1976 06 28 ABC MNB - Yankees at Tigers (Mark Fidrich)

Description

[@ShadowWizard123]

Old Tiger Stadium was an absolute gem. Must have seen 50 games there as I was growing up.

[@briggscharleton6139]

Great times. Fidyrich brought a new ray of sunshine to the game. This was the first game I saw him pitch in 76. I was 11. The Bird and the Bicentennial 😎

[@arthurshink8825]

Fidrych was a great ballplayer and even better person to the fans of Detroit. Baseball is missing players like The Bird.

[@gregorypalmer5403]

Still, over 45 years later, still beloved all across Metro Detroit. East Side, West Side, Downriver, Oakland County, etc etc.

[@maddymud]

He’s missed even by Injun fans. That was a a special year.

[@randquadrozzi5850]

I'm originally from Massachusetts were he lived and he was loved there too.He was very kind and a high quality person.

[@geraldthibeaut1618]

Sat in the upper deck in left field. A great night. What a memory.I was 19 years old.

[@CoolAce1]

This game felt like a movie starring Mark Fidrych, Warner Wolf, and Bob Uecker. That's how good everything was. I got such a positive feeling from seeing Tiger Stadium on a summer night in 1976.

[@giuseppenero110]

His character was mix of the actor Jim Nabors who played Gomer Pyle, and comedian Red Skelton.

[@jln55]

Sounds like Bob Prince in there too.

[@dalepress1581]

I watched this when it orginally aired. I was 10 years old. It was fuzzy picture then too. Ah man, life was better. It just was.

[@seanleblancdualca]

Dale Press So says the old white dude "good old days" my ass. Wasn't such a great time if poor or gay or person of color or woman etc etc al BTW "it was" is the lowest form of conversation...

[@danieldecker2526]

@@seanleblancdualca WOW!

[@otiswilson3846]

@@seanleblancdualca you do not have nothing good to say...shut your mouth!

[@turbochargedsports6327]

I was 13 when this game originally aired. I forgot Ueck did PBP for ABC back then.

[@UnleashTheGreen]

​@@seanleblancdualca what about old black ladies who fondly remember their childhood? this is not sociology class, it's nostalgia you pompous dork.

[@BlackuLaLa]

Those probably sounds weird, but I'm SO HAPPY the commercials on this video are intact. Thank you tons for this perfect video!

[@rae2071]

Is this edited/cut in any way? I am old enough to have watched games in this era but were the inning changeovers really this fast?

[@michaelwulf9355]

Me too !!

[@joeyoconnor3039]

Agreed

[@ConradMason-ei8hm]

Completely agree 👍 it's like watching it back in day the way it was meant to be the way it used to be.

[@nickday3541]

Have never seen a player play with so much heart and probably never will.. Mark was what baseball was all about and damn they should make a movie about him! What a wonderful legacy he left his family but what a loss for losing him so soon.

[@stevenlape1298]

This has been one of the best, most satisfying baseball game broadcasts I have ever seen! It seemed to have everything to make it a delightful experience: homers, a few great defensive plays, a classic ballpark to play in, legendary broadcasters at the helm (Bob Prince and Bob Uecker), an enthusiastic crowd, and some great pitching, especially from young, eccentric phenom, Mark Fidrych, who was treated like a rock star! Having the commercials and ABC promos left in, especially with other sports events to come, like the 1976 Olympics, made me feel like I was back in time for 2 hours. I was very happy to see them after all these years! I was amazed how quickly the game was played as well--about 1 hr, 45 min. I was like the cheering crowd: I didn't want to leave! :) Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful, high quality experience!

[@petercollin5670]

Two hour baseball game- commercials and all. Unreal.

[@brianschaffer9220]

We're finally getting it back down to the 2 to two and a half hour mark.

[@randquadrozzi5850]

What's unreal is the quality of baseball in 2023 where a team can have half the lineup hitting below the mendoza line.can anyone say Yankees.

[@dave1uofm]

The bird was packing stadiums every where! Watching him talk to the ball,he was amazing! Sad deal with his career,& horrible death on his farm.

[@rayjr62]

@Jim Bianco The Bird was pitching injured and it forced him to alter his delivery. That resulted in arm trouble which led to his demise.

[@gr8lampini]

I was 9 and have always remembered this game. Watched it with my mother and we fell in love with the Bird

[@soupspoon9554]

And that's what baseball is about.

[@Sammydx1]

I wish I could go back to a old 70s game. Just the vibe and the atmosphere

[@jorgejohnson451]

This game is played in under 2 hours. Today, the game takes 3 1/2 hours. Huge difference.

[@turbochargedsports6327]

Fewer pitching changes & more complete games. I miss how the game was played back then.

[@KTF0]

Also waaay more commercials. Yanks/Red Sox have 90 gajillion hours of commercials between innings.

[@mattheweggleton7887]

Bird and Holtzman working quickly, no b.s. just good old hardball! No instant replay reviews, 6 pitchers working per team Rob Manfred ball here. Miss the good old days

[@rae2071]

Occasionally we still see swift games like this. Both these pitchers pitched for contact. Very few deep counts, and both pitchers worked fast.

[@jonnydanger7181]

Mark the Bird was on the cover of Rolling Stone and rightly so! RIP Mark

[@chrisconley8583]

So wasn’t the Boston Marathon Bomber so there’s that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ericcollins8794]

Watching the Yankees player introduction and when billy Martin said born in California,he also said died in New York.what's eerie that he died 13 yrs later in new york

[@orbonds3603]

Billy should be in hall of fame

[@colinoscopy4750]

Billy really was a smart ass prick.

[@krustymadrid4953]

watched this game as a 10 year old, what a great memory! oh how I used to love baseball , the pace of the game is so different here compared to now. Black americans still played the game. I have not watched a live baseball game in nearly 20 years, I miss it, but the product is not the same and I won't be coming back and that is why I watch old games on youtube

[@marty3888]

Of course it's not the same. I hate the new rule where if the game is tied in the ninth, they mput a man onsecond - inscoring position without picking up a bat! But I still watch it when I can. Now, with Bally sports being pulled from Comcast, that's not too often.

[@Dumballa]

So appreciative this is available to watch. Imagine if every team today had just one Fidrych on it. Not the pitcher. But just the attitude. The love of the game and your teammates. Now that's a tv show I would pay attention to.

[@klummpskards5652]

met him in 95 such a nice guy

[@leilanirocks]

Indeed. Sadly today, MLB tries to hype at least one player on each team all week long as if they were “‘76 Fidrych”… Nope. I was there. This was magic that MLB marketing has tried for decades to duplicate and they just cannot do it. There was no formula. It was just Mark.

[@jude999]

His location and late movement reminds me of Greg Maddux.

[@classicsurvivor]

Ken Holtzman had a smooth pitching form almost like a top spinning loose.

[@GK-ev5rd]

I was the same age as Mark and was born and raised in Detroit. This city has many bad things, but it has always loved it's sports teams and the Tigers in 76 were mediocre at best, but Mark Fidrych was like a shot in the arm. I remember this night...the game was BLACKED OUT on Detroit TV, however we saw the game in a bar as we pulled the game in from nearby Toledo. A great night...drank all night and got up in plenty of time for work the next day...the plus side of being young!

[@merriemisfit8406]

My family was on the way to spend the bicentennial with relatives in Texas, so we got to watch the game at a motel in Illinois. As usual when in Texas, we were planning to catch some Tigers games at Arlington Stadium while we were there ... and we did! All three! No Fidrych start, though -- the team decided to hold him back for the following home series. Still, such a great baseball-watching experience, sitting in that wide open stadium under the warm night sky after another roasting day, sipping Dr. Pepper. So easy to collect autographs there, too.

[@alexgeisel2581]

Great, now I want a 76 Monte Carlo, but only if it has firestone tires.

[@TheDanDeschaine]

what about the Chevy Concourse? I don’t think I ever heard of one of those.

[@klummpskards5652]

I met Mark Fidrych in 95 I was 15 He answered all my questions with a mile wide smile treated me like I was Bob Uecker. One of my fondest memories

[@jaysoper3974]

one glorious season & he was done..RIP Bird

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Ken holtzman was a stiff for the Yankees washed up when we got him !

[@joeski734]

@@ernestpassaro9663 Yes, the O's got the better end of that deal.

[@fernandomartinez5812]

@@ernestpassaro9663 Ken was 2 french fries short of a Big Mac combo. He was a 2 pump chump when he arrived to N.Y

[@mickstan24]

So hard to explain to anyone not from Michigan how endearing and exciting this guy was.

[@cbennett196631]

I was 10 yo when this game aired and I was/am still a Dodger fan and still watched this game just to see Big Bird pitch. It’s a shame they weren’t smart enough to limit pitch counts or Mark may have had a decent career.

[@MrGarysugarman]

@@cbennett196631 That wasn't what ended his career. He injured his knee in spring training the following year. They rushed him back early. Though his comeback started out hot, he changed his pitching motion to compensate for the knee, and that eventually started to mess up his shoulder and elbow. Tragic loss for the game, and actually the world of sports. MLB has a great video on him which goes further into it. - about 44 minutes.

[@billnye1329]

The fact this is almost sub 2 hours and a full baseball game with some commercials is absolutely wild

[@sirqitous]

10:28 Mark Fidrych introduces himself to the national audience.

[@jivepatrol6833]

The Bird! What an exciting pitcher he was and his enthusiasm was unparalleled. RIP Mark.

[@mega77CHAVEZ]

I was 5 yrs old. I remember watching this with my Dad. I remember he was REALLY into it, so obviously I was but didn't know why. I remember more though the next few years when he struggled with injuries and Dad kept talking about him

[@user-fq4vj7wu6g]

I watched this whole game as a 10 year old.I remember it like it was yesterday.

[@amazin_69]

Thank you so much for this video! I saw the original broadcast and watching the video brings back lots and lots of memories. Thank you again!

[@hicks727]

Imagine a regular season baseball game televised on network TV on a monday in primetime

[@metrolax]

I was minding kids down the street the night this was played. Had nothing to do but watch this game

[@jasonmenzies2165]

How convenient: I sit through the whole game and then an ad pops up - right at the end of the game at a big moment! I just can't believe it!

[@michaelh1889]

This game was like watching a great movie

[@lionsfan7500]

Wow thank you for posting this. I don't remember a lot, but do remember a little about this game. I was 4 years old and remember my mom going to this game with my Aunt and Uncle and the babysitter kept telling me the bird was pitching and lol I literally thought it was big bird playing and being 4 I was so mad my mom wouldn't take me to see big bird play baseball lol. Anyway I got older and became a huge sports fan and understood the significance of this game and now years later I can actually see it.

[@donfraser2851]

He was a character brought excitement to the TIGERS

[@joeski734]

This is the first curtain call I remember seeing. It became more common after this. The announcer mentioned Dale Long--that was 1956. In "modern" times, this seems to be the first.

[@jennifersalva3573]

I watched this game..it was the Monday night game of the week...

[@djjanezick5588]

This is great, thanks! Love the commercials, too. Notice Yankees' #2 and #3 hitters in the 1st, Roy White and Carlos May, both choked up on the bat for the whole at bat. And that giant wad of chew when Fidrych introduces himself - awesome! Holtzman's delivery looks like he's throwing BP

[@thegoose0m1]

I saw Holtzman pitch a no-hitter summer of '69 when he was pitching for the Cubs. When he was on he had excellent stuff.....

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Holtzman basically pitched batting practice as a yankee !

[@KenOnStrength]

1:00 - A great manager and a great prophet

[@MrCtsSteve]

Baseball needs another Mark Fidrych . He sure was something special . Rest in peace

[@michaelwulf9355]

There will NEVER be another Mark Fidrych.

[@jamesvaughan-evans4055]

Grew up in Windsor Ontario. Fond memories of skipping school and taking the tunnel bus to Detroit and running to Tiger Stadium. Sitting in the bleachers. Seems like a dream now.❤

[@mitchellbaker9434]

Fidrych will always be one of those folk tales, known mostly for his quirks. But try to imagine a 22 year old kid starting 31 games as a rookie, and completing 24 of them, as "The Bird" did. A 19-9 record, 2.34 ERA. Second in the Cy Young Award voting (to HOF Jim Palmer), and of course an All Star and Rookie Of The Year. And his second season was starting out just as well, until his injuries started, and eventually ended his career way too soon. (So, when managers nowadays put rookie phenoms on inning counts, don't complain. They have good reason to).

[@ErichLRuehs]

That has to be the first year of the bobble head at 0:02 And LOVE how Roy White says: "Wayne, New Jersey." At 0:23 P.S. The Bird was amazing! Still remember how he brought that genuine energy to the event!

[@brianfrick1509]

I was only 14 when this game was played I pitched myself that summer little league 15 and under those were the days

[@playstation3demon13]

Thank you for posting this

[@grantstevens4633]

i had forgotten how fast fidrych worked. no wasted time. get the ball, get the sign, and pitch. hitters stepping out of the box didn't faze him at all. a shame his career was so short.

[@marty3888]

I started going to Tiger games when he came on and long after. There will; never be another player like him.

[@nyterpfan]

In 1976 Mark Fidrych was baseball's equivalent of The Beatles--he was just as captivating!!

[@robmclean4352]

0:59 He was right. Martin did die in (upstate) New York, just 13 years later, when Steinbrenner was prepared to bring him back as Yankees manager for a *sixth* time. RIP.

[@KTF0]

Wow he came in as a civilian, came out bigger than the Beatles overnight.

[@kandtherestcandtherest9080]

Enjoyed. Thank you

[@marcusanderson933]

The one and only Bird! R.I.P Mark! ⚾️

[@fredyucht9003]

A rara avis!

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Yes billy Martin should be in the hall of fame

[@garyflanagan918]

I was at the game...great night

[@damon9408]

I'm from Detroit. I remember watching this game as a 12 year old. Tigers never got any love. Glad they beat the Yanks

[@viralbuthow000]

Dude looked like any skateboard kid from LA. He was something RIP

[@PaulRentz]

I was at that game, someone had tickets and we went. We didn't plan it to be when Mark was pitching, it just worked out that way.

[@hattorihanzo2275]

Uecker, Billy Martin and The Bird.

[@orbonds3603]

Billy= hof

[@michaelwulf9355]

@ Billy Martin saying he died in NY in the intros ! LOL & Ueker saying the manager told him to GO...as in GO away ! haha

[@paulgagnier7360]

I turned 10 40 days before this game, did not see more than a couple games at Tiger Stadium that year, but saw the giant flag on jc penny!

[@bradleyneuville3074]

1 of My all time favorite 🥎. Player ever The Bird he was a great ⚾player loved watching him pitch He will be alot if people all time, Im sure from Michigan and alot of other great fans drom everywhere,R.I.P. 🙏🙏🙏🥎⚾🥎⚾🥎⚾ forever MTBF

[@ceddycedchin]

Bob Prince, Bob Uecker & Warner Wolf call the action. Warner was better known for his local sportscasts in DC and NY (Catchphrase: "Let's go to the videotape!"). It was ABC's first year broadcasting Monday Night Baseball. I was rooting hard for the Yankees, but you had to respect "The Bird." Like Bo Jackson, he electrified the ballpark. And also like Bo, it was our loss that his career was cut short.

[@user-dv3do1od2r]

Watched this game as a kid....the Bird waz 1976! What a great year to be a kid & a baseball fan....

[@user-rt2fo5tl9x]

I also watched this when it was originally aired and listened on the radio the game between Cincinnati and San Diego I believe the padres bit the reds 4 to 2. Loved Randy Jones and the bird they both did great tha5 year and were the starting pitchers in the all star game.

[@paulhatto6499]

Great camera pan of the stadium after the final out! They rarely show the stadium now due to the open seats.

[@furnitureconsortium]

if memory serves.....Bruce Kimm would go on to become manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps (farm affiliate for the Detroit Tigers) who are based in Grand Rapids.......which also is the hometown of Mickey Stanley! Weird how that works

[@JunkYardCardGuy]

Damn rotator cuff problems...ruined the career of a young man who wasn't just, "some guy," he had legitimately nasty stuff, and could've won A LOT of games. RIP.

[@jimbo1959]

Back in the day when Sports Players weren't all about " Show Me The Money ".

[@colinoscopy4750]

The rusty girder still looks better than Comerica Park.

[@ktat01]

Yesssss! Fuck comerica.... I was only 13 when Tiger stadium was closed in 99’, but I knew everytime I went there that summer which was 4 times and that included seeing that loaded mariners team and seeing the tigers play the Indians under the centerfield overhang.... I would just wander that park. My fav spot was the right field overhang just to the right of the foul pole if you’re looking at it from homeplate... I remember watching the mariners heart of the order sitting there by myself as the Sun went down behind the stadium... I knew that was going to be very special to me the rest of my life and it has been. Just wish I had a camera and a little of the present day technology back then. ( but not too much) ... Oh well we still have videos like this to go back to.

[@leilanirocks]

And now batting .276 in the third position in left field for the Tigers, Rusty Girder!

[@donfraser2851]

Monday night baseball miss Tiger Stadium

[@1960BobD]

I sat in centerfield bleachers for this classic

[@jomamackdaddy]

Look at how quick the ball got to the plate. I don't know how the radar guns worked back in the day, but this looked more like 98 than 93.

[@jrodlange8099]

This was essentially the Tiger rebuild. The terrific Tiger teams of the late 60's/early 70's to the awesome Tiger teams of the 80's. In between was this dumpster fire of a team. Even so, this crummy Tiger era produced two of the more amazing stories in baseball history. Obviously the Bird. But even more remarkable was the whole Ron Leflore story. Going to jail at age 22, never playing a single organized game, a heroin addict who's sentence was 5-15 years. 4 years later he's in the show. In what universe does that happen?

[@rae2071]

It is awesome. I never watched him play before although I always knew his story. His rawness is visible, nearly collides twice with corner infielders in the early innings.

[@BBBYpsi]

Back in 1976 there were 4 divisions. American league east this year were Yankee's 1st,Orioles 2nd,Red Sox 3rd,Indians 4th,Tigers 5th & Brewers 6th. Tigers only won 74 games. Only reason why they even won that many was because of Fidrych. He was 19-9 & if he had a half decent team behind him that year then he would have won 25 games. Lost several games he only gave up 0-2 earned runs (errors) & lack of hitting. He started 29 games & had 22 compete games. He pitched 4 of those games 11 innings one of those was 11.1 innings & one game 10 innings. They did not keep track of how many pitches a pitcher threw back then.

[@scottyb83]

Would've been nice to see Fidrych have a longer career. Funny how the announcers casually mention the Tigers' left fielder being freshly out of prison.

[@johnc9667]

If every pitcher worked as fast as Fidrych MLB wouldn’t have to constantly fiddle with the rules.

[@BrooklynGuy1988]

ken holtzman's delivery kills me, i think he'd be laughed off the field these days

[@f1sfingb0at]

and now you know why the Byrd is the word

[@BrooklynGuy1988]

eerie hearing Billy Martin joke about dying in NY a minute in

[@BrooklynGuy1988]

2 hour games happened when the natural pace of the game dictated how many commercial breaks could logically be aired between innings, almost every break between 30 and 60 seconds, these days the number of commercials mlb can pack in between every inning dictates the pace of the game, not batters fussing with their gloves or pitchers taking their time to deliver

[@bluebird925]

Ken Holtzman and Rusty Staub faced each other in the 1973 World Series.

[@kerisbule]

Someone go back in time and tell Bob Prince that Philly won't win the WS in '76. No disrespect, Bob. 😊✌

[@temperedwell6295]

With a lineup with hall of famers like Tom Veryzer, Pedro Garcia, Bruce Kim, and Jason Thomson, and pitchers like Dave Roberts and Verne Ruhle, It is really surprising that the Tigers didn't win the pennant in 1976

[@BBBYpsi]

Bruce Kim was Mark's personal catcher.

[@mikeaustin1323]

@@BBBYpsi correct spelling is Kimm

[@BBBYpsi]

@@mikeaustin1323 your right it was talk to text

[@BrooklynGuy1988]

it's tough to tell if the pitches are good or not without the box superimposed over the plate

[@thefrase7884]

The Bird was 7-1 coming into this game. He got the win to go to 8-1. He finished 19-9. He really wasn’t lights out after this game.

[@Tony-hz8ld]

As a kid at 12 years old, I thought this games awesome. Although I'm a Yankee fan, I became a fan of the BIRD. When baseball was great. BTW the YANKEES won the division and beat the bird the next series. Too bad his career was cut short. The Tigers averaged 33,649 fans when the bird pitched; the team drew an average of only 13,843 in his non-starts

[@joedimaggio3687]

The players were tiny back then. No weight lifting and before steroids

[@paulfiniello6750]

Commenting from 2024 ; and as I see this video I’m thinking….what the Hell has happened to this country!!

[@bluebird925]

Looks like Mickey Stanley was the last member left from the 68 Tigers champions.

[@leilanirocks]

Willie Horton was on the DL

[@mikewrasman5103]

Was that Bob Wolff on play-by-play?

[@generalbullmoose]

1:55:03 - What is that thing on Warner Wolf's head? I think it just growled at me.

[@michaelwulf9355]

hahah NO DOUBT!!!

[@cominghometorome811]

Great game the bird 🐯⚾

[@mikeaustin1323]

Fidrych is the correct spelling. Notice title misspelled name. LOL

[@thefrase7884]

And?

[@mikeaustin1323]

@@thefrase7884 and .....you've just been blocked. Ya dumbass

[@josephhinkle3454]

This would never happen today. The other players wouldn't allow him to show such enthusiasm; the "unwritten code" or some such bullshit.

[@bmorebamma]

Fernando Titis .jr. Damn did he piss people off, For and unwritten rule

[@michaelh1889]

Great arm... they burned him out because he was filling stadiums

[@michaelh1889]

💯

[@hicks727]

Man he worked fucking fast

[@JAPerson34]

I'd like to take this opportunity to do my hero a favor by getting the owner of this channel to spell his name correctly? "Fidrych"

[@michaelh1889]

00:57 omg..😂

[@jeffcmorrell4968]

Mark is well missed playing ball for the Tigers

[@user-ef7ck6eq1e]

この時私は15才でした