Former Pirates pitcher Steve Blass vividly recalls the efficiency with which he commanded his nine-pitch bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the 1971 World Series in Baltimore.

“It’s not hard to throw strikes when you’re (urinating) your pants,” Blass said. “I’m glad we had the gray road unis on.”

Now 83 years old, Blass also remembers the one pitch he thought future Orioles Hall of Famer Frank Robinson would deposit into the outfield seats, which would’ve tied the game at 2-2.

“Every time I saw Frank after that, he said, ‘I want that slider back.’ I said, ‘You want it back? When I let go of it, I wanted it back.’”

Blass recounted his Game 7 memories Tuesday morning on WDVE. His name was brought up quite a bit over the weekend in comparison to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander won two games (2 and 6) as a starter for L.A. against Toronto. He also won the 11-inning Game 7 in relief.

In all, Yamamoto posted a 1.02 ERA in those three outings with 15 strikeouts. The 27-year-old was the first pitcher to get three road wins in a World Series. He is also the first man to post three wins in a Fall Classic since Randy Johnson in 2001. Plus, he is just the fourth pitcher to win Games 6 and 7.

In ‘71, Blass tossed two complete-game victories in Games 3 and 7, allowing only seven hits and two runs in 18 innings.

“I think about that sometimes during the World Series. ‘Did that guy do that?’” Blass said on the “DVE Morning Show,” flashing back to his own legendary performance.

However, it was Roberto Clemente who got the World Series MVP because of his .414 batting average and his Game 7 homer.

“He won a car for that. So the next spring, I said, ‘You deserve that. You got the car. I should have gotten the tires,’” Blass joked. “Then he said something to me in Spanish that I cannot repeat on the air.”

During the interview, Blass marveled at Yamamoto’s poise, as well as Shohei Ohtani’s overwhelming skill. The Dodgers’ two-way star got on base nine times during an 18-inning affair in Game 3. He logged a 1.278 OPS in the World Series, getting nine hits to go along with nine walks, three home runs and five RBIs.

Not to mention, he racked up 28 strikeouts in 20 ⅓ innings pitched over four postseason appearances, including two National League playoff wins.

“That didn’t happen. We all imagined it,” Blass exclaimed. “It’s never happened before. It will never happen again. That was a performance for the ages. He did something that is astounding. It’s not historical, it’s hysterical. What he did is phenomenal. Then you talk about Yamamoto. It’s a seventh game. All hands are on deck. They would never use him and risk his arm and health and everything unless there’s a seventh game of the World Series. All bets, all rules are off in the seventh game. Everybody aired it out.”

After the double play to end Game 7, Yamamoto’s instantly iconic yell toward the heavens on the mound and hug with catcher Will Smith conjured memories of the legendary Blass “leap” into the arms of first baseman Bob Robertson.

“I can still do that now,” Blass insisted. “If I have a ladder.”

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