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Ron Swoboda

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Baseball Player

The Resume

Why he might be annoying:

    During his rookie season, he had hit fifteen home runs by the All-Star break. He then told an interviewer how much he loved hitting fastballs, after which pitchers concentrated on breaking balls, and he hit only four more homers for the rest of the season.
    He was given the ironic nickname 'Rocky' for his less-than-reliable fielding.
    He had an unsuccessful comeback tryout with Mets during spring training (1976).
    He appeared in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.
    He said of his legacy, 'Some people had a career, I had a catch' and 'I was a pretty average ballplayer with one big moment.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    His 19 homers in 1965 were the record for a Mets rookie until Darryl Strawberry hit 26 in 1983.
    He said of his popularity with Mets fans, 'Things don't come easy to me and maybe fans identify with me because they know I have to work.'
    He was part of the Amazin' Mets that defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series.
    In Game 4 of the Series, he made a famous diving catch of a ball hit by Brooks Robinson to kill a ninth-inning Orioles rally and allow the Mets to win in extra innings.
    He hit .400 during the Series and hit the RBI that won the fifth and final game.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying