Chicago Cubs fans woke up Friday celebrating more than a recent sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Friday marks 49 years since then-Cubs outfielder Rick Monday grabbed an American flag that two protestors tried burning at Dodgers Stadium.
Monday sprinted to left-center field, rescued the flag, and handed it to Dodgers pitcher (and future teammate) Doug Rau.
Monday previously spent six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. President Gerald Ford called Monday after the game and later invited the two-time All-Star to the White House.
“To this day, I couldn’t tell you what was running through my mind except I was mad, I was angry and it was wrong for a lot of reasons,” Monday told the Cubs’ official website in 2006.
“Without being prompted, and I don’t know where it started, but people began to sing ‘God Bless America,'” Monday added. “When I reflect back upon it now, I still get goosebumps.”
Monday, the No. 1 pick in 1965, hit .264 with 241 home runs and a .804 OPS over 19 seasons.
He won the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers and played in two others, losing to the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978. However, baseball fans understandably remember Monday far more for rescuing Old Glory.
One X (formerly Twitter) user called it the “greatest play in Cubs history” on Friday morning. Another referred to Monday’s moment as “The GREATEST glove save in MLB History.” The Dodgers recognized Monday on the 40th anniversary in 2016.
According to MLB.com, Monday previously received the flag after a court fined the protestors $80 apiece and placed them on two years of probation. “Rick Monday should be celebrated in every ballpark, every year,” an X user suggested.
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