Friday, July 01, 2011

Box score of the week

On August 3, 1979, the eventual American League champions Baltimore Orioles visited Yankee Stadium to take on the Bronx Bombers.

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The Yankees had an off day on August 2. All-Star catcher (and aspiring pilot) Thurman Munson took advantage of that time to go home to Canton, OH. While there, Munson practiced takeoffs and landings at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport with two others in the plane. On the third touch-and-go landing, Munson allowed the aircraft to sink too low before increasing engine power, causing the jet to clip a tree and fall short of the runway. The plane then hit a tree stump and burst into flames. While Munson's passengers managed to escape, Munson himself died due to smoke inhalation.

The next night, a devastated Yankees team lost to the Baltimore Orioles 1-0.


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1 comment:

Mr. D said...

The day after Thurman Munson died?