1985 NLCS Gm6: Clark blasts a three-run homer

[@jessethomas1466]

I met Jack Clark at the St. Louis hall of fame and he was one of the coolest people I have ever met. He signed my tickets and gave my girlfriend a signed baseball card for my step kids. He will forever have my respect.

[@garycourtier4668]

I miss Vin Scully and I miss Jack Buck. Two masters of their craft.

[@urbansojournerimages]

Jack Clark took so long to round the bases after this home run, Kirk Gibson passed him on the basepath after he hit his GW home run in the 1988 World Series against Eckersley...

[@danielgreen7050]

Lol. Good one. I had to think about that one for a moment.

[@FischerFan]

After all those years of playing for the Giants, I'm sure Clark wanted to savour that home run for as long as he could.

[@redbeansricelytours7947]

Dodgers just got payback!

[@DD-fm7xb]

At least he started running when he hit...Today's guy's would be pounding their chests while admiring it

[@derekpalermo4407]

So what Jack Clark is the man

[@eddobrzeniecki6568]

I wish baseball was this amazing again.

[@kevosuss4537]

31 years later and Jack Clark is still trotting around the bases.

[@MarkRoberts-bj2me]

Well Kevo, it was against the Dodgers, Jack was an ex-Giant and the homerun has gone down in Cardinal lore as one of the greatest feats of all-time.

[@MarkRoberts-bj2me]

As I'm sure you recall Kevo, Jack was a Giant for many years. Chuckled at your post.

[@kevaninthe4135]

I'm sure he loved rubbing it into the Dodger faithful in the crowd. I also thought he was just that slow. Not much of a speed threat.

[@MarkRoberts-bj2me]

Oh Jack, you brought this Cardinal fan such joy. You will always have a special place in my heart. My eyes are tearing up as I type this. Rest In Peace Jack.

[@kevaninthe4135]

What? Where are you hearing he's dead? I'm not seeing anything about him having died.

[@mdfrenchy]

Jack Clark is arguably one of the most underrated power hitters of all time. When he hit homers, they almost always left the field of play in a split second. He mashed the balls. When he came to St. Louis, I knew he was a good hitter. I never realized how hard he crushed the baseball. It was definitely an impressive display of brute force and timing.

[@stinkypinkeee5085]

Busch Stadium II had a deep porch, all the way around...Clark could have hit 50+ at Dodger Stadium during that time period...he hit SO many loud outs!

[@AndreLVaughn]

Pete Guerrerro's reaction in left field was priceless! 😂

[@califinn]

Perfect. Lombardi used to say, "Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." Pedro wanted to win, and he was pissed Clark hit that bomb.

[@kalbakhmigha]

@@califinn He was just pissed because he had to wait another few minutes to ingest that 8-ball of coke.

[@ezehogan]

Everything about this is awesome. Vin Scully on the mic calling the action, Mike Scioscia behind the plate, Whitey Herzog obviously letting the nerves get to him as Tommy Lasorda paces in the dugout debating on whether he should pitch to Clark or walk the bases loaded and pitch to Andy Van Slyke. Willie McGee is on third with Ozzie Smith on 2nd. Niedenfuer breathing hard at the mound in his 3rd inning of work and coming off of a game where he allowed an Ozzie Smith walk off homer. Then on the first pitch Clark belts a no doubter over the fence as Pedro Guerrero slams his glove in disgust. Clark methodically rounds the bases while shouting to the Cardinals dugout as the team takes the field in jubilation. Meanwhile Scully breaks down the events. What an amazing scene.

[@spy1965]

I totally forgot about that Ozzie h.r. !

[@bobbenbrown123]

Dont forget about Vin Scullys legendary baseball announcing partner: JOE GARAGIOLA!

[@sirjer73]

@@bobbenbrown123 a former St. Louisan who grew up with Yogi Berra, won a title with the Cardinals and Stan Musial and also broadcast for the Cardinals.

[@FischerFan]

Everything you describe makes this game, and this moment, one of the baseball classics.

[@chicagomike4587]

Damn Right

[@lastchance7463]

Almost 40 years later, I still remember a headline the next day in a sports section of one of the local newspapers when I lived in So. California at the time: “ One way or another, the San Francisco Giants come back to haunt the Dodgers “. 🤬🤬🤬

[@CandlestickSec7]

That home run trot was the trot of a #ForeverGiant

[@impassable]

Wonderful daytime baseball

[@michaelgreenhill610]

One of my favorite baseball moments! I could watch Jack's homer all day and not stop smiling!

[@blabberer8950]

I was 9. I remember getting home from school and seeing the ending. This was an afternoon weekday game, right? I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw.

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

An absolute bomb, a righteous bat flip, Pedro Guerrero slamming his glove to the ground, and an in your face home run trot.

[@brettshepherd5240]

I wonder why people get mad at some players for their home run flips and trots but not others

[@JustSayMilo]

IT WAS BEAUTIFUL

[@dodgervision1]

Only to become the Dodgers' hitting coach decades later.

[@DodgerFan1988]

Pedro Guerrero's reaction pretty much says it all.

[@rollo131]

It’s actually kind of childish.

[@donarthiazi2443]

​@@rollo131 Oh boo-hoo

[@Mark-sj3xb]

As he was slamming his glove he said “Why the **** did we pitch to him?”

[@eltravo2112]

They really needed Jack Clark’s bat in the 1987 WS. I remember someone with a sign at Busch stadium while playing the Giants in the 87 NLCS and the sign read: We don’t need the Hack Man we got the Jack Man!

[@johndoe-bw8wx]

Man I miss 80s baseball! The best ever!!!

[@gregfoster8823]

The 80s were a fun decade of Cardinal baseball...big rivalries with the Dodgers and Mets..

[@jibrilthegreat35]

You just miss youth, 😂

[@vincentrobinson3078]

Yep , it was a lot of fun back then

[@ericgrove9147]

Jack Clark had some serious bat speed. He could blast some long bombers.

[@sominboy2757]

They didnt call him "jack the ripper" for nothing

[@mdfrenchy]

Agreed. His homers were almost always laser beams to the bleachers. Very rarely did he have the long looping homers.

[@bradlewis6514]

And on the first pitch nonetheless! It's like he knew what was coming before it came! I remember exactly where I watched that! Eighth grade at the time

[@bradlewis6514]

@@mdfrenchy Right, and this one was a titanic shot! U knew it was gone the moment his bat made contact

[@RichardJLawrence]

@@bradlewis6514 me too. I was 18. Got home from classes at my local community college and turned on NBC or maybe KTTV to watch the game. I still had to work that evening. I was so sad.

[@chrisearl1918]

I'm not sure what I enjoy most about watching this. The bloated guts of each manager in the dugout. Mike Brito (Panama hat guy) letting the radar gun fall in a most dispirited motion after Clark made contact. The Dodgers' left fielder throwing his glove like a 7-year-old. Jack Clark taking about 10 minutes to round the bases. And I'm not even a Cardinals fan...

[@skywalkr2]

Chris Earl That LF who a few years later would play for St Louis.

[@cards1985]

Chris Copeland You're right, Pedro Guerrero. He had an all-star season with the Cards in 1989.

[@franko8858]

Chris Earl You are right about Clark, but I never really noticed it. Man, could you pick up the pace around the bases a little...it's going to be 1986 if you take any longer!

[@TheCoreContingency]

+Frank O If he pulled that pace nowadays, he'd get plunked the next time up.

[@franko8858]

TheCoreContingency True.

[@cjs7553]

I'm a Cubs fan. I wanted the Dodgers to win this series. Yet this is one of the great moments in baseball history. And how can you not enjoy Scully and Garagiola calling this series or any game for that matter?

[@MultiAntiliberal]

As a cards fan, I love it when the cubs miss playoffs

[@danielmcgrane5698]

Growing up a Cards fan in STL and being 14 at the time of this HR, I would have to say this my favorite Cards moment. We were playing fuzz ball on our neighborhood street during the game and this happened during rush hour. The next street over was a busy, 4 lane highway clogged with traffic. Suddenly, everyone started honking their horns like crazy. It was so loud, we couldn't hear the radio that we had on in the background but we knew something big had just happened. We rushed inside to see the damage that Clark had done. Damn, those were some fun teams to watch!

[@soulofhawk1742]

Funny stuff, I was 15, diehard Dodger fan. Broke my heart back then. Cards always gave the Dodgers grief. They would win pennants and hit very few HR as a team. Pitcher was nicknamed ' Tom Needahomer".

[@michaelhuffman6429]

I was 25, watching this in the backwoods of Arkansas with two older friends, it was awesome.

[@Gregory-sm9pf]

Brokeback Mountain

[@shawngregory1429]

The best “F-You” home run in the history of baseball.

[@chn9285]

Dennis Eckersley had to say 'fuck you' in his mind at least after gibson's blast!!

[@clubhouseme]

Robbie Alomar on Eckersley 1992 playoffs

[@richardlooby4736]

@Vincent Cuttolo point missed

[@97carded]

I also love the look on Orels face.

[@mdfrenchy]

@Vincent Cuttolo Kirk Gibson didn't have a history of animosity with the A's. It also wasn't very controversial that Eckersley would pitch to Gibson since Gibson could barely walk. Clark was the most potent bat in the Cardinal lineup. And Clark, a former SF Giant, had a long history of rivalry and antagonism with the Dodgers. That Lasorda would still pitch to him was a sign of disrespect. I'm sure that's what Shawn Gregory was referring to and the point that Richard Looby said you missed.

[@budwizeerr1966]

I am from St Louis , there was about 20 of us together all had super big gulps and when he hit that all hell broke lose in my mom and dads house it was awesome!!!!

[@RememberTheGreatsSports]

I love Pedro Guerrero's response slamming his glove to the ground as the ball soars over him. Never seen a player do that before. Still gives me chills so many years later watching this. One of my favorite highlights of my childhood growing up in St. Louis.

[@arthurjoseph2148]

A ST. LOUIS CARDINALS FAN FROM LOS ANGELES, LOL! 👍

[@winklestiltskin]

It's so bizarre that Guerrero & Niedenfuer both ended up finishing their careers with the Cardinals. That's baseball for you.

[@Mark-sj3xb]

He never moved. He heard the crack of the bat and the ball was over his head before he could even react. Awesome

[@ozarkelmo]

In college in MO at the time. Lifetime Cardinal fan. Iconic - that's a perfect word. Simply a blast, and emphatic blast!

[@ltahoe7195]

Jack Clark, after all those years playing for the lousy Giants was finally on a winner. Unfortunately both in 1985 and 1987 the Cardinals lost the World Series. Although the 1985 WS loss to KC was really mostly due to a horrible call at 1st base in game 6 that cost the Cardinals the game at KC.

[@KeithFroehlich07]

Niedenfuer bagged Judy Landers. Nice consolation prize.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Got the save that really mattered lol. She's still a fox at 60.

[@dshadow3173]

Jack Clark was a beast at the plate.

[@murphyotoole9014]

The student union at Arizona State where this game was playing on TV was in two distinct categories after this belt. One, Dodger fans there were dead silent and stunned, and the Cards' fans (though smaller in overall number) were going absolutely nuts. Can still visualize it to this day.

[@athleticchipnyc]

One of my favorite home runs ever in baseball and I’m not even a cardinals fan lol. Ozzie smiths home run, Kirk Gibsons HR in 1988, Bucky Dents in 1978 vs the Red Sox…all great moments for the game ⚾️

[@michaelmorales4381]

For as long as I live I will never understans how Lasorda decides to pitch to Clark instead of the rookie Vanslyke. That decision will forever haunt Lasorda.

[@fernandofernando4364]

Pick your poison. Van Slyke was a lefty & I would think more dangerous than Clark. Was a chance he took & it backfired obviously

[@russhowser9747]

Niedenfuer had struck out both Clark and Van Slyke in the 7th inning with the score tied. Back when closers entered the game sooner. Lasorda probably thought he could get him a second time.

[@Coldpack13]

Pedro slamming his glove on the ground. Classic.

[@vincentrobinson3078]

Jack Clark was so strong !! He once hit a shot at old Veterans Stadium here in Philly they say measured like 500 ft.

[@stevecvino]

My man I know the shot your talking about. I believe '87 season. I couldn't make the game my friends went and told me all about it. Upper deck job in the multi colored Vet seats.

[@nicholasgiordano9155]

Love the way he took his sweet old time rounding the base's

[@713dmac]

I understand that this was a great moment in Cardinal history and can appreciate that even as a life ling Dodger fan. What I can't take is the organization hiring Clark as our hitting coach for a few years. That's like the Tuna coaching the Cowboys or someone like Pat Riley going to coach the Celtics. There are some things you just don't do to your fan base and that's one of them. That being said, Clark was awesome. Dammit!

[@dennissvitak148]

Jack Clark was some kind of clutch. How clutch? 106 RBI in 419 at bats.

[@JTDutch]

... Hard to figure out where to begin with the managerial errors in this at-bat, but: 1 - Niedenfuer was left in the game too long, this was his third inning of work 2 - Clark was the only real power hitter the Cardinals had that year, it made more sense to walk him with first base open that it would be normally 3 - Jerry Reuss (a left-handed starting pitcher) was warming up in the Dodger bullpen, and he was warming up to pitch to the left-handed hitting Andy Van Slyke, which made walking Clark make even more sense Now obviously, even without the errors, the Cardinals may have won the game anyway. They had a great club that year. But - the Dodgers had a great club, too. Unfortunately, the Dodgers were let down by their manager at the most critical time.

[@JB-fm8uy]

Niedenfuer was pure garbage. When Ozzie Smith hits a home run off you. Greatest with the glove, but zero power.

[@JTDutch]

@@JB-fm8uy ... Sometimes good pitchers get beaten. Frank Viola gave up a home run to Tom Lawless in the 1987 World Series. That's just baseball.

[@davethebarber62920]

One of the worst managerial decisions ever! Jack Clark, when he was healthy, was one of the most clutch power hitters of his era. I am a Cardinal fan so I was cheering and jumping up and down. I remember this like it was yesterday.

[@MrDeterioration]

Clark was the best clutch hitter of his era.

[@goyetero]

Yeah but the Cardinals were defeated by the Royals in the World Series. Yeah!

[@OscarBravoUSA]

Scully knew the Dodgers too, too well. I loved his statement about Lasorda contemplating pitching to that "blank-blank [Andy] Van Slyke." Then "do I walk [Clark] or pitch to so-and-so?" Baseball commentary at its resounding best.

[@roncs9582]

YEAH THEY GOT FU ON THAT CALL IN GAME SIX AT FIRST BASE IN THE 9TH, THE CARDS WON THAT GAME AND SHOULD OF WON THAT SERIES 4-2, IF THEY HAD RECALL BACK THEN IT WOULD OF BEEN REVERSED AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT, THE ROYALS DIDN'T WIN SHT !

[@pomerlain8924]

I think the strike out of Clark in the 7th gave Niedenfuer a big head. "If I struck him out once, I'll do it again." Unfortunately, Clark is too good a hitter to not have made some adjustments. He saw the pitches from Niedenfuer in his previous at bat, and now knew what to expect. All Niedenfuer had to do was give Clark the free base, and go after Van Slyke, who was having a miserable series at the plate.

[@bnegs521]

The entire dugout emptied before the game was over I loved that. The Phillies used to do that too.

[@joetoth5465]

Totally awesome!This homerun is a great childhood memory of mine.I was 12 years old at the time and walked home from school just in time to catch it.Grew up hating the Dodgers and loving the Angels.This was my all time favorite homerun until Spiezio hit that three run shot in game 6.

[@kidndrei998]

+Joe Toth My favorite non-Dodger home run, does the name Dave Henderson ring a bell to you ? 2 years after Henderson, some guy named Kirk brought me my favorite home run of all time. And of course Vin would call it...

[@carlopineda9081]

Andrei Ojeda lol 😂 👊🏻 Gene Mauch on that dugout, as the Anaheim stadium crowd saw the pennant slip away. 🤣😂😅😜👊🏻😄😁🍾🍾🍾🍾

[@carlopineda9081]

Joe Toth kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoKyqpuZfr-EsNE Everyone, look at that Dave Henderson jump, spin, and run around the bases. 😂🤣😅👊🏻😁

[@joetoth5465]

Yeah that was a nightmare.Finally got over it after we won the WORLD SERIES in 2002.

[@joelwells6333]

I remember listening to this game on my Walkman. I was on a bus stop on the Southside of Chicago. I remember thinking, just before the pitch, "Why is LaSorda pitching to Superman?"

[@josephhale9198]

I was born in stl but I followed cubs on wgn more than stl in 80s n 90s

[@josephhale9198]

Something about cubs and harry carry and Steve stone I loved it

[@arthurjoseph2148]

WALKMANS, A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY R ASKIN "WHAT R WALKMANS"?

[@markwestman1460]

@@josephhale9198 Classic, especially by the 7th inning when Harry would be half in the bag and have chicken grease running down his chin and all over his golf shirt. Good times.

[@OldRustySteele]

@@markwestman1460 Mark, are you saying Ol’ Harry was only half in the bag?!?! Lesh get schome runs! (hic). 🤣

[@pbrickley6247]

Best moment of an outstanding career.

[@nickrodriguez4294]

My favorite player growing up in San Francisco! He hits a homer in the championship series and against that team down south.... Thanks Jack! ⚾️

[@arthurjoseph2148]

LOL, THAT TEAM DOWN SOUTH (THE DOODGERS!)

[@shepardbook]

I wish the giants had never traded him.

[@j.l.outletdeals8873]

Thank you Chris Taylor!

[@califinn]

Man, games like this, moments like this, it's what makes the game so great...and when the game is great, the great players drop magic fairy dust on our heads with their skills in the big moments.

[@Dontuween]

Tom Niedenfuer was a great save man for the Dodgers. But after that Jack Clark home run, combined with the Ozzie Smith blast in the game prior, he was never the same again and left the Dodgers after the 1986 season.

[@Mark-sj3xb]

You just DONT groove a fastball down the pipe to Jack Clark.

[@kurtzimmerman1637]

Jack the Ripper strikes again! Man could he hit.

[@cards1985]

When I was watching this unfold back in '85, I couldn't believe Tommy didn't walk Clark.

[@OliveOyl12590]

cards1985 It's 30 years later and I STILL don't believe it.

[@Chutney1luv]

It's almost 31 years and I still can't believe it!

[@rockyracoon3233]

@Vincent Cuttolo Ditto!

[@tonyc8752]

and pitch to that "so-and-so" Van Slyke... lol, I love Vince Scully's broadcasting

[@jarrodbarkley9061]

Love your picture!!

[@97carded]

This also was for SF.

[@KALS4Gehrig]

Kind of ironic that both Tom Niedenfuer and Pedro Guerrero (left field) both would end up playing for the Cardinals in a few years.

[@josephhale9198]

Loved pete!!!!

[@fitcwebb]

Jack's look over to his dugout while his homerun is still rising, is one of the classics of all time. A statement shot if there ever was one

[@kellyhull1450]

"Told you I would!!"

[@chevisfleming6577]

Absolutely!!!

[@SladeBling]

Lasorda almost stroked out watching that ball rocket though the smoggy air.

[@iamTW64]

Not sure what I enjoyed more, Jack Clark's slow trot around the bases or the Cardinals emptying the dugout and meeting him at home plate to celebrate taking the lead.

[@MrDanty64]

+Tim White You watch this and then you see what dudes do today....makes these guys look like top-hatted wearing gentlemen! Might as well have put a tarp or a jacket over a muddy hole!!

[@bnegs521]

Guys emptying out of the dugout before the game was even over was awesome. Pete Rose and the Phillies used to love to do it.

[@mrt1626]

A famous saying in LA after that game was, "Even Tommy Lasorda's dog knows when it's time for a walk!" I guess that makes him smarter than Tommy. But to be fair, EVERYBODY in Los Angeles knew it was time for a walk. And when they decided to pitch to Clark, we all knew what was going to happen.

[@belliose]

That's hilarious.I had just said to my brother, "Well there's no way he pitches to Clark!"

[@FischerFan]

@@belliose Clark had been hitting home runs for the Giants for years before going to the Cardinals. So it's not like Lasorda didn't know who Clark was and what he could do with the bat. Well, Lasorda played with the fire....and he got burned!

[@belliose]

@@FischerFan Try to keep up.

[@FischerFan]

@@belliose ..and what is that supposed to mean?

[@stephanielaurenbounds4958]

HARD to believe that that was almost THIRTY YEARS AGO!!!! I remember being in the tenth grade in the fall of 1985 and coming home and watching this game!!!!! I KNOW my late Papaw Grady "Hack" Wilson got a HUGE kick out of this game because he was a HUGE St. Louis Cardinals fan!!!

[@agt462]

+Stephanie Lauren “Helen Gurley Brown” Bounds I was also in the 10th grade but I said "fuck school today" and the only time in my life I cried over a game of baseball. Just 2 years ago Kershaw fell apart and Carpenter did the same thing. Took it well this time. Dodgers Fan!!!!

[@eaglesyz]

This was back when baseball had great broadcasters and great commentators. ESPN does not have anyone now that can hold a candle to Scully or Joe G. These guys were fun to listen to and told it like it was, no political correctness.

[@chrislauderdale9791]

Jack Clark was always a first-ball fast-ball hitter and Niedenfurer served it right up. Man, that dude could mash!

[@agt462]

30 years later and still remember this day like yesterday. I remember ditching high school to watch this game. HARDCORE Dodgers fan and gotta admit I broke down crying after Clark`s HR.....you just new it was over.......yes men cry in baseball too.

[@brettshepherd5240]

agt462 me too...man I was sick

[@agt462]

Brett Shepherd Tommy Lasorda always said this was his most painful moment in baseball.....so was mine.....

[@fredflagstone9467]

agt462 I was a high school student living in the Phoenix area at the time.I was hanging out with a friend after school when he got the news the Cardinals just won. I was devastated because in my heart I thought the Dodgers were better than the Cards. Earlier in the season I went to a game at Dodger stadium when Bob Welch beat Danny Cox. Coincidentally, Clark homered in that game too. Anyways, when I got home from school that day, I went to my baseball card collection and ripped my Tom Niedenfuer card to shreds. However, in retrospect, Lasorda put Niedenfuer in a terrible position and deserved the blame, not Niedenfuer.

[@JMPH517]

Jack Clark was a professional power hitter who could hit "clean-up" with the best of them. I saw Jack barrel up and put a charge in many a pitch, tearing the cover off the ball like the game meant everything to him. There is a reason why he was walked well over a thousand times in his career; he struck fear and admiration out of many opposing pitchers and ballclubs over his long, successful tenure in MLB. Jack the Ripper was a gamer who took a mighty hack and played the game hard and played it right. In this game, Jack took Lasorda pitching to him with a base open as an insult and made him pay the price. Game over. Season over. No pasta for Tommy on this night. Jack have another meatball.

[@Mark-sj3xb]

I’ll ever forget a game against the Braves when he was with the Giants. He hit a line drive rope that hit the back wall in left field at AFCS in nothing flat and bounced back into the field before Clark ever reached first base. The crowd went totally silent in awe of the feat. Dude would have peaked the meter on exit velocity had it been a thing

[@kellykarcher7179]

This moment absolutely crushed me! I'll never forget it! At least Dodger fans were able to get some sweet revenge on the Cardinals when Chris Taylor hit a walk-off homer in the Wild Card game at Dodger Stadium in 2021.

[@freeguy77]

Never forgot that impressive HR and how Clark said was for his teammates. Whitey had the best overall team in Cardinals history, save the '42 and possibly '67 Cardinals teams. The '85 team had 0 losses from its closers in the 9th inning, until that awful call by Umpire Don Denkinger in the 6th game of the '85 WS. Should have won it, 1-0, but for The Call, and Clark's missing an easy foul ball off 1st base that led to the 2 runs. Then the blowout 7rh game, with Andujar and Whitey thrown out for arguing with an umpire. Should have had the best season since '67, or '82 in their WS wins. But it was not to be! Almost as bad as Gibson losing the 7th game in the '68 WS. Nothing was worse than losing that 3-1 game lead.

[@galan01225]

Jack Clark was tough.

[@PSS521]

Clark had ridiculous exit velocity off the bat. If today's tech had existed back his velocity would measure alongside the best today.

[@danzemacabre8899]

one of my greatest memories of that era,Pedro slamming his glove to the ground,priceless!

[@fixerman54]

I was fixing some trout for dinner over a campfire at Montauk State Park in Licking MO. listening to the Cardinals broadcast. Smiling over what i heard... It was a great way to end a day of hauling in fish!

[@martincaidin4166]

That's the only time I've seen an entire team great a batter at home plate after a non-walkoff HR.

[@legallyresistingtyranny5901]

The Cards didn't do much celebrating after they lost the World Series that year.

[@snipz127]

Imagine being a Dodgers fan LOL

[@johnhealy9238]

That made it even better.

[@sirjer73]

@@legallyresistingtyranny5901 they got hosed with the worst call ever in any championship game. And yeah I know they batted under 200 for the Series as a team. But that call at first vase was inexcusable!!!

[@dzanier]

Maybe the biggest meatball I've ever seen a fastball pitcher serve up. It wasn't up or down. It was right down the middle.

[@geeskin5750]

Legend has it the ball talked to Clark, one side said hit me the other side said hard

[@billbright100]

It was a conspiracy Nieudenfueur meant to throw a knuckleball

[@davidmata9952]

And no movement either.

[@rexburkman2536]

I can’t agree with all the people praising Scully’s call here. He puts me to sleep. Jack Buck’s call was much, much better. It’s the same thing with Kirk Gibson’s homer off Eckersley. Jack Buck’s call was way better than Scully’s.

[@johnhealy9238]

Jack yelling to his teammates in the dugout after the bat flip was the best part.

[@nala3038]

Would have loved to seen Clark do a bat flip on Bumgarner

[@vincentrobinson9645]

Jack Clark was a beast !! In the 80’s, he once hit a big shot in the 600 row seats at old Vets Stadium

[@uspalcatraz4355]

I saw him hit a foul ball over the roof at Candlestick.

[@jmdrummer7]

I'd have the Clark boys in the middle of my All Star line up, Will Clark #3 and Jack Clark #4.

[@paleo704]

Brothers

[@BH-baseballguy]

@@paleo704 Will and Jack Clark are not related.

[@sure2fckitupguy]

@@BH-baseballguy so, they are now. You got problem with that?

[@sure2fckitupguy]

@Ragnar Lothbrook yet, you take the energy to reply, so what does that say about you?

[@nala3038]

@@sure2fckitupguy oh shut up idiot!

[@afmartin2734]

He struck out a ton, but when he connected with it, my goodness did he launch some moon balls back in the day.

[@kevinpayton2664]

He hit one at Veterans Stadium that nearly went out of it. The ball landed halfway up in the upper deck.

[@michaelsyverson8018]

Clark was a good ballplayer one of the best.

[@kevinpayton2664]

I came home from school just in time to see Jack Clark's pennant clinching home run. Loved it.

[@yannsaint-germain4527]

Back then, Jack Clark was quite an asset for the Cards, whose main strength was speed (notably with Vince Coleman & Willie McGee). In this video, Clark just did what he was paid for - hitting homeruns.

[@robertwatt7775]

If vince wasn’t hurt the cardinals would have won in 85

[@arthurjoseph2148]

JACK PROVIDED THE POWER WHILE VINCE, OZZIE AND WILLIE MADE UP FOR IT WITH THE SPEED IN CAVERNOUS OLD BUSCH STADIUM.)

[@yannsaint-germain4527]

@@robertwatt7775 I know... It was a shame he couldn't play.

[@yannsaint-germain4527]

@@arthurjoseph2148 Memories...

[@tobro3000]

:30 second HR trot from bat drop

[@joshbahr7640]

I prefer Jack Buck’s call of this than Vin Scully’s call.

[@go-goakins1489]

Great highlight! X s f giant and cardinal legend was the man!

[@blown22]

Anyone remember Jeffrey Leonard's slow "one flap down" home run trot?

[@patrickreeves4650]

My brother loved Jack Clark....what a hitter.

[@dirliedirl]

Wow, his HR trout was exactly 30 seconds. Love the little head-bob after rounding 2nd base. And I thought he broke the entire upper body of the 1st base coach. Clark was a beast.

[@Mark-sj3xb]

I love the stutter stepping as he approaches 2nd base.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

The only thing that would make this better would be if the audio was of Jack Buck's call instead of Vin Scully on the NBC broadcast. "SWING AND A LONG ONE IN TO LEFT FIELD! ADIOS, GOODBYE, AND MAYBE THAT'S A WINNER! A THREE RUN HOMER BY CLARK AND THE CARDINALS LEAD BY THE SCORE OF 7 TO 5! AND THEY MAY GO TO THE WORLD SERIES ON THAT ONE FOLKS! YOU TALK ABOUT A REDEEMER! WHEW!"

[@carlopineda9081]

AND THEN THEY ARE GETTING SPANKED BT THE TWINS, FOLKS!!!!!!

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Except they played the Royals in 1985 in the World Series, dumbass

[@thomasnee290]

Epic game and epic series. Both of those teams were incredibly stacked that year. Cards had pitching, speed, defense, and even a little bit of power in their lineup with Clark. While the Dodgers had it all too, plus they had the best player that year (Guerrero).

[@billmauer8117]

It's one of my favorite moments in Cardinals' history. Pujols against Brad Lidge in the NLCS and of course David Freese in game 6 against Texas (that whole sequence from the bottom of the 9th through Freese's game winner actually) are my favorites.

[@budg.6094]

I know this isn’t what the video is about, but I love watching how athletes who are gifted with great speed run. For example, McGee here is just jogging, but his feet seem to bounce off the ground, and the way his stride has time to lengthen. It’s just beautiful, to me.

[@greg6924]

Legend has it Jack Clark is still rounding the bases

[@DrewBlanton1959]

without a doubt the greatest moment I've seen for a 40+ year Card fan

[@bvalenz]

Meatball served in Game 5 to Ozzie Smith…. And another against Jack Clark in Game 6. If only Steve Howe had laid off the powder & Lasorda had walked Clark,..

[@jefferyshoults5000]

Probably my favorite baseball memory

[@stevstevhoov8288]

YOU Did "Not" throw the ball there ,..to Jack Clark ,..He was on SF and he knew dodgers pitching ideas well,..

[@freedmike1394]

Well, I'd say Lasorda made the wrong call.

[@JeremyHulsey]

I was at football practice in the 8th grade at North County Middle school in SE MO when this happened. Our defensive coordinator was listening to the game with a "Walkman" radio and shouted out loud in the middle of practice that Jack Clark hit a homerun. We didn't get any more practice in that day.

[@josephsikorski4811]

He hit the shit out of that. Pedro throwing his glove down is unreal.

[@williampaul7096]

Epic trip around the bases

[@Elite59]

I am a Cardinal fan, living in Southern Calif. When I was watching that game, I was in my living room surrounded by 5 friends that were Dodger fans. When Scioscia went to the mound, I announced to my friends that there is no possible way that they are going to pitch to Jack The Ripper, with 1st base open. I was very happy that I was wrong!

[@okguy1282]

Dodger fan here. I remember thinking the same thing. I was 20 years old. What did I know? A lot more than Lasorda. NO WAY Lasorda will pitch to him with first base open. Was mad until the Royals beat them in the WS. Then I was not so mad. Cardinals have 11 Championships! Thats second to Yankees. Who no one is going to catch any time soon. Anyway....Cardinals are always a tough playoff team.

[@Elite59]

@@okguy1282 the Royals didn't beat them... an umpire named Denkinger did!

[@okguy1282]

@@Elite59 You are right. That ump call was terrible. But ....the trophy for that year shows Royals.

[@privatejets9992]

they "DID" IN FACT pitch to the Ripper,... and neiden-Doucher was crying as the ball sailed into the seats in left,..

[@arthurjoseph2148]

IMMA CARDINALS FAN FROM LA. THEY DID NOT CALL HIM JACK THE RIPPER FOR NOTHING.

[@MrTimbo17]

How amazing for Scully to read Lasorda’s lips in real time on whether to pitch to the righty veteran Clark or go after the young unproven lefty Van Slyke. As a lifelong Cards fan I loved listening to the great Jack Buck, but Vin Scully is the GOAT of baseball announcers

[@Mark-sj3xb]

Even when I was watching this live, the build up was like knowing something before it was gonna happen. Like you wondered why Lasorda chose to simply lose the game on purpose. And watching it unfold knowing what was about to happen.

[@apohlmann11]

In my lifetime I have been lucky enough to see the Cards win 3 World Series, but this is without a doubt my favorite Cardinal memory of all time. Nothing comes close to this moment for me.

[@jimmyqjones7122]

Cards almost always "guaranteed" to win if they face Doy'erz and their reliever bums,...

[@juliansmith4352]

@@jimmyqjones7122 Don't forget 1985 Ozzie Smith homer or the two World Series victories over the Detroit tigers in 2006 & Texas Rangers in 2011

[@deanladue3151]

After that homer, I'm pretty sure that Lasorda was really firing off the "blankety-blanks" and "So and So's" to anyone within earshot in the dugout! 😂

[@chn9285]

0:44 pissed off left fielder Pedro Guerrero throws his glove to the ground!!

[@kevinpayton2664]

That's the only other memory that I have besides Jack's home run, seeing Pedro Guerrero throwing his glove down in disgust.

[@MrFishingca]

WOW!!! TOM WAS NEVER THE SAME AFTER THAT. TOMMY SHOULD HAVE WALKED CLARK. That's baseball.