George Brett will never forget the late Thurman Munson’s act of kindness in an otherwise hectic and wild fight.
Brett, the legendary Royals third baseman, recalled how the Yankees catcher went out of his way to shield him in a brawl during Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS.
“Thurman Munson comes up and he’s one of the first guys in the pile but I’ll never forget this,” Brett told MLB Network for their “Brett” documentary debuting Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
“He’s laying on top of me, shielding me, he said, ‘George, it’s Thurman. I got you covered. Nobody is going to take any potshots at you.’ How cool was that?”
Brett, a Hall of Famer, is known as a legendary Yankees adversary for his roles in the “Pine Tar Incident” and ALCS against the Bronx Bombers in 1976, ’77, ’78 and ’80.
During the decisive Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS, a 5-3 Yankees win, Brett ignited a brawl with his slide into third base during his RBI triple off Ron Guidry in the first inning that gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead.
“Close play at third base, I remember sliding or going all out, slid late, and my momentum took me over the bag,” Brett, 70, said during the documentary. “As I came up, I kind of pushed Graig [Nettles.]
“He took offense to it and he just kicks me right in the mouth with his left foot and I kind of go like, I’m going, ‘What the hell was that?’ I just get up and throw a haymaker at him.”
That haymaker/kick combo started a brawl, and that’s when Munson, the Yankees catcher, made his goodwill gesture to protect the Royals star.
The Yankees ultimately rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to advance to the World Series, where they defeated the Dodgers in six games.
“It didn’t take much for anybody there, on either side, to get into a ruckus,” Reggie Jackson said during the documentary. “I’ll never forget the slide George had into third base with Nettles.”