inning and six overall, but they've regained
29:09
the lead. As the game moved in to the bottom
29:11
of the eighth, it was the American League four
29:13
and the National League three. The Nationals
29:16
would have to get something going against Cleveland
29:18
Indian fastballer Bob Feller. The first batter
29:22
in the inning was Frankie Frisch. Frankie Frisch
29:25
standing back in there now. Switch hitter. Bob
29:28
Feller into the windup and here's the pitch.
29:30
Swung on as a smash on the ground. Up the middle
29:32
and it's going over second base out into center
29:33
field for a base hit. Chris Speaker hustles it
29:36
up, gets it back to the infield. Frankie Frisch
29:38
comes to a skidding halt after a wide turn at
29:40
first, so he has singled the center field. He
29:43
hung a curveball, Feller did, and Frisch just
29:46
knocked it right back up the middle, and the
29:48
National Leaguers are trying to tie it up. Ernie
29:50
Banks was the next National better. So again,
29:54
strolling out the bag at first is Frankie Frisch.
29:56
Feller is checking now. Comes set, checks back
29:59
over his shoulder. Here is the pitch. Frisch
30:02
is running, and the pitch is outside. Cochran
30:04
up with the throw down to second base, and not
30:06
in time. Frisch is in there safely. Frisch is
30:09
in safely with a stolen base at second base.
30:11
Well, I guess they figured they had nothing to
30:13
lose here. They probably figured, too, that Frisch
30:16
would make it, and he did. Tying run at second,
30:18
nobody out. The count went to three balls and
30:21
no strikes on Ernie Banks. Frankie Frisch has
30:24
taken the lead at second base. Banks has that
30:28
bad cock. Here's the pitch flung on ground ball
30:30
going up the middle cone and gets overdue. He
30:32
knocks it down, tries to pick it up. Kent, and
30:34
he has no play. Moving on over to third, he's
30:36
tracing Banks. He's on it first base. And it
30:39
didn't take them long, and they flash an error
30:41
up there for Cronin. It wasn't so much that he
30:43
knocked the ball down, Lindsey, but he still
30:46
had time to throw him out, and he dropped it
30:47
again. Couldn't find the handle at all in time
30:50
to make any sort of a play, so they're runners
30:51
at the corner. Here comes your friend Casey out
30:54
of the dugout. Casey quickly called for a new
30:56
pitcher, and the legendary Walter Johnson came
30:59
to the mound. He would face Johnny Bench. Infield
31:04
back. They'll give up the tying run if they can
31:06
get the double play. And again, benches back
31:09
in there. Walter Johnson is ready to work. Here's
31:12
the pitch. It's swung on. It's a high fly ball
31:14
going to deep center field. Chris Speaker moving
31:16
way back there. He's underneath and waiting.
31:18
Frisch is tagged up. Speaker makes the catch.
31:20
Frisch comes down the line. Score is standing
31:22
up. No play on him. Banks halfway. Goes back
31:25
to the bag at first. No advance. The score is
31:27
again tied. The American League 4 and the National
31:29
League 4. Ernie Banks was wishing during about
31:33
the middle of that play that he had gone back
31:35
to tag up. It was apparent that Speaker was going
31:38
to catch it, deep as it was, and that the run
31:40
would score, and he tried to get back to first
31:42
to tag up in advance, but couldn't do it. The
31:45
score was tied, and the threat was far from over.
31:48
Walter Johnson faced Mallott. He's in there and
31:52
waiting now. It is Ernie Banks at first base.
31:55
And Walter Johnson is set to deliver. Here's
31:58
the pitch. Swung on land into right field. Ernie
32:00
Banks is approaching second base. He's going
32:01
to trap a third. Here comes the throw in from
32:04
Babe Ruth to second base. And there are runners
32:06
now at the corner. Sharp single for Millott in
32:09
the right field. That has sent Banks all the
32:11
way to third. And so there are runners at the
32:14
corner. Bill Terry had singled in the fifth and
32:17
in the seventh homered to tie the contest. He
32:20
came to the plate with another opportunity to
32:22
be the hitting hero for the Nationals. Terry
32:25
has the bad cock. Runners lead first and third.
32:27
Here's the pitch. It's a swinging roller down
32:29
the third baseline. Charging the ball in there
32:31
now is the third baseman and Jimmy Fox has no
32:35
play. No play. He finally came up with the ball
32:37
cleanly but looked and by that time he had no
32:39
play at first. He had the ball on the swinging
32:41
roller holding at third base. His banks hot moving
32:44
up of course and so they are runners now at second
32:47
and third and Terry crossed the bag at first
32:51
of the base hit which loads him up. It went as
32:53
a base hit for Terry, his third of the evening.
32:55
So, like the American leaguers in the top half
32:58
of the inning, the Nationals had pushed a run
33:00
across and then loaded the bases. But also like
33:04
the Americans before them, the National League
33:06
failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Johnson
33:09
got Treanor to pop up in the infield, Roberto
33:12
Clemente flied out to center, and the inning
33:14
was over. But the game was tied at four, and
33:18
the American League was scheduled to bet. Another
33:21
pitching legend took the mound for the Nationals
33:23
in the top of the ninth. Grover Cleveland Alexander.
33:26
He would face a man known for having hit two
33:28
of the longest homers in the history of Scheib
33:30
Park, Jimmy Fox. Could Fox do it this night,
33:33
too? The first pitch is on the way. A swing and
33:37
a high fly ball into left. Aaron goes back near
33:40
the wall, reaches and makes the catch for the
33:43
out. It looked like something, but Aaron caught
33:45
it. Henry Aaron was the fielding player of the
33:48
night. It's been said for a long time that he
33:50
can do everything well, and he just did defensively
33:53
as he pulled on the long drive off the bat of
33:56
Jimmy Fox. That was to be the last threat of
33:59
the evening for the American League. Alexander
34:02
made quick work of the remaining two batters
34:04
and retired to the dugout to see if his teammates
34:06
could score in the ninth and win the game. Walter
34:09
Johnson returned to the mound for the American
34:11
League. The 411 -game winner... known for the
34:14
most lightning fastball the game has ever known,
34:17
would face the most prolific home run hitter
34:19
in the history of the game, Henry Aaron. A classic
34:22
confrontation. It would prove to be the last
34:25
in an evening of classics. The leadoff man will
34:28
be Henry Aaron. Brock will follow. And then Frankie
34:32
Frisch and the National Leaguers have stranded
34:34
an awful lot of people in this game. They've
34:36
stranded an awful lot, and they'll be looking
34:38
to try to push one across here in the bottom
34:40
of the ninth inning to win the greatest game
34:42
ever played. They've lost a man stealing. They've
34:44
hit into a double play. They have left 11, and
34:46
the batter is Henry Aaron. They play deep around
34:48
to the left, and Walter Johnson brings it home.
34:52
Strike, swinging. Aaron went up there pumping,
34:54
but he didn't get it. We're tied 4 -4 in the
34:57
bottom of the ninth inning. Walter Johnson pitching
35:00
to Henry Aaron. Aaron has flied to left, flied
35:03
to left, popped to second, struck out. The pitch
35:05
is outside. One ball, one strike. Nobody on,
35:10
nobody out in the bottom of the ninth in a tie
35:12
game. 4 -4 the score and the 1 -1 pitch to Aaron.
35:16
On the way and fouled back up on the screen and
35:19
now Henry's in the hole. 1 -2. Baseball men talk
35:23
about who is a strikeout pitcher and who isn't.
35:26
Walter Johnson is a strikeout pitcher if there
35:28
ever was one. And he has Henry Aaron set up as
35:31
he kicks and fires high outside. And Henry almost
35:34
went for it. He had to hold his breath as the
35:38
call was made by the plate umpire Tommy Conley.
35:40
And it's 2 -2. Aaron out. Picks up a little dirt.
35:45
Gets back in. Levels off the bat. Lubrock waiting
35:48
on deck. Here's the 2 -2 pitch. A swing and a
35:51
long with the left. Henry Aaron. has touched
35:54
it off and ended this game way back up into the
35:58
seats in the upper deck way back out there a
36:01
swing that got a hold of that fastball served
36:04
up by walter johnson and henry has put it out
36:06
into the seats to end the ball game with a home
36:09
run what a way to end it after going all for
36:12
four and playing the entire game and against
36:15
one of the greatest walter johnson Henry Aaron
36:18
has brought a sudden halt to the greatest baseball
36:21
game never played. What a blast. Well, they say
36:24
if you ever get a hold of a fastball such as
36:26
that served up by Walter Johnson, it propels
36:28
itself. And that one was suddenly propelled in
36:31
the opposite direction, went into the upper deck
36:33
here at Shive Park, way out there near center
36:36
field. And Henry Aaron was mobbed by Brock and
36:39
Mays and Hornsby and Banks and Wagner and Clemente
36:42
and Treanor. What a celebration in the National
36:45
League dugout. And that's how it ended. With
36:49
one swing of the bat, Henry Aaron was the most
36:52
valuable player in the contest, and the Nationals
36:54
were the victors over the Americans by the score
36:56
of 5 -4. Grover Cleveland Alexander, who held
37:00
the American League scoreless in the top of the
37:01
ninth, was the winning pitcher, and Walter Johnson
37:04
was the losing hurler. Only four players did
37:07
not get into the game between the greats. The
37:10
National League totals were five runs on 14 hits
37:13
and one error. They stranded 11. The American
37:16
League had four runs on six hits with one error,
37:19
and they left six on base. Well, the greatest
37:23
baseball game never played is history now. We
37:26
might say, Jack, that the greatest baseball game
37:28
never played is now the greatest baseball game
37:31
ever played. And, Lindsey, it was a lot of fun.
37:34
You know, nostalgia is a big part of baseball.
37:37
Fans and players like to speculate about how
37:40
one player might do against another. how one
37:42
great team might fare against another of a different
37:45
era. Well, over the span of a full season or
37:48
a lifetime, a lot of things will happen. What
37:52
we just heard might have happened. And, Jack,
37:55
I'm sure the ballplayers got the biggest kick
37:57
out of it. What do you think Henry Aaron thought
37:59
when he heard himself hit his 756 homer? How
38:03
about Tom Seaver? I'll bet he was hanging on
38:05
every pitch when he heard that he was facing
38:07
Babe Ruth with the bases loaded and nobody out.
38:11
And how about the double steal that Lou Brock
38:13
and Jackie Robinson pulled off? And how do you
38:15
suppose Roy Campanella felt to hear himself play
38:19
one more time? We had it all here tonight. Fact
38:23
and fantasy, nostalgia and the contemporary,
38:26
reality and the unreal. It was for the fans,
38:29
and it was a lot of fun. And it was great working
38:32
with you, Lindsay, in our mythical broadcast
38:34
booth in Scheib Park. I enjoyed it too, Jack.
38:38
For Lindsay Nelson, this is Jack Buck. Thanks
38:41
for your time this time. Till next time, so long.