On May 8, 1966, Frank Robinson did something no one had ever done, and no one would ever do again. He hit a home run completely out of Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Off Indians pitcher Luis Tiant in the first inning, Robinson crushed a 3-2 fastball over the left field bleachers and clean over the back wall of the stadium. The ball landed on a parking lot across 33rd Street. Estimated distance: 540 feet. Memorial Stadium opened in 1954. It hosted 38 seasons of Orioles baseball before closing in 1991. In all that time, with all the sluggers who passed through - Mantle, Mays, Reggie, Jim Rice, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken - only Frank Robinson ever cleared the building. The Orioles marked the spot in the parking lot with a flag that simply read "HERE." Robinson had been traded to Baltimore that offseason from the Reds in what's still considered one of the most lopsided deals in baseball history because he was "old" at age 30. He won the Triple Crown that summer, the MVP, and led the O's to their first ever World Series title. May 8 was the moment they realized what they had.
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