Your affinity with The Natural reminds me of the game where Kirk Gibson came out and knocked the ball out of the park to win the game for the Dodgers, propelling them to victory in the World Series. I believe it was 1988. I was at what is now my ex-in-law’s house in LA at that moment, not far from Dodger Stadium and we could hear the screaming when that happened…
I am a Detroiter, specifically Univ, of Michigan Ann Arbor undergrad.
Kirk played for Tigers a while, but before that he was a football and baseball star at Michigan State (our sports nemesis, ninety minutes up the road). He was couple years ahead of me but we were basically contemporaries.
I didnt (dont) know him.
I posted this before but cant find now. I personally saw four of the longest MLB home runs (three at the old Tiger Stadium - roof shots by Cecil Fielder, Reggie Jackson, and one [not one of his many OVER the roof shots] by Kirk Gibson) anybody ever hit ..two were by Kirk Gibson.
One at Tiger Stadium, and one when he was undergrad at MSU playing at Michigan's ballfield.
The Tiger Stadium one he hit nearly left the ballpark IN centerfield. It hit a chain link fence atop the outside wall of the centerfield bleachers .. four feet higher it would have been on I-75.
Dead center was 440. The red line/red X was Gibson, the green Reggie, the black line was Fielder.
The Michigan one went over the rightfielder's head, who stood there like he was watching an airplane flying overhead.. darn thing looked like a one-wood on the golf course, and by the time it stopped rolling (it landed on an asphalt surface) had to have been ~800 ft away.
Mighty, superhuman rips...
Ol' Kirk was strong and fast. Not MLB HOF stats .. but a couple HOF moments. That Dodger walk-off tater you referred to .. hell he hit with what looked like one arm (definitely one-legged). Now, just a reminder that I too am an old man.
36 years ago, seems like yesterday.