Today, the baseball world learned some sad news that Hall of Fame broadcaster and former MLB catcher Tim McCarver had passed away.
The 2012 Ford Frick Award winner was 81 years old.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster and famously worked alongside Joe Buck for various World Series matchups.
One such matchup was in 2001, when the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off in a seven-game thriller that came down to the bottom of the ninth inning.
Arizona won the series on a walk-off hit by Luis Gonzalez.
However, McCarver actually predicted that it would happen moments before it actually did.
Below is a clip where McCarver can be heard making his prediction.
Never forget when Tim McCarver predicted Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off hit in the 2001 World Series
RIP. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mTvsx3hYTz
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 16, 2023
The Yankees had brought the infield in, but closer Mariano Rivera sometimes struggled against left-handers.
Often times, he threw inside to lefties, who would break their bats and dump the ball into the shallow part of the outfield.
McCarver noted that it was a bold and dangerous strategy by the Yankees, and it turned out that he was right.
Gonzalez did just that, dumping a ball into shallow left-center which got down and allowed enough time for the winning run to score, securing Arizona’s first and only World Series title and costing the Yankees their fourth consecutive ring.
McCarver essentially spoke one of the greatest moments in World Series history into existence.
The game was tied at two runs apiece and Gonzalez came through at just the right time, giving Diamondbacks fans a moment they’ll never forget.
