1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: show that proves there's more than one way to make history. 4 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, we're looking at 5 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: a bizarre event in baseball history, the time when a 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: player committed a fatal error in the outfield. Literally. The 7 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: day was August fourth, nineteen eighty three. New York Yankees' 8 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: right fielder Dave Winfield was arrested for accidentally killing a seagull. 9 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: The incident occurred during a game against the Toronto Blue 10 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: Jays at the team's exhibition stadium in Canada. After warming 11 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: up in the outfield just before the fifth inning, Winfield 12 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: threw the ball he'd been using back towards the dugout 13 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: and mistakenly struck a seagull in the neck, killing it instantly. 14 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: The game resumed shortly after, and the Yankees went on 15 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: to win three to one, thanks in no small part 16 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: to winfield single double and two RBIs or runs batted in. However, 17 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: the team's celebration was quickly cut short when Winfield returned 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: to the clubhouse and found the Canadian police waiting for him. 19 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: Fans had turned out in record numbers that summer to 20 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: watch the Blue Jays, but they weren't the only ones. 21 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: Toronto's population of ring billed seagulls had risen dramatically in 22 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: recent years, growing from an estimated ten thousand gulls to 23 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: nearly two hundred thousand, and because the ballpark was located 24 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: just off the shores of Lake Ontario, the birds often 25 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: flocked there and droves. Most would simply circle overhead until 26 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: the game was over, and then swoop in to devour 27 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: the food scraps left behind. Occasionally, though, one of the 28 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: goals would land right on the field, amusing the fans 29 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: and annoying the players simultaneously. On the evening of August fourth, 30 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: one particular seagull landed on the field early in the 31 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: game and proceeded to stay there for several innings. Constable 32 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: Wayne Hardery, the on duty policeman that night, later commented 33 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: on the strange occurrence, saying, quote that bird had been 34 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: on the field for three innings. It was just sitting there. 35 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: It kind of looked a little sickly, to be honest 36 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: with you. It was just moving slowly. Yankees coach Jeff 37 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: Torborg offered a similar take. Looked like there was something 38 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: wrong with it in the first place, he said, didn't 39 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: you see the way its feet kind of skidded out 40 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: underneath when it landed. Sick or not, the seagull sat 41 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: undisturbed until the top of the fifth inning, when the 42 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: Yankees took the field and started making their customary practice throws. Then, 43 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: just as play was about to resume, Dave Winfield threw 44 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: his ball to ball boy Jeff Pinchuk at the right 45 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: field foul line. Unfortunately, the toss fell a little short, 46 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: and after bouncing once, it landed squarely on the seagull 47 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 1: that had been sitting about eighty feet away from Winfield. 48 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: The bird dropped dead immediately, and fans began booing Winfield 49 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: and throwing rubber balls at him, assuming he'd hit the 50 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: bird on purpose. A moment later, Pinchuk ran onto the field, 51 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: covered the dead gull with a towel, and carried it away. 52 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: The rest of the game proceeded as normal, but once 53 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: it was over, Winfield was approached by Constable Hardary and 54 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: several plane clothes officers. He was then placed under arrest 55 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: for killing a ring billed seagull, a protected bird. Under 56 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: Canadian law, Winfield was taken to Toronto's Division fourteen police station, 57 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: where he was charged with causing the quote unnecessary suffering 58 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: of an animal. That crop essentially animal cruelty, was punishable 59 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: by a five hundred dollars fine and up to six 60 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: months in prison. In a gracious gesture, Blue Jays general 61 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: manager Pat Gillick paid a five hundred dollars bond for 62 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: Winfield's release. The athlete was released from custody at around 63 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: midnight and was ordered to return on August twelfth to 64 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: stand trial. As for Winfield's victim, the seagull, it was 65 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: collected from police by the Toronto Humane Society and then 66 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 1: sent to the University of Guelph in Ontario for a 67 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: full autopsy. Winfield spoke to reporters both that night and 68 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,799 Speaker 1: the following day, making it clear in no uncertain terms 69 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: that he did not mean to harm the seagull. We 70 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: were just playing catch in the outfield, he told reporters. 71 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: And I turned and whipped and threw the ball to 72 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: the bat boy, and I hit the bird. But it 73 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: wasn't intentional. It was an accident. Sincerely, I would never 74 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: hit an animal on purpose. Some Torontonians remained unconvinced, but 75 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: the vast majority scoffed at the idea of charging Winfield 76 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: for the bird's death. Many felt it was an overreaction 77 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: that would only make the city look like a joke, 78 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: and even the Toronto Mayor later admitted that things had 79 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,359 Speaker 1: gotten out of hand. Faced with this public backlash, the 80 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: police and a senior Crown attorney started re evaluating the case. 81 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: They quickly determined there had been no criminal intent behind 82 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: the seagull's death, and in light of that, all of 83 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: the charges were dropped. The results of the seagulls autopsy 84 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: further justified that decision, as it turned out that Constable 85 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: Hardery and Coach tour Board had been correct in their assessment. 86 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: The bird had been quite unwell. The gull had reduced 87 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: muscle mass and a bacterial infection in its wing, which 88 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: may explain why it didn't move for three innings or 89 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: even to avoid the ball. The report concluded that although 90 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: the bird died from the blunt force trauma of the baseball, 91 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 1: and it almost certainly would have died anyway within the 92 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,559 Speaker 1: next week or so, to show there were no hard 93 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: feelings Dave Winfield returned to Toronto a few months later 94 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: to participate in a charity dinner. He even brought along 95 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: a special painting he'd commissioned to be auctioned off. It 96 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: depicted a seagull standing in front of a red maple leaf, 97 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: with two other gulls flying over the shore of a lake. 98 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: At the bottom, an inscription read quote to the Canadian 99 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: people committed to the preservation of their values and resources 100 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: David M. Winfield. The painting wound up selling for thirty 101 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: two thousand dollars that night, and the proceeds were donated 102 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 1: to the Easter Seals Society, a nonprofit that provides disability 103 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: services to children. In a fun twist, Dave Winfield would 104 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:52,160 Speaker 1: return to Toronto again nearly a decade later. By that point, 105 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: he was nearing the end of his career in pro baseball, 106 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: and while working as a free agent, he actually joined 107 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: the Toronto Blue Jays. His one year stint with the 108 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: team made him a fan favorite, especially since the season 109 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: ended with the Jays winning their first World Series championship. 110 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: It was the only World Series victory Winfield ever got 111 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: during his long career, as well as a happy full 112 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: circle moment for the man once branded as a bird killer, 113 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: that said, it does make you wonder if the city 114 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: would have been so forgiving if he had hit a 115 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 1: blue jay that night. In's Dead, I'm Gay, Bluesier, and 116 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: hopefully you now know a little more about history today 117 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. You can learn even more about 118 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 119 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: TDI HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 120 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: you can always send him my way by writing to 121 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: this day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays 122 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. 123 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again soon for another day 124 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: in History class.