Aquel mi\u00c3\u00a9rcoles 09 de julio de 1969 estudiaba la tabla de multiplicar. Al d\u00c3\u00ada siguiente era el examen oral de matem\u00c3\u00a1ticas. Cada vez que mam\u00c3\u00a1 se descuidaba, estiraba el cuello hacia una transmisi\u00c3\u00b3n radial que llegaba desde la habitaci\u00c3\u00b3n de mis hermanos. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 en el primer inning Seaver retira a los Cachorros por la v\u00c3\u00ada del un, dos, tres\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Bajo la mesa de la sala un peri\u00c3\u00b3dico desplegaba un reportaje sobre la misi\u00c3\u00b3n Apolo 11 que daba los \u00c3\u00baltimos toques para la llegada del hombre a la luna.<\/p>\n
Sab\u00c3\u00ada que mam\u00c3\u00a1 estar\u00c3\u00ada pendiente de m\u00c3\u00ad hasta que le respondiera la tabla del 9. Pero cada vez o\u00c3\u00ada comentarios m\u00c3\u00a1s intensos de mis hermanos en el cuarto. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00c2\u00bfTu crees que lo haga?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Verdad que est\u00c3\u00a1 imbateable\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. La pr\u00c3\u00b3xima vez que mam\u00c3\u00a1 tuvo que ir a la cocina pegue la oreja de la puerta del cuarto. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Ron Santo levanta un manso elevado al center field\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Los innings pasaban. Todo lo que escuchaba cuando me acercaba al cuarto era \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 otro ponche de Seaver. Manso elevado al cuadro. Ya tiene 19 retirados en fila. Desde aqu\u00c3\u00ad se ve como sus compa\u00c3\u00b1eros dejan s\u00c3\u00b3lo a Seaver en un extremo de la banca\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Ahora todo me parece m\u00c3\u00a1s emocionante. Hace unos d\u00c3\u00adas le\u00c3\u00ad un art\u00c3\u00adculo donde Seaver habla de sus impresiones de aquel juego. Entre otras cosas habla de Jimmy Qualls, de c\u00c3\u00b3mo a\u00c3\u00ban luego de tantos a\u00c3\u00b1os se acuerda de \u00c3\u00a9l, adem\u00c3\u00a1s de que muchas personas tambi\u00c3\u00a9n se lo mencionan en muchas conversaciones. Pero Seaver no se lamenta porque igual fue un blanqueo de 1 hit en medio de la lucha por el bander\u00c3\u00adn. Tambien recuerda como los Mets empezaron esa serie ante los Cachorros en el segundo lugar 5 juegos detr\u00c3\u00a1s de Chicago. Ron Santo subestim\u00c3\u00b3 a los Mets diciendo que la alineaci\u00c3\u00b3n de los oseznos era muy superior a la de los metropolitanos. Que su defensiva dejaba que desear. Tambien recuerda Seaver que Santo desconoc\u00c3\u00ada la profundidad del pitcheo metropolitano: Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw.<\/p>\n
Cuando finalmente pas\u00c3\u00a9 la prueba de la tabla del nueve, me fui a la cama. El radio dominaba la oscuridad de la rec\u00c3\u00a1mara. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6que actuaci\u00c3\u00b3n la de Seaver esta noche, acaba de ponchar a Ernie Banks con la curva y a Al Spangler con una recta que se congel\u00c3\u00b3 antes de llegar al plato\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Felipe se sorprendi\u00c3\u00b3 cuando trat\u00c3\u00b3 de quitarme la almohada y le reclam\u00c3\u00a9. Por lo general a esa hora andaba en el m\u00c3\u00a1s profundo de los sue\u00c3\u00b1os, pero la tensi\u00c3\u00b3n del examen oral y la emoci\u00c3\u00b3n del juego me estiraron las pesta\u00c3\u00b1as. Unos d\u00c3\u00adas despu\u00c3\u00a9s lament\u00c3\u00a9 que tanto el estudio de la tabla de multiplicar como el juego no hubiesen ocurrido la misma noche en que Neil Armstrong pis\u00c3\u00b3 la luna. A las diez de la noche ya habitaba la luna de los sue\u00c3\u00b1os.<\/p>\n
Seaver tambi\u00c3\u00a9n rememora que mientras calentaba el brazo sinti\u00c3\u00b3 una rigidez en el hombro que se mantuvo los dos primeros innings. Con los dos lanzamientos iniciales de Ken Holtzman, los Mets se fueron arriba 1-0 mediante triple de Tommie Agee y doble de Bobby Pfiel. En el segundo marcaron otras 2, Seaver remolc\u00c3\u00b3 una con un doble. En el s\u00c3\u00a9ptimo Cleon Jones la sac\u00c3\u00b3 del parque para poner el juego 4-0. Sus impresiones sobre el aislamiento que trata de realizar el pitcher para neutralizar la tensi\u00c3\u00b3n del juego, explican como a medida que avanza un juego sin hits, la situaci\u00c3\u00b3n se dificulta cada vez. En las tribunas estaban su esposa Nancy y su padre, qui\u00c3\u00a9n hab\u00c3\u00ada viajado desde la costa occidental. Hab\u00c3\u00ada 60000 personas en Shea Stadium, la primera vez que Seaver lanzaba ante tanto p\u00c3\u00bablico.<\/p>\n
Luego que Seaver dominara a Hundley con rolling al mont\u00c3\u00adculo. Me sent\u00c3\u00a9 en la cama y estir\u00c3\u00a9 el o\u00c3\u00addo hacia el radio, toda la tensi\u00c3\u00b3n se desdibuj\u00c3\u00b3 cuando el narrador dijo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 es una l\u00c3\u00adnea de hit de Jimmy Qualls hacia el centerfield, se acab\u00c3\u00b3 el perfecto, se acab\u00c3\u00b3 el juego sin hits. Tom Seaver mira hacia el cielo, se va detr\u00c3\u00a1s del mont\u00c3\u00adculo\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A\u00c3\u00ban sentado en la cama escuch\u00c3\u00a9 como termin\u00c3\u00b3 el juego dominando a Willie Smith y Don Kessinger con elevados inofensivos.<\/p>\n
Seaver regresa al dugout y nota que Nancy tiene l\u00c3\u00a1grimas en los ojos. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00c2\u00bfPor qu\u00c3\u00a9 est\u00c3\u00a1s llorando? Ganamos 4-0\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
English Translation<\/strong><\/p>\n That Wednesday July, 09th 1969 I studied for an oral math test that would take place the next morning. Each time Mom got distracted, I stretched my neck to a radio broadcast coming from my brothers bedroom. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 in the first inning Seaver retires the side before the Cubs\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Under the living room table a paper showed an article about the Apollo 11 Mission where it was said they had everything under control for the arrival of man at moon.<\/p>\n I knew that Mom would be watching me until I studied the whole material that was going to be evaluated in the test. Each time I heard more intense comments from my brothers inside the bedroom. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you think he can make it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s untouchable.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The next time that Mom had to go to the kitchen I attached my ear to the bedroom\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ron Santo hits a pop up to center field\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n The game advanced inning after inning. All I heard was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6another strikeout by Seaver. High pop up to the infield. Now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 19 batters retired in a row. We can see how his teammates leave Seaver alone at a corner of the bench.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n Now everything looks more exciting. Some days ago I read an article where Seaver talks about that game. Among many things he remembers Jimmy Qualls, how after many years he still knows who Qualls is, besides that many persons always mention Qualls in the interviews. But Seaver doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t regret because no matter it was a one-hitter shutout in the middle of the pennant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s battle. He also remembers how the Mets started a series before the Cubs being in second place, 5 games behind Chicago. Ron Santo underestimated the Mets by saying that the Cubs line up was very superior in front of the Mets. That the Mets had an under the average defense. Santo also said he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know anything about the depth of Mets pitching staff: Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw.<\/p>\n When I finally finished studying math, I went to hit the sack. The radio ruled over the room\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s darkness. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153…what a performance is having Tom Seaver tonight. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already struckout Ernie Banks with a breaking ball and Al Spangler with a fastball that got frozen before arriving to the home plate…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Felipe got surprised when he tried to take my pillow but I grabbed it with all my strength. Usually by that time I had fallen asleep, but the oral test\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tension and the game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s emotions kept me awake. Some days later I regretted that having to study math and listening to the ballgame wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have hapenned the same night Neil Armstrong arrived to the moon. At 10 o\u00e2\u20ac\u2122clock I was already asleep.<\/p>\n Seaver also recalls that while warming up he felt a tightness in his right shoulder. He had to hurl in that condition during the first two innings.<\/p>\n The Mets scored a run with the first two pitches of Ken Holtzman. Tommie Agee hit a triple and Bobby Pfiel followed with a double. In the second frame they scored two more runs, Seaver batted in one with a double. In the seventh Cleon James smacked a dinger to put the game 4-0.<\/p>\n Seaver talked about the isolation a pitcher hurling a no hitter has to practice in order to neutralize the game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tension that raises as the contest approaches to the ninth inning. His wife Nancy and his father, who had traveled from the west coast, were among the public. There were 60,000 fans in Shea Stadium, the first time Seaver performed before such an audience.<\/p>\n Once Seaver got the first out of the ninth inning, with a grounder to the mound, I sat down on the bed and stretched my ear to the radio. All the tension vanished when the announcer said: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Jimmy Qualls hits a line drive to center field. The perfect game is over, no more no hitter. Tom Seaver looks to the sky, he goes behind the mound and take a breath.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Still sat on the bed I listened how the game ended with Willie Smith and Don Kessinger pop ups to the outfield.<\/p>\n Seaver got back to the dugout and noticed that Nancy had tears in her eyes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why are you crying? We won 4-0.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t