Classic Baseball Stories
"The Pine Tar Game"
Many people claimed to be at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969, many claim to be in Chicago the day Ruth called his shot. For a lucky few they actually experienced the "pine tar game" at Yankee Stadium. The date was July 24, 1983, the Kansas City Royals were losing to the Yankees 4-3 going into the top of the 9th. The Yanks brought in their ace closer Rich "Goose" Gossage to close out the game. With two outs and one runner on base, George Brett came to bat. Brett was one of a very few who had success against Gossage, the Royals hoped there was a little magic left.
Before the fans could blink, the lefty George Brett tagged a 2 run homerun deep into the right field stands and circled the bases to give the visiting Royals a 5-4 lead. As Brett and his teammates celebrated in the dugout Yankee manager Billy Martin was at home plate discussing something with the umpire crew. Months earlier Craig Nettles had noticed Brett used an excessive amount of pine tar on his bat ( pine tar is used to help batters get a better grip on their bat ). The rulebook states no foreign substance such as pine tar shall exceed 18" from the bat knob towards the barrel of the bat. Nettles and Martin agreed to let the umpires know about this violation, but decided to use the information when it would help the team. Well that day had arrived.
As the meeting at home plate took place, Brett and his team were confused about Martin's protest. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland took the bat and laid it down lengthwise along the home plate which measures 17" wide. It was clear the pine tar was wider than the 18" allowed by the rules. Brett turned to one of his teammates and quitely said, "If they call me out I swear to god I'll charge the field." Home plate umpire picked up the bat, walked towards the Royals dugout, pointed at Brett and called him "OUT!"
What followed is one of the most famous scenes of baseball insanity! Brett leaped off the bench in a frenzy! Full of chewing tobacco in one cheek he charged McClelland with a burst of foul language. His teammates had to physically restrain Brett from reaching the umpire. Since there were 2 outs at the time of the homerun, Brett was the third out and the game was over. The plan by Nettles and Martin to wait on the ruling had worked, and produced one of the most outrageous moments in baseball history.
But it's not over yet. The Royals protested the game. The final ruling came down to American League president Lee McPhail. After looking over the situation, the ruling was reversed. They decided to allow the homerun and give the Royals a 5-4 lead. The game was resumed on August 18. The Royals went on to win
5-4 thanks to the reversed ruling, and the furious protest by George Brett and his team.
