The Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets arrived at Shea Stadium to play the third game of the 1973 National League Championship Series. The teams had split the games in Cincinnati and a crowd of 53,967 showed up for the first playoff game at Shea Stadium since the Mets championship season of 1969. The crowd in the stands was filled with excitement.1

After Jon Matlack had shut down the Big Red Machine in the second game of the NLCS by hurling a 5-0 shutout, tensions were created between the two teams when Bud Harrelson spoke to the press after that game. Harrelson, a .236 career hitter with no power, said that Matlack “made the Big Red Machine look like me hitting today.”

Rose had been angered by Harrelson’s comments after the previous game and his anger had been simmering all afternoon. As he slid hard into second base with his elbows high, one of the elbows struck Harrelson. The diminutive shortstop took exception and came up swinging. “He came after me after I threw the ball. I just wanted to tell him, I’m not a punching bag.I didn’t like what he did and he didn’t like what I did,” said Harrelson.