A Moment In Time
By Anne Madarasz

Sports is people and place, moment and memory. On October 13, 1960, at 3:36 p.m., one of the great moments in sports history occurred. Bill Mazeroski launched a Ralph Terry pitch over the left field wall in Forbes Field, winning Game Seven and the 1960 World Series for the Pirates. Maz, who finished with a lifetime .983 fielding percentage, was best known at the time for his defensive play at second base. Yet, this moment, Maz's game and Series winning home run, came to define his career. It is preserved in the memory of those who witnessed it; and on film, and has become part of the shared consciousness of baseball and sports fans everywhere. We watch this event of 45 years ago and remember it all as if it were yesterday.

Maz, a young man, his cheek rounded by a wad of chaw, stands in the batter's box, the count one ball and no strikes. Ralph Terry stretches and delivers the pitch; Maz smashes a long drive to left. Yankee leftfielder Yogi Berra wheels back to make the catch, then watches in seeming disbelief as the ball clears the wall. The crowd rises to its feet as one as Maz dances his way around the base paths. By second base his batting helmet is in his hand, wind-milling in joy. At third Maz gathers a small crowd of fans who trail him to homeplate where his teammates await. The win touches off a celebration that starts on the field and spreads throughout Pittsburgh as thousands take to the streets to scream, dance and marvel at the Bucs beating the seemingly invincible Yankees.

It's hard to beat Maz's home run for sheer drama and for the importance of the outcome. But, perhaps it is also the making of the moment that renders it so unforgettable. When Maz homered, he became the first player to ever end the World Series with a home run. He seemed a somewhat improbable choice to play the hero - though a consistent hitter, his lifetime average was .260 and he racked up only 138 home runs in his 17 seasons with the Pirates. Though he hit particularly well during this Series, a two-run homer in Game 1 and two runs driven in during Game 5 being highlights, it was always Maz's glove and his modest manner that he had been known for.

The Pirates win itself seemed a miracle - the Yankees hit a record .338 for the Series, and outscored the Pirates 55-27. They took Game 2 by a score of 16-3; Game 3, 10-0; and Game 6, 12-0. The Pirates, who had their biggest margin of victory in Game 5 (5-2), never seemed to feel the pressure. They were the little guys, in their first Fall Classic since they lost to the 1927 Yankees, seeking their first world championship in 35 years. Ahead in the early innings of Game 7, the Bucs fell behind in the sixth, but made up with it with a spectacular Hal Smith home run, which put the Pirates ahead and turned Forbes Field into "an outdoor insane asylum." For a short time, it was Smith who appeared headed for hero status.

Perhaps it was fate intervening on Maz's behalf when the Yanks surged back in the ninth and tied the game at nine, thus setting the stage for Maz's moment of glory.

He stepped to the plate and in his one and only swing in that at bat, made history.

Anne Madarasz is the Director of the Western PA Sports Museum - the 1960 World Series is a featured story in the baseball section of the Sports Museum.