The Cincinatti Reds out-hit the Yankees 19-16 in the first three games of the 1961 World Series.
So despite the one-sided final result, it wasn't as if the Reds weren't in this thing for a while. The Yankees seemed to use their hits when it mattered a little more. Cincy even managed to get 16 more hits in the last two games, but they only scored only 5 runs.
In game 1, the Reds were having no such luck against Whitey Ford. Clete Boyer robbed the Reds with some nice plays on the hot corner, but it was Ford who was the reason the Reds were flailing away helplessly. He allowed just 2 hits and pitched his third straight Fall Classic shutout.
Actually, the Yankees also seemed to have problems getting the bat on the ball as well in this game. Jimmy O'Toole, the Reds' starter, allowed just 6 hits in 7 innings himself. His relief pitcher, Jim Brosnan (not quite a writer at this point) pitched a scoreless 8th inning. The Yankees made the hits count, however. Elston Howard hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th. Bill Skowron also went yard on a solo job in the 6th. Those were the only 2 runs of the game.
The Reds had to make due with an Eddie Kasko single in the first, and a Wally Post single in the 5th. Those were Cincinnati's only two hits of the game!
In game 2, the Reds got 9 hits. That may not seem like a lot, but compared to game 1, Cincy had brought out their whipping sticks. And they used them well!
Gordy Coleman hit a 2-run home run off the Yankee's Ralph Terry in the 4th, with Frank Robinson scoring ahead of him. That ended 12-innings of scoreless ball thrown by the Yankees' pitchers. New York tied it in the bottom of the 4th on a 2-run home run of their own by Yogi Berra.
The Reds used 2 singles and a passed ball to tack on a third run in the top of the 5th. The Yankees would not recover from that in this game.
Terry looked like the top of the 6th was going to be a breeze as Frank Robinson grounded out. Coleman then fanned. But just when things appeared to be easy, Cincinnati struck again. A Wally Post double forced Terry to walk Gene Freese intentionally. But that strategy backfired when Johnny Edwards hit a single to make it 4-2 , Reds.
Terry had a 1-2-3, 7th, but was through for the day. The man from Big Cabin Oklahoma had allowed Cincinnati just 6 hits and 2 walks. Plus, Terry fanned 7 batters. But he was looking at 4-2 deficit and the possibly of a 3rd straight World Series loss. Terry had yet to win a World Series game at this point.
Luis Arroyo, whose 1961 season was one of the best ever for a relief pitcher, took over. The Reds strafed him as Coleman got another RBI with a single to again score Robinson. Coleman didn't score this time, but Edwards' double knocked in Post for the Reds' 6th run.
Bobby Richardson, with another great World Series performance in 1961, had a single in the 1st for the Yankees. Berra, in addition to his home run in the 4th, picked up a single in the 6th. Tony Kubek hit a single to center in the 8th. Those were the Yankees only hits in this game. The Reds had stolen a game right there in Yankee Stadium.
But really, it was Joey Jay's fine performance. This wasn't a game where the Reds' were lucky to win. Granted, Jay walked 6 batters, but they were spaced out. New York got only 2 in the last 4 innings. The Yankees had to work to win the 1961 World Series, the Reds didn't give it to them.
And certainly, no game better reflected that than game 3. The Fall Classic would shift to Crosley Field for the next 3 games.
Both the Yankees' Bill Stafford and the Reds' Bob Purkey were "on" for this one. It was Stafford who gave up a run to the Reds'. Frank Robinson didn't score this run, but he knocked it in the bottom of the 3rd.
The Yankees offence again seemed to stagger. Purkey had a 1-2-3, 1st. In the second, it was Mickey Mantle up there, making his first appearance in this Fall Classic. Mantle had been out a while with a hip injury, which was later infected. He got a hold of one, but could make an out to center. Yogi Berra did walk, but the next two men went down. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 3rd. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 4th. In the 5th, with one out, Elston Howard hit a double. Moose Skowron smoked the ball to center. But the buck, and the ball, didn't make it there. Eddie Kasko made the catch, then stepped on second to double up Howard. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 6th. Purkey had faced 19 Yankee batters and 2 of them had reached base.
Stafford had some problems early, but settled down and got the Reds in order in the 4th and 5th. Then, he allowed a harmless single in the 6th. It was still 1-0, Cincinnati, however
In the 7th, Kubek led off with a single for New York. But Purkey got Maris to fly out. A passed ball to Mantle moved Kubek into scoring position, but The Mick then K'd. Yogi Berra again proved to be clutch in the postseason by delivering a single to tie this game up at 1.
Stafford had some problems of his own in the bottom of the frame, however. After getting the leadoff batter out, Johnny Edwards smashed a double to right. Purkey fanned and Stafford seemed safe. But not for long.
Eddie Kasko hit a clutch single of his own to score Edwards. The Reds were up 2-1 and Stafford was out of the game. Bud Daley came in for the Yankees and retired Vada Pinson. But the Yankees needed to play "catch up" again!
Purkey retired the first two New York batters in the top of the 8th. But Mickey Mantle had some good advice for Johnny Blanchard, who was sent up to pinch-hit for Daley. Mantle noted that Purkey would throw a slider on the first pitch, then throw knuckleballs for the duration of the plate appearance. Blanchard batted left-handed, and when Daley's first pitch was a slider that broke in on him, he jumped on it for a home run to deep right!
Arroyo retired the Reds in order in the bottom of the 8th as this game had been such a fine pitching duel from the start. But New York would have the last word.
In the top of the 9th, Roger Maris, held hitless to this point in the 1961 World Series, picked a fine time to go yard. New York had their first lead of the game. Purkey retired the next three batters to finish with a complete game 6-hitter.
Arroyo K'd Freese to leadoff the bottom of the 9th, but then Leo Cardenas was sent up to hit for Edwards. And Leo nearly did what Blanchard did! Leo got all of an Arroyo offering and rocketed it to left. The only question was whether it would be to the right or left of the scoreboard in left center. If enough left, this game was tied. It stuck the scoreboard and bounced back into play. So close. In any event, the Reds had the tying run on second. With Purkey due up, another pinch hitter was sent up. Dick Gernert. Arroyo managed to get him out on a grounder to Kubek as Cardenas held at second. One more out to go. But it was still another pinch hitter! Gus Bell batted for Don Blasingame. Luis fielded the comebacker and tossed to Moose Skowron at first. The Yankees, despite being out-hit 8-6 in this game, had pulled it out by the skin of their teeth.
The Yankees out-hit the Reds the rest of the way, besting them 7-0 in game 4, and out-hitting them 11-5, but that game marked the first time either team had reached double digits in hits. The game was actually quite close until the Yankees broke open a 2-run lead in the 6th with 2 more touches of home. Then, 3 more runs in the 7th salted the game away. The Yankees led 3 games to 1.
And New York wrapped it up in game 5, 13-5. But here, both teams reached double figures in hits. 15 by the Yankees and 11 by the Reds. I think that summed up the 1961 Fall Classic. The hits would be close for either team in almost all the games (with the exception of game 4), but it was the Yankees, like a boxer who picks his spots, that got in the telling blows in when it really mattered.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 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.
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.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
The World Series Of 1961. Dir. Lew Fonseca. Prod. Dick Borden. Perf. Mel Allen. Major League Baseball Productions., 1961. DVD.
So despite the one-sided final result, it wasn't as if the Reds weren't in this thing for a while. The Yankees seemed to use their hits when it mattered a little more. Cincy even managed to get 16 more hits in the last two games, but they only scored only 5 runs.
In game 1, the Reds were having no such luck against Whitey Ford. Clete Boyer robbed the Reds with some nice plays on the hot corner, but it was Ford who was the reason the Reds were flailing away helplessly. He allowed just 2 hits and pitched his third straight Fall Classic shutout.
Actually, the Yankees also seemed to have problems getting the bat on the ball as well in this game. Jimmy O'Toole, the Reds' starter, allowed just 6 hits in 7 innings himself. His relief pitcher, Jim Brosnan (not quite a writer at this point) pitched a scoreless 8th inning. The Yankees made the hits count, however. Elston Howard hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th. Bill Skowron also went yard on a solo job in the 6th. Those were the only 2 runs of the game.
The Reds had to make due with an Eddie Kasko single in the first, and a Wally Post single in the 5th. Those were Cincinnati's only two hits of the game!
In game 2, the Reds got 9 hits. That may not seem like a lot, but compared to game 1, Cincy had brought out their whipping sticks. And they used them well!
Gordy Coleman hit a 2-run home run off the Yankee's Ralph Terry in the 4th, with Frank Robinson scoring ahead of him. That ended 12-innings of scoreless ball thrown by the Yankees' pitchers. New York tied it in the bottom of the 4th on a 2-run home run of their own by Yogi Berra.
The Reds used 2 singles and a passed ball to tack on a third run in the top of the 5th. The Yankees would not recover from that in this game.
Terry looked like the top of the 6th was going to be a breeze as Frank Robinson grounded out. Coleman then fanned. But just when things appeared to be easy, Cincinnati struck again. A Wally Post double forced Terry to walk Gene Freese intentionally. But that strategy backfired when Johnny Edwards hit a single to make it 4-2 , Reds.
Terry had a 1-2-3, 7th, but was through for the day. The man from Big Cabin Oklahoma had allowed Cincinnati just 6 hits and 2 walks. Plus, Terry fanned 7 batters. But he was looking at 4-2 deficit and the possibly of a 3rd straight World Series loss. Terry had yet to win a World Series game at this point.
Luis Arroyo, whose 1961 season was one of the best ever for a relief pitcher, took over. The Reds strafed him as Coleman got another RBI with a single to again score Robinson. Coleman didn't score this time, but Edwards' double knocked in Post for the Reds' 6th run.
Bobby Richardson, with another great World Series performance in 1961, had a single in the 1st for the Yankees. Berra, in addition to his home run in the 4th, picked up a single in the 6th. Tony Kubek hit a single to center in the 8th. Those were the Yankees only hits in this game. The Reds had stolen a game right there in Yankee Stadium.
But really, it was Joey Jay's fine performance. This wasn't a game where the Reds' were lucky to win. Granted, Jay walked 6 batters, but they were spaced out. New York got only 2 in the last 4 innings. The Yankees had to work to win the 1961 World Series, the Reds didn't give it to them.
And certainly, no game better reflected that than game 3. The Fall Classic would shift to Crosley Field for the next 3 games.
Both the Yankees' Bill Stafford and the Reds' Bob Purkey were "on" for this one. It was Stafford who gave up a run to the Reds'. Frank Robinson didn't score this run, but he knocked it in the bottom of the 3rd.
The Yankees offence again seemed to stagger. Purkey had a 1-2-3, 1st. In the second, it was Mickey Mantle up there, making his first appearance in this Fall Classic. Mantle had been out a while with a hip injury, which was later infected. He got a hold of one, but could make an out to center. Yogi Berra did walk, but the next two men went down. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 3rd. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 4th. In the 5th, with one out, Elston Howard hit a double. Moose Skowron smoked the ball to center. But the buck, and the ball, didn't make it there. Eddie Kasko made the catch, then stepped on second to double up Howard. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the 6th. Purkey had faced 19 Yankee batters and 2 of them had reached base.
Stafford had some problems early, but settled down and got the Reds in order in the 4th and 5th. Then, he allowed a harmless single in the 6th. It was still 1-0, Cincinnati, however
In the 7th, Kubek led off with a single for New York. But Purkey got Maris to fly out. A passed ball to Mantle moved Kubek into scoring position, but The Mick then K'd. Yogi Berra again proved to be clutch in the postseason by delivering a single to tie this game up at 1.
Stafford had some problems of his own in the bottom of the frame, however. After getting the leadoff batter out, Johnny Edwards smashed a double to right. Purkey fanned and Stafford seemed safe. But not for long.
Eddie Kasko hit a clutch single of his own to score Edwards. The Reds were up 2-1 and Stafford was out of the game. Bud Daley came in for the Yankees and retired Vada Pinson. But the Yankees needed to play "catch up" again!
Purkey retired the first two New York batters in the top of the 8th. But Mickey Mantle had some good advice for Johnny Blanchard, who was sent up to pinch-hit for Daley. Mantle noted that Purkey would throw a slider on the first pitch, then throw knuckleballs for the duration of the plate appearance. Blanchard batted left-handed, and when Daley's first pitch was a slider that broke in on him, he jumped on it for a home run to deep right!
Arroyo retired the Reds in order in the bottom of the 8th as this game had been such a fine pitching duel from the start. But New York would have the last word.
In the top of the 9th, Roger Maris, held hitless to this point in the 1961 World Series, picked a fine time to go yard. New York had their first lead of the game. Purkey retired the next three batters to finish with a complete game 6-hitter.
Arroyo K'd Freese to leadoff the bottom of the 9th, but then Leo Cardenas was sent up to hit for Edwards. And Leo nearly did what Blanchard did! Leo got all of an Arroyo offering and rocketed it to left. The only question was whether it would be to the right or left of the scoreboard in left center. If enough left, this game was tied. It stuck the scoreboard and bounced back into play. So close. In any event, the Reds had the tying run on second. With Purkey due up, another pinch hitter was sent up. Dick Gernert. Arroyo managed to get him out on a grounder to Kubek as Cardenas held at second. One more out to go. But it was still another pinch hitter! Gus Bell batted for Don Blasingame. Luis fielded the comebacker and tossed to Moose Skowron at first. The Yankees, despite being out-hit 8-6 in this game, had pulled it out by the skin of their teeth.
The Yankees out-hit the Reds the rest of the way, besting them 7-0 in game 4, and out-hitting them 11-5, but that game marked the first time either team had reached double digits in hits. The game was actually quite close until the Yankees broke open a 2-run lead in the 6th with 2 more touches of home. Then, 3 more runs in the 7th salted the game away. The Yankees led 3 games to 1.
And New York wrapped it up in game 5, 13-5. But here, both teams reached double figures in hits. 15 by the Yankees and 11 by the Reds. I think that summed up the 1961 Fall Classic. The hits would be close for either team in almost all the games (with the exception of game 4), but it was the Yankees, like a boxer who picks his spots, that got in the telling blows in when it really mattered.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 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.
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.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
The World Series Of 1961. Dir. Lew Fonseca. Prod. Dick Borden. Perf. Mel Allen. Major League Baseball Productions., 1961. DVD.
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