Phillies

It’s the 37th Anniversary of the Phillies Sending Jim Rooker on a 300-Mile Walk Back to Yinzerville

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jun 8th, 2026 · 3:52 PM EDT

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Great pull from ESPN Insights right here:

"If we lose this game, I'll walk back to Pittsburgh."

On this date in 1989, Pirates broadcaster Jim Rooker made that promise after Pittsburgh scored 10 runs in the 1st inning.

The Pirates lost 15-11.

And Rooker actually walked the 300+ miles back to Pittsburgh.

🎥: @MLB pic.twitter.com/AP5Pqw8FaC

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) June 8, 2026

“We’re gonna go to Shippensburg!”

That’s funny as hell! He sounds like Howard Dean on the 2004 campaign trail. “And then we’re gonna take back the White House! Byaaawww!”

This dude Jim Rooker seemed like a good sport about it. They turned it into a charity event for a children’s hospital. I found an old writeup in the UPI archives that claims the thing raised about $100,000 for charity and that he mostly followed Route 30 out to Yinzerville, which is along that Lancaster/York/Gettysburg corridor.

Looking back through the box score from that game, it was Phillies pitchers Larry McWilliams and Steve Ontiveros who got blown up in the 1st inning for the 10 runs. The Phils nicked back two runs in the bottom of the first, two more runs in the 3rd, and two more in the fourth, then they exploded for nine runs between the 6th and 8th innings. Second baseman Steve Jeltz had 5 RBIs and John Kruk went 4-5 on the afternoon with two runs scored. The Phils hit 15-37 that day with the lineup filled out by Randy Ready, Von Hayes, Juan Samuel, Rickie Jordan, Dickie Thon, and Darren Daulton. Barry Bonds knocked in three runs for the Pirates.

“Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin. We’re going to Shippensburg! Then we’re gonna go to Bloomsburg! And Kutztown! And then we’re going to Slippery Rock!”