1978 WS Game 3

It Was 30 Years Ago

And that fact alone makes it harder for me to get my head around my own life. I saw this game; it was so memorable, it's probably one of 5 games I recall vividly from my childhood.

Here's Bruce Markusen talking about it.

With Ron Guidry less than sharp in Game Three—he would walk seven Dodgers on the night—the Yankees’ performance hinged on the acrobatic defensive play of Graig Nettles. Playing third base like no Yankee since then (sorry, Scott Brosius, Charlie Hayes, and Mike Pagliarulo), Nettles speared several hard-hit grounders and line drives, turning what should have been an array of singles and doubles into a series of outs. Without Nettles’ full-scale imitation of Brooks Robinson, the Yankees would have trailed by three or four runs early, Guidry would have given way to an inferior reliever, and the Yankees would have fallen into a 3-0 well that would have been almost certainly insurmountable.

None of that would have been avoided if the Yankees had done something that was rumored four winters earlier. According to a story that appeared in the New York Daily News on December 7, 1974, the Yankees had given serious consideration to a trade that would have sent Nettles to the Cincinnati Reds for Hall of Fame first baseman Tony Perez. According to the article, penned by longtime baseball writer Phil Pepe, the Reds wanted Nettles and another player for Perez, who had hit 19 points higher and slugged six more home runs than Nettles during the 1974 season.

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Of course, all of that is merely speculation after the fact. The trade involving Nettles and the Reds never happened—and that turned out to be a good thing for both the "Big Red Machine" and the Bronx Zoo Yankees. Despite continual floggings from the Sabermetric community for being an undeserving Hall of Fame, Perez served the Reds well as their patented No. 5 hitter behind Johnny Bench, a capable everyday first baseman, and "keep-‘em-loose" clubhouse leader. As for the Yankees, it’s doubtful they would have visited three consecutive World Series without Nettles’ Gold Glove defense and abundant left-handed power, the latter characteristic making him an ideal sixth and seventh-place hitter behind the likes of Munson and Reggie Jackson.

One thing is for darn sure. No living third baseman in 1978—not an aging Brooks Robinson, not even Darrell Evans—would have been able to save Game Three the way that Graig Nettles did.

Yeah. I saw that game too and clearly I wasn't the only one who walked away marveling.

I've noticed this promo picture for Yahoo's Fantasy baseball season this year... and I swear that player looks like Nettles in his heyday to me. Stay with me on this; The pinstripes on the uniform look like Yankee pinstripes. The black under the eyes, the 1970s-style stirrups, the air-brushed logo from the cap... that's so 1970s. When I first saw the image, my first reaction was "Graig!" If it's not him, it sure is a dead ringer, because that's how I remember him, flying sideways like superman with a glove, nabbing line-drive balls.
You do something great people remember you a lifetime.