Four Firsts at Ebbets Field

Four Firsts at Ebbets Field (1949)

Two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color line, the All-Star Game caught up. He started at second, the National League's leading vote-getter. Roy Campanella caught. Don Newcombe pitched. Larry Doby came in for the American League. The first All-Star Game with Black players on the field, at Ebbets Field, where Robinson made his stand. The NL made five errors and lost, 11 to 7. Robinson said he hated losing but got a great thrill out of being there.

The Crowd Breaks the Record Book (1931)

Sportsman's Park seated about 34,400. On a Sunday in July, 45,715 paid in. The overflow was roped off in front of the outfield wall, the ropes gave way, and any ball landing among them was a ground-rule double. The Cardinals and Cubs obliged: 32 doubles on the day, 23 in the nightcap. St. Louis hit 13 in that game, still a big league record. The Sporting News figured maybe six were honest. One of the phony ones went to Chick Hafey, who won the batting title that fall by four ten-thousandths of a point.

Kirby Puckett Says Goodbye (1996)

He woke on the last day of spring training unable to see out of his right eye. Glaucoma. Four procedures later, doctors said the retina would not recover. That evening at the Metrodome, with his whole team watching, Puckett retired at 36 with 2,304 hits, a .318 average, and two rings. He did the whole press conference smiling and told everyone he would be fine.

Disco Demolition Night (1979)

Mike Veeck and DJ Steve Dahl offered 98-cent admission to anyone bringing a disco record to be blown up between games. Comiskey held 44,492. About 48,000 got in. Detroit took the opener, Dahl blew the crate up in center field, and thousands poured out of the stands. Bonfire in center. Bases stolen. Batting cage wrecked. Harry Caray sang over the PA and nobody listened. Sparky Anderson refused to let his Tigers play on it. The Sox forfeited game two.