Patchy Pop Culture: What's the Most Unusual Thing You've Seen at a Baseball Game?

By Elyssa M. Millspaugh; posted by Cassandra Day.

This article was posted by Elyssa M. Millspaugh. It was reported and written by Chris Dehnel and Ted Glanzer.

The cliche is that if you go to a baseball game, you’ll see something you’ve never seen before. 

As someone who writes frequently about sports, I love cliches. And not just because they fill space. Cliches are cliches because they are, by and large, true. 

And, between Chris and I, we’ve played and seen a lot of baseball. High school games, college games and at various professional levels. Thousands of games. 

So we got to thinking, what’s the most unusual thing we’ve ever seen at a game? 

Me? I was at Game 2 of the 1998 ALCS at which New York Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch blew a bubble with his gum while pointing at a live ball, allowing Cleveland to take a 2-1 lead.  

I was at a game when Yankees pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez threw his glove (with the ball still in it) at Tino Martinez because he could not dislodge the ball on a comebacker. 

I was there at Game 2 of the 1995 ALDS, when the Yankees and Mariners played 15 innings. 

When I was the sports editor of The Valley Press, I covered a game between Simsbury High and Hall High-West Hartford on April 28, 2010 that Hall won 21-18. My headline was Trojans Lose By a Field Goal 21-18. 

That did not go over well. 

I was at a game with my father in 1990 when Yankees then-third baseman Mike 
Blowers committed four errors in one game, hence living up to the first four letters of his last name. 

But the game that really took the cake was when I was a senior in college, I saw the Syracuse Chiefs - Toronto's AAA affiliate - play a team during which there was a triple play, a bench clearing brawl and a no-hitter. 

I don’t expect to ever see that again. 

Chris’ Turn 

It was 1986.  

Mets-Cubs at Shea Stadium. I was in a group who had Tuesday and Friday season tickets in Sec. 18 of the loge, just past third base.  

The stadium, on those nights, became used to the antics. We would routinely bust up the wave because we believed it had no place in a New York ballpark, initiate standing ovations for Richard Nixon, who frequented the games with the club's owners and set modern day records for peanut sales, mostly because of one guy. 

We even had a Zeke Bella Night in honor of the former Bronx Bomber and Kansas City Athletic player who was worshiped by one member of the group.  

But an incident one night involving a foul ball might take the cake.  

I can barely remember who was pitching or who was at the plate, but I know a foul ball came right into our section, four rows in front of us. A kid - he was about 9 - had a good read on it  and was poised to make a solid play.  

The ball was about 6 feet from him when a glove suddenly was thrust in front of him. It snagged the ball and this guy in his late 20s did a weak celebration dance and sat down to the accolades of his two friends. There was, of course, a resounding chorus of boos.  

Things quieted down after about five minutes. Then, the guy who buys all the peanuts said five words.  

"Give the kid the ball …" 

It turned into a chant through the entire section then about half the stadium - and it was a sellout. 

"Give the kid the ball …" 

"Give the kid the ball …" 

"Give the kid the ball …" 

The guy who buys all the peanuts then walked over to the ballhog and produced 
a $20 bill.   

"Give the kid the ball …" 

"Give the kid the ball …" 

"Give the kid the ball …" 

The ballhog took the money from the guy who buys all the peanuts and the guy who buys all the peanuts gave the kid the ball.  

There were cheers.  

Then quiet. The guy who buys all the peanuts barely moved 3 feet. Someone then yelled … 

"Give the money back … " 

It turned into a chant through the entire section then about half the stadium … 

"Give the money back …" 

"Give the money back … " 

"Give the money back … " 

The ballhog refused. It was really loud now … 

"Give the money back …" 

"Give the money back … " 

"Give the money back … " 

He gave the money back to the guy who buys all the peanuts. He gave the kid the ball and then treated everyone in our two rows to peanuts.  

More boos.  

Ballhog left in the eighth inning. Can't write what his sendoff sounded like. 

Went to Citi Field last season and re-enacted two incidents along the markings of the old Shea field in the parking lot.  

The ground ball to Buckner.  

Give the kid the ball.  

Yep. Justice was served.