In light of the assassination of the man who would likely become the next president of the United States, the man in the Oval Office declared a national day of mourning on June 9. Out of sadness and to share their respect for the slain senator, a group of gamers decided to boycott their games scheduled for that day.
Although such a situation sounds like something that could be happening in today’s sports world, when protests are often in the headlines, this case happened exactly fifty years ago. Robert Kennedy, the leading candidate to vote for the next president in the upcoming election, was assassinated on June 9, 1968.
When Johnson announced a national day or mourning, members of the Cincinnati Reds urged baseball officials to postpone the doubleheader scheduled for that day. Because his words fell on deaf ears, the players decided that they were going to boycott the games.
The protest was led by a multiracial tandem, white pitcher Milt Pappas and African-American All-Star outfielder Vada Pinson. The two managed to get enough votes from their teammates to approve their idea of staying in the clubhouse instead of going to the ballpark, as a statement about the assassination of the leading Democratic presidential candidate.
Like front offices in the sports world today, executives in Cincinnati expressed anger at players’ refusal to participate in games. General manager Bob Howsam was especially upset and asked captain Dave Bristol to find nine volunteers to play.
Future hitting king Pete Rose soon left the clubhouse glove in hand, along with Rookie of the Year Tommy Helms and starting pitcher Jim Maloney. Not long after that, the rest of the team showed up on the field and the games were played.
As hesitant as those players may have been, the Reds jumped out to an eight-nil lead in the fourth inning. St. Louis rallied in the fifth, compiling ten runs of their own to win the first game 10-8.
The Cardinals built on that momentum until Game 2, leading 6-1. Cincinnati, like the Cardinals in Game 1, rallied in Game 5 to tie the game.
In a deadlock for the next six frames, the score finally turned in a twelfth inning involving three future Hall of Famers. Left-hander Steve Carlton, in his third inning as a reliever for the Cardinals, gave up a leadoff single to Cincinnati first baseman Lee May.
Third baseman Tony Pérez reached on fielder’s choice but had to wait to advance because Carlton struck out catcher Johnny Bench. Pérez made it to second, and all the way to the plate, after shortstop Leo Cardenas doubled him with the game-winning run.
Although the Reds managed to split up, Pete Rose might have wanted to stay in the clubhouse that day. The perennial .300 hitter managed just one hit in times at the plate.
Vada Pinson, on the other hand, was probably glad to have noticed her boycott. He went a combined four for ten with a home run and five RBIs during the twin bill.