Pete Rose, Ray Fosse, and the Home Plate Collision That Blew up the 1970 All-Star Game
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PAGE 84 Pete Rose, Ray Fosse, and the home plate collision that blew up the 1970 All-Star Game. An oral history. BY ADAM FLANGO an injury as an excuse to not play in the All-Star Game, Weaver believed they should be fi ned. That never happened, but as The New York Times noted afterwards, “The Americans had to feel a new sense of foreboding as they were confronted by the shape of things to come.” CLYDE WRIGHT, losing pitcher, California Angels: When the National League played the American League, the American League wanted to kick their butt and the National League wanted to kick our butt. That’s all there was to it. It wasn’t going to no party. We were going to a baseball game to win. CLAUDE OSTEEN, winning pitcher, Los Angeles [1] Osteen: “I went Dodgers: I always try to put down any talk to Reading High about players not caring. All the guys in The night before the 1970 MLB All-Star Game, Reds outfi elder Pete School. My father the National League, all the teams that I moved from Ten- Rose called his friend, Cleveland Indians pitcher Sam McDowell, and nessee up to Read- was on, they wanted to win and carried a asked if he’d like to go out to dinner. McDowell agreed and brought ing and he worked lot of pride in that clubhouse. I’ve never along his Indians teammate, a newly-married rookie catcher named at the General Elec- experienced one that didn’t. [1] Ray Fosse. The trio, their wives in tow, enjoyed an evening on the river tric jet engine plant at the Sycamore Shore and fi nished with a nightcap at Rose’s home in in Lockland. I spent PETE ROSE, outfi elder, Cincinnati Reds: It’s not my last three years Oak Hills. Like any bright young rookie would, Fosse peppered Rose of high school there one of those deals where some players with questions about his teammate, the great Johnny Bench. It was a and got involved say, Ahhh, I’d rather have the days of . That jovial fi rst encounter. The second would not go so well. with the baseball wasn’t the way it was with us. We wanted More televisions were tuned to the 1970 All-Star Game than any program and loved to make the All-Star team. The [game] Mid-Summer Classic before or since. An estimated 60 million people every minute of it. in Cincinnati meant a lot more to me be- I was a big Reds fan gazed at the still-under-construction Riverfront Stadium, watching to and knew all about cause I was born there. see if the American League could overcome years of dominance by the them.” National League. Even Richard Nixon—two years into his fi rst term BROOKS ROBINSON, third baseman, Baltimore Ori- as president, with the Vietnam War raging and deep unrest rumbling oles: The American League, I know we got across the land—was in the stands that night. [2] Brooks Robin- beat up. I played in a lot of losing All-Star son was an All-Star The raucous, National League–inclined crowd of 51,838 roared in 15 seasons, but Games. I think I played in 15, won two or [2] each time one of their guys came to bat. Bench. Perez. Rose. Even for- competed in 18 All- three, and tied one. I we n t to eve ry ga m e mer Cincinnati Red Frank Robinson received a rousing ovation in his Star Games. From thinking that I was going to be the best fi rst trip to the plate. True, it was an exhibition game, but to the players, 1960 to 1962, MLB player in the game. I loved playing in it. teams, and more than 2 million fans who voted for the starters, it mat- held two All-Star Games each year. FRANK ROBINSON, tered. Former National League president Warren Giles, who had served His fi nal record was fi rst baseman, formerly with the as Cincinnati Reds president and retired before the 1970 season, used 2-15-1. Cincinnati Reds, then playing for the Baltimore to treat the All-Star Game as his chance to assert the National League’s Orioles: The idea of coming back to the superiority. With a clenched fi rst, he was known to deliver impas- city and playing in a meaningful game— sioned pre-game pep talks that let players know just how much it all [3] Frank Robinson I know it was an exhibition game, but it was signed by the [3] meant. “If you want to make this team next year,” Giles would say, “you Reds in 1953 and meant something back in those days. better play hard tonight.” Pete Rose took it to heart. played 10 seasons for the team before CLYDE WRIGHT: When I looked around the being traded to the room in the American League, I thought, SUPERIORITY COMPLEX Baltimore Orioles in Well, jeez, there’s going to be a lot of these 1966. He is the only Before free agency and interleague play became commonplace, the All-Star player in baseball guys in the Hall of Fame. And then when Game and the World Series were the only meaningful times when players history to be named you looked over in the National League, from both leagues could settle scores. Heading into the 1970 contest, the Most Valuable you said, “Damn, there’s going to be more National League maintained an air of superiority justifi ed by a dominant Player in both the of them in the Hall of Fame. And I get to stretch. American League manager Earl Weaver, whose Baltimore squad American and Na- pitch against them?” [4] tional Leagues. had fallen to New York’s “Miracle” Mets in the 1969 World Series, was so intent on ending the N.L. reign that he lobbied for a committee to evaluate TONY PEREZ, third baseman, Cincinnati Reds: I re - players that might be exaggerating injuries. If any player attempted to use member we played like it was the World 86 O DECEMBER 2013 LEAGUES COLLIDE Pete Rose barreling into Ray Fosse in the 12th inning. That blurry white sphere (upper right) is the ball. Series. We were hot, and we played like it [4] Including man- Giants catcher Dick Dietz and a two-run single by Dietz’s teammate, Wil- was the last game we were going to play. agers, the American lie McCovey, put the N.L. within one. Roberto Clemente, playing despite League lineup a sore neck, pinch-hit for Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson and knocked a JOE TORRE, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals: I always boasted nine future sacrifi ce fl y that allowed Joe Morgan (then still with the Houston Astros) to Hall-of-Famers felt that when players went to the All-Star while the National score, sending the game into extra innings. “Once you go into extra innings,” Game, they had fun. They talked among League had a whop- said Sandy Koufax in his role as a radio color commentator for NBC, “well, themselves. But when they went out and ping 12 future the home team has got a great advantage.” played, they only knew one way to play and Hall-of-Famers. that was to win. It was evidenced by Pete SAM McDOWELL, pitcher, Cleveland Indians, on the mound for the American in 1970 trying to score the winning run. [5] Starter Jim Palmer and Sam League from the fourth to the sixth inning: I had struck out so many McDowell combined players that they initially told me when I came off the mound to THAT FATEFUL INNING to throw six score- go ahead and shower so I could get out of the way of the other guys Ray Fosse scored the fi rst run of the game and less innings to begin coming in after the game. [Then] they said hold off on that, stay the game for the drove in the second run, while Brooks Robin- American League. in uniform, because my name was up for MVP of the game. Lo and son added two insurance runs with a two-out behold, the game was tied and went on. Everything changed after triple in the top of the eighth inning. Heading I came out of the game. [5] into the ninth inning, the A.L. held a 4–1 lead and seemed poised to end their disappointing AMOS OTIS, center fi elder, Kansas City Royals: I came in the game around run. But as radio play-by-play announcer Jim the seventh inning as a replacement in center fi eld. We were win- Simpson said in the bottom of the ninth, “This ning at that time. Then that fateful inning rolled around. ball game was cruising strictly in the pitcher’s hip pocket for a long while. It’s now broken CLYDE WRIGHT: It was just like any normal inning. You don’t pitch to the names on the back of the uniform, • CONTINUED ON PAGE 114 PHOTOGRAPHS BY © BETTMANN/CORBIS BY PHOTOGRAPHS open.” A leadof home run from San Francsico PAGE 87 DECEMBER 2013 O 87 BOOM! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 87 CLYDE WRIGHT: If it was a perfect throw, he SAM McDOWELL: I think Pete could’ve slid Pete Rose, Ray Fosse, and the home plate collision that blew up the might have. But there was a lot of dif- without any problem, without hurting 1970 All-Star Game. An oral history.