WATCH: Thurman Munson's sidearm throw from behind the plate
During Game 6 of the 1978 World Series, the late Thurman Munson made a sidearm throw from behind the plate to get the runner trying to steal second.
It has now been 36 years since former Yankees captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash near his home in Ohio. Munson was practicing take-offs and landings when the plane he was piloting clipped a tree and crashed.
Munson was 32 at the time of his death and gosh, he was one hell of a ballplayer. He was a career .292/.346/.410 (116 OPS+) hitter who put up a .299/.347/.438 (128 OPS+) batting line during his peak from 1973-77. Munson was the 1970 AL Rookie of the Year and the 1976 AL MVP.
In addition to being one of the best hitting catchers in the league, Munson was also a very good defender who threw out 44 percent of attempted basestealers in his 11-year career. He did that despite some unconventional methods. Check out this sidearm throw in Game 6 of the 1978 World Series:
The announcer said all that needed to be said: "He does everything wrong except get the man." That is as against the book as a throw by a catcher can be. Sidearm, off balance, it's all wrong. And yet, it worked.
The Yankees beat the Dodgers in Game 6 to clinch their second straight World Series title. Munson went 8 for 25 (.320) with three doubles and 7 RBI in the six-game series.
(h/t Reddit)
