October 14, 1976

I blogged recently that there are a number of special dates in Yankee baseball history and today is one of those dates.  It was 43 years ago today that the Yankees played the fifth and deciding game of the 1976 American League Championship Series.  This week, The Yankees may have another chance to  go to The World Series, but it won't compare to the unforgettable moment in 1976.

The Yankees were playing the Kansas City Royals in Yankee Stadium and were winning the game 6-3 in the 8th inning.  The crowd could sense that we were going to win.  The Yankees had not been in the World Series since 1964 and they were only six outs away in the eighth inning.  The Royals future Hall of Famer, George Brett, stunned the crowd with a three run homer and the game was tied 6-6 in the ninth inning.

The Yankees barely escaped the top of the ninth without giving up a run and they started the bottom of the ninth with the chance of scoring one run and heading to The World Series.  The crowd was on it's feet and the start of the inning was delayed due to security trying to get things under control in case the Yankees suddenly won the game.

I was 16 years old and supposed to be in bed.  My door was shut, my lights were off, the television volume was off and technically I was in bed.  I sat on the edge of the bed and the clock struck 11:43 pm.  The pitcher, Mark Littell, threw the first pitch to the Yankee's first baseman, Chris Chambliss, and that was the moment.

The ball was hit just over the right field wall and the Yankees were in the World Series. The crowd went absolutely crazy.  They mobbed the field, almost knocking Chambliss down and they prevented him from touching home plate.  It took only a minute or two for the entire field to be mobbed by the delirious fans.

I stood up in my room, but could not jump. I waved my arms, pumped them in the air, but I could not make a sound.  It was the moment I had been waiting for, we were in The World Series!  A few minutes later I shut the television off and really got into bed and I know I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

I just watched the replay of that home run and I'm going to go to sleep tonight with a smile on my face as I remember one of the great moments in Yankee history, 43 years ago today.