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Little less than 30 minutes away. I'll post a link to the stream and tweet along with the game here.
When I called Steve Blass and told him we're re-airing Game 7, his immediate response was, "I happen to remember every pitch, so we should be able to establish some material." https://twitter.com/adamdberry/status/1246080369734176769
When I called Steve Blass and told him we're re-airing Game 7, his immediate response was, "I happen to remember every pitch, so we should be able to establish some material." https://twitter.com/adamdberry/status/1246080369734176769
You can watch Game 7 of the 1971 World Series here: https://atmlb.com/2xPQ7zo
Pirates were down 2-0 before Blass’ complete-game victory in Game 3, then they won Games 4 and 5. Orioles won Game 6 to tie it, after which Blass said manager Danny Murtaugh turned to him and said, “Tag, you’re it.”
“Of course I knew that,” Blass said, “but it was kind of neat.”
“Of course I knew that,” Blass said, “but it was kind of neat.”
Blass: “When we got our World Series rings, there was an inscription in each box from Murtaugh that said, ‘You haven’t seen the real Pirates yet.' That quote was delivered (by Murtaugh) after Game 2. We respected them, but we knew we had talent. Best four out of seven, let's go."
You'll notice that the field in Baltimore looks, you know, terrible.
Blass: "The grass was all beat up because the Colts had played on it. We took batting practice and wound up with three dozen green balls after because they had spray-painted the outfield."
Blass: "The grass was all beat up because the Colts had played on it. We took batting practice and wound up with three dozen green balls after because they had spray-painted the outfield."
Blass remembered Earl Weaver walking out here screaming, “Rule 8.01! He’s not lined up on the rubber! Rule 8.01!” As the broadcast team deduces, he figured Weaver was trying to needle him: “There was nothing to it. I was perfectly legal. But he thought he would give it a shot.”
Didn't work, obviously. “Every time I saw Earl after that, I thanked him. I was really kind of nervous -- kid from a town of 800 people pitching Game 7 in the World Series -- then I got so upset with [Weaver] doing this little act, I had a chance to catch my breath a little bit.”
Blass was nervous. He said he had dinner with Bruce Kison after Game 6. Neither spoke.
“Bruce Kison is going to get married the next day regardless, and I’m going to pitch Game 7. So he wasn’t going to give me any advice, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give him any advice.”
“Bruce Kison is going to get married the next day regardless, and I’m going to pitch Game 7. So he wasn’t going to give me any advice, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give him any advice.”
Blass said he took a 4am walk to kill time/calm his nerves: “Could you imagine if a cop had come up to me like, 'Hey buddy, what’s going on?' and I’d said, ‘Well officer, I’m a little restless. I’m going to pitch Game 7 of the World Series'? I would still be in a Baltimore jail.”
Blass’ 1st recollection of that 2nd-inning double play: Mark Belanger was from Pittsfield, Mass., “right up the street from where I grew up.” He wanted a grounder, figured Belanger wouldn't get under the fastball: “I thought I could knock the bat out of his hands. That was huge."
