Ron Swoboda is an American former professional baseball player….who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably as a member of the 1969 “Miracle Mets”.
Swoboda did not appear in the Mets’ 1969 National League Championship Series three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves to reach the World Series. The Mets were heavy underdogs heading into the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles…..when in Game 4, Swoboda….who was not known for his fielding prowess…made a spectacular catch of a ball hit by Brooks Robinson in the ninth inning to stop an Orioles rally….as seen in this video herewith. The Mets won the game 2–1 in ten innings, and subsequently, the World Series….ans for the World Series, Swoboda batted .400….with his only RBI being the game winner of the fifth and final game.
A photograph of Swoboda stretched almost horizontally….just inches off the ground….became an iconic image for Mets fans….whereas the right field entrance gate of the current home of the Mets at Citi Field features a metal silhouette of a baseball player making a diving catch similar to the one Swoboda made during the 1969 Series.
