On June 23, 1963, Mets outfielder Jimmy Piersall faced Phillies pitcher Dallas Green to lead off the top of the fifth. Piersall swung on Green’s offering and blasted what was career homer number 100.
To celebrate the milestone, Piersall then decided to take Duke Snider up on his clubhouse bet and ran around the bases backward. He completed his trip around the bases in the correct order: first, second, third, and home — he just faced backwards. Piersall essentially backpedaled all the way around the infield.
In the cookie-cutter baseball world of today, you’re not likely to see that again.
v
True. Or if we did, there would probably be some sort of fine involved.
That’s also surely true.
v