What started on the night of Saturday, July 12, 1975, between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees at Shea Stadium in New York (this was during the two year period when Yankee Stadium was being remodeled) ended a week later…at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. How’s that possible? Here’s the story.
The game started at 8:06 p.m. Down 3-2, the Twins scored four runs in the ninth to take a 6-3 lead. But the Yankees answered with three in the bottom of the ninth to tie it 6-6. The teams went to the 14th inning still tied 6-6. Back then, American League rules prohibited games on Saturday nights to be played past 1:00 a.m. local time. Since the 14th inning ended past that, the game was to be concluded the next day prior to the regularly scheduled game.
However, Mother Nature threw a monkey wrench into the works as heavy rain postponed all play. Since this was Minnesota’s final trip to New York, the suspended game and the regularly scheduled game had to play in Minnesota. So on the night of Saturday, July 19-prior to that night’s regularly scheduled game-the suspended game was resumed. Though played in the Twins’ home park, this was still considered a home game for the Yankees. Therefore, the Twins batted first.
Finally, the tie was broken in the top of the 16th inning when the Twins scored a run. But the Yankees answered in the bottom of the 16th. Down to their last out, Graig Nettles singled to tie the game. Then Lou Piniella finally ended things by singling home Chris Chambliss with the winning run. And that’s how the Yankees won one in walk-off fashion despite the fact that they were in their road grays when they did it.