theathleticuk
As the New York Mets prepare to honor the 40th anniversary of their 1986 World Series championship on Saturday at Citi Field, the enduring legacy of a simple, skyward gesture remains as powerful as ever. That season, the Mets were a swashbuckling bunch, and on a warm July night at Shea Stadium, they dismantled the Atlanta Braves by 11 runs, with Gary Carter homering twice, Sid Fernandez pitching a shutout, and Darryl Strawberry charging the mound. Closer Jesse Orosco had the night off, as did Steven McDonald, a New York City police officer who watched the game with friends.
McDonald's life changed irreversibly the next day when a 15-year-old boy, Shavod Jones, shot him three times in Central Park, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. McDonald was just 29, married eight months, and his wife Patti Ann was pregnant with their son Conor. The Mets went on to beat the Boston Red Sox in a thrilling World Series, and when Orosco struck out Marty Barrett for the final out of Game 7, he flung his brown Rawlings glove skyward in celebration. Soon after, he visited McDonald at Bellevue Hospital and presented him with that very glove.
Orosco, now reflecting on the moment, explained that many athletes were visiting McDonald and giving gifts, so he decided to offer the glove as his contribution. "I know I've had people say, 'Hey, Jesse, why'd you give up the glove?' And I said, 'You know, that's not what it's all about. I was happy to do that. The time was right. And I mean, it could have been any of us athletes that were there that day that could have done it,'" Orosco said this week. Only Orosco, however, possessed an artifact so symbolic of joy.
Mary Murphy, a young reporter from Queens who had been at Shea that night, never imagined that Orosco's gesture would become a focal point of a documentary she would later make about McDonald, who passed away in 2017. "I wanted to show that he not only struggled, but that he found joy," Murphy said. "And when I heard about Jesse Orosco giving him the baseball glove that he threw up after Game 7 of the World Series, I said, 'We have to have that in this movie. We have to find a way to talk to Jesse Orosco.'" Jay Horwitz, the Mets' longtime PR director and current historian, connected Murphy with Orosco, who lives in San Diego. The documentary, titled Saint of the City, is in final edits, and Murphy, a 33-time Emmy winner, hopes for wide distribution soon. A private screening was held this month to mark the NYPD naming its academy for McDonald, and Orosco met Conor McDonald for the first time.
Conor McDonald, now a captain in the NYPD who was recently promoted to deputy inspector, grew up hearing about Orosco from his father. "I just remember, as a kid, my dad always talking about Jesse Orosco," Conor said. "At three or four years old, before I knew what sports meant to my community and to my family, I knew that this was a special person and he really helped my dad. He was kind of like a myth, you know? He's a legend. And getting to talk to him and tell him how important that visit was to my dad and that gesture of giving him the glove — sometimes you don't get a chance to thank people, because life goes in different ways, and to me it was great just to do that, 40 years later."
Key Analysis
The significance of Orosco's gift transcends the baseball diamond. McDonald, who was given just three years to live by doctors, survived for 30 and a half years, allowing Conor to know his father and become the man he is today. The two bonded over New York sports, attending the 2000 World Series together, a loss to the Yankees. Conor won't be at the Mets reunion this weekend, as his son, Steven Mychal, celebrates his second birthday — a name honoring both Conor's father and Mychal Judge, the FDNY chaplain who was instrumental in McDonald's spiritual journey and who died on Sept. 11, 2001. McDonald's act of publicly forgiving his shooter and corresponding with him in jail became a testament to his character, and Conor has followed in his father's footsteps, serving in the NYPD. "In my personal opinion, being a cop is the greatest job in the world," Conor said. "There's a lot of great people you serve and protect, especially in New York City. It's a great privilege."
In other baseball notes, pitching coach Carl Willis, who has guided five Cy Young Award winners over his 23 seasons with Cleveland, Seattle, and Boston, shared insights on each. CC Sabathia's evolution into a complete pitcher was marked by a cutter that resembled a Steve Carlton slider; Cliff Lee learned to pitch away to set up his inside game; Felix Hernandez had an uncanny feel for the baseball; Rick Porcello rediscovered his sinker; and Shane Bieber's curveball was a thing of beauty. Willis, a former reliever who won a ring with the 1991 Twins, praised their competitiveness and emotional control.
Finally, a historical nugget: the Aug. 3 trade deadline has roots in a 1922 deal between the Yankees and Red Sox that sent Joe Dugan to New York, prompting protests from St. Louis and leading to the establishment of a June 15 deadline. Dugan, who became close with Babe Ruth, was a pallbearer at Ruth's funeral, where he quipped about wanting a beer, and Ruth's reply, "So would the Babe," remains a classic. And as the Blue Jays celebrate their 1993 World Series title with a statue of Joe Carter's home run, Rickey Henderson's quip — "I was on second base!" — reminds us of his impact, though his tenure in Toronto included a bizarre frostbite incident in August.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.