1983 Pine Tar Game

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pine tar incident

Who knows what was unusual about the Yankees ninth inning lineup?

For more of the zany ....

“Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey,’’ a documentary about Bill Lee, airs on MLB Network tonight at 10 .

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
Now you can have the rest of the day free.

pine tar incident

Who knows what was unusual about the Yankees ninth inning lineup?

I never knew that they went back later and finished that came because the call was upheld. wow.

And what WAS unusual about the Yankees 9th inning lineup RJM?

I believe Martin just played the 9th like a lark and put two or three pitchers in the field and maybe another guy out of position. I could look it up exactly on retro sheets but I'm too lazy today.

A still furious Martin symbolically protested the continuation of the game by putting pitcher Ron Guidry in center field and first baseman Don Mattingly at second base. Mattingly, a lefty, became a rare Major League southpaw second baseman; no left-hander has played second base or shortstop in a big-league game since.

quote:

Originally posted by YoungGunDad:

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
Now you can have the rest of the day free.

pine tar incident

Who knows what was unusual about the Yankees ninth inning lineup?

I never knew that they went back later and finished that came because the call was upheld. wow.

The game was continued because the umpire's call was overturned, not upheld.

The umpire crew, knowing Billy, prepared the new crew for Martin by having each umpire sign an affadavit that Brett touched each base.

At the continuation, the Yankees appealed missed bases bu Brett, figuring the umpires who weren't at the orginal game couldn't give honest anwers.

The UIC presented Billy with a copy of the affadavit as each appeal was denied.

The decision by McPhail was upheld because Martin protested the game that day saying that Brett never touched the bases.

The umps produced signed affidavits from the umpiring crew the day of the original game stating that Brett did indeed touch all the bases.

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
The decision by McPhail was upheld because Martin protested the game that day saying that Brett never touched the bases.

McPhail overturned the ruling by McClelland and his crew that the bat was illegal. This is what resulted in the continuation of the game and is what was being address in my post and the post I was addressing.

After the umpires produced the affadavit, Martin issued notice that he was playing under protest. Later McPhail denied that protest, which upheld the results of the continuation. It did not cause the continuation.

If memory serves, McPhail did not overturn the decision that the bal was illegal. By baseball rules, in fact, the bat was illegal because the pine tar extended too high up the barrel. He overturned the decision by evoking "the spirit of the rule" perspective that there was no advantage to the batter if pine tar was not within the rule's boundary. Essentially what he ruled was that the pine tar did not assist Brett in hitting the home run.

Thanks for the memories ... I still crack up laughing at George Brett's reaction when being called out. Billy Martin was a piece of work! If it wasn't the Yankees the ruling would have stood.

quote:

Originally posted by Baseballdad1228:
If memory serves, McPhail did not overturn the decision that the bal was illegal. By baseball rules, in fact, the bat was illegal because the pine tar extended too high up the barrel. He overturned the decision by evoking "the spirit of the rule" perspective that there was no advantage to the batter if pine tar was not within the rule's boundary. Essentially what he ruled was that the pine tar did not assist Brett in hitting the home run.

Yep.."Spirit of the rule"...That's how it went down. It was the craziest thing I ever saw on baseball and Billy putting out that lineup in the continuation of the game out of protest was wild. I was cracking up seeing Mattingly at 2B being a lefty. Guidry on the other hand I thought was brilliant because he was a great athlete and could play CF.

McPhail should've never continued that game. Brett should've been called out and the game over. The rule was in place. Thurman Munson had it happen to him some years earlier and he was called out for the pine tar being too far up the bat. Nettles pointed it out to Martin that Brett had pine tar above the limit and took advantage of it when it might come in handy. I think that ball is still travelling off Brett's bat. Brett hit a couple tape measure shots off Goose. What a great hitter he was. He was the best hitter in that generation. Could hit almost .400 and have to that much power.