Memorable Baseball Moments- 1976 American League Championship Series- It was the deciding game- Game 5 at Yankee Stadium between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees. The score was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 9th. Mark Littell was pitching for the Royals- facing the Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss. The first pitch- Chambliss deposits into the right field stands for a game ending and series ending home run. The two things I remember most about this is- I was rooting for the Royals [more out of my dislike for the Yankees, I’d have probably rooted for the Red Army against the Yankees] and the mob scene on the field after the home run. Chambliss still hasn’t touched home plate. In the World Series the Reds would crush the Yankees in a four game sweep. Maybe the one World Series where I watched but had a hard time rooting for either team- but I did pull for the Reds.
slicethelife 
This homerun was one of the first memories I had of baseball than I knew what was going on. It was the following year I would really start following it.
Munson was the bright spot of the Yankees in the World Series.
Munson was a standout in that World Series- I always remember Sparky after the series- in talking up Johnny Bench- who was a clearly greater player-seemed to be putting down Thurman- as in comparing him to bench. I can’t recall his exact words and I don’t think Sparky meant anything by what he did say but it was taken as a slight to Munson who was at the peak of his game.
I think I’ve seen that press conference… Sparky sent him a letter but I’m not sure if Munson read it. I think he hit .500 without looking it up.
even better- .529…. I would support Munson for the HOF- I think when he was killed in that crash- his career was nearly over–but there aren’t many catchers in the HOF compared to other positions and he is at least one of the 5 best catchers NOT in the HOF.
Wow….529 even during a 4 game WS that is still great. Yes I would support him also. He had some great peers, Would the seventies be one of the best for catchers? Bench, Munson, Fisk, and Simmons are just four.
I think the catcher is very underappreciated overall. There are no real ‘stats’ for a lot of what they do. I think Munson’s leadership abilities also need to be pointed out as far as the HOF go. The man was the first yankee captain since Gehrig. He was the teams leader. He did all the dirty work. Is there a tougher job in sports than being a catcher?
Oh yea….the catcher is the quarterback that gets beat up much more. Playing through pain is a regular thing for them…and he certainly did with those knees.
He was a pure hitter…he went with the pitch. I have heard great things about him from pitchers who he caught.
I can’t imagine how a catcher would feel at the end of a season. I also imagine a catcher is in constant pain all season long- with some kind of ache or pain.
Yes…knees and ankles…and all of those shots from foul balls. Those things add up over a season…taking all of that in consideration…yes he should be in the hall of fame. MVP, All Star, Rookie of the Year, and 2 time WS champion. His last year he was hitting .288.
It amazes me how commonplace it was for fans to run on the field to celebrate a sports victory in the 60s, 70s, and 80s but by the 90s the practice had been completely eliminated. This looks like a terrifying moment for Chambliss, but as a kid I think most people were pretty blase about fans running on the field. It was just a thing people did to celebrate.
yes that did seem commonplace.. this was kind of one of those that seemed out of control-and dangerous. At least in baseball you don’t see this much anymore. Better security overall- baseball did wise up in this case.