Ed Armbrister---1975
They call it a "crime" in Boston. In
Cincinnati it was a simply “a
hesitation.” Either way it was baseball
history.
Tenth inning of Game 3 of the 1975
World Series, Reds manager Sparky
Anderson sends Armbrister to the
plate as the pinch hitter with
instructions to bunt over Cesar
Geronimo who had just singled. The
bunt bounced high in the air as
Armbrister looked at the ball for a
split-second as he headed to first
base. Fisk bumped into the native
Bahamian, pounced on the ball, but
was off-balance as his throw sailed
into centerfield. Fisk and the Red Sox
argued to no avail as home plate
umpire Larry Barnett’s call of no
interference stood.
Three batters later Joe Morgan hit a
long fly ball to centerfield over the
head of a drawn in Fred Lynn to give
the Reds a 6-5 win and a 2-1 lead in
what would go down as one of the
greatest World Series ever.
And yes, Ed Armbrister played a key
role, just by hesitating.
All totaled, Armbrister batted .245 in
224 games for the Reds over five
seasons, starting just 44 games. His
speed served Sparky well off the
bench as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter
and as a defensive replacement for
superstars Pete Rose, Ken Griffey
and George Foster in the outfield.
And while we honored Andre
Rodgers for being the first Bahamian
to reach the big leagues; Armbrister
is the one who brought home to the
islands the hardware with two World
Series rings (1975 & 1976).
(6/19/08)
Cincinnati it was a simply “a
hesitation.” Either way it was baseball
history.
Tenth inning of Game 3 of the 1975
World Series, Reds manager Sparky
Anderson sends Armbrister to the
plate as the pinch hitter with
instructions to bunt over Cesar
Geronimo who had just singled. The
bunt bounced high in the air as
Armbrister looked at the ball for a
split-second as he headed to first
base. Fisk bumped into the native
Bahamian, pounced on the ball, but
was off-balance as his throw sailed
into centerfield. Fisk and the Red Sox
argued to no avail as home plate
umpire Larry Barnett’s call of no
interference stood.
Three batters later Joe Morgan hit a
long fly ball to centerfield over the
head of a drawn in Fred Lynn to give
the Reds a 6-5 win and a 2-1 lead in
what would go down as one of the
greatest World Series ever.
And yes, Ed Armbrister played a key
role, just by hesitating.
All totaled, Armbrister batted .245 in
224 games for the Reds over five
seasons, starting just 44 games. His
speed served Sparky well off the
bench as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter
and as a defensive replacement for
superstars Pete Rose, Ken Griffey
and George Foster in the outfield.
And while we honored Andre
Rodgers for being the first Bahamian
to reach the big leagues; Armbrister
is the one who brought home to the
islands the hardware with two World
Series rings (1975 & 1976).
(6/19/08)
