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October 4th, 1995
Game 2 Division Series
Don Mattingly follows Ruben Sierra’s home run with one of his own in the bottom of the 6th inning to give the Yankees their first lead of the night. In what would be considered one of the greatest games in division series history, clocking in at 5 hours and 12 minutes (was also the longest playoff game at the time), that Mattingly home run is what will always be remembered by one Yankee fan.
I did a casual Q & A with a lifelong Yankee fan named Chris who recounts his experience that night.
Question:
Yankee Stadium …Seattle…Game 2…
Chris:
Top 4- 5 moments in my life (laughs), not just in sports but my life (Note: Chris is married and has a daughter). I wasn’t even suppose to be at the game, my brother couldn’t go.. he canceled at the last minute, and my cousin Ronnie was begging me to go. I was being lazy and I don’t even know how he convinced me. I’m glad he did cause its the greatest game I ever seen in person.
Question:
You have been to world series clinchers, dozens of playoffs games, what makes this game stand out?
Chris:
I have never been in atmosphere like that EVER! When Donny hit that home run… I really thought the stadium was going to crumble ..the whole game was epic.. comebacks in the 9th…Leyritz winning HR!!! That year was when it all started, it wasn’t like it is now with like playoffs all the time, the crowd was into every pitch.
Question:
You had a wild 7th inning a crazy 12th and then Leyritz walk off. In the 15th. What made Mattingly’s home run so special, it was only the 6th inning.
Chris:
The stadium was filled with fans, not business guys and suits. The Yankees were in their first playoff series since 81 and Donny was there… the whole time.. playing out those years and anyone who was a Yankee fan during that time loved Donny Baseball, cause that’s all we had …so when he hit that home run the crowd was happy for him, like hey you waited this long for the playoffs and so did we….. and they went nuts!!
Question:
I remember seeing it on TV and the announcer at the time said something along the lines of hang on to your seats, cause it really did look like the place was going to come down.
Chris:
The stadium was shaking I’m not lying, I was grabbing onto Ronnie because I thought the bleachers were going to collapse(laughs)… we were in the left field bleachers like 5-6 rows up..the entire game the whole bleacher was chanting fuck you JR (Ken Griffey JR.)!!….The whole game!! I was going nuts but I also had this HOLY F**K I hope we don’t die tonight face on mixed in with a HOLY F**K Donny Baseball just blasted a home run in his first playoff series face.
Question:
What about Leyritz walk-off, was it the same?
Chris:
Crazy but not like Donny’s …I remember Ronnie grabbed me and we ran to the car after the game cause we were scared we were going to get trampled (laughs).. when it went into extra innings and a bunch of people got up to leave the crowd started abusing them changing “WHERE U GOING”. That was another thing the whole game you couldn’t hear anything, it was so LOUD!!
I showed Chris a clip of the home run on his computer.
Click Here for the link.
Chris:
I got a tear in my eye no joke (laughs) ……..goosebumps….did you see the crowd? You could hear it!!! The stadium was shaking it was so loud, I couldn’t even hear Ronnie who was sitting next to me!
Question:
Can you imagine a playoff atmosphere like that again?
Chris:
Yankee fans are spoiled today…..playoffs every year and world series appearances every what 4-5 years? Yankee playoff games are still amazing to go to, there’s still a lot of magic and great games, I’m sure game 6, 96 world series was probably insane… but you cant get that atmosphere and wild environment again unless the Yankees don’t make the playoffs for the next 10 years… it was the old stadium.. it was the drought..we were playing against JR, who was the best player in baseball… it was the older fans passing the torch to the younger fans saying this is what we grew up watching ….and it was Mattingly taking all those years he gave us and rolling it into that one moment… I still smile when I think about that game. F**king awesome (Laughs)
Don Mattingly first came into the league in 1982, a year after the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in 6 games in the World Series. Donny Baseball would retire after that 1995 season, the Yankees would reach the World Series in 1996 and go on to win. That series against the Mariners in 95′ ended in a heartbreaking fashion but for many, Chris especially, it will always be remembered for Mattingly and his long over due playoff experience and the appreciation those Yankee fans had for him waiting as long as they did.
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