Decades after he yielded two of the most famous home runs in Cardinals history, Tom Niedenfuer still is remembered for those pitches.
Niedenfuer was interviewed in 2010 by Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times. Story
As the closer for the Dodgers in 1985, Niedenfuer gave up the game-winning home run to Ozzie Smith in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, leading to broadcaster Jack Buck’s memorable call of “Go crazy, folks. Go crazy.”
With the score tied at 2-2, Niedenfuer relieved starter Fernando Valenzuela in the bottom of the ninth. He retired Willie McGee on a pop-up, but then threw a pitch down and in that Smith golfed over the right-field fence for a 3-2 Cardinals win. Boxscore
In the 2010 Los Angeles Times interview, Niedenfuer said the pitch was supposed to be up and in. He said the homer by Smith was a fluke because it was the shortstop’s first in the big leagues while batting left-handed.
Two days after the Smith homer, the Dodgers led 5-4 after eight innings of Game 6 at Los Angeles. Niedenfuer already had pitched 1.2 innings in relief of starter Orel Hershiser. Manager Tommy Lasorda sent out Niedenfuer to pitch the ninth.
After Cesar Cedeno struck out, McGee singled and swiped second. Smith walked. When Tom Herr grounded out to first, McGee and Smith each advanced a base. With first base open and the Dodgers an out away from squaring the best-of-seven series, Jack Clark, the Cardinals’ top power hitter, strode to the plate.
Niedenfuer told the Times he and Lasorda never considered issuing an intentional walk to Clark because a left-handed batter, Andy Van Slyke, was on deck, and because Niedenfuer had struck out Clark in the seventh on a fastball off the plate. Niedenfuer wanted to start off Clark with the same pitch.
This time, Clark ripped it 450 feet to left for a three-run homer that gave St. Louis a 7-5 lead. When Ken Dayley retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom of the inning, the Cardinals were National League champions and Niedenfuer was the goat. Boxscore
Afterward, describing Clark’s homer to The Sporting News, Niedenfuer said, “The only way that thing would have stayed in the park was if it had hit the Goodyear blimp and dropped straight down.”
Two days later, a resilient Niedenfuer played golf with Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax, “and then I started working out for next year.”
But Niedenfuer never was the same. The Dodgers dealt him to the Orioles in May 1987. He signed with the Mariners as a free agent for 1989. When Seattle released him in April 1990, the Cardinals signed him.
In 52 appearances, Niedenfuer was 0-6 with 2 saves and a 3.46 ERA for a St. Louis team that finished in last place in the East Division.
It would be Niedenfuer’s final season in the major leagues.
RetroSimba 
It’s good to know that Tom Niedenfuer has never let those two homeruns define him as a player and person. In interviews he has given, he has never denied that as the 1985 season came to a close, he began to tire. Due to the Steve Howe suspension his workload doubled that year. Re-watching classic games has become a hobby. Not to long ago I rewatched the 1985 NL and AL Championship Series. In the 7th inning of that first game between St. Louis and Los Angeles, as Niedenfuer is throwing his warmup pitches, Vin Scully gave some stats regarding both bullpens. Basically, over the final 5 weeks of the season the Dodgers bullpen blew almost as many games as the Cardinals bullpen all season. 25 years after the fact it dawned on me that Vin Scully really jinxed his team!
Thanks for sharing the Vin Scully remarks. Good insight.
Fernando Valenzuela had trouble saying “Niedenfuer” It must have been the “fuer” that tripped him up. I don’t think they have that sound in Spanish. It came out “foo” or doubling up “Foofoo” It stuck as his nickname. Well “foofoo” had a decent fastball but it was straight as an arrow. I’m sure he’d lost some velocity by the 9th inning.Jack Clark guessed and went all in on that one. It wasn’t 450 ft. though.Needed a few more rows for that. Lasorda did consider walking Clark as Vin Scully mentioned reading Lasorda’s lips, “Should I walk Clark and pitch to that blankity blank Van Slyke.” One could hardly defend Lasorda if he did walk Clark putting the tying run on base loading the bases to pitch to a LHB. He would have been 2nd guessed and raked for a month if that would have backfired too. It was a no win situation with “Foofoo” How much did Clark like that HR? His HR trot took 29 secs. Kirk Gibson hit his walkoff in in the ’88 WS he was 1 second faster limping around the bases.
Good story about Fernando Valenzuela. Thanks for sharing it.