August 22, 1982: BRUMMER STEALS HOME!!!

On August 22, 1982, 46,827 fans witnessed a battle between the Giants and the Cardinals at Busch, and it was a game they would never forget. It was a seesaw battle, the Cardinals scored first with an rbi double by Gene Tenace in the second. Then Willie McGee added to the Birds run total with a two run shot to put them up 3-0 after four. The Giants came storming back in the sixth and took a 4-3 lead, the score stayed the same until Ken Oberkfell knocked in the game tying run with an rbi double in the bottom of the ninth which sent the game into extras. Both teams put men on the tenth and eleventh but failed to score. In the twelfth, Jeff Lahti retired the Giants in order before the Cardinals came to bat. The Giants hurler, Gary Lavelle got a quick out to start the bottom of the twelfth, then gave up back to back singles to backup catcher Glenn Brummer and Willie McGee. After a popout by Julio Gonzalez, Ozzie Smith singled to load the bases, what happened next was simply epic. With Brummer standing at third and David Green at the dish trying to bring him home, the Cardinals batter quickly fell behind in the count 1-2. That's when it happened, BRUMMER STOLE HOME!!! BRUMMER STOLE HOME!!! It was unfugginbelievable and nobody in the world would have seen it coming.  Whitey Herzog didn't even know it was going to happen, the Cardinals skipper called Brummer the captain of the shock troops after the daring play. When Brummer was interviewed after the game he said "After a couple of pitches I saw he (the pitcher Gary Lavelle) wasn't paying any attention to me. I was thinking about it all the time but didn't want to tip it off." Since Lavelle was a lefty he had his back to Brummer and this opened up the opportunity for the Cardinals third string catcher. Brummer said "I took my normal lead for three pitches, and he still hadn't looked at me. He's got a high leg kick and was taking some time getting rid of the ball. On the next pitch I started edging off and he wasn't looking. When he started his windup, I took off." As Brummer came flying in, Green stepped away from the plate and Brummer slipped under Milt May's tag to win it. It might have just been the most epic regular season finish to a ballgame in the history of the old stadium. The Cardinals backup catcher was only in the game after a ninth inning double switch, most the time he was out in the bullpen helping relievers warm up. He hadn't picked up a hit since mid July and he had never stole home at any level. It was just the second stolen base of that season and his career. It was a stolen base that will live forever in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals, many consider it a catalyst in the Cardinals drive to the pennant. Brummer stole just four bases in 178 games in the big leagues, after the historic swipe in '82 his teammates autographed home plate and gave it to the backup catcher that will never be forgotten.

Watch Brummer steal home with the Moonman Mike Shannon making the call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8NNLXr_ugo

Check out the box score: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198208220.shtml