Rick Camp---1978
Rick Camp won 56 games and
saved another 57 during his nine
seasons on the mound with Atlanta.
Ironically, the righthander’s legacy
begins with one swing of the bat in
the wee hours of July 5, 1985.
Nearly 45,000 fans packed Atlanta
Fulton County Stadium in
anticipation of seeing the national
pastime and a post-game fireworks
show on Independence Day. Little
did they know they would get much
more than they expected. Rain
delayed the Mets and Braves early
on, while extra innings further halted
the start of the fireworks. In fact, the
two teams went into the 18th inning
before New York reached Camp,
pitching in his second inning of
relief, to gain an 11-10 advantage.
saved another 57 during his nine
seasons on the mound with Atlanta.
Ironically, the righthander’s legacy
begins with one swing of the bat in
the wee hours of July 5, 1985.
Nearly 45,000 fans packed Atlanta
Fulton County Stadium in
anticipation of seeing the national
pastime and a post-game fireworks
show on Independence Day. Little
did they know they would get much
more than they expected. Rain
delayed the Mets and Braves early
on, while extra innings further halted
the start of the fireworks. In fact, the
two teams went into the 18th inning
before New York reached Camp,
pitching in his second inning of
relief, to gain an 11-10 advantage.
By the time the bottom of the 18th commenced, 3 a.m. had come and gone. Few of the
remaining hard-core fans were hopeful of victory when Mets pitcher Tom Gorman
coerced outs from the first two Atlanta batters, leaving only Camp and his career .074
batting average to retire. Gorman got ahead of his mound opponent with two strikes until
the unthinkable occurred. Swinging wildly at the incoming fastball, Camp connected,
driving the ball deep into the sultry summer air before it disappeared over the outfield
wall for the pitcher’s only career home run, sending the game into inning 19.
Camp was not as successful in the following frame. He surrendered five runs in the top of
the inning and trailed 16-13 when he came to the plate with two out and two on in the
bottom of the 19th, the opportunity to tie the game again staring him in the face. This
time, Camp was true to form, and struck out. With the clock nearing 4 a.m., the Braves
began their fireworks show, much to the dismay of the surrounding community.
Emergency calls were placed to the police, with some callers believing war had
commenced near the Georgia capitol while others suggesting an alien invasion was
taking place. In a baseball context, particularly pertaining to Camp, that was close to the
case.
Aside from his famous fling of the bat, Camp made his living with a sinker that earned
him stints with the Braves in 1978 and 1979 prior to his garnering a spot with Atlanta in
1980 as a non-roster invitee to spring training. He posted a 6-4 record, a 1.92 ERA and
22 saves in a club-record 77 appearances that year. The righthander then paced the
senior circuit with a 1.78 ERA in 1981, while his nine wins tied for the league lead among
pen men. Camp proceeded to move between starting and relieving, beginning in 1982,
and pitched in the big leagues with Atlanta through the 1985 season before opting to
retire. He concluded his days on the mound raking third in Atlanta annals in games
pitched (414) and saves (57).
(3/25/09)
remaining hard-core fans were hopeful of victory when Mets pitcher Tom Gorman
coerced outs from the first two Atlanta batters, leaving only Camp and his career .074
batting average to retire. Gorman got ahead of his mound opponent with two strikes until
the unthinkable occurred. Swinging wildly at the incoming fastball, Camp connected,
driving the ball deep into the sultry summer air before it disappeared over the outfield
wall for the pitcher’s only career home run, sending the game into inning 19.
Camp was not as successful in the following frame. He surrendered five runs in the top of
the inning and trailed 16-13 when he came to the plate with two out and two on in the
bottom of the 19th, the opportunity to tie the game again staring him in the face. This
time, Camp was true to form, and struck out. With the clock nearing 4 a.m., the Braves
began their fireworks show, much to the dismay of the surrounding community.
Emergency calls were placed to the police, with some callers believing war had
commenced near the Georgia capitol while others suggesting an alien invasion was
taking place. In a baseball context, particularly pertaining to Camp, that was close to the
case.
Aside from his famous fling of the bat, Camp made his living with a sinker that earned
him stints with the Braves in 1978 and 1979 prior to his garnering a spot with Atlanta in
1980 as a non-roster invitee to spring training. He posted a 6-4 record, a 1.92 ERA and
22 saves in a club-record 77 appearances that year. The righthander then paced the
senior circuit with a 1.78 ERA in 1981, while his nine wins tied for the league lead among
pen men. Camp proceeded to move between starting and relieving, beginning in 1982,
and pitched in the big leagues with Atlanta through the 1985 season before opting to
retire. He concluded his days on the mound raking third in Atlanta annals in games
pitched (414) and saves (57).
(3/25/09)
