If you love baseball, or if you’re a Baltimore Orioles fan, you’ve seen the play. Whether it’s in fuzzy black-and-white or a clip that’s vivid in color, it ends the same.
It’s Game 1 of the 1970 World Series in Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium between the Orioles and the Reds, and with the score tied, Cincinnati’s Lee May steps up to the plate to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. May takes an offering from Jim Palmer and absolutely scorches a one-hopper down the left-field line for what surely seems to be an extra-base hit in a crucial moment.
Except, Brooks Robinson was there.
The man who repeatedly lived up to his nickname – The Human Vacuum Cleaner – drifted back and to his right, near the edge of the infield, and made a backhand stab to catch the ball. Robinson then, with his momentum carrying him well into foul territory, pulls off a 180-degree spin and makes a near-perfect throw to Boog Powell at first base to beat May by a half step.
Today, we call that play a web gem. Back then, it was just Brooks being Brooks. In the top of the seventh inning of that game, he sent the game-winning home run over the left field wall. The Orioles won Game 1, 4-3, and then won the series, 4-1. Robinson was named MVP.
Brooks Robinson, arguably the greatest third baseman in the history of baseball, died Tuesday, the Orioles announced in a statement. He was 86.
Also known by the nickname Mr. Impossible for his heroics in the hot corner and his clutch swings at the plate, Robinson played 23 years of Major League Baseball — all for the Orioles. He won an AL MVP award in 1964, and finished top 10 in voting for the award six other times. He helped the O’s win two World Series championships (1966, 1970), was an 18-time All-Star and has 16 Gold Glove awards — more than any non-pitcher in the history of baseball.
“Today is an incredibly sad day for Baltimore and baseball fans everywhere. Brooks was Mr. Oriole. He was beloved and rightfully so. His historic career on the field pales to the impact he's made on so many of us …
— Cal Ripken, Jr. (@CalRipkenJr) September 26, 2023
Robinson entered the Hall of Fame in 1983, was named to the MLB All-Century Team in 1999 and is one of just six Orioles to have their number retired by the club. The high school baseball all-star game in Maryland is named after him too — as are countless children who were born to Orioles’ fans in the last 60 years.
While the O’s are currently having one of their best seasons in recent memory and have clinched a playoff berth, we should take a moment to remember what an incredible player and ambassador for baseball that Robinson was.