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One of the most memorable and hotly debated plays in Cardinals history always will be the two-run triple by Detroit’s Jim Northrup on a drive that sailed over the head of center fielder Curt Flood in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series.

The contentious question remains: Would Flood have caught the ball if he hadn’t stumbled?

In the top of the seventh inning of the scoreless Game 7 on Oct. 10, 1968, at Busch Stadium, Northrup, a left-handed batter, faced Bob Gibson with Norm Cash on second base, Willie Horton on first and two outs. Northrup lined Gibson’s first offering to center field.

Flood initially broke in for the catch. Realizing his mistake, Flood tried to move back and to his right. As he did, his spikes appeared to catch in the turf. (Some say he slipped on a slick spot in the grass.) He briefly stumbled but didn’t fall. Though he recovered quickly, it was too late to catch the ball, which fell behind him, several yards in front of the warning track.

Both runners scored and Northrup raced to third base. The next batter, Bill Freehan, drove in Northrup with a double, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. Detroit went on to a 4-1 victory, winning its first World Series title in 23 years and stunning the defending champion Cardinals, who had taken a 3-games-to-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Boxscore

Flood, a seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, was labeled the goat because many thought he would have caught Northrup’s liner if not for the slip. Others, though, have said Northrup’s shot was so well-struck it would have eluded Flood regardless of his stumble.

A film clip of the play on YouTube shows Northrup hit the ball hard, but it landed in a spot where a center fielder (especially one of Flood’s skill) likely would be able to race back and make a catch.

Because a strong case can be made for either side, the argument likely will endure for as long as baseball has fans.

In his report for the Oct. 29, 1968, edition of The Sporting News, Dick Kaegel described this exchange between reporters and Flood, who sat on the edge of a table and sipped from a bottle of champagne that was intended for a Cardinals celebration:

Did you lose the ball in the crowd?

Yes.

Was the ground still soggy out there?

Yes.

Could you have caught the ball if you hadn’t slipped?

I think so. Yes. Look, I don’t want to make alibis. I should have made the play but I didn’t, and that’s all there is to it.

In the visiting team locker room, Northrup was asked whether Flood should have caught the ball.

“The guys on the bench all said he wouldn’t have caught it even if he hadn’t stumbled,” Northrup said in The Sporting News report. “I couldn’t really say myself.”

In the Associated Press accounts of the game, Flood said, “I couldn’t see it against the shirts (in the crowd). The reason I started in, I just didn’t know where the ball was. A ball hit right at me gives me trouble in day games. If I hadn’t slipped, I might have got it.”

Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst told the Associated Press, “I’m sure he could have caught it if he hadn’t charged in on it.”

In a tribute to Northrup after his passing, longtime Detroit sports columnist Jerry Green of FOXSportsDetroit.com reported Northrup had told him, “Flood never could have caught the ball.”

Denny McLain, ace of the 1968 Tigers staff, said in a June 8, 2011, interview with Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press, “I never once bought the argument that (Flood) misplayed the ball like everyone says. There was no way he was catching that.”

Yet, in his autobiography “Nobody’s Perfect,” McLain said, “Curt Flood simply blew it. Now, here’s a super outfielder, but he just couldn’t find the ball.”

In his autobiography “The Way It Is,” Flood barely mentions the play. “I attracted unfavorable attention by missing a catch that might have been easy for me if I had not been completely bushed,” Flood said.

Author Stuart L. Weiss, in his book “The Curt Flood Story” asked, “Why he was ‘bushed’ he did not say … That could have affected him after he started running back and to his right for the ball, but it could not have accounted for his initial misjudgment.”

It had rained in St. Louis the day before Game 7. Flood’s teammates have indicated Flood slipped on a spot still wet from the rain.

“As soon as the ball left the bat, I was confident Flood would track it down, as he had done on so many similar occasions over the years,” Bob Gibson said in his autobiography “Stranger to the Game.” “This time, though, Curt’s first step was toward the infield, and when he realized he had underestimated the hit, he turned sharply, and for a split second lost his footing on the wet grass.”

Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver told journalist William Mead, “The playing conditions that day were very bad in the outfield. Curt broke initially to his right and one or two steps in, and then he got stuck in the mud. When he got stuck, his quickness wasn’t there, and Northrup’s ball, which was well-hit, got past him.”

In comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the game, Northrup supported that version. He played center field for the Tigers in Game 7, so he knew about the conditions.

“It was muddy out there,” Northrup said. “Most of the field was dry, but it was muddy in center field because of yesterday’s rain. The sun never hit center field. The grass and dirt didn’t get a chance to dry out.”

Often overshadowed is the fact Northrup had a terrific World Series overall. He hit a grand slam off Larry Jaster in Game 6. In the seven games, Northrup had eight RBI, seven hits, two home runs and four runs scored.

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