Wow. 26,212 at the Yankees home opener at….wait for it…Shea! Â 1975 must have been a miserable time for Yankee fans…at the end of one of the longest droughts in team history, playing in the home of the Mets. Â Things would change drastically in ’76. Â Here’s SI from April 1975.
Both Bonds and Hunter were generously received by the crowd of 26,212 that paid to attend the home opener in Shea Stadium on a crisp afternoon. New York Governor Hugh Carey was there, and so were Mayor Abe Beame and former Mayor John Lindsay, as well as Toots Shor, Robert Merrill, Roy Cohn, some antiwar protesters and a white chicken that appeared on the screen behind home plate in the eighth inning, provoking an outbreak of bad gags and labored symbolism in the press box. Bonds was cheered by the fans as he emerged from the dugout, and Hunter received a standing ovation as he jogged in from the right-field bullpen.
Read the full article here:
With Catfish Hunter and Bobby Bonds, New York had a – 04.21.75 – SI Vault
