BASEBALL: A Wayne County perspective on Bucky Dent

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on February 9, 2017 9:57 AM

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October 2, 1978.

Trailing 2-0 in the seventh inning of a one-game playoff for the American League East division title, New York Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent exhaled a deep, labored breath and settled into the batter's box at Fenway Park in Boston.

He shouldn't have been there.

New York, which suffered through injuries and a rougher-than-usual spring, had trailed the Red Sox by 11 1/2 games at the conclusion of All-Star weekend in San Diego.

Alas, they rallied.

Short on time and with long odds against, the pinstripes summoned a revival for all time's sake, winning 53 of their final 74 contests and assuming the division lead with 20 games remaining in the regular season.

The only blemish to their amazing charge?

A loss to the Cleveland Indians -- who finished a staggering 29 games back of relevance -- on the final day of the regular season.

Which is exactly why Bucky Dent, a career .247 hitter, stood to face Red Sox righty Mike Torrez, with mates Chris Chambliss and Roy White standing on base.

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Across the country, people of all walks were captivated.

Businessmen nixed afternoon meetings. Kids cut class, or rather tried to, and many ditched the notion altogether.

Those who didn't rifled themselves home in military-grade double time, crash-landing in front of a television broadcast helmed by Keith Jackson, Howard Cossell and Don Drysdale.

Game 163, a collection of titanic figures and their hard-to-believe exploits, held much of the nation in rapt attention. And the scene was no different here in Wayne County, where some of today's foremost contributors to the game were just finding their way.

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Charles Davis, Charles B. Aycock: "I was in the ninth grade at Beddingfield. My mom and dad wouldn't let me out of school early, and I think when I got home, it was the third or fourth inning... we were in the living room."

Jabo Fulghum, formerly of Eastern Wayne High: "I was watching the game at Mama and Daddy's house (in) Snow Hill, right there in front of Greene Central High School...I was a Yankees guy because Jerry (Narron) was playing, definitely."

Rooster Narron, former MLB player: "I was interested in this game because my cousin was there -- how could you not be? I was watching on TV at my house."

George Whitfield, former Goldsboro High baseball coach: "I was watching the game and cheering as hard as I could, and Clyde (King) was coaching, Jerry was in the dugout..."

Jerry Narron, Goldsboro native and catcher for the New York Yankees: "I'd been called up out of Triple-A a couple of weeks before the playoff game in Boston, and sitting on the bench watching the game, and we were behind. Bucky came up, he hits a ball off his foot... and you think, he's got no chance of hitting the ball after that."

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After taking the first pitch from Torrez -- a slider that missed low and away -- Dent hacked the second off his left ankle, where he'd had a blood clot removed shortly after spring training.

Time was called.

A trainer emerged from the dugout with a canister of cold spray. The famed Mickey Rivers sent out another bat to Dent, who was waiting to resume his appointment with the six-foot eight former Yankee.

Simply put, matters didn't look promising.

Until they did.

In a flash, Dent turned and wheeled a Torrez mistake toward the Green Monster in left. The shot -- a mixture of skill, hope eternal and a grind-it-out professional mentality -- hung in the air until it struck the netting beyond Carl Yastrzemski.

For many, it spelled exaltation.

George Whitfield: "He fought'em off and the minute he hit that ball, I knew it was gone... I jumped up -- I was on the couch -- and cheered, because I've pulled for the Yankees all my life."

Jerry Narron: "When he hit it, everybody came out of the dugout... and you know it's at least gonna hit the top of the monster if it doesn't get out, and then you see it going into the net... and I grew up a Carl Yastrzemski fan, (so) watching Yaz out there... that was a big deal to me."

Charles Davis: "I'm just hoping he gets on, and gets the top of the lineup at bat again... me and my Dad both jumped for joy."

Rooster Narron: "Everybody was ecstatic... and what I remember after the game, Jerry had a Sportsman's World tee shirt on, and he was jumping around everywhere he could in front of the camera so everybody could see it."

Not everyone fell in line with the Yankee empire, however.

Heath Whitfield, Spring Creek High School: "I'd become a die-hard Red Sox fan in '75 when Carlton Fisk hit the home run... when he's waving it in the World Series... and then watching one of my heroes, Carl Yastrzemski, go back to the wall and crumble, because he saw it was out of the park... I think I cried, because I hated the Yankees."

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Beyond the joy or pain associated with Dent's shot, however, exists something universally noted about the moment amongst baseball lifers -- a great respect for what the steady, always-prepared shortstop endured that afternoon in Boston.

George Whitfield: "You just keep banging, keep hacking... and get the pitch you want."

Charles Davis: "It's opportunity... you never know when the light is gonna shine on you... he was a steady player, but for that one moment... he got a pitch he could handle, and the rest is history."

Heath Whitfield: "It's just awesome to have the confidence to come through like that... he was ready when that situation came up, and he didn't let it pass him by... he took advantage of it."

Jabo Fulghum... "You're at-bat isn't over just because you get two strikes... as long as you've got a strike left, you've got life left."