Sandy Koufax actually had the highest ERA of any Dodger pitcher in the 1963 Fall Classic. But wait a minute, wasn't he their best pitcher that World Series? Of course he was. But Johnny Podres and Don Drysdale were good, too, you know. Also pretty good, was Los Angeles' relief ace!
Sandy was just dandy in the opening act. The Dodgers took on the New York Yankees right there in New York in the first game, but Koufax didn't let the bats, aura or anything else about The Bronx Bombers get to him. Ahead 5-0, early, he didn't allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth. Not until there were two down in the bottom of the eight did New York finally get two runs on a two-run home run by Tommy Tresh. But that was all the great Yankees could get. Sandy had his ERA at 2.00, but along with that, he also had a win and 15 strikeouts.
Johnny Podres took the hill in game two and the Dodgers staked him to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Dodgers were blanked themselves for the next two inning before former Yankee Moose Skowron went yard on a solo job to make it 3-0. Podres did his part to keep New York out of the equation with some crafty stuff. A fourth run in the top of the eighth made it 4-0 and the only question left was could Podres get the shutout. Seems so odd that Koufax was sooooo good in the opening tilt, and Podres was closing in on a shutout in the next game.
Mickey Mantle came to the dish. The Mick had been hitting it hard against Podres all game long, but with nothing to show for it. Here, again, he hit it well. But it was just a long, loud out to left. But Hector Lopez, who had lashed a double off Podres earlier, did it again here. It was time for Podres to hit the shower.
Enter Ron Perranoski. You see, with guys like Koufax, Drysdale and Podres, too, Ron isn't exactly a household name. But the lefty relief ace had gone 16-3 with 21 saves and low era of 1.67.
But Elston Howard greeted him by going the other way on a single to right. Lopez trotted home, and it was a 4-1 ballgame. Joe Pepitone was the next hitter, a left-hander and more to Perranoski's liking. Pepi would not have liked the results, as he hit into a force at second. When Clete Boyer fanned, this thing was in the books. Perranoski was credited with a save (not by today's standards) and Podres got the win and an ERA of 1.08. Hey! That's less than Sandy's!
Don Drysdale was the next pitcher for Los Angels as the teams headed west. The Dodgers looked for the sweep and Drysdale got them one step closer to that with a 1-0 win over young Jim Bouton. It was a well-pitched game, as the two teams combined for just seven hits. But Drysdale gave up just three. Two of them were to Tony Kubek and another to Mickey Mantle on a bunt that popped up and made it to centre. Bouton threw a wild pitch in the first, and the Dodgers took advantage of that and a bad hop on a grounder to Bobby Richardson at second to score the game's only run. In the bottom of the second, Bouton threw another wild pitch, and the Dodgers threatened to score, but didn't. Drysdale had gotten out of a bases loaded jam of his own in the top of the frame.
Bouton seemed to settle down after that. Drysdale did, too. But it was the Yankees who needed some nice defence to stop Los Angeles from there. The Dodgers had runners on second and third in bottom of the second. A grounder to first got the second out, and when Dick Tracewski tried to score on that, the Yankees got him at home. But that was it for Bouton. Removed for a pinch hitter, he was done, but had kept New York in this thing. Hal Reniff gave up a leadoff walk to Jim Gilliam in the bottom of the eighth. Gilliam made it to second on a grounder. But when he foolishly tried to steal third, catcher Elston Howard nailed him. Tommy Davis took a rip at Reniff's pitch with two strikes on him and misses.
New York almost took advantage of all this in the top of the ninth. Mickey Mantle and Tommy Tresh were retired, but Pepitone got a hold of one and sent one that looked like it was out of here. Ron Fairly made the catch on the warning track. Drysdale had the shutout and Los Angels was up three games to none in the 1963 Fall Classic.
Koufax was back to put the Yankees away in game four. But Whitey Ford was on the hill to oppose him. Frank Howard got a single off him in the bottom of the second. Then the Yankees got a double play to end the inning. Howard then hit a home run in his next plate appearance in the bottom of the fifth. Other then that, Ford had a no-hitter. Maury Wills had walked to start this game, but was also erased via the double play.
Koufax, though, seemed even better as he retired the first ten batters. Not quite getting the K's. But getting the men out. Bobby Richardson hit a double in the top of the fourth, but was stranded. So he had to make Howard's home run stand up. He did just that, but Mantle hit a four-bagger of his own to tie it in the top of the seventh.
The Dodgers got it back on an odd play in the bottom of the frame. Jim Gilliam hit a grounder to third that Clete Boyer made a nice stop on. But the white shirts in the background made Joe Pepitone lose vision of the ball in flight. The missed throw resulted in Gilliam ending up on third. Willie Davis hit a sac fly to Mickey in centre to score him. Ford retired Tommy Davis on a grounder. Howard hit one towards first, and Pepi made the play this time as Ford covered first. But it was Los Angeles 2, New York 1.
Phil Linz batted for Ford in the top of the eighth and delivered a single with one out. But Tony Kubek hit into an inning-ending double play. Hal Reniff came in again and got the Dodgers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. Sandy needed three more outs, but New York wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Bobby Richardson, who had failed to get one hit in game one off Koufax, got his second hit of the game to leadd things off. Koufax got Tom Tresh and Mantle on K's, but then Elston Howard sent a roller towards Maury Wills at short. Marty for the short peg at second...Tracewski drops the ball! Ow! That's a killer, perhaps. Sandy had to get Hector Lopez to ground out to end that. The Dodgers had the sweep and Koufax had lowered his ERA to 1.50 from 2.00.
But alas, Drysdale's was 0.00, Perranoski's was 0.00 and Podres' was 1.08. See? Sandy was fourth on the team in earned run average in the 1963 Fall Classic. But that didn't exactly stop Sandy from helping Los Angeles sweep the Yankees and picking up the MVP!
Sandy Koufax, fourth on the Dodgers in ERA in the 1963 World Series. You can look it up!
Sandy was just dandy in the opening act. The Dodgers took on the New York Yankees right there in New York in the first game, but Koufax didn't let the bats, aura or anything else about The Bronx Bombers get to him. Ahead 5-0, early, he didn't allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth. Not until there were two down in the bottom of the eight did New York finally get two runs on a two-run home run by Tommy Tresh. But that was all the great Yankees could get. Sandy had his ERA at 2.00, but along with that, he also had a win and 15 strikeouts.
Johnny Podres took the hill in game two and the Dodgers staked him to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Dodgers were blanked themselves for the next two inning before former Yankee Moose Skowron went yard on a solo job to make it 3-0. Podres did his part to keep New York out of the equation with some crafty stuff. A fourth run in the top of the eighth made it 4-0 and the only question left was could Podres get the shutout. Seems so odd that Koufax was sooooo good in the opening tilt, and Podres was closing in on a shutout in the next game.
Mickey Mantle came to the dish. The Mick had been hitting it hard against Podres all game long, but with nothing to show for it. Here, again, he hit it well. But it was just a long, loud out to left. But Hector Lopez, who had lashed a double off Podres earlier, did it again here. It was time for Podres to hit the shower.
Enter Ron Perranoski. You see, with guys like Koufax, Drysdale and Podres, too, Ron isn't exactly a household name. But the lefty relief ace had gone 16-3 with 21 saves and low era of 1.67.
But Elston Howard greeted him by going the other way on a single to right. Lopez trotted home, and it was a 4-1 ballgame. Joe Pepitone was the next hitter, a left-hander and more to Perranoski's liking. Pepi would not have liked the results, as he hit into a force at second. When Clete Boyer fanned, this thing was in the books. Perranoski was credited with a save (not by today's standards) and Podres got the win and an ERA of 1.08. Hey! That's less than Sandy's!
Don Drysdale was the next pitcher for Los Angels as the teams headed west. The Dodgers looked for the sweep and Drysdale got them one step closer to that with a 1-0 win over young Jim Bouton. It was a well-pitched game, as the two teams combined for just seven hits. But Drysdale gave up just three. Two of them were to Tony Kubek and another to Mickey Mantle on a bunt that popped up and made it to centre. Bouton threw a wild pitch in the first, and the Dodgers took advantage of that and a bad hop on a grounder to Bobby Richardson at second to score the game's only run. In the bottom of the second, Bouton threw another wild pitch, and the Dodgers threatened to score, but didn't. Drysdale had gotten out of a bases loaded jam of his own in the top of the frame.
Bouton seemed to settle down after that. Drysdale did, too. But it was the Yankees who needed some nice defence to stop Los Angeles from there. The Dodgers had runners on second and third in bottom of the second. A grounder to first got the second out, and when Dick Tracewski tried to score on that, the Yankees got him at home. But that was it for Bouton. Removed for a pinch hitter, he was done, but had kept New York in this thing. Hal Reniff gave up a leadoff walk to Jim Gilliam in the bottom of the eighth. Gilliam made it to second on a grounder. But when he foolishly tried to steal third, catcher Elston Howard nailed him. Tommy Davis took a rip at Reniff's pitch with two strikes on him and misses.
New York almost took advantage of all this in the top of the ninth. Mickey Mantle and Tommy Tresh were retired, but Pepitone got a hold of one and sent one that looked like it was out of here. Ron Fairly made the catch on the warning track. Drysdale had the shutout and Los Angels was up three games to none in the 1963 Fall Classic.
Koufax was back to put the Yankees away in game four. But Whitey Ford was on the hill to oppose him. Frank Howard got a single off him in the bottom of the second. Then the Yankees got a double play to end the inning. Howard then hit a home run in his next plate appearance in the bottom of the fifth. Other then that, Ford had a no-hitter. Maury Wills had walked to start this game, but was also erased via the double play.
Koufax, though, seemed even better as he retired the first ten batters. Not quite getting the K's. But getting the men out. Bobby Richardson hit a double in the top of the fourth, but was stranded. So he had to make Howard's home run stand up. He did just that, but Mantle hit a four-bagger of his own to tie it in the top of the seventh.
The Dodgers got it back on an odd play in the bottom of the frame. Jim Gilliam hit a grounder to third that Clete Boyer made a nice stop on. But the white shirts in the background made Joe Pepitone lose vision of the ball in flight. The missed throw resulted in Gilliam ending up on third. Willie Davis hit a sac fly to Mickey in centre to score him. Ford retired Tommy Davis on a grounder. Howard hit one towards first, and Pepi made the play this time as Ford covered first. But it was Los Angeles 2, New York 1.
Phil Linz batted for Ford in the top of the eighth and delivered a single with one out. But Tony Kubek hit into an inning-ending double play. Hal Reniff came in again and got the Dodgers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. Sandy needed three more outs, but New York wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Bobby Richardson, who had failed to get one hit in game one off Koufax, got his second hit of the game to leadd things off. Koufax got Tom Tresh and Mantle on K's, but then Elston Howard sent a roller towards Maury Wills at short. Marty for the short peg at second...Tracewski drops the ball! Ow! That's a killer, perhaps. Sandy had to get Hector Lopez to ground out to end that. The Dodgers had the sweep and Koufax had lowered his ERA to 1.50 from 2.00.
But alas, Drysdale's was 0.00, Perranoski's was 0.00 and Podres' was 1.08. See? Sandy was fourth on the team in earned run average in the 1963 Fall Classic. But that didn't exactly stop Sandy from helping Los Angeles sweep the Yankees and picking up the MVP!
Sandy Koufax, fourth on the Dodgers in ERA in the 1963 World Series. You can look it up!
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