Although the game circumstances were certainly different, it was a majestic grand slam that reminded me of the 1984 movie The Natural when Roy Hobbs played by Robert Redford hit a towering home run that smashed the lights high atop the stadium to win the game and the pennant for the New York Knights.
At the last game played at Tiger Stadium, on Sept. 27, 1999, while wearing number 25 in honor of beloved Tiger slugger Norm Cash who cleared the roof at the ballpark four times, Robert Fick delivered on the first serving from Jeff Montgomery to blast a towering and dramatic eighth-inning grand slam that nearly cleared the roof.
The ball hit the top of the right field roof and bounced back onto the field as cameras flashed throughout the stadium for the final time.
Fick’s famous shot became the last homer, hit, RBI and run scored at the fabled ballpark and it served as the icing on the cake for the Tiger Stadium finale.
The grand slam will always be what Robert Fick is remembered for, and it even resulted in the production of a bobblehead in his honor.
Fick donated the baseball he hit for that grand slam to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Fick retained the bat, as well as a wonderful memory that he shared with me in a 2020 interview.
“Before the game, Al Kaline came up to me and said, ‘Why don’t you go out and hit a home run today?’ He and Willie Horton were my favorites and they were always so good to us. I had been out most of the year from shoulder surgery and the only reason I played is because Juan Encarnacion had been beaned a couple of days before.
At the top of the 8th, Larry Parrish told me that if my spot came up in the bottom of the 8th, Frank Catalanotto was going to bat for me, so I told Cat to be ready. But when the bases were loaded, I just grabbed my bat and helmet and went out to the on-deck circle because hell I wanted to bat in that situation. Parrish ended up arguing a call at the plate after [Gabe] Kapler batted and I just think he forgot about pinch-hitting for me. I made up my mind I was going put a good swing on the first pitch. My goal was to drive in a run, not hit a grand slam. When I hit it, I knew it was going out and it was unreal. As I was running the bases, I was thinking I can’t believe what just happened. My dad had died the year before and I thought of my parents because they never missed my games as a kid, and I was the youngest of eight.”
Fick, who played college baseball at Cal State-Northridge, was drafted by the Tigers in the 5th round of the 1996 draft. He proved to be a versatile player who spent time at catcher, first base, the outfield and DH. In parts of five seasons (1998-2002) with Detroit, Fick hit .268 with 45 homers and 163 RBI, and served as the Tigers’ All-Star representative in 2002.
Fick told me that he grew up a Tigers fan because Sparky Andeson lived in his hometown of Thousand Oaks, California. He was thrilled when he was able to first wear the Old English D.
In his first major league game on September 19, 1998, Fick was the DH, and in his first at-bat he hit into a double play.
“I [ended up] going 2-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and scored two runs, and we won, 8 to 7. I still have the ball from my first hit.”
Fick’s greatest regret in baseball was leaving the Tigers over a contract dispute with team president and GM Dave Dombrowski when he signed as a free agent with Atlanta after hitting .270 with 17 homers and 63 RBI.
Fick told me:
“I thought I was worth more than what Dave Dombrowski thought, so they non-tendered me. I was an immature young man. Other than the fact that I got to play for Bobby Cox in Atlanta, which was one of the best experiences of my life, I regret that I didn’t take what they offered me. I should have stayed in Detroit. The fans were great to me and I liked my teammates. Hindsight is 20/20. I had a falling-out with Dave Dombrowski and I later apologized to him on how I dealt with the situation.”
In 2003, Fick helped the Braves win their ninth consecutive division title, though they lost in the National League Division Series. From 2004 to 2007, he played for the Devil Rays, Padres and Nationals before retiring in 2007 at age 33.
