Night of the Living Eds

In a baseball game in the early 1950s, Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bill Nicholson hit a high pop-up that was destined to come down somewhere near the mound. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bill Werle didn’t want to catch it, so he called for one of his fielders to step in. “Eddie’s got it! Eddie’s got it!” he shouted. Then everyone in the Pirates’ infield stood and watched as the ball landed on the grass…including catcher Eddie Fitzgerald, first baseman Eddie Stevens, and third baseman Eddie Bockman.

Free Pass

In 1976 Phillies catcher Tim McCarver came up to bat with the bases loaded. Not known for his power, McCarver hit a deep fly ball. He watched it as he ran toward first base…and was elated when it sailed over the wall! McCarver put his head down and kept on running. One problem: Gary Maddox, the runner at first, held up to make sure the ball wasn’t caught. McCarver ran right by him. By the time he realized his goof, it was too late—he was called out for passing a runner, thus negating his grand slam.
Asked how he did it, McCarver replied, “Sheer speed.”