In the summer of 2017, Sally and a very young cowboy were lucky enough to get free tickets to a Colorado Rockies game.
It was a beautiful evening and a real treat to sit in the second row directly behind home plate.
The Rockies were playing The Yankees and it took me back over 50 years to a Yankees Game vs. The Kansas City Athletics at old Municipal Stadium. It was a rainy night late in the game and we snuck down near the visitors dugout. I recall shouting at Yankees manager Casey Stengel that they had no chance…that is until Yankee shortstop Tony KUzbek launched a towering home run to steal the win for The Yankees.
Oh, but I digress…we’d barely taken our seats in 2017 when striding to the plate for The Yankees was Giancarlo Stanton. I’d heard he was an up and coming star who possessed prodigious power. I remember feeling sorry for the Rockies pitcher as he looked like David squaring off against Goliath.
On the second pitch, the slider offered by the pitcher forgot to break and Stanton hit the longest home run I’d ever witnessed.
The center fielder took one step back and…forget it baby as the ball landed over 500 feet from home plate.
Stanton trotted around the bases and he looked as big as a bison on steroids. The poor pitcher was undoubtedly thinking that in three innings he’d have to face him again.
In hindsight, about the only thing comparable to that home run is a 380 yard drive by the equally massive Bryson DeChambeau.
My how sports have evolved over the years…Mr. Tony Kubek of 1962 had the physique of a middle school player when compared with Goliath Stanton.
With today’s bombers in baseball and golf, you almost feel sorry for the ball.
**Sally just reminded me that he played for The Florida Marlins then and I told her that spelling Giancarlo must have altered my memory but at least the mistake brought Casey Stengel back in the game.
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