The Wildest Game Of All Time
Rick Camp gave us the greatest 4th of July firework of all time
Going into July 4, 1985, the Mets and Braves were headed in opposite directions. The Mets were surging, six games over .500 at 41–35 and sitting third in the NL East. The Braves, meanwhile, were eight games under .500 and second-to-last in the NL West. Atlanta was entering a rebuild, having replaced Joe Torre with Eddie Haas after the 1984 season. Haas wouldn’t last much longer, nor would coach Bobby Wine.
But the Mets had real reason for optimism. Two years after Darryl Strawberry won Rookie of the Year, Dwight Gooden had followed suit and was in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons a pitcher has ever had. Both Gooden and Strawberry were heading to the All-Star Game, along with Ron Darling. In this game, Strawberry hit fifth in a lineup that also featured All-Star slugger Dale Murphy for the Braves.
Over 44,000 fans packed into Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, many looking forward to the postgame fireworks. What they didn’t know was that the game itself would become a marathon of chaos, absurdity, and baseball magic.
A 90-minute rain delay pushed the first pitch back from its scheduled 7:30 p.m. start. Once things got underway, both teams struck early. The Mets pieced together three two-out hits to take a 1–0 lead, but Claudell Washington led off the Braves’ half with a triple and scored on a groundout to tie it. Gooden struggled with control, walking three but escaped further damage.
The rain returned in the third, bringing a 41-minute delay that ended Gooden’s night after just two innings. He was replaced by Roger McDowell, and because the Mets were not allowed to make a double switch, they played the rest of the game under protest.
After the delay, Mahler returned but was quickly pulled after giving up two hits. The Mets pounced, scoring four runs off reliever Terry Dedmon to go up 5–3. Terry Leach pitched well in relief for New York, and by the eighth inning, the Mets led 7–4 after a solo homer from Keith Hernandez. It *should* have given Hernandez a cycle, but a blown call earlier had robbed him of a sixth-inning single, at least for the moment.
Then came Jesse Orosco, the man who would retire as MLB’s all-time appearance leader. This wasn’t one of his best outings. Orosco allowed a hit and walked three. With the bases loaded and two outs, he handed the ball to Doug Sisk to face Dale Murphy. The former MVP and Braves’ lone All-Star came through, ripping a double that cleared the bases and gave Atlanta an 8–7 lead. Braves fans who had waited through delays were ready for fireworks, and a win.
Enter Bruce Sutter, Atlanta’s marquee offseason signing. The future Hall of Famer was the first pitcher to reach Cooperstown without ever starting a game. But in 1985, he didn’t have his best stuff. After striking out Ray Knight, he allowed three straight singles. The Mets tied the game 8–8. Sutter wriggled out of the jam, and when the Braves couldn’t score in the bottom of the ninth, the game moved to extras. Fireworks would have to wait.
In the 12th, Hernandez officially completed the cycle with a single, his fourth hit of the night. Terry Forster and Sisk continued trading zeroes with Gorman and Garber. Then in the 13th, Ray Knight singled, and Howard Johnson, who had pinch-hit back in the ninth, smashed a go-ahead two-run homer. Mets 10, Braves 8.
Tom Gorman took over on the mound, trying to close things out. He got two quick outs, then allowed a single to Rafael Ramirez. Up stepped Terry Harper for his seventh plate appearance. Just like HoJo had, Harper launched a game-tying two-run homer. Mets dugout slumped. Fans stared in disbelief.
In the 17th, the game crawled past midnight. Rick Camp, a reliever with a career batting average of .060, came on to pitch. In the top of the 18th, Camp made an error after a single by Howard Johnson, and Lenny Dykstra's sac fly gave the Mets an 11–10 lead. Gorman stayed in to try again to end it. He got two outs. But because the Braves had exhausted their bench, up came Rick Camp - batting for himself.
Camp had 10 career hits in 167 at-bats. He had struck out 83 times. Down 0–2 in the count, it was over.
Until it wasn’t.
Camp crushed a fastball over the left field fence. Tie game. The Mets looked stunned. Ray Knight threw up his hands. Danny Heep raised his arms in disbelief. Dykstra and Johnson dropped to a knee in shock.
Gorman said afterward: “It’s not like pitchers don’t hit home runs. But in that situation, with two strikes, and you give the guy a pitch he can hit out - it’s embarrassing.” Camp, ever humble, called it “pure luck,” adding, “If you have to rely on me to hit a home run, you’re in bad shape.”
But the game rolled on.
Camp took the mound again in the 19th. After a sac bunt and intentional walk, Ray Knight, who had stranded the bases loaded three times, delivered a clutch double. The Mets tacked on four more runs, making it 16–11.
Ron Darling, another Mets All-Star, was called in to finish the game. It didn’t go smoothly. After an error and two walks, the bases were loaded again. Terry Harper singled in two. And wouldn’t you know it, Rick Camp came up again with two outs, two on, and a chance to tie it.
This time, there was no miracle. Camp struck out swinging.
The game ended at 3:14 a.m., six hours and 10 minutes after it started. Or, more precisely, eight hours after the originally scheduled first pitch.
In total:
29 runs
46 hits
22 walks
37 runners left on base
Five errors
Two ejections
One cycle
One game-tying home run by a relief pitcher with a .060 average
It was, at the time, the latest a game had ever finished. (That record was later broken in 1993 by a Padres-Phillies doubleheader that ended at 4:40 a.m.—another rain-delayed, extra-inning epic that also featured a walk-off hit by a relief pitcher, Mitch Williams.)
True to their word, the Braves shot off the fireworks after the game. But because of the hour, many Atlanta residents, unaware of the game’s timing, flooded 911 with calls. Some even feared a nuclear attack had begun.
It was the perfect ending to a perfectly bizarre night.
Aftermath
The Mets would go on to win 98 games in 1985 but finish second to the Cardinals, missing the playoffs in an era without Wild Cards. Dwight Gooden completed one of the greatest pitching seasons in history: a 1.53 ERA over 276.2 innings and a 13.3 WAR. He was robbed of the MVP. A year later, the Mets would win 108 games and claim the World Series in a legendary seven-game triumph over the Red Sox.
The Braves? They finished 66–96. Eddie Haas was fired. Bobby Cox took over as GM late in the season, then returned to the dugout in 1990 and guided Atlanta to 14 straight division titles, five pennants, and a World Series title. A long way from that 2:30 a.m. debacle with Rick Camp at the plate.
Most fans don’t remember who won that game.
They just remember Rick Camp - one of the unlikeliest heroes in one of the wildest games the sport has ever seen.
What’s Happening
1939: Lou Gehrig becomes 1st player to have his number retired as he makes iconic “luckiest man alive” speech.
1980: Nolan Ryan becomes 4th pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts.
1984: Phil Niekro becomes 9th player to record 3,000 strikeouts.
Random Stat Of The Day
The Chicago Cubs have the most wins on the 4th of July at 124. They have also played the most games on the day at 227. Seven more than the Pirates.