Next time Chris Chambliss is in Cooperstown, he might come bearing gifts.

Thirty years ago this October, the former New York Yankees first baseman hit one of the most memorable and dramatic home runs in Yankees history. The left-handed slugger connected on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Bronx Bombers a 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals and send the Yankees to the World Series.

On Monday, Chambliss, currently the hitting coach with the Cincinnati Reds, was in Cooperstown as his team was scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the annual Hall of Fame Game.

Chambliss reminisced about that famous home run, which occurred on October 14, 1976 off of Royals reliever Mark Littell and decided the Yankees-Royals LCS.

The blast, off a first pitch fastball, ended New York's 12-year pennant drought, and made Yankee Stadium go wild-almost riotous-in celebration. In that Series, Chambliss batted .524 and tied or broke five LCS records for hits and RBI.

Any replay of that home run also shows Chambliss trying to get off the field, barreling into fans that had streamed onto the field.

"It was a wild, wild moment," Chambliss said. "In the moment, with all the people on the field, you can't really enjoy it, but it was definitely the highlight of my career."

Because of the mob scene on the field, Chambliss never touched third base or home plate, but he said he later went back onto the field, escorted by three policemen, after the celebration and tapped his foot where home plate would have been.

"The fans had taken the plate and everything else they could find by then, but I did go back out and touch the spot with my foot," Chambliss said. "Not a lot of people know I did that."

Chambliss, who had his best season in '76 with 17 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .293 batting average, said he still has the bat and ball from that memorable at bat as well.

"The home run just cleared the fence, and a cop actually caught it and brought it to me in the clubhouse," Chambliss said. "Maybe someday when I'm old I'll come back and donate the bat and ball to the Hall of Fame."

Chambliss and members of the Pirates and Reds' teams were among the largest contingent of players and coaches to ever tour the museum Sunday night.

"Anytime you mess with players' off days, they could be cranky, but when they get here and see the history I think they know it's all worth it," Chambliss said.

Chambliss played with Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Jim "Catfish" Hunter with the Yankees, and now coaches a future Hall of Famer in Ken Griffey, Jr.

On Thursday night, Griffey came off the disabled list, and pinch-hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Reds a come-from-behind 5-4 victory.

"After he hit it, all the players gathered at home plate and they were going crazy," Chambliss said. "I was kind of envisioning that that's what it would have been like for me if the security at Yankee Stadium had been better that night."

Note: Another Reds coach and Chambliss's former teammate, Bucky Dent, also hit a famous home run for the Yankees at the end of the 1978 season.

Dent hit a three-run home run off Boston's Mike Torrez in the seventh inning of a one game playoff to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. New York went on to win the game, 5-4, and eventually won the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.