Yogi Berra last plate appearance was in the 1963 Fall Classic. He was also serving as the New York Yankees first base coach.
But New York was in trouble in '63. They were facing the Los Angeles Dodgers who had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Sandy set the tone in game one as he fanned fifteen Yankees right there in Yankee Stadium. Drysdale did not start game two. Johnny Podres, the hero of the 1955 Fall Classic for the (Brooklyn) Dodgers, took the hill. And he won 4-1, to send the Dodgers home up 2-0.
Game three was a matchup between Don Drysdale and Jim Bouton. Both pitched well. The Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the first on a bit of a break. With one out, it was Jim Gilliam with a walk.And then with two out, Bouton threw a wild pitch. That moved Gilliam to second. A fluky single by Tommy Davis made it 1-0, Dodgers. Could Drysdale make it stand.
Bouton, meanwhile, settled down. Anytime Los Angeles mounted a charge, he put the fire out. The Yankees looked like they were going to blow the game wide open in the top of the second. Mickey Mantle, held hitless in the first two games, bunted it all the way to centre. Joe Pepitone was hit by Drysdale. Elston Howard fanned. And when Johnny Blanchard grounded out, Drysdale seemed safe. Clete Boyer was walked intentionally to get to Bouton. But now the bases were loaded with two down. A single here by Bouton and it's 2-1, Yankees. He fanned.
The Dodgers seemed to have some insurance in the bottom of the frame, as they got runners to the corners but could not score any. From here, it seems that Drysdale settled down. Kubek would reach on an error to start the third, but was picked off. The next time New York had anything going was when Kubek singled to start the sixth. There was no pickoff. A bunt moved him to second. A grounder, and Tony was on third. The Mick was at the dish. Drysdale got him looking! The Dodgers had runners on second and third in the bottom of the frame. Somehow Bouton got out of it. He was pitching with so much guts. But he was also losing 1-0.
So Clete Boyer fanned to start the seventh inning, and Bouton was the next scheduled hitter. But it was Yogi Berra who batted for him. Drysdale induced him to line to right. The Yankees didn't go away quietly, as Kubek got his second hit of the game next. However, it was only New York's third hit of the game. And Bobby Richardson then forced him at second.
New pitcher Hal Reniff came on to relief Bouton in the bottom of the eighth. Another run here would be bad for the cause. Reniff did exactly what you don't do. He walked the leadoff hitter, Gilliam. Willie Davis tried to get him to second with a bunt, he succeeded. Alas, Gilliam was then thrown out trying to steal third. Tommy Davis went down on strikes as Reniff did the job. Bouton and Reniff had combined on a four-hitter, and six walks.
Tom Tresh fanned to start the ninth. Mantle was out on a grounder. Pepitone gave it quite a ride to right, but it was caught on the warning track. It was game over. The Yankees, once the mighty, were down 3-0. They would lose game four to Koufax, 2-1. Yogi Berra did not get into the game.
So Yogi Berra started his Fall Classic career vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Sixteen years later, he was against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
References
Fonseca, Lew, director. World Series Of 1963. Major League Baseball Productions, 1963.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. Print
Silverman, Al, et al. "1963 World Series vs. Los Angeles Dodgers." Yankee Colors: The Glory Years Of The Mantle Era. Abrams, 2009. Print. pp. 158-167.
Retrosheet .Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
But New York was in trouble in '63. They were facing the Los Angeles Dodgers who had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Sandy set the tone in game one as he fanned fifteen Yankees right there in Yankee Stadium. Drysdale did not start game two. Johnny Podres, the hero of the 1955 Fall Classic for the (Brooklyn) Dodgers, took the hill. And he won 4-1, to send the Dodgers home up 2-0.
Game three was a matchup between Don Drysdale and Jim Bouton. Both pitched well. The Dodgers scored a run in the bottom of the first on a bit of a break. With one out, it was Jim Gilliam with a walk.And then with two out, Bouton threw a wild pitch. That moved Gilliam to second. A fluky single by Tommy Davis made it 1-0, Dodgers. Could Drysdale make it stand.
Bouton, meanwhile, settled down. Anytime Los Angeles mounted a charge, he put the fire out. The Yankees looked like they were going to blow the game wide open in the top of the second. Mickey Mantle, held hitless in the first two games, bunted it all the way to centre. Joe Pepitone was hit by Drysdale. Elston Howard fanned. And when Johnny Blanchard grounded out, Drysdale seemed safe. Clete Boyer was walked intentionally to get to Bouton. But now the bases were loaded with two down. A single here by Bouton and it's 2-1, Yankees. He fanned.
The Dodgers seemed to have some insurance in the bottom of the frame, as they got runners to the corners but could not score any. From here, it seems that Drysdale settled down. Kubek would reach on an error to start the third, but was picked off. The next time New York had anything going was when Kubek singled to start the sixth. There was no pickoff. A bunt moved him to second. A grounder, and Tony was on third. The Mick was at the dish. Drysdale got him looking! The Dodgers had runners on second and third in the bottom of the frame. Somehow Bouton got out of it. He was pitching with so much guts. But he was also losing 1-0.
So Clete Boyer fanned to start the seventh inning, and Bouton was the next scheduled hitter. But it was Yogi Berra who batted for him. Drysdale induced him to line to right. The Yankees didn't go away quietly, as Kubek got his second hit of the game next. However, it was only New York's third hit of the game. And Bobby Richardson then forced him at second.
New pitcher Hal Reniff came on to relief Bouton in the bottom of the eighth. Another run here would be bad for the cause. Reniff did exactly what you don't do. He walked the leadoff hitter, Gilliam. Willie Davis tried to get him to second with a bunt, he succeeded. Alas, Gilliam was then thrown out trying to steal third. Tommy Davis went down on strikes as Reniff did the job. Bouton and Reniff had combined on a four-hitter, and six walks.
Tom Tresh fanned to start the ninth. Mantle was out on a grounder. Pepitone gave it quite a ride to right, but it was caught on the warning track. It was game over. The Yankees, once the mighty, were down 3-0. They would lose game four to Koufax, 2-1. Yogi Berra did not get into the game.
So Yogi Berra started his Fall Classic career vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Sixteen years later, he was against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
References
Fonseca, Lew, director. World Series Of 1963. Major League Baseball Productions, 1963.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. Print
Silverman, Al, et al. "1963 World Series vs. Los Angeles Dodgers." Yankee Colors: The Glory Years Of The Mantle Era. Abrams, 2009. Print. pp. 158-167.
Retrosheet .Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
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