The amazing Marty

sporting goods

Via Hardball Times, I saw this database that lists every hidden ball trick every pulled in the majors. Surprisingly it has only been pulled off once since 2000 (Mike Lowell last year).

I once saw (in person) Marty Barrett pull this feat off against the Angels, when I was young. So I took a look at the list to see if I could find it, and was confounded by the fact that he somehow pulled it off twice in one month against them that season. How can one team fall for a hidden ball trick against the same opponent twice in one month? How embarrassing.

I was able to use retrosheet to determine that it occurred at this game, as the first time he did it was in California. I also just impressed myself by actually remembering, prior to viewing the boxscore, that Reggie Jackson had homered that game, even though I was only 7 at the time.

Marty Barrett was involved in pulling off three hidden ball tricks between 1985 and 1988, out of only 24 times the feat has been pulled off since 1985.