The great fan snowball debacle involving Philadelphia you probably never heard of

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Why do national television broadcasters fail to mention April 11, 1907 when the Philadelphia Phillies took on the New York Giants on a snowy Opening Day. An incident so unruly that the game was called due to ravenous fans throwing snowballs at, not only each other, but also at the umpire?

Probably because the game took place at the Polo Grounds in New York.

I had never actually heard about the incident until friend of the Level Tom G. pointed me to an article at Call to the Pen which wrote about the ancient incident a year or so ago.

It's the only opening day forfeit in MLB history according to the article.

Here's how Baseball-almanac.com described the scene:

At the start of the 1907 season, the New York Giants opened against the Phillies following a heavy snowstorm. In preparation for the game, groundskeepers were forced to shovel large drifts of snow onto the outer edges of the field in foul territory. After falling behind 3-0, the disappointed fans at the Polo Grounds began hurling snowballs onto the playing field, disrupting play. As the melee progressed, chaos ensued and fans began rushing onto the field to continue the snowball fight. After being pelted, Home plate umpire Bill Klem had enough and called a forfeit in favor of the Phillies.

The moral of the story? If you're going to throw snowballs, make sure they are packed well enough so you can really get some good distance and velocity into them.

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