Where did they play? Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, MO
When did they play? August 22, 1982
Did I know this game might be significant before it started? No
What happened? The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in extra innings. The winning run was scored in the bottom of the 12th with two outs when Cardinal catcher Glenn Brummer stole home.
What do I remember? The Cardinals were playing well and were in a tight race for the National League East (old-style) Division title. The game was on a Sunday afternoon, and I went with my father, brother, and maybe somebody else (perhaps a friend of my brother). It was very sunny and hot, and we moved around a lot during the game to sit in different seats.
When the 12th inning came, we were sitting on the third base side. Either we were sitting in the sun and the field was in the shade, or we were sitting in the shade and the field was in the sun. Either way, there was both bright sunlight and dark shadows at the same time.
I remember being surprised when the base runner (Glenn Brummer) on third suddenly started running towards home plate. He slid in just as the pitch arrived, and the umpire called him safe. We were all very happy and cheering, but I remember having one worry - since there were two outs and also two strikes on the batter, if the pitch was a strike, then the run would not have counted. But the umpire made no signal other than safe at home, so the game was over.
Was there an aftermath? The Cardinals went on to win the National League East, the National League Championship Series (over the Atlanta Braves), and the World Series (over the Milwaukee Brewers).
Glenn Brummer's steal of home has gone down as the best-remembered moment of the Cardinals 1982 regular season. It has been the subject of many feature articles, blog postings, newspaper articles, and television programs. It has also been memorialized in a plaque that can be found in St. Louis. (See photo below)
At some point in my life, I heard a radio interview with the person in charge of making the World Series Championship rings every year for the winning team. When the radio host asked the ring-maker man who had the largest ring size of any player they had made a ring for, the answer was "Glenn Brummer."
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