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The Dodger is 6 feet, 5 inches of Cardinals history. He allowed Ozzie Smith’s famous “go crazy, folks” walk-off homer in Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series. And then, in Game 6, he allowed the game-winning (and series-winning) homer to the man walking in right behind him Sunday.

Jack Clark.

Connected forever, seldom together, there they were in south St. Louis County, sitting next to each other in the same room. St. Louisan Dave Jackson, who runs , coordinated an autograph signing for fans at a card show.

“It’s always nice — and he wasn’t a teammate — to see guys from our era,” said Niedenfuer, who is 66 and lives in Sarasota, Florida. He then turned to Clark and said: “I think you’ll agree: We played in one of the best eras.”

Indeed, there was something wonderful about 1980s baseball, especially in Los Angeles — Niedenfuer won the 1981 World Series and wore his ring Sunday — and in St. Louis, where the Cards won it all in 1982 and then lost in the World Series twice. So on Sunday, just like Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” after performing with Marvin Berry at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, I went back to 1985.

It was surreal to sit across from these two men in the same room. History isn’t supposed to reunite like this. But Niedenfuer “has the right attitude,” said Jackson, who has invited the hurler to a couple of shows before.

“I had a great year in ’85,” said the righty reliever Niedenfuer, who posted a 2.71 ERA that year, “but with all the amount of stress and work, I (stunk) in September, let alone in the playoffs. ... I threw (106) innings that year, which was unheard of. ... I remember I went four games in a row, and I went innings of three, two, two and three out of the bullpen.”

The 1985 Cardinals, who (sorry to do this) lost to the Royals in Game 7 of the World Series, were famously built on defense and speed. As Clark said Sunday, “We didn’t have any sluggers except for me and Joaquin Andujar. ... But speed kills.”

Indeed, the heat was always on. St. Louis had 314 steals in 1985 but only 87 homers as the Cards finished 101-61 and headed to the postseason against L.A.

“I did good against the Cardinals in Game 1,” Niedenfuer said.

“And he pitched good against me the time before (the homer in Game 6),” Clark responded.

“Yeah, seventh inning,” Niedenfuer said. “I struck him out, (two men on, 4-4 game). And how often do you face the same guy twice in the same game, right? ...

“And you know what? He probably won’t remember, but in Game 1, this (fellow) bunted on me!”

“Who did?” Clark asked.

“You!” Niedenfuer said. “Two outs in the eighth, and we had a three-run lead. You dropped a bunt!”

“I would do that when we were behind because we need a base runner,” Clark said. “They’re way back on the grass.”

“He did it perfectly!” Niedenfuer said.

The Dodgers won the first two games, both in L.A. The Cards won the next three in St. Louis, the third thanks to Smith’s first-ever homer from the left side.

But in Game 6, back at sunny Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a Mike Marshall homer off Todd Worrell.

Three outs and the Dodgers would force a Game 7.

Clark, 69, grew up in Southern California but was drafted by their rival. He debuted for the Giants, at age 19, in 1975. He said it was teammate Vida Blue who gave him the nickname “Jack the Ripper,” after Clark impressively ripped a ball that even the worst of the Candlestick Park wind couldn’t contain.

And in 1981, Clark met a mentor.

“Joe (Morgan) was always a really important guy to me,” he said of the Hall of Fame player on the Giants. “He was also represented by Tom Reich (the agent who also, sure enough, represented Niedenfuer). They put his locker right next to mine. He took me under his wing a little bit. And I used his bat (model, even in the 1985 playoffs) — M253. It was a thin (handle). I was a line-drive hitter. ... But my dream always was to play for the Dodgers instead of the Giants, you know, with Vin Scully calling games and Chavez Ravine and the beauty with the palm trees.”

Well, Scully was behind the mic for the NLCS Game 6 in 1985.

Top of the ninth.

Two outs.

Willie McGee on third.

Ozzie Smith on second.

Dodgers up, 5-4.

First pitch ...

“There’s no doubt it was gone — it wasn’t like it was a wall-scraper,” Niedenfuer said with a chuckle. “Yeah, there were a million thoughts. Still, I’m glad I was the guy out there in that situation. I’m glad Tommy (Lasorda) had the confidence in me to be the guy out there.”

On the call, Scully said of Niedenfuer: “You would think the fates would be kinder to one man in such a short amount of time.”

The Cards, up 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth, won the game and the pennant.

Clark still lives in the St. Louis area. The homer is so often replayed.

Asked how often he thinks about it or sees it, Niedenfuer said: “Only when it shows on ‘������ƵCenter’ all those years later. You know, it’s competition. Someone’s going to do good, someone’s not going to do as good.”

Later in the Sunday conversation, the topic of the Cardinals’ 1985 reunion came up.

“I wasn’t invited!” Niedenfuer said with a great laugh, along with Clark, who then said:

“You should show up!”