Another Great Thing The Mick Did

We've all seen Chris Chambliss' walk-off homer to send the Yankees to the World Series for the first time in over a decade, but I hadn't realized until a Bob Costas/George Brett interview that the play was set up by George Brett's 3-run homer to tie the game in the top of the 8th - until Brett's homer, the game seemed like a foregone conclusion, ad then comes Chambliss' dinger to win it. Thanks to Brett, Chambliss' home run has become historic, and an otherwise forgotten player is an immortal who will live on for all time.

This made me think of Bill Mazeroski - were it not for Mickey Mantle's brilliant baserunning, nobody in the world would even remotely know the name Mazeroski. You can make the case that this one play by Mickey is the reason Mazeroski is in the Hall of Fame.

4. 1960 WS, Pirates and Yankees. Game 7. Yankees down 9-8 in the 8th. Mantle on 1B, McDougal on 3B, Yogi at bat. Yogi grounded to Pirate 1B Rocky Nelson who stepped on the bag for out #2. Rather than heading for 2B, Mantle managed to fake out Nelson, dive around him, and get his hand around the tag onto 1B. While he was safe, what mattered was that he took enough time doing it that McDougal was able to score the tying run. (Nobody remembers because, just minutes later, Mazerosky led off the Pirates' 9th with his famous series-winning HR.)

I wonder how many other plays in sports are like that - set up for immortality by forgotten plays right in front of them?