World Series: Did You Know?

Ralph Terry pitched in the deciding games for the Yankees from 1960-1962. The New York Yankees won two of those. Ralph, though, had to settle for just one win (and a loss) in those three games.

Finally getting the Yankees out of a hectic inning in 1960, Terry was in no position to save the Bronx Bombers. He relieved Jim Coates in the bottom of the eighth inning of game seven, but it seemed to late. The Pittsburgh Pirates had fought back from 7-4, and now led 9-7. Though Terry finally got the last out of that frame, there seemed little hope of him throwing another pitch.



And exciting rally earned New York the right to play on. Bobby Richardson and Mickey Mantle had the key hits, and the Yankees scored twice. They'd trailed 4-0 and 9-7, and just showed the Pirates why they were such a great team.

The first batter Ralph faced in the bottom of the ninth was Bill Mazeroski. Bill had hit a home run in game one, a 7-4 Pittsburgh win. The pitcher's spot was up next (Harvey Haddix was the pitcher who'd failed like Coates to hold the fort), but you don't want to put the leadoff man on.

Terry threw a high ball. The next pitch was high, but in the strike zone. Maz hit it out of the park for a dramatic walk-off. Worse still, Terry was the losing pitcher. How could New York had lost this one?

Terry was back the next year, winning 16. The Bronx Bombers were simply in the mode all season long. The Cincinnati Reds, winners of the National League, soon found out just how good they were. In the Fall Classic, the teams split the first two games at Yankee Stadium, but Terry took a 6-2 loss in game two. A narrow 3-2 win in game three put New York right back where they wanted to be, Luis Arroyo winning in relief of Bill Stafford. Whitey Ford needed some relief of his own as he protected a close game through five innings. Clete Boyer doubled home a pair in the top of the sixth. 4-0. But Ford was out of the game as the bottom of the frame began. The Yankees outscored the Reds 3-0 the rest of the way, but it wasn't quite an easy of a 7-0 win that you would think.

And their series-clinching 13-5 wasn't accomplished without relief. Ralph Terry started, had a 6-0 lead, but couldn't get the job done. Frank Robinson's 3-run home run in the bottom of the third put Cincinnati right back in it. Terry was gone right there. 2 1/3 IP, 6 H. Bud Daley came in, and gave up two more hits before he put out the fire. The Reds kept hitting the ball hard, and got a two-run home run from Wally Post in the fifth. Five runs in five innings. But the Yankees scored seven runs themselves and the Reds couldn't get anything more (Though they finished with eleven hits). New York won, but Terry didn't get the win.



But all was about to be forgotten. Terry started game seven vs. San Francisco in the Fall Classic the next year. He was brilliant. Staked to only a 1-0 lead, he pitched two-hit ball through eight innings at Candlestick Park. But then...

Matty Alou batted for pitcher Billy O'Dell and singled. Terry bore down and fanned the next two batters. The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays stepped in. A hit a double to right. Roger Maris, in right, got to it. Fired to Bobby Richardson at second. Richardson to Elston Howard the catcher. Alou held at third. But now, a base hit and the Giants win, 2-1. And it was another Willie at the dish. Willie McCovey. McCovey sent one foul to right. But on the next pitch, he crushed it. But guess what, it was caught by Richardson! Terry and the Yankees had themselves a dramatic 1-0 win. Hey, third times a charm!

References

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.

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.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. 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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 26 July. 2016.

Your Guide To The Outfield

So, now that we're through with all the starting pitchers and relievers in baseball, how about a look at the men playing behind them. There aren't angels in the outfield, but the three out there, have a lot to do when there's a fly ball.

Left fielder

Usually, the left fielder has the weakest arm on the team, but is one of the fastest players on the teams. Do the names Barry Bonds or Ricky Henderson ring a bell? They can be slow. Think Ted Williams. But in most cases, he needs to be quick. Think Carl Yastrzemski. He is sort of like the shortstop of outfielders, as he many-a-time a hard grounder that gets through the left side of the infield ends up rolling towards him. Back to the arm. I should have said, "Not as strong as...." As in, not as strong as the centre fielder or right fielder. His arm, unless it's really weak, does not get challenged as much. There's no such stat, but the boy in left usually leads the team in fewest sacrifice flies against. Actually, his arm will never be challenged by a runner on second on a fly to left. Too much of a risk. He probably will get challenged on a deep fly with a runner on third. There isn't the room needed to advance most of the time. Gap shots are something he'll face a lot of, especially if the team the left fielder is facing has a lot of right-handed hitters. He'll also have to back the center fielder up. One of his biggest challenges will be playing the caroms off the canvas down the left field line.

Centre fielder

He is often the fastest runner on the team. Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle. You get the idea. And he's got an arm that is often the strongest, save for the rightfielder. He'll do a lot of running in a game, and make anywhere from five to ten putouts a game. But the centerfielder has a lot of ground to cover. And it's not just on fly balls to him. He's got to be the backup to the fly balls hit to the gap that the right or left fielder are chasing. Just in case he misses it. Another thing about him: He needs to be a little acrobatic, because the centre fielder will need to scale some walls to take back would-be home runs. Also, a long of sinking shots tend to be hit to centre. Then there's those batted balls that are just beyond the outstretched reach of the shortstop or second basemen. You gotta be there! His arm will be challenged the most. Here's where that situation of, does the runner go fist to third on a grounder that makes it through to centre? Or from second to home? How about that medium-range fly ball (less then two outs) with a runner on second or third? All depends on how good your centre fielder is!

Right fielder

He often has the second or best arm on the team. And it's gotta be accurate. The guy who's arm was amazing for a right fielders was Al Kaline. He might be the slowest of outfielders. That's not to say he's not fleet-footed. Kaline, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson (He played some left field, too) come to mind when I think of right fielders with some wheels. He'll accumulate the fewest putouts of any of the outfielders. Still, it's not easy playing it. Of course, he'll back up the centre fielder when there's a fly that he takes. He'll need to make the plays where's there's a single to right and the runner on first tries for third. Or there's a runner on second and the ball is hit to right. Even if he makes the catch, he's gotta be on the alert for the runner trying for third (Assuming there is less then two outs). A single to right in this situation scores many-a-base runner. Where the right fielder looks bad is when there's a runner on third and a deep fly to right. Again, less than two outs. It seems that four of the five rightfielders in the game are doomed in this situation, especially if the runner is fast. Hence, the need for a strong arm!





References

Formosa, Dan, and Paul Hamburger. Baseball Field Guide: An In-Depth Illustrated Guide To The Complete Rules Of Baseball. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. 2006. Print.

Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.

Halberstam, David. Summer of 49. New York: William Morrow / Avon Books, 1989. Print.

Kalb, Elliott. Who's Better, Who's Best in Baseball: Mr. Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 75 Players of All Time. McGraw-Hill, 2005. 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.

Shalin, Mike, and Neil Shalin. Out By A Step: The 100 Best Players Not In The Baseball Hall of Fame. Lanham: Diamond Communications, 2002. Print.

Whiteford, Mike, and Taylor Jones. How to Talk Baseball. Galahad Books, 1987. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 14 May 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/>

World Series: Did You Know?

Frank Robinson, who was a man of many first in baseball, is the first player to be hit twice in one game. The 1961 Cincinnati Reds may have only won one game (And it was not the game Robinson was hit twice), but they had someone who the New York Yankees were careful with. Careful enough to hit? I guess so!

Frank was ever so dangerous in 1961, but New York seemed to have his number for a while. Whitey Ford stopped him and the Reds cold in game one. Frank didn't get a hit, but he walked. In game two, Robinson and his teammates did better. They won 6-2. Frank didn't get a hit, but reached base via and error and walk. And both times he scored.



In game three, at home, Frank hit a double in the bottom of the third to score Elio Chacon. That was the game's first run. The Yankees ultimately won this see-saw affair, 3-2. Robinson was held to just that one hit and fanned twice.

Game four was close for a while, but it was Whitey Ford, back with his World Series record book. He not only broke Babe Ruth's record for most consecutive scoreless innings, but he pitched New York to a 7-0 win. Robinson and hit teammates must have had a handful with Whitey.

In the bottom of the fourth, though, it looked like Cincy would tie it. New York was only ahead 1-0 at this point, and Eddie Kasko got things off on the right foot with a leadoff single. One out later, Ford hit Robinson. All this for naught as Wally Post grounded into an inning-ending double play.

New York was only up 2-0 in the top of the sixth, when they salted things away. The scored twice to make it a 4-0 game, and looked poised for more with the bases loaded, Ford up, and only one out. Ford tried to squeeze Moose Skowron home. Clete Boyer motored towards third as Ford bunted, but Gordie Coleman made the putout unassisted, then raced across to third, where Moose retreated, only to find Boyer there. Coleman made the putout, unassisted again!

Chacon led off the bottom of the frame with a single. Ford had been hurt after fouling a ball of his foot. So he left for Jim Coates. Coates was known to throw at batters, and Robinson would bat that inning. So with two outs, he did just that to Frank. The Reds were unable to score, alas. And at this point, the Bombers had extended their lead to 7-0.

Frank batted again in the bottom of the ninth. The Reds could not hit Coates. But Robinson walked this time. Wally Post did not hit into a double play. Instead, he singled for Cincinatti's fifth hit of the ballgame. But Coates fanned Jim Freese and got Gordie Coleman to fly out to Hector Lopez in left to end the game.

Robinson took no such abuse in game five. He hit a three-run home run off Ralph Terry in the bottom of the bottom of the third. Then, he added a double in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds did not score a run that inning. Wally Post added a two-run home run in the bottom of the bottom of the fifth to give the Reds five runs in five innings. But New York scored thirteen runs in that game, and the Reds failed to score outside of Robinson's and Post's home runs.



The 1961 New York Yankees were one of the all-time great teams. The Reds? Well, they weren't pushovers. And it is good to see that Robinson made sure Cincy made the two Yankees blowouts interesting somewhat. Frank would go on to win a World Series later with Baltimore, their first. That was in 1966, the year he became the first player to win an MVP in both leagues. Later, he became the first black manager in baseball when Frank managed the Cleveland Indians in 1975. So who was the first black manager in the National League? That was also Frank Robinson, with San Francisco in 1981. Frank was the last manager of the Montreal Expos and the first manager of the Washington Nationals. He was never afraid to go to help baseball lead the way with integration in the management. And with 586 career home runs, Frank was never afraid of going up to the dish and get plucked twice in the Fall Classic. Frank is one of only two players to do that! The Reds of 1961 may have lost the World Series, but Robinson served notice that he was going to be around a while!

References

Burns, Ken, director. Ken Burns' Baseball. PBS, 1994. DVD.Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. “A Whole New Ballgame.” Baseball, season 1, episode 8, PBS, 27 Sept. 1994.

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. 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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Mar. 08. 2014.

The World Series Of 1961. Dir. Lew Fonseca. Prod. Dick Borden. Perf. Mel Allen. Major League Baseball Productions., 1961. DVD. 

The 1961 Reds: A Good Team, Nonetheless!

The Cincinnati Reds of 1961 have been called a fluke. Or they've been accused of stealing signs. The New York Yankees supposedly routed them in that year's Fall Classic. Pete Rose was not there. Jim Maloney was not in his prime. Wally Post was past his. The list goes on.

But wait a minute, didn't Frank Robinson win the MVP that year? And what's this about a rout in the World Series? Did they not have more hits then New York in the first three games, and even scored more runs in that span? They even pulled off a nice double play in game four that I'm sure New York doesn't want to talk about.

They also were managed by Fred Hutchinson, who was to die tragically a few years later of cancer. But in 1961, he was named by The Sporting News as Manager of the Year. Vada Pinson added a gold glove to this team.

Rose was not at second, obviously. Here's were the team had a weakness, on the surface. It was Don Blasingame who was there. He hit only .222 that season, and hadn't hit well in 1960, either. Before that, his lifetime batting average was .275. Don would bounce back in 1963, coincidentally, Rose's rookie year. But his days were numbered as he was a utility infielder in '63.

Still, Blasingame was a pretty good fielder and knew a thing or two about bunting. And like Rose, he knew a thing or two about hitting singles. He wasn't the team's biggest problem. That was the catchers. Wait 'till you read about their batting averages.

The regular was Jerry Zimmerman, who hit .206 in 76 games. Johnny Edwards, another catcher, was worse. He hit .186 in 52 games. Darrell Johnson, still another catcher, hit .315, but it was in only 20 games. Add the fact that still another catcher, Bob Schmidt, hit .129 in 27 games and it's as if we're talking about the New York Mets of the next year.

Speaking of which, one of that team's most memorable players was actually on this team! Elio Chacon, who spoke very little English, got into 61 games, mostly at second when Blasingame wasn't there. But he was more of a help then a hindrance. He hit .265 and scored 26 runs. Combine that with Blasingame's 59, and that's actually pretty good.

The team's best player was Frank Robinson. And he earned that MVP, I tell you! 37 home runs, 124 RBIs and a .323 batting average. There was Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Robinson when you talked about National League right fielders. Funny, Al Kaline, Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris were the junior circuit right fielders that year. Right on in 1961!

The Reds had other sluggers, too. There was Wally Post, who'd hit 40 home runs in 1955. He hit only 20 this season, but it was in only 99 games. And he hit .294. Wally was in left. In centre, between these two heavy hitters was Vada Pinson. And Pinson wasn't just about fielding. He hit 16 home runs, which seems sort of low on this team. But he hit .343, which was second in the league. Pinson's 101 runs scored was second on the team behind Robinson's 117.

Other sluggers? How about Gordie Coleman at first base? He hit 26 home runs and batted .287. Gene Freese at third also hit 26. Coleman, Pinson and Freese all drove in exactly 87 runs.

How about the guys on the hill?

There was Jim Maloney, not quite there. There was author Jim Brosnan. But how about Jim O'Toole? All he did was go 19-9 and post an ERA of 3.10. There was Joey Jay, a fine star in his own right. Jay came 21-10, and beat the Yankees in game two of the World Series for the Reds only win. New York, of course, didn't take that loss lightly, and got back at Jay in game five. Bob Purkey almost beat New York in game three, and went 16-12 in the regular season.

Ken Hunt, only played one season in the bigs. And it was this season. He went only 9-10. And his ERA of 3.96 wasn't too bad all things considered.



Jim Maloney and Ken Johnson were just spot starters. Maloney, too good of a talent to pass up, didn't contribute the way he would in a few seasons. He went only 6-7 with an ERA of 4.37. But Cincinnati knew he was a good pitcher, and kept him on the postseason roster. Johnson was a good pitcher that year. He went 6-2 with an ERA of 3.25. Brosnan, a relief pitcher, actually was better then what you would expect for an author. He went 10-4 with an ERA of 3.04, while the other author and Yankee property, Jim Bouton, was stuck in the minors at this point!

Brosnan also picked up 16 saves, but he was not alone with that number. Bill Henry added that total, as well. And his ERA? Try 2.19!

History will show that the New York Yankees beat this team, four games to one in the 1961 Fall Classic. But New York won only 2-0 in game one and 3-2 in game three. And that game was tied going into the top of the ninth!



Game four was close until the later inning, while game five was a rout. But I think Cincy can be excused for for getting pounced on from the get-go, eh?



The Reds got five runs in the game, however, and New York was glad to get it over with in such a quick manner, believe me! The 1961 World Series was not walk in the park for the Yankees, who had to reach deep down for some pitching, hitting and defense all Series long!

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 Books, 2000. 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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Mar. 06. 2014.

Ron Taylor: A Key Relief Specialist For Two World Series Winners Of The 1960s

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!

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