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On This Day in History | 1976

Martin, feisty as ever in a confrontation with Drew Coble in 1983 (Photo courtesy of Bettmann/CORBIS)

On this day 37 years ago one of the most bizarre finishes in Yankee history occurred on the season’s second day. Not surprisingly, Billy Martin was at its epicenter.

In the bottom of the 9th inning with the Yanks leading the Brewers 9-6, Milwaukee loaded the bases with nobody out. Dave Pagan, in relief of Sparky Lyle, dealt to 3rd baseman Don Money who slugged what appeared to be a walk-off grand slam. However, as the crowd at Milwaukee’s County Stadium roared the umpires gathered for an odd deliberation. After conferring for several minutes the crew ordered the players back onto the field and Money back to the plate.

As the delirious crowd confusedly came back to earth, the game continued because of an unlikely scenario on the previous pitch. Right before Pagan delivered, manager Billy Martin signaled to Chris Chambliss at 1st base to call a timeout, which was granted by umpire Jack McKeon. Thus, the timeout negated Money’s game-winning blast. The irate Brewers fans began littering the field with debris, but they could only watch as Pagan and Ken Brett retired the final three batters to give the Bombers a wild 9-7 victory.