How Ron Blomberg of the Yankees Saved Rosh Hashana in 1971

Blomberg, a good percentage hitter — but not a slugger — strolled to the plate, and suddenly the entire Cleveland outfield left their positions and stopped halfway toward the infield. Manager Johnny Lipon was figuring a deep fly ball would send home Gibbs anyway.

And that’s what Blomberg hit.

Center fielder Vada Pinson looked at the ball sailing over his head for an instant — and then headed for the Cleveland dugout. He knew it was over. The ball landed in deep center, Bloomberg high-tailed it to first, Gibbs came home. And the Yankees won.

Maybe I could make temple after all.

I charged down to the locker room and there was a jubilant Blomberg in the middle.

“If the count had been 3-2 and the sun went down, I would have left for temple,” he shouted.

Wow. What a quote. So he would have left the game to go to services? All the writers were scribbling on their notepads, and Blomberg looked as if he had just capped a World Series game. He was ecstatic. He was at that moment a Jewish ballplayer who had just won the right to go home and celebrate one of the most important holidays of his religion. I shared his excitement. I knew that while about 2 percent of Americans were Jewish, only about 1 percent of major leaguers had been Jewish.

“Well, Blomberg got an early celebration, huh?” said Alou.

I had my quotes, got back to the press room, typed my story, handed it to the Western Union telegrapher who sent it to The Times. And I made it to temple at a quarter to 7.

The next morning, I picked up the paper in anticipation. Would The Times, a paper that avoided religious talk back then, leave in all my references to Blomberg, his Jewishness, and the holiday?

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/sports/baseball/ron-blomberg-yankees-rosh-hashana.html