In the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 1969 World Series, Mets right fielder Ron Swoboda made a daring, diving, foolhardy catch of a fly ball off the bat of Orioles hitter Brooks Robinson.
There was only one out, so Frank Robinson, the O's runner on third, was going to score the tying run whether Swoboda made the acrobatic catch – or simply picked up the ball on a bounce.
But if Swoboda leaped for the ball and failed to make the play, the ball would likely roll all the way to the fence. Boog Powell, the O's runner on first, might score as well, and Baltimore would take the lead.
Afterward, his teammates wondered why Swoboda took such a big chance in such a tight game. What in the world was he thinking of?
He wasn’t thinking, as former Mets reliever Tug McGraw told MLB Network. Coach Joe Pignatano had advised Swoboda not to.
“Whenever I try to think, I only hurt the club,” Swoboda explained.
MLB Network recently broadcast all 10 innings of this delightful relic of the pre-steroid era, including the McGraw interview. Retrosheet’s boxscore is here.
For the Daily News 40th anniversary feature, Swoboda remembered the quote a little differently.
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