The young man who caught Roger Maris’ iconic 61st home run in 1961 died as an old man of 81 in 2022. He passed away last Thursday.
From today’s New York Times obituary by Richard Sandomir
On that fall afternoon, Maris was tied with Babe Ruth for the single-season major league record of 60 home runs. Mr. Durante, a 19-year-old truck driver who delivered auto parts and had played sandlot baseball, got seats in right field for himself; his fiancée, Rosemarie Calabrese; his cousin John; and John’s date. Mr. Durante was broke, so Ms. Calabrese paid $10 for the four tickets.
With one out in the fourth inning, Maris smashed the third pitch off the Boston Red Sox right-hander Tracy Stallard beyond the short fence in right field….
As the ball soared toward him, he said, he jumped onto his seat and caught it in the palm of his right hand. “I got it! I got it!” he shouted, before falling into the row behind him.
After a scuffle with other fans, two security guards hustled Mr. Durante to the Yankees’ clubhouse, where he planned to give the ball to Maris.
But as they stood together, Maris refused to take it. He knew that Sam Gordon, a restaurateur in Sacramento, had offered $5,000 for the ball Maris hit for his 61st home run to whoever caught it. He told Mr. Durante to take the cash.
Other “catchers” of historical home runs include:
- Phil Ozersky, who caught Mark McGuire’s 62nd to break Maris’ record.
- Jerry Rose, who caught Bary Bonds’ 72nd to break McGuire’s record.
- Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Tom House, who caught Hank Aaron’s 715th to break Babe Ruth’s record. Camp was in the Braves’ bullpen at the time.
- Matt Murphy, who caught Barry Bonds’ 756th to break Aaron’s record.
Seems to me — and with all due respect — none of them will get the same treatment when their times come, not for many years, we hope.
To this point, no one has written a book about their experiences, unlike Brian Biegel, who published Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard ‘Round the World.
is available on Amazon.com,
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