Lightning in Right Field
A catch nobody believed, a wedding at home plate, a man who would not come down, and the day the big leagues crossed a border.
Ed. 08.16.26
Lightning in Right Field (1909)
Christy Mathewson was stalling. His Giants led 2 to 1 at Forbes Field with a storm coming on, and a rainout meant a win. Bill Klem made them play. Pittsburgh tied it, put two on, and Dots Miller drove one into the gap in right center. Cy Seymour lost it in the dark. Red Murray kept running, stuck out his bare right hand, and caught it as lightning cracked behind him and lit him up. Honus Wagner called it the greatest catch he ever saw and told the story the rest of his life.
Married at Home Plate (1951)
Don Zimmer was 20, a shortstop for the Dodgers farm club in Elmira, engaged to Carol Jean Bauerle, his girl since the tenth grade. So they got married where he worked, standing on home plate. The marriage lasted until his death in 2014, and so did the job. Zimmer signed in 1949 and never drew a paycheck from anything but baseball.
The Man on the Scoreboard (1970)
Milwaukee had a brand new team and empty seats. Milt Mason, 69 and retired, moved into a trailer atop the County Stadium scoreboard and refused to come down until 40,000 people showed up. Fans started calling him Bernie Brewer. Bat Day did it. A crowd of 44,387 came through the gates, the Brewers beat Cleveland 4 to 3, and Mason slid down a rope, collecting rope burns. Three years later the club named its mascot after him.
La Primera Serie (1996)
The Padres and Mets opened a three game series in Monterrey, the first regular season big league game outside the United States and Canada. Bruce Bochy set his rotation weeks ahead so Fernando Valenzuela would have the ball. There was no other choice. Steve Finley homered in the first, the first ever hit in a big league game south of the border. San Diego won 15 to 10.
