Always fun to write about Canadians that helped teams to Fall Classic conquests! How about someone who saved World Series games in more ways than one?
Ron Taylor was a relief specialist for the St. Louis Cardinals of 1964. But his season was a bit of a disappointment. The year before, Ron went 9-7 with an ERA of 2.84 and 11 saves. He went 8-4 the next year, but his ERA climbed almost 2.00 to 4.62. Taylor saved only 7 games, and gave up more than a hit an inning. But the St. Louis Cardinals would need him in the fall of that year. The New York Yankees had a tendency to be cruel to pitchers, you see!
The Cards, behind two games to one in the Fall Classic, had just taken a 4-3 lead in game four. That was thanks to Ken Boyer's grand slam. But Roger Craig, who had stopped the Yankees cold on two hits and three walks in a stellar relief outing (4 2/3 IP), was out of the game. In came Taylor.
The Toronto native entered the game in the bottom of the 6th. Elston Howard grounded out to Bill White at first, who made the play himself. Tommy Tresh fanned and Joe Pepitone grounded out.
Taylor had a good, hard fastball. And it was running on the batters. The Yankees were suddenly in for a long day despite getting five straight hits to start the game. Even against Craig, New York got two hits and three walks. New York had plenty of chances to extend their lead. The Yankees left a runner on in the bottom of the 1st, gotten two walks of Craig in the 3rd. In the next inning, New York left two base runners on. But Ron would find a way to be even better than that. He wouldn't allow the Yankees to get many baserunners.
But in the top of the 7th, Taylor found himself batting. Al Downing may have been shaken by Boyer's blast, but had retired White and Mike Shannon to end the 6th without any further damage. The Cardinals would not score again. In fact, other than the 6th inning, St. Louis didn't score at all. They would manage just 3 hits outside of the 6th and only 6 hits in total! The Yankees were already at 6 hits themselves.
Downing started to lose a little control in the top of the 7th, however. Tim McCarver coaxed a walk, which was just Al's second. But when Dal Maxvill got ahead in the count 2-0, Downing was removed by manager Yogi Berra. In came in Pete Mikkleswn. Like Mel Stottlemyre, who would start games 2, 5 and 7 of this Series (all against Bob Gibson), he was in his first year. And Pete, like Mel, had the same pitch that drove opposing hitters crazy: a sinkerball!
Maxvill grounded out and advanced McCarver to second. Had this game been played today, you would have seen a pinch hitter. But Ron Taylor would bat for himself. A mismatch, of course. Mikklesen K'd him. Curt Flood grounded out to Ken Boyer's younger brother Clete, who made it an all-Boyer affair as far as third sackers were concerned in this World Series matchup.
But Taylor got Clete to pop out in foul territory at first to start the bottom of the 7th. Mikklesen was due up, and this time there was a pinch hitter. Johhny Blanchard batted, but Taylor got him to fly out. Phil Linz, who had made a costly error in the 6th, paving the Cardinals way for four runs, tried to bunt and was retired.
Ralph Terry took the hill in the 8th for the Yankees. It had been a rough year for him. He hadn't pitched much. There were rumours, eventually proven to be true, that he was on his way out as a "player to be named later" in a deal involving Pedro Ramos (aquired late in the season and not eligible for the World Series). On July 5th, he found his record at 3-8 and his ERA at 6.93. For about a month, mid June to mid July, he was out of the starting rotation
But then, he got it back. I always love seeing guys who struggle and it looks like it's all over, find it again. Look at what Roger Federer, the great tennis player, has done in the last five months! Looked like his career was over and he might not be back in 2014. But then, he found it again! Terry, in 1964, found it again.
And Terry had been quite a star: 16-3 in 1961, 23-12 in 1962, 17-15 (but with a low ERA of 3.22). He had started 1963 a little slow, but turned it on. Same thing happend in 1964. From July 19th to the end of the year, Ralph posted a 5-3 record with 3 saves and a 2.74 ERA. He even got himself back into the starting rotation for late July and almost all of August. September, however, saw him back in the bullpen, pitching in long relief.
Lou Brock led off by fanning. Dick Groat got a single. But Boyer, with a grand slam his last at-bat, hit into a double play.
Taylor got Bobby Richadson, always dangerous this time of year, to ground out. That was out one of the bottom of the 8th. Roger Maris hit a hard ground ball that nipped Ron and continued on towards the outfield. It looked like the Yankees had their first hit since the bottom of the 4th.
But Dick Groat cut it off and got the throw away and nail Maris at first by a step. Mickey Mantle then drew a walk, which was his second of the game. The Yankees now had coaxed 4 walks out of St. Louis on this day. But none of them would score. Howard took a mighty cut with two strikes, but missed. This was the only moderate danger Ron Taylor would face on this day.
In the top of the 9th, Terry got White to fan and Shannon to fly out to Maris in center. McCarver got a single but Maxville went down on strikes. Terry had fanned 3 and given up 2 hits in 2 innings pitched. Downing, Mikklesen and Terry had surrendered just 6 hits, 2 walks and fanned 8. This would normally be enough for a win. The day before, it had been young Yankee Jim Bouton tossing a fine 6-hitter for the win.
But now, Taylor was just three outs away from noting this series at 2.
Tresh tried Linz's earlier strategy, bunting. Taylor fielded it and tossed to White for the first out. Pepitone grounded out, White again making the play himself. Boyer tried to check his swing, but ended up grounding to White. White again made the play himself. The Cardinals had won, 4-3, tied the 1964 Fall Classic at 2, and Ron Taylor had more than earned the save. 4IP, 0H, 0R, 2K, 1BB! How's that for some stellar relief work?
The only problem was, by going 4 innings (or 4.2 innings in Craig's case) two fine relief pitchers would not see much more action in this Fall Classic. Craig would never pitch again in the World Series, period.
Bob Gibson, being the clutch World Series pitcher he was, won game 5 with a huge, 10 inning, 13 strikeout performance. The Cardinals were a win away from it all!
In game 6, again Taylor pitched. Again, there was a grand slam. But this time, it was hit by the Yankees. And the Yankees won.
Curt Simmons, pitching well, made it to the top of the 7th. But Curt was behind 3-1, as Maris and Mantle went back-to-back on consecutive pitches. After getting Joe Pepitone to pop out to first, Clete Boyer got a single and made it second on Lou Brock's error. Taylor was needed again. And again, he provided some instant relief!
Jim Bouton, looking for another World Series win, hit a liner that Dal Maxvill, the second basemen, caught. Boyer had started towards his older brother at third, and was a dead duck. The quick double play had ended the inning. Taylor had gotten St. Louis out of a jam. But it mattered little, as it turned out. Ron was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th. A grand slam by Pepitone in his next at bat, sealed the deal.
The Cards won game seven behind Gibson, but Ron did not get to pitch.
But in 1969, Ron Taylor was on the New York Mets. The team, written off as 100-1 longshots to win the Fall Classic, ended up winning it!
Could they had done it without Taylor? Maybe, but it sure would have been a lot tougher. First, there was the first ever National League Championship Series, between the Mets and Braves.
The first game sort of summed up some of the Mets wins that postseason: the final score was one-sided, but boy, it sure wasn't easy!
In game one, it was New York that was actually losing 5-4 after 7 innings. But then, in the top of the 8th, the Mets touched home 5 time to take a 9-5 lead. Taylor was on the hill in the bottom of the 8th. Tom Seaver had looked a little shaky in this game, but he and the Mets could get their first ever postseason win if Ron Taylor could stop 'em from here on in!
Ron had a nice 1-2-3 inning. Now he was at 5 2/3 innings pitched in the postseason without allowing a hit!
But in the bottom of the 9th, things got a little interesting. It started out innocently enough, with the Mets still up 4 runs. And it looked nice and comfortable, but Felix Millan singled off Taylor. Ron seemed to settle down. Tony Gonzalez fanned. But now Taylor had to face Hank Aaron, who knew a thing or two about the long ball, if you know what I mean!
Taylor got him to fly out to left. One out away from stealing one, right there in Atlanta. But Mike Lum, who had entered the game in the top of the 8th to replace Rico Carty at second, lashed a double to left. Second and third and two outs. And the dangerous Orlando Cepeda at the dish! But Taylor retired him on a pop up to second.
So the Mets had won the game. Taylor got nothing. Not the win or the save. But he got the win in his next NLCS appearance. Actually, it was the very next game.
Once again, the final score suggest it was all one-sided. But once again, it wasn't. However, New York did storm out of the gate in the second game. By the time bottom of the 4th came around for Atlanta, it was 8-0 for the Mets. The Braves scored once that inning, but New York scored another in the top of the 5th. It was 9-1, New York, and the Mets had scored at least one run in every inning, so far.
But in the bottom of the frame, the Braves took it to Mets starter, Jerry Koosman. Hammerin' Hank took him deep for three runs. Then, Clete Boyer was back to haunt Taylor's team again! Clete, now on the Braves, singled with two outs for two more runs. 9-6, Mets. The game had turned into a slugfest.
The call went out for Taylor, who hopped in and got the Mets out of the inning. But Atlanta was right back in it with plenty of time left.
Taylor retired the first two men in the bottom of the 6th, but then Millan singled. Taylor got his second strikeout of the inning when he fanned Gonzalez. JC Martin batted for Taylor to lead off the top of the 7th and flew out to centre. But New York scored twice more on a 2-run home run by Cleon Jones. It was a nice five-run cushion for the Mets to work with. 11-6 would be the final score. Because Koosman had left before completing five innings, it was Taylor who got credit for the win. The Mets would go on to a three-game sweep of the Braves.
Now, how would the Mets fair against Baltimore in the Fall Classic? The Orioles had won in all in 1966, and looked even better here. The Mets of 1969 were winners of exactly 100 games, yet also underdogs. The Fall Classic would open on the road, just like the NLCS did!
Don Buford greeted Tom Seaver to the World Series by taking him deep to lead off the game. The 1-0 lead was extended to 4-0 by the bottom of the 4th. A 1-2-3 inning by Seaver in the 5th was Tom's last.
Don Cardwell came in and had a 1-2-3 inning of his own for the Mets in the bottom of the 6th inning. In the top of the 7th, New York finally got a run off the Orioles' Mike Cuellar. Cardwell was then pinch-hit for.
With the score still 4-1 for the O's, it was time for Ron Taylor in the bottom of the 7th.
He got off to a good start by fanning Cuellar. Buford was retired on a fly ball to center field. Paul Blair, who player center field (and won 8 Gold Gloves there) for Baltimore drew a walk. But the fleet-footed Blair was picked off 1st by Taylor.
Taylor got through the bottom of the 8th. First, he K'd Frank Robinson, also fast with his feet, to lead off the inning. Boog Powell grounded out to first. Taylor then fanned the other Robinson, Brooks, to end the inning.
None of that mattered. Cuellar finished with a fine 6-hitter and stopped the Mets cold, 4-1. New York had lost their first ever postseason game of 1969, and in franchise history.
The Orioles, the favourites, were on a hot streak, meanwhile. Not only had they swept the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in the first ever American League Championship Series, but this was their 6th straight win. Could the Mets finally put an end to this?
In game 2, Koosman did much better! But Baltimore's Dave McNally, who holds the World Series record (along with Bob Gibson) for most home runs by pitcher all time, was pretty good, too.
McNally finished with another 6-hitter for the Orioles. Koosman did a little better and finished with a 2-hitter.
The Mets scored first this time. McNally, after a 1-2-3 top of the 1st, got into a couple of jams in the 2nd and 3rd inning. The Mets put one runner on in the 2nd and two more runners on in the 3rd, but failed to score. In the 4th inning, it was Don Clendenon who smacked a long ball to put New York up, 1-0.
Koosman, though, had a no-hitter going through 6 innings. In the 7th, Baltimore finally got a hit, then scored a run on another hit. It was Brooks Robinson who drove in Blair.
McNally and Koosman were engaged in a ferocious duel to see if Baltimore could go up 2-0 or New York could tie it at one in this crucial game. In the Mets' 9th, they got a much needed run.
McNally retired Don Clendenon and Ron Swoboda fanned. But Ed Charles singled, then went to third when catcher Jerry Grote followed suit. Al Weiss, who wasn't much of a hitter, got the third straight single to score Charles. Koosman grounded out, but now Jerry was three outs away from squaring this thing!
Buford went out on a fly to short right. Blair was retired on a grounder. One more out! But it seemed with two outs, the 9th inning became difficult for McNally and Koosman. Neither of them could get their teams out of this situation.
Frank Robinson walked. The Orioles sent in a pinch runner, Merv Rettemund to run for Robby. Now, it was time of a lefty vs. lefts matchup. Boog Powell came up, but Koosman walked him, too. A single would tie the game. And extra-base hit would win this thing. Koosman's night was over! Guess who came in?
Taylor would have to face Brooks Robinson. And Taylor got him to ground out to third. The 1969 World Series was tied and Taylor had another Fall Classic save!
Taylor didn't pitch again in this or any other World Series. New York went on to win the next three games, but it was never easy.
Taylor had helped two teams get it done. Called on again and again, where a win or a loss could affect the outcome of the Fall Classic, he had come through.
The Yankees and Orioles had already won the World Series in the 1960s by the time Taylor faced them. They knew how to get it done. They had swagger. C'mon, let's see what you got, is what their body language at the dish said to you on the mound. It takes great guts to show them that and then some. Needless to say, Ron Taylor, the Canadian, showed New York and Baltimore what a confident Toronto kid can do on the mound in the Fall Classic!
Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Kendall, Brian. Great Moments in Canadian Baseball. Toronto, Ont., Canada: Lester Pub., 1995. Print.
Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When The Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Ron Taylor was a relief specialist for the St. Louis Cardinals of 1964. But his season was a bit of a disappointment. The year before, Ron went 9-7 with an ERA of 2.84 and 11 saves. He went 8-4 the next year, but his ERA climbed almost 2.00 to 4.62. Taylor saved only 7 games, and gave up more than a hit an inning. But the St. Louis Cardinals would need him in the fall of that year. The New York Yankees had a tendency to be cruel to pitchers, you see!
The Cards, behind two games to one in the Fall Classic, had just taken a 4-3 lead in game four. That was thanks to Ken Boyer's grand slam. But Roger Craig, who had stopped the Yankees cold on two hits and three walks in a stellar relief outing (4 2/3 IP), was out of the game. In came Taylor.
The Toronto native entered the game in the bottom of the 6th. Elston Howard grounded out to Bill White at first, who made the play himself. Tommy Tresh fanned and Joe Pepitone grounded out.
Taylor had a good, hard fastball. And it was running on the batters. The Yankees were suddenly in for a long day despite getting five straight hits to start the game. Even against Craig, New York got two hits and three walks. New York had plenty of chances to extend their lead. The Yankees left a runner on in the bottom of the 1st, gotten two walks of Craig in the 3rd. In the next inning, New York left two base runners on. But Ron would find a way to be even better than that. He wouldn't allow the Yankees to get many baserunners.
But in the top of the 7th, Taylor found himself batting. Al Downing may have been shaken by Boyer's blast, but had retired White and Mike Shannon to end the 6th without any further damage. The Cardinals would not score again. In fact, other than the 6th inning, St. Louis didn't score at all. They would manage just 3 hits outside of the 6th and only 6 hits in total! The Yankees were already at 6 hits themselves.
Downing started to lose a little control in the top of the 7th, however. Tim McCarver coaxed a walk, which was just Al's second. But when Dal Maxvill got ahead in the count 2-0, Downing was removed by manager Yogi Berra. In came in Pete Mikkleswn. Like Mel Stottlemyre, who would start games 2, 5 and 7 of this Series (all against Bob Gibson), he was in his first year. And Pete, like Mel, had the same pitch that drove opposing hitters crazy: a sinkerball!
Maxvill grounded out and advanced McCarver to second. Had this game been played today, you would have seen a pinch hitter. But Ron Taylor would bat for himself. A mismatch, of course. Mikklesen K'd him. Curt Flood grounded out to Ken Boyer's younger brother Clete, who made it an all-Boyer affair as far as third sackers were concerned in this World Series matchup.
But Taylor got Clete to pop out in foul territory at first to start the bottom of the 7th. Mikklesen was due up, and this time there was a pinch hitter. Johhny Blanchard batted, but Taylor got him to fly out. Phil Linz, who had made a costly error in the 6th, paving the Cardinals way for four runs, tried to bunt and was retired.
Ralph Terry took the hill in the 8th for the Yankees. It had been a rough year for him. He hadn't pitched much. There were rumours, eventually proven to be true, that he was on his way out as a "player to be named later" in a deal involving Pedro Ramos (aquired late in the season and not eligible for the World Series). On July 5th, he found his record at 3-8 and his ERA at 6.93. For about a month, mid June to mid July, he was out of the starting rotation
But then, he got it back. I always love seeing guys who struggle and it looks like it's all over, find it again. Look at what Roger Federer, the great tennis player, has done in the last five months! Looked like his career was over and he might not be back in 2014. But then, he found it again! Terry, in 1964, found it again.
And Terry had been quite a star: 16-3 in 1961, 23-12 in 1962, 17-15 (but with a low ERA of 3.22). He had started 1963 a little slow, but turned it on. Same thing happend in 1964. From July 19th to the end of the year, Ralph posted a 5-3 record with 3 saves and a 2.74 ERA. He even got himself back into the starting rotation for late July and almost all of August. September, however, saw him back in the bullpen, pitching in long relief.
Lou Brock led off by fanning. Dick Groat got a single. But Boyer, with a grand slam his last at-bat, hit into a double play.
Taylor got Bobby Richadson, always dangerous this time of year, to ground out. That was out one of the bottom of the 8th. Roger Maris hit a hard ground ball that nipped Ron and continued on towards the outfield. It looked like the Yankees had their first hit since the bottom of the 4th.
But Dick Groat cut it off and got the throw away and nail Maris at first by a step. Mickey Mantle then drew a walk, which was his second of the game. The Yankees now had coaxed 4 walks out of St. Louis on this day. But none of them would score. Howard took a mighty cut with two strikes, but missed. This was the only moderate danger Ron Taylor would face on this day.
In the top of the 9th, Terry got White to fan and Shannon to fly out to Maris in center. McCarver got a single but Maxville went down on strikes. Terry had fanned 3 and given up 2 hits in 2 innings pitched. Downing, Mikklesen and Terry had surrendered just 6 hits, 2 walks and fanned 8. This would normally be enough for a win. The day before, it had been young Yankee Jim Bouton tossing a fine 6-hitter for the win.
But now, Taylor was just three outs away from noting this series at 2.
Tresh tried Linz's earlier strategy, bunting. Taylor fielded it and tossed to White for the first out. Pepitone grounded out, White again making the play himself. Boyer tried to check his swing, but ended up grounding to White. White again made the play himself. The Cardinals had won, 4-3, tied the 1964 Fall Classic at 2, and Ron Taylor had more than earned the save. 4IP, 0H, 0R, 2K, 1BB! How's that for some stellar relief work?
The only problem was, by going 4 innings (or 4.2 innings in Craig's case) two fine relief pitchers would not see much more action in this Fall Classic. Craig would never pitch again in the World Series, period.
Bob Gibson, being the clutch World Series pitcher he was, won game 5 with a huge, 10 inning, 13 strikeout performance. The Cardinals were a win away from it all!
In game 6, again Taylor pitched. Again, there was a grand slam. But this time, it was hit by the Yankees. And the Yankees won.
Curt Simmons, pitching well, made it to the top of the 7th. But Curt was behind 3-1, as Maris and Mantle went back-to-back on consecutive pitches. After getting Joe Pepitone to pop out to first, Clete Boyer got a single and made it second on Lou Brock's error. Taylor was needed again. And again, he provided some instant relief!
Jim Bouton, looking for another World Series win, hit a liner that Dal Maxvill, the second basemen, caught. Boyer had started towards his older brother at third, and was a dead duck. The quick double play had ended the inning. Taylor had gotten St. Louis out of a jam. But it mattered little, as it turned out. Ron was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th. A grand slam by Pepitone in his next at bat, sealed the deal.
The Cards won game seven behind Gibson, but Ron did not get to pitch.
But in 1969, Ron Taylor was on the New York Mets. The team, written off as 100-1 longshots to win the Fall Classic, ended up winning it!
Could they had done it without Taylor? Maybe, but it sure would have been a lot tougher. First, there was the first ever National League Championship Series, between the Mets and Braves.
The first game sort of summed up some of the Mets wins that postseason: the final score was one-sided, but boy, it sure wasn't easy!
In game one, it was New York that was actually losing 5-4 after 7 innings. But then, in the top of the 8th, the Mets touched home 5 time to take a 9-5 lead. Taylor was on the hill in the bottom of the 8th. Tom Seaver had looked a little shaky in this game, but he and the Mets could get their first ever postseason win if Ron Taylor could stop 'em from here on in!
Ron had a nice 1-2-3 inning. Now he was at 5 2/3 innings pitched in the postseason without allowing a hit!
But in the bottom of the 9th, things got a little interesting. It started out innocently enough, with the Mets still up 4 runs. And it looked nice and comfortable, but Felix Millan singled off Taylor. Ron seemed to settle down. Tony Gonzalez fanned. But now Taylor had to face Hank Aaron, who knew a thing or two about the long ball, if you know what I mean!
Taylor got him to fly out to left. One out away from stealing one, right there in Atlanta. But Mike Lum, who had entered the game in the top of the 8th to replace Rico Carty at second, lashed a double to left. Second and third and two outs. And the dangerous Orlando Cepeda at the dish! But Taylor retired him on a pop up to second.
So the Mets had won the game. Taylor got nothing. Not the win or the save. But he got the win in his next NLCS appearance. Actually, it was the very next game.
Once again, the final score suggest it was all one-sided. But once again, it wasn't. However, New York did storm out of the gate in the second game. By the time bottom of the 4th came around for Atlanta, it was 8-0 for the Mets. The Braves scored once that inning, but New York scored another in the top of the 5th. It was 9-1, New York, and the Mets had scored at least one run in every inning, so far.
But in the bottom of the frame, the Braves took it to Mets starter, Jerry Koosman. Hammerin' Hank took him deep for three runs. Then, Clete Boyer was back to haunt Taylor's team again! Clete, now on the Braves, singled with two outs for two more runs. 9-6, Mets. The game had turned into a slugfest.
The call went out for Taylor, who hopped in and got the Mets out of the inning. But Atlanta was right back in it with plenty of time left.
Taylor retired the first two men in the bottom of the 6th, but then Millan singled. Taylor got his second strikeout of the inning when he fanned Gonzalez. JC Martin batted for Taylor to lead off the top of the 7th and flew out to centre. But New York scored twice more on a 2-run home run by Cleon Jones. It was a nice five-run cushion for the Mets to work with. 11-6 would be the final score. Because Koosman had left before completing five innings, it was Taylor who got credit for the win. The Mets would go on to a three-game sweep of the Braves.
Now, how would the Mets fair against Baltimore in the Fall Classic? The Orioles had won in all in 1966, and looked even better here. The Mets of 1969 were winners of exactly 100 games, yet also underdogs. The Fall Classic would open on the road, just like the NLCS did!
Don Buford greeted Tom Seaver to the World Series by taking him deep to lead off the game. The 1-0 lead was extended to 4-0 by the bottom of the 4th. A 1-2-3 inning by Seaver in the 5th was Tom's last.
Don Cardwell came in and had a 1-2-3 inning of his own for the Mets in the bottom of the 6th inning. In the top of the 7th, New York finally got a run off the Orioles' Mike Cuellar. Cardwell was then pinch-hit for.
With the score still 4-1 for the O's, it was time for Ron Taylor in the bottom of the 7th.
He got off to a good start by fanning Cuellar. Buford was retired on a fly ball to center field. Paul Blair, who player center field (and won 8 Gold Gloves there) for Baltimore drew a walk. But the fleet-footed Blair was picked off 1st by Taylor.
Taylor got through the bottom of the 8th. First, he K'd Frank Robinson, also fast with his feet, to lead off the inning. Boog Powell grounded out to first. Taylor then fanned the other Robinson, Brooks, to end the inning.
None of that mattered. Cuellar finished with a fine 6-hitter and stopped the Mets cold, 4-1. New York had lost their first ever postseason game of 1969, and in franchise history.
The Orioles, the favourites, were on a hot streak, meanwhile. Not only had they swept the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in the first ever American League Championship Series, but this was their 6th straight win. Could the Mets finally put an end to this?
In game 2, Koosman did much better! But Baltimore's Dave McNally, who holds the World Series record (along with Bob Gibson) for most home runs by pitcher all time, was pretty good, too.
McNally finished with another 6-hitter for the Orioles. Koosman did a little better and finished with a 2-hitter.
The Mets scored first this time. McNally, after a 1-2-3 top of the 1st, got into a couple of jams in the 2nd and 3rd inning. The Mets put one runner on in the 2nd and two more runners on in the 3rd, but failed to score. In the 4th inning, it was Don Clendenon who smacked a long ball to put New York up, 1-0.
Koosman, though, had a no-hitter going through 6 innings. In the 7th, Baltimore finally got a hit, then scored a run on another hit. It was Brooks Robinson who drove in Blair.
McNally and Koosman were engaged in a ferocious duel to see if Baltimore could go up 2-0 or New York could tie it at one in this crucial game. In the Mets' 9th, they got a much needed run.
McNally retired Don Clendenon and Ron Swoboda fanned. But Ed Charles singled, then went to third when catcher Jerry Grote followed suit. Al Weiss, who wasn't much of a hitter, got the third straight single to score Charles. Koosman grounded out, but now Jerry was three outs away from squaring this thing!
Buford went out on a fly to short right. Blair was retired on a grounder. One more out! But it seemed with two outs, the 9th inning became difficult for McNally and Koosman. Neither of them could get their teams out of this situation.
Frank Robinson walked. The Orioles sent in a pinch runner, Merv Rettemund to run for Robby. Now, it was time of a lefty vs. lefts matchup. Boog Powell came up, but Koosman walked him, too. A single would tie the game. And extra-base hit would win this thing. Koosman's night was over! Guess who came in?
Taylor would have to face Brooks Robinson. And Taylor got him to ground out to third. The 1969 World Series was tied and Taylor had another Fall Classic save!
Taylor didn't pitch again in this or any other World Series. New York went on to win the next three games, but it was never easy.
Taylor had helped two teams get it done. Called on again and again, where a win or a loss could affect the outcome of the Fall Classic, he had come through.
The Yankees and Orioles had already won the World Series in the 1960s by the time Taylor faced them. They knew how to get it done. They had swagger. C'mon, let's see what you got, is what their body language at the dish said to you on the mound. It takes great guts to show them that and then some. Needless to say, Ron Taylor, the Canadian, showed New York and Baltimore what a confident Toronto kid can do on the mound in the Fall Classic!
References
Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Kendall, Brian. Great Moments in Canadian Baseball. Toronto, Ont., Canada: Lester Pub., 1995. Print.
Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When The Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
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