On September 12, 1979, one of the most iconic moments in baseball history occurred during a game between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were leading 5-4 in the top of the ninth inning when the Phillies had runners on first and second with one out. Philadelphia's batter, Mike Schmidt, hit a long fly ball to deep left-center field.
Cubs outfielder Dave Kingman raced back to the ivy-covered wall and leaped high in an attempt to make the catch. As Kingman reached for the ball, a fan named Frank Castillo, who was sitting in the front row of the bleachers, also reached out for the ball. Castillo caught the ball just as Kingman was about to grab it, and the umpires ruled it a home run, giving the Phillies a 7-5 lead.
The Cubs players and manager argued vehemently with the umpires, insisting that Kingman had been interfered with and that the ball should have been ruled an out. The umpires disagreed, and the home run stood. The Phillies went on to win the game 7-5.
The incident became known as the "Kingman Play" and remains one of the most controversial and memorable moments in Cubs history. It also sparked a debate about fan interference and the role of spectators in the game of baseball.
Interestingly, Frank Castillo, the fan who caught the ball, was a local celebrity in Chicago for a time after the incident. He appeared on talk shows and was even invited to throw out the first pitch at a Cubs game the following season. However, he faced criticism from some Cubs fans who blamed him for costing the team the game.
The "Kingman Play" remains a defining moment in the long and storied history of the Cubs-Phillies rivalry and is still talked about by fans of both teams to this day.
