What was the most Memorable Game You have sen in person?

[chris6net]

I ask this question because July 9 1969 was mine. Tom Seaver went 8 and 1/3 innings with a perfect game only to have Jim Qualls get a single in the 9th. I think this game really stamped the Mets as a real contender that year. My late grandfather used to always tak about a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium probably in the 30,s where they sold so many tickets(I believe in excess of 70 thousand) that you could not use the rest rooms. I think I remember reading about this day and I would appreciate any information about it. My Father being a Dodger Fan always says the worst game he went to was in 1951 the Bobby Thompsen game and my younger brother always says the Bill Buckner game 6 in 1986 at Shea. I just wonder what you guys have as your most memorable games seen in person.CN

[baseballart]

Blue Monday. 1981. Skipped corporate finance to watch that *** manager put Steve Rogers in. Saw the home run fly by us to the right field stands. Baseball in Montreal was never the same

[Brian Van Horn]

Monday May 28, 1990. Memorial Day at Three Rivers Stadium. I am in the upper deck in Right Field at Three Rivers Stadium. It is raining-and times hard-and chilly and I refuse to take cover. The Pirates are down 5 to 1 to the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth. The Pirates scored five times in the bottom of the ninth to win. In the rain.

I also remember my first game which I thought was in 1972, but I can not find a box score. I was six years old. The Pirates lost to the Reds 3-2 and I remember Johnny Bench starting the game in right field.

[Dodger Dog Mmm]

1988 WS game 1. I saw Kirk smack that ball out. Me and my uncle were grabbing our last things to leave asap to beat the traffic and I looked up for a brief second and saw that baby leave the park. I remember watching Tommy Lasorda jumping up and down coming out of the dug out. To be honest I never even noticed Kirk Gibson doing his fist pump thing he did. It was awesome. Oh and I also caught a home run ball from my favorite baseball player of all time--Mike Marshall in the same year. And I am not talking about Dr. Marshall. I am talking about good ol' #5 Mike Marshall. He was a player that stayed below the radar for the most part, but us local Dodger fans (and far far away fans) sure did know who he was. Sorry for the long post. It just took me back to easier times because I was 11 and had no bills. Great topic

[sando69]

in my one & only visit to candlestink park, i sat in the right-centerfield bleachers for a memorable koufax-marichal afternoon duel.
willie mays hit a three-run homer in the 3rd inning, keying a 4-3 giant victory.
but the real excitement occurred when, during his first at-bat, future hall of famer juan marichal, offended that a return throw to the pitcher's mound had come too close to his ear, retaliated against catcher john roseboro by whacking him over the head with his bat!
of course, a bench clearing brawl ensued, and the rest is virtual dodger/giant history!
rosey left to get stitches, marichal was ejected & subsequently suspended and koufax went on to suffer an uncharacteristic & untimely loss (one of only five that season).
and, being the only dodger fans in an absolute sea of giants fans made the whole experience even more unforgettable!
edited to add:
btw, masanori murakami was credited with the "save" of ron herbel's victory that day.

[Kawika]

Very neat that you saw a game in 1669! I only go as far as back as 1912. Watched Smokey Joe Wood set down Tesreau and the Giants in the fourth game of the World Series at the Polo Grounds. Best game I ever saw. I was on acid. All kidding aside, this, imho, is a great idea for a thread and I hope others will weigh in with their stories. As far as memorable games that mattered two come to mind. In 1957 when I was seven I attended Game 2 of the NY-Milwaukee WS at Yankee Stadium. Lew Burdette went all the way in a 4-2 win. The big thrill was seeing young Hank Aaron run out a triple. The other memorable game was Game 5 of the 1989 NL playoffs between the Giants and Cubs at Candlestick. Will Clark's single off Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams in the eighth won the pennant for my Giants (who were shortly thereafter dispatched by Oakland's Bash Brothers and the Loma Prieta Quake). Most intense face-off between a pitcher and a hitter I can ever recall being witness to. The most memorable game that didn't matter, the game for which I am most nostalgic, took place on August 14, 1959 between the Red Sox and Yanks at the old Old Yankee Stadium. It was the first night game I ever went to. My Dad, my brother and I sat in the dark upper left field grandstands as Whitey Ford and the Yanks appeared to easily handle Boston on the brightly lit field below, at least until the wheels fell off New York in the eighth. As the NYT wrote: "Fourteen Red Sox batted and nine of them scored in a nightmarish eighth-inning attack before 37,906 witnesses. The Yankees were the victims of the uprising, which lifted the Red Sox to an 11-6 triumph at the Stadium." Vic Wertz's grand slam off Ryne Duren was the kicker.


Wild Thing vs. The Thrill, Oct. 9, 1989

[barrysloate]

Sixth game of the 1986 World Series. Was invited at the last minute. Who would have guessed the outcome?

[Rich Klein]

But the one with the best story is the game we went to as part of the 1999 SABR National Convention.

A little digression here; a couple of weeks before the conference; I got a call from good friend Lew Lipset; asking if I wanted to go with that game with him. I said of course; because his ticket I knew would be better than the SABR tickets On the way to the game; he asked me; if the game runs long; do you mind leaving early?

Well; turned out no need for any of that as Randy Johnson (who pitched a masterful game and fanned his 2500th batter that night) was outpitched by a slug named Jose Jiminez (no relation to the astronaut) who decided to toss a no-hitter that night. In front of 500 SABR fans and other people --

I should also add that the late card/memorbilia dealer Bob Koehler used my extra ticket for that game and while he was still with us; we'd always joke that I had an extra ticket.

Here is the box from that game

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1...250ARI1999.htm

Regards
Rich

I also went amongst other games to game 3 of the 2005 World Series; which lasted forever and a day.

None of the All-Star games I have been at have been really memorable.

First ever Interleague game was played at the Ballpark in Arlington; I made sure to buy tickets for that well in advance; actually made a few dollars for realizing importance before the average fan did.

I also want to note that in 2002 I went to the Red Sox game as part of the SABR convention -- and I have never really talked about this before -- but a few people I saw that weekend I would never see again. I walked to the ballpark with a great researcher named Dick Thompson, who wrote a fine tome on the Ferrell brothers -- and because of various circumstance -- that would be the last time I ever saw him before his untimely passing

Also -- my dear friends Audre and Eddie Gold were celebrating their 45th anniversary that weekend. By the end of the year; they were both gone. I still miss them dearly. And while we are at it; please say a prayer for their son Steve Gold; who is missing this year's National due to cancer treatments. This will be the 1st National in about 20 years we have not done dinner at least once during the show.

[ChuckRoss]

I remember seeing a number of great Orioles games over the decades and can still picture the triple play they pulled off against the Yankees in the late 80's. But for me the most memorable game was the last game at Memorial Stadium. The game ended and no one there knew what was going to happen...were we just going to leave or did the O's have something planned? As people started shuffling around to get out of there while taking one last look, the music from Field of Dreams started playing and slowly, one at a time, all the O's greats (Brooks, Frank R, Boog Powell, etc) jogged out to their former positions. It actually brought chills. After a short ceremony, a limousine came in and the home plate was scooped up and driven over to the home plate spot at the still unfinished Camden Yards.

[Exhibitman]

1976 Game 3. Damned Reds...

[ullmandds]

My most memorable game was game 4 of the 1978 world series...Dodgers v Yankees...in the bronx. Starters Ed Figueroa and Tommy John were locked in a scoreless duel before Reggie Smith struck with a three-run homer in the top of the fifth. John continued his shutout through the fifth, but, in the Yankees' half of the sixth, things got a little crazy.

Reggie Jackson finally got the Yankees on the board with a one-out RBI single. With Thurman Munson on second and Jackson on first, Lou Piniella hit a low, soft liner that shortstop Bill Russell fumbled (some claim intentionally). Russell recovered the ball and stepped on second to force Jackson, but his attempted throw to first to complete the double play struck a confused Jackson in the right hip and caromed into foul territory. Munson scored, partially because first baseman Steve Garvey stopped to yell at the first-base umpire over the non-interference call before retrieving the ball. The Dodgers' protests went for naught but would not had been necessary if Russell had made the proper play. Thinking Russell was going to catch Piniella's liner, Munson retreated to second and was thisclose to Russell when Russell stepped on second and threw to first. The inning would have been over if Russell had tagged Munson (out# 2) and stepped on second (out# 3) and the score would have remained 3-0, instead the score was then 3-2.

The Yankees tied it in the eighth when Munson doubled home Paul Blair. The score remained tied until the bottom of the tenth. Dodger rookie and Game 2 hero Bob Welch walked Roy White with one out. After Welch retired Munson, Jackson strode to the plate for his first confrontation with Welch since Game 2. This time, Reggie got the better end by singling White to second. Lou Piniella then lined a single to center, scoring White and tying the Series.

The bungled Russell/Jackson play changed the entire Series; instead of the Dodgers going up 3-1 in games, the Series was then tied and the momentum shifted to the Yankees who outscored the Dodgers 19-4 in the final two games.

And if this wasn't enough...I caught a foul ball off the bat of Reggie Smith. What a game for a 9 yr old!

pete ullman

[Jay Wolt]

I've been fortunate to see perhaps 200 games from Mickey Mantle day in '69 to the opening of the "new" Yankee Stadium in '76 to all the playoff & World Series games in NY in 1981.

My favorite game was in 1981 on a cold dreary day in Sept when the Yanks faced Cleveland. John Denny was pitching and through tight at Reggie and the struck him out. Words were exchanged, nothing else. Reggie's next at bat he hits a titantic homer off of Denny and stood and watched it and slowly jogged around the bases where Denny was just about following him from 2nd to home yelling at him. Reggie stepped on home plate and went up to Denny and a fight ensued, both benchs emptied. Reggie had to be retrained and carried off the field, he was laughing the whole time.
While the fight was slowing down, Lou Piniella came charging out of the dugout towards the Indians. We assumed he was on the can when it first happened.

[Old Mill Man]

In the 75 World series I was at game six and saw Carlton Fisk win the game as he jubiliantly waved his hands for the ball to stay fair and it was such a great moment I was only 13 then.Is that lucky?,LOl ;-)

[canjond]

Jim Abbotts no-no on 9/4/93 again the Cleveland Indians. Boggs made an incredible play early in the game to save the no hitter. Who knew at the time how big that play would be.

It was an incredible moment to watch a pitcher with one hand achieve such an amazing feat.

[terjung]

I don't have any legendary games under my belt, but I was able to get to see the Rays beat the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series last year (the Rays only win). The atmosphere was electric and it was an experience that I will never forget.

[rdixon1208]

I got to see Craig Biggio get his 3,000 hit here in Houston.

[Jacklitsch]

This one is easy.

May 12, 1970 Wrigley Field, Chicago. Braves vs. Cubs.

Pat Jarvis serves up Ernie's 500th home run. I'm in the left field bleachers. The ball comes zooming toward me but the guy in front of me has the chance. Ball bounces off his hands back onto the field. Rico Carty picks up the ball and runs it in to give to Ernie.

It was a chilly, misty day, attendance 5,246 though I'm sure you'd find 20,000fans in Chicago who would claim to have been there. Me, I can prove it as I got my picture in next days paper.

[jimonym]

ALCS Game 5 (October 18, 2004).
Stage 2 in Boston's epic comeback/NY's epic collapse.
14 innings, five hours and forty-nine minutes.
David Ortiz won it with a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the 14th, after a 10-pitch at bat...
I still haven't heard another Fenway roar to match it.

[yanks12025]

Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS Twins vs. Yankees. The Yankees won in extra innings.

jimonym,
2004 Red Sox*

[jimonym]

Is that asterisk to denote the team that stole the Yankees' "Mystique" and "Aura" and holds them still?

You have to admit the fortunes of the two franchises switched in 2004 and the Yankees are the ones who seem to seldom get things right now.

Of course, that could change again, but for five years it's been true.

[oldjudge]

Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS when Aaron Boone hit the HR off Tim Wakefield. One often forgotten fact is Jason Giambi hit two solo HRs in the game to keep the Yankees close.

[Wite3]

I have a few....

Kirk Gibson W.S. HR is the best.

Other notable...
Ramon Martinez no-hitter.
Fernando Tatis, two grand slams in the same inning (this is a record that will probably never be broken).
1981 All-Star game.

Joshua

[CTDean]

The Mets were playing two Sunday games with Philadelphia at Shea, and I was set up at a baseball card show in the picnic area beyond the left center field fence. When game one started the show slowed down, so I spent some time peeping through the fence by the visitors bull pen watching Steve Carlton throw a complete game. When game two started I headed back to my spot to peep through the fence to catch the game and almost bumped heads with Steve Carlton who was peeping through the fence from the other side to check out the card show. We both laughed and then talked for awhile. A memory that will last forever.

[FrankWakefield]

Wow... the "most"...

1963 I saw Mr. Musial play...

1964 saw World Series game 7, Gibson got the win, Mantle hit a home run.

I think it was 1965 when I saw Mike Shannon put on cather's equipment after neither Uecker nor McCarver could catch, the Giants won that day with Spahn.

I saw Lou Brock's 3000th hit in 1979.

In 1982 I saw game 2 of the World Series, Darryl Porter's wrong field double got the Cards going for a win after a horrible game 1.

I think it was 1984 when I saw the Cubs beat the Cards in a NBC game of the week Saturday game, McGee had a couple of home runs I think, maybe Suitter gave up 2 home runs to Sandburg, Cubs won maybe 12-11 in 11 innings.

In Cincy I saw Mario Soto a pitch away from a no hitter, the Reds were up 1-0 in the 9th, 2 outs, 2 strikes on George Hendricks, and Mario dusts him off and knocks him down. George gets up, dusts himself off, jams his helmet back on his head, and lines the next pitch, a knee high inside blazing fastball, over the left field fence, a low line drive. George silently circles the bases, the Reds fans stand silently and watch. (Reds won in the bottom of the 9th) Now why knock a guy down in that situation??

I saw Pete Rose's hit # 4192....

I sat in Atlanta watching the Braves pile up runs against the Yankees in game 4, 6-0 after 5 innings. Some Yankee fans got drunk, and a few passed out... they missed the Yankees score 3 in the 6th, 3 more in the 8th to tie (University of Kentucky graduate Jim Leyritz hit a home run in the 8th), then the Yankees got 2 in the top of the 10th and held on to win 8-6. 4 hours, 17 minutes of baseball.

Oh... I sat through that Cardinals loss in 2004, game 4 of the World Series as the Red Sox won it all. The Sox fans were reverent, soaking it all in...

But I'm going to pick this game:



This is the game that Rich Klein mentions above... we were at the same game! This was the last baseball game I attended with my Dad... Wife, kids and I flew to Las Vegas, stayed a couple of days, rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon, then down to Phoenix, where we turned in the car and met up with my parents who lived in Tucson, who would take us back there for a few days. We just happened to meet in Phoenix where the Cardinals happened to be playing, and we happened to have tickets! And after years of letters and phone calls I finally met Lew Lipset at this game. I'd called him saying I was going to be at it, we told one another about our seat locations, he couldn't get up to me, I was happy to go down to him, and I now wish I'd met Rich that evening... maybe Lew gave a cursory introduction, I don't recall. (Hello, Rich!) Lew and I talked for a few minutes before the game. As I recall his seats were behind the first base dugout, near the plate end, and maybe 16 or 18 rows from the field...

I vividly recall hearing the pop of the ball as Randy Johnson warmed up in the bullpen, down and to the left of where I was sitting. He looked intense. This was a pitchers' duel. Johnson was dominant, Jimenez held on best he could. 0-0 after 8. Top of the 9th Darren Bragg draws a walk. Johnson walks McGuire. 1st and 2nd with Eric Davis up, Johnson strikes him out. Then what I recall is Thomas Howard fighting off an evil pitch with a shortened swing, the bat breaks and the ball bounces out into left field, Bragg, a good runner who was going on contact, dashes across the plate. And that was the only run of the game. Retrosheet says it was 2 hours 10 minutes, I don't doubt it... Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jimenez were pitchers that day, 2 complete games.

A few years later I finally was at a game when Colorado was at St. Louis. I'd taken this ticket stub along. Half a dozen Rockies were signing, I missed out on some autographs staying focused on Jimenez, who had walked over to sign. He saw that I held a sign with his name and asking for an autograph (in Spanish), a ticket stub, and a Sharpie. He walked over and asked me what I had, while he signed for everyone but me. Soon I figured out he wanted me to talk about how good he was that night, so everyone else could hear. I obliged him. That ticket was the last thing I saw him sign that day, and I'm grateful for it.

A memorable game, because of Dad, because of the no hitter, how we got there, meeting Mr. Lipset....

[Ladder7]

Fenway for just a fin a piece!
July, 1967. A sunny weekday afternoon at Fenway with about fifty other Dorchester delinquents from a City of Boston youth center. Tix were easy that early in the season of Impossibility. $2.50 grandstand tix, olive loaf and mustard sandwiches and a Mountain Dew!
Lonborg won, but what I remember most. The crazy grounds guy climbing the ladder of that big wall (noone called it the Monster back then) to walk the top and toss down the balls after BP. No stub, no pictures

[RichardSimon]

I was at the last Giants-Dodgers game ever played in NYC at the Polo Grounds 1957 won by the Giants, I was at Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964, I was at the longest game in baseball history Giants-Mets in 1964 (23 inns, 7+ hours and it included a triple play), I was at the Robin Ventura walk off home run/single in 1999 at the NLCS game 5 Mets vs Braves and I was at the last 2 games ever played at Shea Stadium .

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by CTDean

The Mets were playing two Sunday games with Philadelphia at Shea, and I was set up at a baseball card show in the picnic area beyond the left center field fence. When game one started the show slowed down, so I spent some time peeping through the fence by the visitors bull pen watching Steve Carlton throw a complete game. When game two started I headed back to my spot to peep through the fence to catch the game and almost bumped heads with Steve Carlton who was peeping through the fence from the other side to check out the card show. We both laughed and then talked for awhile. A memory that will last forever.

I was at that card show/baseball game and made my first "big" hobby purchase,, a Nr Mint-Mint set of 1975 Topps for $100 .

[birdman42]

Memorial Stadium for the 1983 playoffs and Series. This was back in the day (did I just say that?) when actual fans could get tickets. I brought a chair and a blanket and sat out in line the night before with a couple hundred other fans. Darn Os were too good that year; never got to use my Game 5 playoff tix or game 6-7 Series tix. Ah, well, I did see Boddicker strike out 14 in game 2 of the playoffs. Series seats were in the next-to-the-top row along the third base side. Go up one row and you could look out over the edge of the stadium to see the city below

But that's not #1...

Friday, October 1, 1982. Weaver had announced at the beginning of the season that he'd be retiring at the end, and that Ripken kid had come up from the minors. The Brewers come to town for a four-game series, three games up on the Os. A Friday evening doubleheader, with 48,000 fans shaking brooms and screaming "Sweep! Sweep!" for two full games. Os won both, of course, then again Saturday, to set up the Sunday game (which Palmer lost, 10-2). Gives me chills just typing this.

Bill

[sox1903wschamp]

Great thread and stories from everyone. 8/17/76, Royals Staduim, KC vs Clev. It is George Brett's 2nd season in the bigs and he is on fire. Royals win 4-3 in 10 and after a one out hit from Brett in the 10th, he steals 2 bases including HOME with 2 outs in the 10th to win the game. I was in the upper deck behind home plate and had a great view of it.

The fans of Kansas City knew right then that they had something special. I kept score in my own unique detailed way of a 15 year old.

[triwak]

A few:

1) Saw Lou Brock double up someone at first base from left field after catching a line drive. Gibson was pitching. 1968.

2) Saw Gibson get his 2999th strike-out! Hank Aaron got a pinch-hit single during his farewell tour.

3) Saw George Brett creep his average up to .399 in mid-September, 1980. Think he went 4-for-5.

4) Saw final two games in St. Louis, 1998. McGwire hit HR's #67-70. Maybe it is tainted now, but still the most exciting sporting event I've ever witnessed!

5) Saw the playoff game where Rick Ankiel lost his mind. With a 6-0 lead in the third, he threw something like 10 wild pitches, and was never the same again.

[ethicsprof]

Seeing Joe DiMaggio hit the homer in an Old Timers Game still is my favorite.

best,

barry

[drc]

When I was in high school, I skipped school to go to see the NCAA Cross Country (running) Championships that took place nearby. That was good fun, in part because I was a runner. Cross country really is cross country, as the runners run a 10K across fields, over the grass and mud, through the woods. It's one of the few NCAA sports that doesn't take place in a contained, artificial field, stadium or building. Even long distance running in track & field season takes place on a synthetic track inside a stadium.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Wow... the "most"...

This is the game that Rich Klein mentions above... we were at the same game! This was the last baseball game I attended with my Dad... Wife, kids and I flew to Las Vegas, stayed a couple of days, rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon, then down to Phoenix, where we turned in the car and met up with my parents who lived in Tucson, who would take us back there for a few days. We just happened to meet in Phoenix where the Cardinals happened to be playing, and we happened to have tickets! And after years of letters and phone calls I finally met Lew Lipset at this game. I'd called him saying I was going to be at it, we told one another about our seat locations, he couldn't get up to me, I was happy to go down to him, and I now wish I'd met Rich that evening... maybe Lew gave a cursory introduction, I don't recall. (Hello, Rich!) Lew and I talked for a few minutes before the game. As I recall his seats were behind the first base dugout, near the plate end, and maybe 16 or 18 rows from the field...

I vividly recall hearing the pop of the ball as Randy Johnson warmed up in the bullpen, down and to the left of where I was sitting. He looked intense. This was a pitchers' duel. Johnson was dominant, Jimenez held on best he could. 0-0 after 8. Top of the 9th Darren Bragg draws a walk. Johnson walks McGuire. 1st and 2nd with Eric Davis up, Johnson strikes him out. Then what I recall is Thomas Howard fighting off an evil pitch with a shortened swing, the bat breaks and the ball bounces out into left field, Bragg, a good runner who was going on contact, dashes across the plate. And that was the only run of the game. Retrosheet says it was 2 hours 10 minutes, I don't doubt it... Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jimenez were pitchers that day, 2 complete games.

A few years later I finally was at a game when Colorado was at St. Louis. I'd taken this ticket stub along. Half a dozen Rockies were signing, I missed out on some autographs staying focused on Jimenez, who had walked over to sign. He saw that I held a sign with his name and asking for an autograph (in Spanish), a ticket stub, and a Sharpie. He walked over and asked me what I had, while he signed for everyone but me. Soon I figured out he wanted me to talk about how good he was that night, so everyone else could hear. I obliged him. That ticket was the last thing I saw him sign that day, and I'm grateful for it.

A memorable game, because of Dad, because of the no hitter, how we got there, meeting Mr. Lipset....

Lew did give us a cursory introduction -- how about that; meeting up with you again after all these years

And you are spot on about where his tickets were for that game.

Rich

[FrankWakefield]

Hello again, Rich...

Ten years ago... would you recall that as you sat, Lew was to your left? I do believe he introduced us, told me you were a fellow collector, then Lew and I talked a bit.

You had excellent seats for a game that was great, for purists and fans. For some folks a quick game with few hits and only one run would have been a bit boring. What a game! As I remember the evening, we watched them roll open the roof to Also Sprach Zarathustra. I can close my eyes and see the stars overhead, I can still see tall Randy Johnson looking from the mound into left as that ground ball oozed its way past the short stop.

FW

[calvindog]

Game 3, 1978 World Series, the Dodgers were leading the Yankees 2-0 in games; Sutton pitching for the Dodgers and Roy White hitting a homerun down the right field line in the first inning. The game was best known for the incredible plays made by Graig Nettles at third base.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Game 7, 71 World Series. Blass when he was still good over Cuellar. Clemente HR. Pirates win 2-1.

[Rich Klein]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Hello again, Rich...

Ten years ago... would you recall that as you sat, Lew was to your left? I do believe he introduced us, told me you were a fellow collector, then Lew and I talked a bit.

You had excellent seats for a game that was great, for purists and fans. For some folks a quick game with few hits and only one run would have been a bit boring. What a game! As I remember the evening, we watched them roll open the roof to Also Sprach Zarathustra. I can close my eyes and see the stars overhead, I can still see tall Randy Johnson looking from the mound into left as that ground ball oozed its way past the short stop.

FW

That's exactly as we were sitting. And that's exactly how the intro progressed.
And I sent a copy of this thread to Lew (he says hello to both of us Frank BTW) and has enjoyed reading this thread thoroughly.

Regards
Rich

[tedzan]

Well, I would like to say Don Larsen's W.S. PERFECT GAME in 1956, which I saw; but, not at Yankee Stadium.

Or, I can say the record-breaking NFL game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore in the Fall of '72. Where Namath threw
for 500 yards and Unitas threw for 390 yards. I was there for that amazing game and still have the ticket to prove it.

But, here is my most exciting game......Sept of '51 my cousin pulls up to my house in his 1951 Buick Riviera convertible
and says he has two tickets to Ebbets Field. We arrive in Flatbush to an SRO crowd in the stadium. The Dodgers take
a 1-0 lead into the 9th inning. The Giants lead off in the 9th with two guys on base. Bobby Thomson slices a ball to RF.
Carl Furillo (the veritable rifle arm) wings the ball to home as the runner slides. The Umpire raises his arm to signify OUT.
Then the Ump changes his call to SAFE.....all "bedlam" breaks out in Brooklyn.

Apparently, when the dust cleared it, Campy had dropped the ball. The Giants went on to win 2-1. This game exemplified
the entire 1951 season, in which BB saw one of the greatest comebacks ever by the Giants....that culminated with Bobby
Thomson's "shot heard around the world" in the final playoff game between these two NY rivals.


TED Z

[robedits]

Tom Seaver's 300th win at the Stadium (85).

Yanks win at Stadium vs Twins,9-8,after being down 8-0. Sometime mid-80s. mattingl'y homer sailed right over my head in the blue seats for the game-winner if I remember!

First game attended with my dad at Yankee Stadium '66 or '67. Dad pointing out the Mick to me during BP. I remember it was late summer,vs Chisox or Det. Clearly in my mind,I remember Mick hitting a GW homer,but I don't think he played the whole game. MIght have been as a PH!

First time with dad at shea during '64 worlds fair.I was only 6,so I have no memories of the game,other than the fact that I ate too much ice cream and my baby brother got sick and we had to leave!

Again,with dad ..and 2 friends at a night game at Shea,when Yankees played there,it was 1974. Against the angels. Frank Robby I think knocked one out. Dad had a minor heart attack at the game and DROVE US ALL HOME before taking himself to the hospital. Top THAT for danger :-) He didnt tell us until later about the attack; I just thought he looked ill. He did take some bullets and shrapnel in WW2,so he was a tough bird.

Gooden's 1H,10-0 (?) shutout at shea vs the Cubs (84),where I think he broke the rookie K record for one season as a P.

Dont remember much about this game,but dad's friend jack Lang (writer) got me into Mets dugout in '72 before the game to sit with Kooz,Staub,Grote and co. We saw Seaver and I asked for his autograph for me and my brother (Yogi gave us a couple of baseballs!),but he was crabby and I heard him say to Kooz ("who the f is this kid?"). My dad,who was with Jack talking to him on the top of the steps,heard that. Dad was a big,tough guy and I was embarassed when he said to Seaver "please don't talk that way about my boy". I wasn't exactly a baby myself,I was 13 and about 6 feet tall. Tom just walked away and my pop was steamed. Jack got us 2 autos later on and brought them to my dad at his school. Maybe Tom was having a bad day. Biggest thrill,though,was meeting Mays and noticing how strong his arms looked and how big his hands were when he shook my hand. Got his auto on my glove,along with Rusty's and Kooz...and my younger brother used it in a game in the rain a few days later. Still have the glove in my garage;cant see the autos anymore,sadly.

GREAT thread!

[T206Collector]

My top 5 are probably:

The "Aaron Boone" game -- 2003 ALCS Game 7
Game 7 of the 1986 WS
Jeter's "Mr. November" Game -- 2001 WS Game 4
Cone and Well's perfect games (1999 and 1998 respectively)

I also saw Al Leiter throw a no-hitter against the Rockies on May 11, 1996 in Miami.

[sealmark2]

How about TWO no hitters four months apart? I was at Catfish's perfecto on May 8, 1968 and Gaylord's no-no on September 17, of that year. In those days the players were really cooperative so I have autographed programs and ticket stubs framed on my office wall from both games. No I did not work at the ballparks I just happened to hit it right as a fan.

Also, regarding Catfish's feat the story would have you believe there were thousands of people in the stands. Just ask any A's fan. In fact there were probably 1000 +/- of us at the conclusion when Roseboro fanned.

Mark K. Bowers
(sealmark)

[ErikV]

My most memorable game was October 11,1980 at Angels Stadium.
The Milwaukee Brewers vs California Angels. Charlie Moore of the
Brewers hit for the cycle.

I suppose a close second was Pac Bell Park, August 6,2007. I
missed seeing Barry Bonds record breaking 756 homerun by one
game. He hit 756 the following evening.

[Steve D]

I was at Nolan Ryan's 7th no hitter on May 1, 1991. Section 102, Row 1, Seat 20 (first row, field level, next to the Rangers' bullpen)



Steve

[B O'Brien]

Being the younger fan that I am am, I don't stack up to most of y'alls stories.

I pulled a stupid one a couple years ago here in ATL. I called in a favor to get a pair of front row seats behind the plate, toward the 3B side at Turner Field to watch Randy Johnson (liked him since '89) against the Braves. I get off work early to go and meet some people for drinks at a bar about half way down the train line to the park. We get to having a real good time and I decide to skip the game.

I get to talking to some people at the bar and they are talking about Randy mowing down the Braves through 5+, so I catch a cab and manage to see the last three outs from my PERFECT seats.

Long story short, I had to many drinks and missed most of my favorite pitcher tossing a perfect game, while I could have watched in all in the best seats of my life. At least I got to see the last few pitches. I now only order beers after I get in the stadium, which is only about once a season with kids now.

Take care,
Bob

[Steve D]

Bob,

Your story reminds me of a similar instance. I think it was in July 1991, I'd driven up to Arlington TX (I lived in San Antonio at the time - a 270 mile drive) to see the Rangers play the Angels. I went to one or two games, and then drove back. I'd thought of going to the game that day, but decided that I needed to get back home since I had to be at work the next day.

Anyway, I drove home, and then turned on the TV, only to find that Nolan Ryan had another no hitter going (#8). I was sweating it out until Dave Winfield broke it up in either the 7th or 8th inning.

After having been at Nolan's 7th no-no, to have missed him going for #8 only two months later, still bugs me.


Steve

[mets41]

1: mid-60's at Connie Mack Stadium, Phila.: my father and I were sitting in lf (about row 5). Bill White, then of the Cards, hit a homer. After getting home, a friend of mine called me and said he saw us on tv. In 1974, I got to meet White and I told how how he got me on tv.

2: 8/4/85, Yankee Stadium: Seaver's 300th Win.

3: late 80's or early 90's at the Vet, Phila.: top of the 1st, Gwynn hit into a triple play. With runners on 1st and 2nd, both runners ran on the pitch. Randy Ready, 2nd baseman, broke to cover 2nd and caught Gwynn's liner, tagged 2nd and threw to 1st. (the runner coming fron 1st was close enough that Ready could have completed an unassisted triple play, but chose to throw to 1st)

4: final day of the 1991 season at the Vet, Phila.: David Cone, then of the Mets, struck out 19 Phillies.

5: Apr., 2003, at the Vet, Phila.: Kevin Millwood's no hitter vs. the Giants

[Danny Smith]

I have not seen anything in person in comparison to some of the stories previously mentioned, but i'm pretty sure after I go to the Home Run Derby and the All Star Game on Monday and Tuesday those will top my list for a long time to come.

Danny

[packs]

I was lucky enough to see what I think is still the last recorded unassisted triple play, Randy Velarde's at Yankee Stadium.

But the best ever was David Cone's Perfect Game against the Expos.

[Andy Baran]

Game 4 of the 2004 World Series in St. Louis. My wait for the Sox to win the Championship was over, and I was there!

[Jewish-collector]

Game 7 of the 1979 World Series vs Pirates at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. O's lost, of course They could never beat Pittsburgh.