Fosse still feels effects from infamous All-Star collision

  • By Janie Mccauley Associated Press
  • Thursday, July 9, 2015 7:42pm
  • SportsSports

OAKLAND, Calif. — Ray Fosse’s body still aches, 45 years later.

He never did fully recover physically from one of the most infamous plays in All-Star Game history, when Pete Rose bulled him over in 1970 to score the winning run in the 12th inning at Riverfront Stadium.

With the game back in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Fosse is reminded again of that moment. Over and over. Not that he needs another look.

“As if it happened yesterday,” said Fosse, a Cleveland catcher at the time and now an Oakland broadcaster. “As much as it’s shown, I don’t have to see it on TV as a replay to know what happened. It’s fresh.”

That night changed his career.

“It seems to be a play that people kind of relate to, that will somehow be kind of an opener, an icebreaker,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re the guy.”’

To this day, he introduces himself to A’s players as “just Ray Fosse, one of the broadcasters.”

Later, they tend to figure it out.

Fosse has pain and arthritis, endured five knee surgeries has two bum shoulders he never had fixed and a stiff neck.

In fairness, he knows a lot of that is a result of the rigors of being a catcher.

“My body hurts. My shoulder still hurts,” he said. “There was not anybody at the time to say, ‘Don’t play.’ I continued. That’s something that I take with a lot of pride.”

Fosse recalls it being 160 degrees on the artificial turf that night in Ohio, when the AL blew a 4-1, ninth-inning lead and lost 5-4 on Rose’s run. Rose says Fosse left him no room to slide into home on the decisive play.

“He’s the one blocking the plate without the ball,” Rose said on Thursday. “I’m the one who missed three games with an injury to my knee. He played nine more years after that.”

Two days after the All-Star Game, Fosse caught nine innings in a win at Kansas City. He couldn’t lift his arm above his head.

“They didn’t have the technology, I didn’t see any of it, as far as X-rays, no MRI, not really anything,” Fosse recalled in May at the Oakland Coliseum.

“Since my salary was about $12,000 at the time, nobody was going to tell me I couldn’t play. Even though I was hurt and probably shouldn’t have played, there was no injury that actually showed. It just was internal. As it turned out it was a fractured, separated shoulder. Things were different then.”

Fosse “never had the ball, never touched the ball” when Rose came plowing into him at the plate.

Now 68, Fosse offered his support after Giants catcher Buster Posey got run over by the Marlins’ Scott Cousins in May 2011, which in part led Major League Baseball to implement a new rule last season banning such home-plate hits.

Fosse spent parts of 12 seasons in the majors. He made the All-Star team again in 1971, yet his best year was already behind him.

And, really, there was a lot to enjoy in that 1970 showcase.

Hall of Famers were everywhere. The NL had Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Johnny Bench, the AL brought Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Catfish Hunter and Harmon Killebrew.

Fosse had a single, scored a run and drove in one. Like Rose, he entered in the fifth inning as a substitute.

All most fans recall was that bruising end.

“That’s something people will continue to talk about, whether they were alive at the time or watched the video and see the result,” Fosse said.

“There have been some harder hits. Just the fact it was an All-Star Game, they always vote on the All-Star game highlights or lowlights and that always seems to be at the top that people talk about.”

Rose has said he and Fosse were out until 4 a.m. Fosse insists he and his wife of three months, Carol, had dinner with Rose, his wife, Carol, and Fosse’s Cleveland teammate Sam McDowell and his wife, also Carol. The Fosses were back to their hotel room by 1 a.m.

“There have been a lot of things that have been said over the past years that really have never come out truthfully to some extent,” Fosse said. “The thing that really bothers me, and that’s been ongoing for my kids, our kids, Pete always said, ‘Ray and I were out till 4 o’clock in the morning.’ It’s like he’s always forgotten the real situation that there were six of us there, including all of our wives.

“We had dinner and he said, ‘All I want to talk about is Johnny Bench,’ which obviously we did because he was my contemporary in the National League.”

During a conference call on Thursday to discuss Fox Sports’ coverage of the All-Star Game, Rose bristled at a suggestion that the play ruined Fosse’s career.

“No. 1, I didn’t break the rules,” Rose said. “Two, I did not try to purposely hurt him. Three, I did not ruin his career. Four, I took him out to eat the night before the game.”

Fosse had a 23-game hitting streak in the first half, at age 23. He hit 16 home runs before the break and just two the rest of the season.

Has he wondered how his career might have turned out if Rose had taken a different path?

“We probably wouldn’t be talking now,” Fosse said, chuckling. “From a pure baseball standpoint, I really haven’t thought about it that much. All I know is that having hit 16 home runs at the All-Star break, could I have hit 30? Could I have hit 30 annually?”

To this day, the roster from that All-Star Game is bookmarked on his computer.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Fosse said. “Long after I’m gone, I’m sure they’ll still be showing the play. It’s part of the great game and I would never, ever say there’s any animosity or hard feelings about anything, about playing a game that I loved and still love.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

X
Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for March 8-17

The Athlete of the Week nominees for March 8-17. Voting closes at… Continue reading

X
Silvertips’ playoff picture coming together as season hits final week

Everett is officially the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed and is likely heading into a matchup with Kelowna or Vancouver.

Los Angeles Rams offensive guard Tremayne Anchrum (72) against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Seahawks add to position of need, sign guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr.

The 25-year-old has played in 31 games, starting once, since being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

Everett Community College head coach Chet Hovde watches as the women's team practices on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
EvCC coach Chet Hovde, who ‘lived for’ basketball, dies at 77

Coach Hovde graduated from Everett High School in 1965. He spent 33 years as the women’s basketball coach at the community college.

Jackson’s Ian Friedrichsen celebrates his goal with his teammates during the game against Bothell on Thursday, May 11, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep boys soccer: 5 things to watch for the 2024 season in Snohomish County

A look at the top local storylines for this high school boys soccer season

Jackson’s Rachel Sysum is hugged by Leneyah Mitchell after hitting a home run during the game against Bothell on Friday, May 19, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep softball: 5 things to watch for the 2024 season in Snohomish County

A look at the top local storylines to keep an eye on this high school softball season.

X
Prep roundup for Friday, March 15

Prep roundup for Friday, March 15: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Glacier Peak’s Samantha Christensen runs to home plate to celebrate her home run with her teammates during the game against Snohomish on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
GALLERY: Glacier Peak softball tops rival Snohomish

The Grizzlies prevail 9-5 in a clash of area powers.

X
Prep roundup for Thursday, March 14

Prep roundup for Thursday, March 14: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

The Washington Wolfpack logo is revealed during the Everett AFL team unveiling at Tony V's Garage in Everett, Washington onThursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett’s new arena football team to have 4 televised games

The NFL Network will broadcast 30 AFL games this season, including two Wolfpack home games.

Washington coach Mike Hopkins yells to the team during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against California, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Seattle. California won 82-80. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Looking back at Mike Hopkins’ turbulent tenure as UW men’s basketball coach

The departing Huskies coach had highs early, but the good times didn’t last long.

X
Prep roundup for Saturday, March 16

Prep roundup for Saturday, March 16: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.