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Milwaukee Brewers History: The Grand Slam That Wasn’t

By David Hill

Mar 15, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers hat, glove and sunglasses during the game against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2017; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers hat, glove and sunglasses during the game against the Colorado Rockies during a spring training game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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One of the more exciting moments in a game is when a player hits a game winning home run. Well, on this day in 1976, it looked like Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Don Money had a walk off grand slam, only for the hit to be disallowed.

Going against Sparky Lyle was not an easy task during his heyday. The Yankees closer was amongst the best at his craft, a force at the end of the ballgame. Lyle was just one year before winning his Cy Young award in 1976, and was en route to an All Star Game. That was the task facing the Milwaukee Brewers on this day, as they trailed the Yankees 9-6 heading into the ninth.

However, on this day, Lyle was not at his best. He allowed a base hit and a walk, and was then pulled for Dave Pagan. Bobby Darwin entered as a pinch hitter for Gorman Thomas, and reached on an error. This set the stage for Don Money, who came up to the plate with the bases loaded.

For a moment, it appeared as though Money was, well, money. He hammered a pitch for what seemed to be a walkoff grand slam, giving the Brewers a 10-9 victory. However, the umpires convened as Money was circling the bases, and ruled that Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss had been granted time before the pitch was thrown.

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This allowed the Yankees a second life. This time, Money flew out to right, failing to hit the ball deep enough to plate the runner. Milwaukee did manage to get a run home on a sacrifice fly, but the Yankees held on for the 9-7 victory.

That performance did not deter Lyle over the course of the year. He ended up with a 2.26 ERA and a 1.196 WHiP, leading the American League with 23 saves. Lyle also earned a few votes for MVP, finishing 22nd in the balloting.

Next: Mariners held back by sputtering offense

As good as Sparky Lyle was, he was not on his game on this day in 1976. On this day, Don Money had a walkoff grand slam, as he hit the grand slam that wasn’t.

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