A Twins fan friend of mine (who was not even married at the time) promised to name his first born kid after Baylor during that dramatic HR-hitting at bat. And he did; his daughter's middle name is Baylor.Wow. Too young.
Glad he got a WS ring; bittersweet that it was not with the Red Sox, but with the Twins in 1987.
Edit: after reading the post above, I double checked on the 1987 Twins team. Baylor was traded from Boston to Minnesota on September 1, 1987 for a PTBNL, and was the Twins DH in the WS. He hit the game tying HR in the 5th inning in Game 6, and slashed .467/.615/1.082 for the series.
It was .346/.469/.577Edit: just checked his overall 1986 ALCS slash line: .469 / .577 / 1.046 (in 32 PA). Papi-esque!
I don't remember any of this, but the replay of it is awesome.Sigh, 68? I'm getting old.
His less-ballyhooed two-run shot in the 9th off Mike Witt was just as big as Hendu's two-run shot off Donnie Moore.
He also hit 31 HRs that season, at age 37. A quietly big part of the depth of that team's lineup. And of course he led the majors in HBP with 35 (!!!) Never afraid to take one for the team!
Edit: just checked his overall 1986 ALCS slash line: .469 / .577 / 1.046 (in 32 PA). Papi-esque!
RIP, Don Baylor.
I always found the incredible thing about Baylor's impact on that '86 team to be that he was such a late spring training acquisition (March 28) and still instantly became a clubhouse leader (particularly with the Kangaroo Court), even with vets like Dewey and Rice and Buckner already there. Some people just have that innate ability to instantly have a command presence no matter the circumstances. He was one of those people. RIP.Sad news. Loved the way he'd get HBP then just trot down to 1st like it was nothing. Also loved the Kangaroo Court he ran on the '86 squad that helped keep the team loose.
Dude hit a curveball off the plate 400 feet. That's strong.I don't remember any of this, but the replay of it is awesome.
It doesn't even look like he got all of that pitch. He was just that strong.I don't remember any of this, but the replay of it is awesome.
Not only that, but he ended up scoring the winning run in that game, in the 11th. No prizes for guessing the manner in which he reached base that inning.His less-ballyhooed two-run shot in the 9th off Mike Witt was just as big as Hendu's two-run shot off Donnie Moore.
I don't remember any of this, but the replay of it is awesome.
Also amazing to think how much happened in this inning that without it, the entire Mets experience never happens. 1986 was the arguably the greatest postseason ever with the Mets 16 inning clincher in Houston in the NLCS.There's just so much in that clip, starting with the way he reached for that outside pitch to the CHP in the dugout as they expected the Angels to win.. Then there's the pre-remodel Angels stadium and, particularly, the replay from above that showed the arc of the ball.
The clip of Baylor's home run in the 9th doesn't include his scoring on a sac fly in the 11th? Whodathunkit?Not shown in the above clip, Henderson's SF scoring Baylor in the 11th inning.
Found this to be very interesting, from his Wikipedia.Born in Austin, Texas, Baylor grew up in Clarksville. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School. After being one of three African Americans to integrate Texas public schools when he was in junior high school,[1] Baylor starred in baseball and football at Austin High, where he was the first African American to play athletics,[2] and was offered a scholarship to play college football for the Texas Longhorns of the University of Texas, which would have made him the first African American to play football at Texas.[3] He opted to pursue a baseball career, enrolling at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas.[4]
He goes into it a little bit in his autobiography, which was published in the late 1980s. It's a pretty good read.Found this to be very interesting, from his Wikipedia.
It was huge. Witt was really tough that day, and I believe in the first game of the series too. For them to suddenly come alive after that, I'd imagine Baylor's HR gave them a huge psychological boost, as well as the gift of getting Witt out of the game for Donnie Moore. His role that entire season was pretty unforgettable, clearly brought a measure of self-respect to a pretty ragged (but talented) cast of characters. RIP Don.I don't remember any of this, but the replay of it is awesome.
To pick nits after Baylors HR Witt stayed in and got Dewey out then was lifted for a lefty to face Gedman,who he hit on the first pitch bringing in Moore to face Henderson.It was huge. Witt was really tough that day, and I believe in the first game of the series too. For them to suddenly come alive after that, I'd imagine Baylor's HR gave them a huge psychological boost, as well as the gift of getting Witt out of the game for Donnie Moore. His role that entire season was pretty unforgettable, clearly brought a measure of self-respect to a pretty ragged (but talented) cast of characters. RIP Don.
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/29/sports/yankees-traded-baylor-and-release-phil-niekro.htmlThe trade was the first between the two teams since the Yankees obtained Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater March 22, 1972. The intervening period was the longest the Yankees had gone without making a trade with a particular team.
Gary Lucas was that lefty. If memory serves he made Gedman look ridiculous the game before. Hitting him in the first pitch was a gift from the Gods. Sorta like Mariano walking Miller on five pitches in the top of the 9th...To pick nits after Baylors HR Witt stayed in and got Dewey out then was lifted for a lefty to face Gedman,who he hit on the first pitch bringing in Moore to face Henderson.
I do believe your main point about Witt being unhitable and the psychological effect of the HR are spot on.
IIRC, before the Sox batted that inning, Baylor told everyone in the dugout to go out and have their best at bat of the season. The man was a force! RIP.To pick nits after Baylors HR Witt stayed in and got Dewey out then was lifted for a lefty to face Gedman,who he hit on the first pitch bringing in Moore to face Henderson.
I do believe your main point about Witt being unhitable and the psychological effect of the HR are spot on.
Gene Mauch completely over-reacted in that inning. I'm not sure how many pitches Witt threw in that game, but he was cruising, despite giving up a hit to Buckner and the dinger to Baylor.Gary Lucas was that lefty. If memory serves he made Gedman look ridiculous the game before. Hitting him in the first pitch was a gift from the Gods. Sorta like Mariano walking Miller on five pitches in the top of the 9th...
Honestly, probably not. I don't think that the view on race, and black players in particular, changed until Mo Vaughn and Dan Duquette in the mid 90s.RIP, Mr. Baylor. Brought some great offense and a great attitude to the clubhouse in 1986. Anyone think he had an impact on changing Boston's view of black players, to say nothing of that damn Yawkey management?
Wasn't Mauch ejected? I have a faint memory of Rene Lachemann coming in to pull Witt. Can't seem to find it. My Google-Fu fails me again.Gene Mauch completely over-reacted in that inning. I'm not sure how many pitches Witt threw in that game, but he was cruising, despite giving up a hit to Buckner and the dinger to Baylor.
I can't remember where I read or heard it, but if you look at the shots of Mauch at the beginning of the ninth inning Reggie Jackson is right behind him. Reggie knew that the cameras would be on Mauch because he was finally going to the World Series after so many near misses. As the inning spirals further and further out of control, Reggie is inching away from Mauch more and more until finally after Hendu's home run, he's nowhere to be found.