This Day In History

On the way to the World Series title in 1982, one of the most exciting plays in the history of old Busch Stadium took place on this date 25 years ago.

Any guesses?

A back up catcher on third with two outs in the bottom half of the twelfth inning of a tie game. And the catcher decides to take off.

"Brummer's stealing home!" was the excited call from Mike Shannon that Sunday afternoon, something I'll never forget. One of the most unbelievable moments I've ever witnessed on the radio.

Reminiscing before the old stadium was demolished, Hall of Fame sports writer Rick Hummel wrote about that moment:
"There was backup catcher Glenn Brummer stealing home in the 12th inning on Aug. 22, 1982, to give the Cardinals a victory over the Giants. Brummer, flushed with success, tried unsuccessfully to steal a few more bases later in the season and Herzog revoked his running privileges."

The great Brian Gunn at the late, great Redbird Nation had this to say back in 2003, "A TRIBUTE TO THE MOONMAN, MIKE SHANNON"
"There are some public moments that are so indelible, so searing, that you may feel as if you are waking up to the world for the first time. For many of us it was the Challenger explosion. Or the day Reagan got shot. Others of us may recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when JFK was killed, or during the moon landing, or on V-J Day. Me, I remember, more vividly than any of these, the exact moment when Glenn Brummer stole home.

It happened on a Sunday afternoon, August 22, 1982 at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals, clinging to a 1½ -game lead over the Phillies heading down the stretch, found themselves deadlocked 4-4 in the 12th inning against the San Francisco Giants. Glenn Brummer singled with one out in the 12th and made it to third with two away. Gary Lavelle on the mound; David Green at the plate; 2-2 count. And that’s when Brummer – dumpy third-string catcher, destined for the dustbin of the Baseball Encyclopedia – took off. The moment still comes easily to my mind. Not the moment after, when Brummer slid under Milt May’s tag for a steal of home and a 5-4 Cardinal win, but just before that, when Brummer rumbled down the basepaths and Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon shrieked through the radio: “Brummer’s stealing home!” It’s enough to give me goose bumps, even now."