Bert Campaneris played all nine positions, then collided at home

On September 8, 1965, Bert Campaneris became the first player in American League or National League history to play all nine defensive positions in one game. The Kansas City Athletics still lost to the California Angels, 5-3, in 13 innings, and Campaneris left before extra innings after a collision at home plate. 12

The Athletics were in last place, attendance was poor, and owner Charlie Finley wanted a reason for Kansas City fans to come to Municipal Stadium. Finley turned Campaneris's versatility into a publicity stunt and even took out a $1 million insurance policy on the 23-year-old shortstop. The plan worked for one night: 21,756 people came to watch the game, while only 1,271 came to the same matchup the following night. 13

The Angels saw the idea differently. Manager Bill Rigney called the stunt "bush" after the game. The phrase captured the tension around a game that was built to sell tickets before either team had done anything on the field. 1

Campaneris started at his usual shortstop position. He moved to second base in the second inning, third base in the third, left field in the fourth, center field in the fifth, right field in the sixth, and first base in the seventh. He took the mound in the eighth and put on the catcher's gear in the ninth, completing the circuit. 34

The pitching appearance added its own bit of strangeness. Campaneris switched throwing hands, pitching left-handed to left-handed batters and right-handed to right-handed batters. He retired his younger cousin Jose Cardenal to begin the inning, then walked two batters and allowed an RBI single before escaping with a strikeout-throw-out double play. Baseball-Reference records one earned run allowed in his only major-league pitching appearance. 15

Campaneris's last assignment began with Ed Kirkpatrick reaching base for the Angels in the ninth inning. Kirkpatrick stole second and reached third with two outs. When Kirkpatrick ran for home on a pitch to Jose Cardenal, Campaneris moved in front of the plate for the tag. Kirkpatrick crashed into him, but Campaneris held onto the ball for the final out. 13

The collision injured Campaneris's left shoulder and sent him to St. Luke's Hospital. The Athletics scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, so Campaneris missed the extra innings while the Angels eventually won, 5-3. The record-setting tour ended with the player hurt and the home team beaten. 12

Campaneris was the first major leaguer to complete the nine-position game. Four players have matched the feat since: Cesar Tovar, Scott Sheldon, Shane Halter, and Andrew Romine. That boundary makes the September 8 stunt stranger, not simpler: the trick was repeatable in theory, yet only five players have done it in the major leagues. 4