Here's Dave LaRoche striking out Gorman Thomas with an eephus pitch for the ages

We've seen Eephus pitches go wrong at Yankee Stadium, but this classic Dave LaRoche "LaLob" from Sept. 9, 1981 was a resounding success.

The Brewers had runners on second and third with two outs and Stormin' Gorman Thomas at the plate. Yankees manager Bob Lemon wanted to walk the power-hitting center fielder, but LaRoche had other ideas. The reliever befuddled Thomas with four eephus pitches in and around the strike zone before applying this finishing move:

The lefty allowed just two hits and one walk over three scoreless innings (although the Brewers did end up winning the game, 5-3).

LaRoche, who developed the pitch on a "dare," became a fan favorite in New York and ended his 14-year career with 127 saves. He's the father of players Andy and Adam and currently serves as pitching coach for the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones. No word if he's teaching players how to throw that 28-mph curveball ...