| Ron Swoboda | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Swoboda in 1970 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1944-06-30)June 30, 1944 (age 80) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 1965, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1973, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .242 |
| Home runs | 73 |
| Runs batted in | 344 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Ronald Alan Swoboda (born June 30, 1944) is an American former professionalbaseball player and television sportscolor commentator. He played inMajor League Baseball as anoutfielder from1965 through1973, most notably as a member of theNew York Mets team that became known as theMiracle Mets when they rose from being perennial losers to defeat the favoredBaltimore Orioles in the1969 World Series for one of the most improbable upsets inWorld Series history.[1] Swoboda executed one of the most impressive defensive plays of the series in the ninth inning of Game 4 to help preserve a Mets victory. He also played for theMontreal Expos and theNew York Yankees.
Swoboda was born inBaltimore, Maryland where he graduated fromSparrows Point High School. He then played for one season at theUniversity of Maryland, and after an impressive showing in the AAABA tournament inJohnstown, Pennsylvania, Swoboda was offered a $35,000 contract to sign with theNew York Mets by scoutPete Gebrian on September 5,1963.
Swoboda spent only one season in the Mets' farm system in AA with theWilliamsport Mets before making the Major League team inspring training,1965. At the age of 20 he made his major league debut as apinch hitter in the season opener, and lined out in his only at-bat.[2] He pinch hit, again, in the second game of the season, this time hitting an 11th-inninghome run (the Mets still lost, as theHouston Astros had scored four runs in the top of the inning).[3] He homered again in his first at-bat on April 18, giving him two home runs in his first four Major League at-bats.
Swoboda hit 15 home runs by the All-Star break, the most ever by a Mets rookie in the first half of a season untilPete Alonso broke his record with 25 home runs in 2019. Swoboda commented during a television interview that he loved hitting fastballs; then he began seeing a lot more breaking balls and hit only four more home runs in the season. Still, his 19 home runs stood as a Mets rookie record untilDarryl Strawberry's 26 in1983. His rookiefielding percentage was a below-league-average .947, however, he had nine outfield assists. For his efforts, he was selected to the 1965Topps All-Star Rookie Team. His 1966 Topps baseball card was imprinted with a gold trophy symbol.[citation needed] In the 1966 moviePenelope,Natalie Wood, as the title character, opens a pack of 1966 Topps baseball cards, sees Swoboda's rookie card, and asks police lieutenant Horatio Bixbee (Peter Falk) "Who's Ron Swoboda?"[4]
Swoboda wore number 14 as a rookie in 1965. When the Mets acquiredthird basemanKen Boyer from theSt. Louis Cardinals prior to the start of the1966 season, they granted him number 14, as he'd worn it in St. Louis. Swoboda wore number 17 briefly during spring training in 1966, then switched to number 4. His home run drought continued through the 1966 season, when he hit only eight home runs and batted .222, with 50runs batted in.
During his early years with the Mets, Swoboda acquired the nickname "Rocky" as a result of his less-than-reliable fielding. Although he possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm, a fly ball hit in his direction was by no means a sure out. After having spent most of his time inleft field his first two seasons, Swoboda was shifted tofirst base in1967 to make room for newly acquiredTommy Davis in left. Swoboda's fielding at first was no better, and he was soon shifted toright field. Offensively, he had perhaps his best season, hitting .281 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. He led the Mets with sixtriples and a career-high 59 RBIs in1968, and also had a career-high 14 outfield assists.
By May 21,1969, the Mets won their third game in a row for a .500 winning percentage 36 games into the season for the first time in franchise history. This was followed by a five-game losing streak that saw the team fall into fourth place in the newly alignedNational League East.
The Mets then went on an eleven-game winning streak that brought them back into second place, seven games behind theChicago Cubs. On September 10 the Mets swept adoubleheader against theMontreal Expos. Coupled with a loss by the Cubs, the Mets found themselves in first place for the first time in franchise history. On September 13, Swoboda hit agrand slam against thePittsburgh Pirates to propel the Mets to a 5–2 victory.[5] Two days later, as theSt. Louis Cardinals'Steve Carlton struck out a record nineteen Mets batters in a losing effort, the Mets defeated the Cards 4–3 atBusch Memorial Stadium on a pair of two-run home runs by Swoboda.[6] On September 24, facing Carlton and the Cardinals again, this time atShea Stadium, the Mets clinched the NL East asDonn Clendenon hit two home runs in a 6–0 Mets victory.[7] The Mets won 38 of their last 49 games, and finished the season with 100 wins against 62 losses, eight games ahead of the second-place Cubs.
Swoboda did not appear in the Mets'1969 National League Championship Series three-game sweep of theAtlanta Braves to reach the World Series. The Mets were heavyunderdogs heading into the1969 World Series against theBaltimore Orioles. In Game 4, Swoboda, not known for his fielding, made a spectacular catch of a ball hit byBrooks Robinson in the ninth inning to stop an Orioles rally. The Mets won the game 2–1 in ten innings, and subsequently, the World Series. For the World Series, Swoboda batted .400. His only RBI was the game winner of the fifth and final game.[8]
A photograph of Swoboda, stretched almost horizontally, just inches off the ground, became an iconic image for Mets fans. The Right Field entrance gate ofCiti Field, the current home of the Mets, features a metal silhouette of a baseball player making a diving catch similar to the one Swoboda made during the 1969 Series.[9]
In March 1971, Swoboda and minor-leaguerRich Hacker were traded to theMontreal Expos in exchange for young outfielderDon Hahn. Three months later, the Expos traded Swoboda to theNew York Yankees in exchange for outfielderRon Woods. Swoboda played in his final major league game on September 30, 1973, at the age of 29 and was released by the Yankees at the end of the 1973 season. He was signed by theAtlanta Braves during spring training of1974. The Braves, however, released him on March 25, 1974, after which Swoboda retired from baseball. He attempted an unsuccessful comeback with the Mets during spring training in1976.
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After his retirement from baseball, Swoboda worked as atelevisionsportscaster inNew York City onWCBS-TV, onWISN-TV inMilwaukee, and for many years atWVUE inNew Orleans. He also worked atCox Sports Television. Swoboda was thecolor commentator fortelecasts of games played by theNew Orleans Baby Cakes, the AAAfarm club of theMiami Marlins before the team relocated to Wichita, Kansas after the 2019 season[10].He was also a recipient of theThurman Munson Award in February2009.
He appeared as himself in a1999 episode ofEverybody Loves Raymond along with several other members of the 1969 Mets.[11] Swoboda was referenced byHomer Simpson in the episodeMoneyBart.[12]
Swoboda is mostly remembered for his dramatic defensive gem during the 1969 World Series. In a guest column for theNew York Daily News, Swoboda wrote, "I'm kidded, occasionally, by folks who wonder: 'How long are you going to keep living off of one catch?' My answer: 'How long have I got left?'"[13]
On June 11, 2019, Swoboda released his memoir entitledHere's the Catch: A Memoir of the Miracle Mets and More (Thomas Dunne Books).
Swoboda met his wife, Cecilia, at the University of Maryland.[14] They were married on October 9, 1965, and had two sons, Ron, Jr. (September 13, 1966 – January 27, 2020)[15] and Brian Christopher.
He is mentioned in the 1987 song "Steve and Edie" by Dramarama
