Few baseballs in motion held more suspense than the one 25 years ago that skipped across the AstroTurf of Seattle’s Kingdome like a rock over a pond. The skipping lasted long enough to allow the calculus of history to play out in your head.
Could the runner on first dash home faster than the baseball could be returned there? Was Seattle about to lose its Mariners? Were the Yankees about to lose their manager? Would this first nationally televised playoff game in two years bring back fans who had deserted MLB because of a players strike? Would people care about postseason baseball now that—gulp!