http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-base...ional-walk

As a youth, I was told that Hank Aaron once had a home run taken away when he was being intentionally walked, but he reached across the plate and got a hold of it anyway. It was ruled he stepped across home plate to reach it and was called out. Best I could determine, this might be the game. (source of the link below is this: http://retrosheet.org/losthr.htm )

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1965/...LN1965.htm

This account says he stepped in front of the batter's box:

http://retrosimba.com/2012/02/17/hank-aa...cardinals/

And this is from someone who was supposedly there.

http://www.tommcmahon.net/2007/02/the_night_i_saw.html

So maybe it wasn't while he was being intentionally walked. But it certainly was by someone who wasn't trying to pitch him straight-up, it sounds like.

`The body language of the catcher is awesome. The runner on second nearly jumped out of his skin from the looks of it.

At the other end of the outcome spectrum, I've heard a story that Johnny Bench once struck out on an apparent intentional walk. Anyone heard this story? As I heard it, there was a runner on first and the count was 1-2 or maybe 2-2 but then the runner stole second. At that point the catcher set up for an intentional walk. The pitcher threw 1-2 obvious balls and then, while Bench stood with the bat on his shoulder, fired a fastball down the middle.

(04-06-2014 07:54 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  At the other end of the outcome spectrum, I've heard a story that Johnny Bench once struck out on an apparent intentional walk. Anyone heard this story? As I heard it, there was a runner on first and the count was 1-2 or maybe 2-2 but then the runner stole second. At that point the catcher set up for an intentional walk. The pitcher threw 1-2 obvious balls and then, while Bench stood with the bat on his shoulder, fired a fastball down the middle.

World Series, 1972, against Oakland. And whoever was doing the color commentary on TV called it beforehand.

(04-05-2014 09:19 PM)I45owl Wrote:  The runner on second nearly jumped out of his skin from the looks of it.

I doubt he was paying attention to anything other than a possible WP.