I was too young to watch baseball in the 80's but from what I know about it I love the small ball, base stealing, defense, bunts, etc. The game seemed very pure in that decade. Modern baseball is all about the long ball. Most batters either hit a home run, strikeout, or walk. And while I still love the game, I find that formula to be quite sad.
I have watched this clip numerous times....thanks fort posting...brings me back to a time when tickets were affordable, base stealing was an art, pre steroids, and the concept of team play was practiced. The athletes are stronger today but I believe the game quality back then was better.
Nintariz my first game was, believe it or not, game 5 of the 1985 NLCS, when Ozzie hit that left-handed walk-off home run. I was seven, and immediately and forevermore a Cardinals fan.
Honestly, he was a close to borderline HoF player. Two batting titles, an MVP, a key player on three NL Pennant winners. I think if he had another three years like those he might have had some consideration. At the bare minimum, if I had a player of his quality on my team, you would not hear me complain for a moment.
I love this game and watched it live at home, this was one of the few games we didn't go that year. I was 8 years old & we were so lucky being in Chicago back then because all of our games were on WGN,a lot of people didnt get every game on TV in those days in other markets.I still have this game on VHS tape.This was baseball b4 roids & divas.We would see Jody Davis drive up Irving Park to the expressway after the games in his jeep & many of the guys came into my dad's restaurant.Miss these days
Sutter's reaction at 16:15 is priceless, he absolutely spits and throws a fit, the minute the ball leaves the bat he knows it is gone. The fact he pitched three innings that day also makes saves at that period so valuable, today guys come in the ninth with a three run lead, walks two guys and gets a save. Back then you came in the seventh and could throw thirty or forty pitches before earning a save.
@@muzikdude1188 McGee was a quality player. Two batting titles, a World Series ring and two more NL championship appearances, good speed, good defense. If I had a guy like him on my team, I sure as hell wouldn't complain. I'm a White Sox fan but I don't hold any animosity towards the Cubs. Heck, I was happy for them when they won the whole thing a few years ago, mainly for the sake of my dad (he's 85 and has been a Cubs' fan his whole life) and a few friends of mine up north. I remember 1984 and that was a pretty cool year overall. You have a great one.
I was at this game with my fiance (now my wife of lo these many years), my brother and his first wife, and my sister and her boyfriend (now her husband). Cardinals fans all of us :)
That's because Willie McGee had already been named player of the game because he hit for the cycle and the game seemed over. Hard to take that back once it's announced, so they did the right thing by giving it to both
40 year old Expos fan here and wouldn't you know it I have a Ryne Sandberg jersey. I actually remember this, Willie Mcgee was awesome too, the golden years!
mrpink73 are you a Nationals fan now? how heartbreaking it must be when your team ceases to exist. I really did feel for Montreal when that happened. they may not have had the community support some teams have, but it was clearly a money move.
The Expos had a lot of talent come through Montreal. Boy were they loaded. From Randy Johnson to Pedro Martinez. I can take players the Montreal Expos had & put them together & the Yankees wouldn't beat them.
Oh man, remember when all Cub games were on WGN televised all over the country?! Same with the Braves and TBS. Oh, and that's right, Cubs day games!!!! No home night games until 1988!!!
Probably the greatest MLB regular season game I think I have ever seen. I was a very young kid but remember this game as the NBC game of the week. Good times even though the Redbirds lost. Good stuff.
The game that catapulted Ryne Sandberg into superstardom. He had one hell of a 1984 season and not to mention a hell of a career! .314 19 homers 36 doubles 19 triples 114 runs 32 steals 84 RBI's and his stellar defense help lifted the Cubs to an awesome '84. Would have loved to see them play the Tigers in that series it would have been a better matchup and a close one.
I can remember reading the write-up of this game in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday. The reporter pegged this as one of the great games of all time. Ryno went on to be MVP that year and Willie the next year.
- I dunno, I don't think anyone was going to beat the Tigers in '84, as great a team the Cubs had that year, they probably would've met the same fate vs the Tigers in the World Series as the Padres did.
Let's be fair now. Doubt anyone, not the Padres or Cubs were going to beat the Tigers in 84'. If u remember correctly, the Tigers that year started out 35-5. The best start to over the 1st 40 games in MLB history. They were that good. What a NLCS series though too in 84'. Sorry Cub fans but my heavily underdog Padres prevailed in 5 in a classic NLCS match-up.
@@OutlookPositive If memory serves, the biggest reason why I wasn't optimistic about the Cubs' chances against the Tigers in 1984 was because the Tigers had a solid left-handed-hitting lineup, and the Cubs' pitching staff was predominately right-handed (Steve Trout being the exception). But unfortunately for family members and friends of mine, it wasn't to be. Your Padres outdid the Cubs and I tip the hat to you for that. You are right about the Tigers, though. They had an awesome team. Whitaker and Trammell, Gibson, Parrish, Darrell Evans, the bench was fantastic. And the pitching was great, with Morris and Hernandez and Lopez and others. I don't think anyone was going to beat them that year, either.
I remember exactly where I was as I listened to this game on the radio. I heard Sandberg's first home run driving northbound on the Edens Expressway, stopped at Northbrook Court, and heard his second home run also in my car on the Edens. Later that summer, I moved to Providence, RI, where every Portuguese person -- upon learning I was from Chicago -- claimed to be a PERSONAL FRIEND of Providence native, Davey Lopes.
Sandberg hit two homers in a single game against Sutter. That alone was remarkable. Sutter was the toughest, hardest and nastiest NL reliever of the 80s. Sutter was fit to be tied after the second homer as he knew that no one was supposed to do that against him. Excellent game! I'm a Mets fan. I can recall how both Sandberg and McGee consistently cost us games and NL Eastern Division titles. They were two of the greatest players of the decade.
I saved the Chicago Tribune newspaper the day after this game. The headline of the sports section read Whitey Herzog; "Ryne Sandberg is the greatest player I've seen". I still have the paper. Great memories.
I remember watching this as a 16 year old. I still say it's the best baseball game I have ever seen. I'm a Cubs fan, my dad liked the Cards (we lived in between the two cities in Illinois). Also one of the best times I had with my dad for just a normal day.
Harry Caray: 1ST Sandberg Homerun: THERE IT GOES!! WAY BACK!!! IT MIGHT BE! IT COULD BE! IT IIIIISSS!!!!! HOOLY COW!!! THE GAME IS TIED!!!! THE GAME IS TIED!!!! SANDBERG DID IT!!! LISTEN TO THE CROWD!!!! 2ND Sandberg Homerun: There is a line DRIVE!! WAY BACK!!! MIGHT BE OUTTA HERE!!!! IIIT IIIIIIISSSS!!!!! HE DID IT AGAIN!!!! HE DID IT AGAIN!!!! THE GAME IS TIED!!!! THE GAME IS TIED!!!! HOOLY COOWW!!!! LISTEN TO THIS CROWD!!!! EVERYBODY'S GONE BANANAS!!!!
As a Cardinal fan , I have to say that the Cardinals, Cubs rivalry, is the best. Willie McGee was my favorite player of that era. A lot of respect and admiration though to Ryne Sandberg. I also have to watch things like this to remind myself that Ozzie was the best shortstop ever. I still have not seen anyone that compares to him.
@@kyokogodai-ir6hy yes defensively. He was a wizard. Best defensive play ever made in MLB history by any shortstop was him while with the Padres. Period. Nothing else compares.
I loved Ryne Sandberg. I remember in his first game ever Harry Carrey was announcing and described his two brilliant defensive plays, something like -- " Look at this kid! He goes all the way to his left on one, all the way to his right on another. Ho-oh-ly Cow!" He and Ozzy Smith were just great and they respected the game and the other players so much.
I remember this game - one of the best games I've ever watched (even as a Cardinal fan)! I remembered Costas announcing this, and it strikes me now as how young he had to be, but he did a great job.
@@larrysproul9424 I was watching Cubs baseball when Jack Brickhouse was doing Hamm's Beer promos during the game. "From the land of sky blue waters.... Hamm's"
I remember watching this game with a buddy of mine who was a Cardinal fan. I'd forgotten many of the details of the game so this video was a trip down memory lane! Sandberg & McGee with monster performances respectively!
announcing sure has changed. Today they couldn't stop yapping non-stop about the exploits of the two players. Back then they were judicial about how much they talked about it.
Saw this game on TV real time. Perhaps the best game in my life. Great performances by both teams. You must understand----- Bruce Sutter had a n almost un-hit-able fork ball pitch that just dove down on hitters in one motion. Great pitcher. That day in baseball history, it didn't break enough, and Ryne Sandberg had a game for the ages. And Willie McGee? Oh, please. Speed, great fielder, played his heart out that day as well. Anyone who paid to see that game should have kept the ticket stub.
Thanks. Terrific edit. I lived within hearing distance of Wrigley Field from 1982-2000. There'd be a roar from Wrigley, so I'd turn on the TV but nothing would be happening. I finally figured out that it would take 8 to 15 seconds for the sound of cheering after a homer to get to my apartment due to the speed out sound, so by the time my CRT TV had warmed up, the homer hitter would be back in the dugout and the bases would be empty.
Ryne Sandberg (5 hits, 7 RBI) and Willie McGee (4 hits, 6 RBI) were in full Nintendo mode! I think I heard Power-Up music when they each came up to bat!
Wow, did not know this video was here. I was 16 and my dad took me, my sister and some of our friends to this game. Beautiful Saturday afternoon and sold out. We got SRO tickets and stood in back of the seats on the 1st base side. My usually stoic dad leaped and danced when Sandberg hit that second home run. I had never seen him that excited. He's 80 now and we still talk about this game. My sister made me a collage of pictures and other memories as a H.S. graduation gift 2 years later that included her ticket stub and I still have it! Thanks for the video! What an awesome day that was.
The most unbelievable regular season game I ever saw and I'm a Cardinal fan. Keep in mind that Bruce Sutter is in the HOF because his split-finger was nearly unhittable. Ryne Sandberg has always been one of my favorite Cubs but man the organization sure fucked him over after his ball-playing days were over.
I was 4 yrs old at this time. I’ve watched baseball my whole life I’ve seen both Sandburg and McGee homer but never heard of this epic meeting. Magical game.
Wrigley Field sure was wild back then. That was a golden era of baseball, and I think we are entering another one because of all the amazing young talent. Acuna Jr., Tatis Jr., Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso, and a slew of others are just getting their feet wet in the majors, and they are already performing at MVP levels. These are generational type players who add interest and excitement to the game and put butts in the seats.
, I remember this game I was working downtown Chicago I was 19 years old now I am 53 wow memories now I live in Florida how time passes so fast but that was one of the best epic Cub Cardinal games of all time
This was the 2nd crew on NBC'S Game of the Week. Because the Dodgers/Mets was rained out at Shea Stadium on Channel 4 in New York & Los Angeles. But this was seen on WMAQ-TV Channel 5 & KSDK-TV Channel 5 and the rest of the NBC Television Networks around the country.
Man, I’m just glad there was no instant replay back then. You can’t distinguish a baseball from the base, the foul line and white socks they wore with the pixels and non HD back then. YIKES
As a Cardinal fan, this game will forever be known as Sandberg ruined Willie McGee's cycle. This game was amazing, period. Both Cardinal fans and Cub fans can agree that this game is the greatest baseball game ever played. With that said, Go St.Louis Cardinals!!!!!!!!!!
Simple. Prior to this game, Sandberg hadn't really established himself as a superstar hitter. BTW, if you're talking about Sandberg's second homer off Sutter, Dernier was on first. Second and third were open.
What can you say. What a great decade for baseball. 1984 was a great year as well, the year the San Diego Padres beat these same Cubs for the pennant 3-2 after losing the first two games at Wrigley. Also, African-American participation was much higher.
Is it just me or do you see these players as more authentic than those who have come after. Seeing Cey at 3rd base and all these guys..just brings back a feeling of intensity and purpose..when the game counted more!
Hitting for the cycle is a remarkable achievement--it happens about as often in MLB as a pitcher throwing a no-hitter. Sandberg was the epitome of clutch in this game but what McGee did was pretty special as well.
Fellas don't listen to this dude. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. I remember Willie McGee, #51. He was a baller. Hit for cycle indeed in this game. If it weren't for the Cubs winning the game, it would be all about Willie McGee. I remember him hitting .351 & winning the batting title too. He had speed as well. That combo of McGee & Coleman. Man they can run.
Gary Mathews was a really nice guy too. His kids played little league at the same park that I did and I was umpiring at that time and he would talk with everyone and never brushed anyone away or was a jag to anyone. He never yelled at any of us umpires or was a diva with any of the coaches. That was a fun few years with him and his kids.
The Cardinals catcher (Porter?) gave the game away. He made Sutter pitch the exact same three pitches to Sandberg. You could almost superimpose Sandberg's last two AB's. What a game!
This was the one of the 2 games to see on NBC. The Dodgers/Mets at Shea was rained out with Vin and Joe. So they went to Cardinals and Cubs at Wrigley Field what turned out to be a classic. Willie McGee who was gonna be the Miller Lite player of the game. Till Ryne Sandberg stole the show with 2 homeruns of former Cub Bruce Sutter. Bob Costas & Tony Kubex had the call of this summer game on WMAQ-TV Channel 5 and sister station KSDK-TV Channel 5 .On radio 720 WGN in STL. 1120 KMOX.
I grew up in Kenosha as a Cubs fan. I was also eight (just about to turn 9). We were down 9-3 and we went to the mall. When I got to the mall, they were down 9-6. I stayed and watched the remainder of the game with an ever growing crowd as the rest of the family went shopping. From that day forward, Ryno has been my favorite athlete. He will make a fabulous manager in the big leagues when he finally gets his shot (too bad the Cubs current administration were too stupid and passed).
Who can forget Ryne Sandberg 2 homeruns against former Cub Bruce Sutter definitely with Bob Costas/ Tony Kubek on NBC Sports . Sports world was coming up but Ryno's 2 long balls was the difference. But the Cubs won the game. Later on the Nine o'clock News on WGN Channel 9 the highlights were played from 720 WGN Radio
Referred to in Chicago as the Sandberg Game, and everyone knows what you’re talking about. A guy at work was giving us updates to this incredible game.
yes that was common when the pitcher would make the last out of an inning until sometime in the 1990's. The pitcher would then use the ball on the mound to start the next inning. Nowadays if the ball is dropped by a player they throw it out or toss it to a fan....lol
white deion I like that to. Used to happen all the time. I play 1st base in slow pitch softball, and if a pitcher grounds out to end an inning, I toss the ball to him. Everybody looks at me like "what the hell."