Frank Robinson stole a would-be home run from Clete Boyer in the 11th inning at Yankee Stadium to preserve a 6-5 Orioles victory on this day in Orioles history, Aug. 11, 1966.
A Sam Bowens RBI single plated Luis Aparicio with the winning run in the top of the inning for the O’s.
Robinson’s one-out catch matched a similar defensive effort he produced against the Yankees two months earlier.
Here’s a recap of The Judge’s dual efforts from “Frank Robinson: A Baseball Biography,” by John C. Skipper.
On June 21, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees, the Orioles had a 7-5 lead when Roy White came up with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth. He hit a line shot headed for the right field stands. Robby gave chase and, diving over the short right field wall, caught the ball while falling into the seats. Yankees manager Ralph Houk protested that he did not have control of the ball, but to no avail. Robby had preserved the win in this game with his glove, not his bat.
Remarkably, on August 11, he did the same thing against the same team. With the Orioles winning 7-5 in the 11th inning, Robinson dived into the left field stands and snatched what would have been a home run by Clete Boyer.
Skipper’s recap puts the score incorrectly at 7-5; it was actually 6-5. Also, other sources indicate that Robinson crashed into the wall with his glove extended into the stands rather than it being a diving catch. Regardless, the end result was the same: two game-saving catches versus the Yankees in the course of two months.
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