March 25th, 2020 at 10:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Throughout their 136-year history (74 in Brooklyn and 62 in Los Angeles), there have been a number of devastating home runs hit against the Dodgers. For post-World War II baby boomers, no home run was more crushing to Dodger fans than New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson‘s famed ‘Shot heard ’round the World’ off of Brooklyn Dodgers right-hander Ralph Branca that sent the Giants to the 1951 World Series and the Dodgers back across the East River to Brooklyn.
(AP photo)
Millennials need look no further than Game-7 of the 2017 World Series when Houston Astros outfielder George Springer hit a two-run home run off of Dodgers right-hander Yu Darvish in the second inning of the eventual World Series-deciding 5-1 Dodgers loss. It was later proven that the Astros had utilized digital sign-stealing tactics that allowed their hitters to know exactly what pitch was coming.
(Photo credit – Christian Petersen)
But there was another devastating home run hit against the Dodgers which many Dodger fans may have overlooked or perhaps have forgotten about that knocked the Boys in Blue out of postseason play.
It happened on October 16, 1985 in Game-6 of the 1985 National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium when a noticeably stubborn Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda elected not to intentionally walk St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jack Clark (whose nickname was ‘Jack the Ripper’) with two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the ninth inning instead of having right-hander Tom Niedenfuer walk Clark and face Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke. During the regular season, Van Slyke hit .211 with zero home runs against Lasorda’s Dodgers and Clark .200 with two home runs.
Oops.
On the first pitch he saw, Clark absolutely crushed Niedenfuer’s fastball, which was right down the middle, for a devastating game-winning three-run home run to send the Cards to the 1985 World Series and the Dodgers into yet another heartbreaking offseason.
Stubborn indeed.
Clark had been acquired by the Cardinals prior to the 1985 season from the (wait for it…) San Francisco Giants, who drafted him in the 13th round in 1973 and for whom he played from 1975 through 1985. Needless to say, Lasorda had a healthy disliking for the then 29-year-old Covina, CA native.
…and the feeling was mutual.
“There was a lot of payback for a lot of reasons,” Clark would say years later about his crushing blow against the Dodgers, Lasorda, and Dodger fans. “For all those years in Candlestick Park. Not only was it bad enough just having to play there, but the Dodgers kept whipping up on us every year.
“I had one mission: to seek and destroy everyone on that team, from Fernando to Orel Hershiser. I wanted it all,” Clark added. “I tried to hit it out of the stadium. I didn’t just want a home run, I wanted to have it be shot out of a cannon.”
It was.
(AP photo)
Play Ball!
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@Dodgers Bad rap against Lasorda. Van Slyke, on deck, had a higher OBP and SLG vs RHP than Clark. Tac… https://t.co/vbqxKvkA9q
@Dodgers I remember screaming to the TV don’t pitch to this guy!
Niedenfuer was no Pedro Baez.
After the Clark home run, my buddies and I referred to Neidenfuer as ‘Needafewruns.’
I was at Dodger stadium for the best moment in stadium history (Gibsons HR) and the probably the two worst moments in stadium history, game 5 meltdown versus the Nationals and this game. This was an early example of managing by the stats, not the people and situation, and it was truly crushing. Clark had a long history of hurting the Dodgers, van slyke was just getting started. The ‘baseball’ decision should have been easy. Tommy was still great at his job, he just struck out this time.
Brutal but fun fact: this home run and the one by Smith the game prior represent the only runs charged to Niedenfuer over 13 1/3 postseason innings. Tough timing.
My sister & brother-in-law had taken me with their 3 kids to see the only Dodger playoff game I’ve ever seen. We were screaming at Tommy, “Walk him!!” There was no noise in the stadium as it sailed high over the motionless left fielder. As it settled into the crowd, fans immediately jumped up to make a beeline for the exits. Brutal.
I still don’t understand what Lasorda was thinking in letting Niedenfuer hit with a man on and two it in the bottom of the eighth. The guy already gave up the HR to Ozzie the night before, not to mention a triple to Ozzie an inning before. To me, that move was more questionable then pitching to the Ripper, which was still a dumb move. It reminded of when Gossage pitched to Gibson in the 1984 WS, when everybody in the stadium knew he should have walked him.