Mickey Mantle only got one hit off Bob Gibson in the 1964 World Series. But it was a big hit.
The St. Louis Cardinals beat Mantle's Yankees 9-5 in game one of the 1964 Fall Classic. So things looked good for the Cards in game two. Their prized possession was on the hill, looking for the kill. The Yankees needed this game, or would have to go home down two games to zero.
After walking Phil Linz to open the game, Gibby fanned Bobby Richardson, Roger Maris and Mantle to get out of the inning. The Cardinals then scored off rookie Mel Stottlemyre in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, Gibby again fanned Mantle (leading off the inning), who didn't get the bat off his shoulders. But New York, down a run, found a way to score here. A pair of doubles, with Elston Howard only making it to third on the second, put two men in scoring position. A walk to Tom Tresh and a sacrifice fly by Clete Boyer tied the game.
Mantle again led off an inning. In the top of the sixth, The Mick coaxed a walk off Gibson. Howard was out on a scorcher to second. Joe Pepitone was hit by a Gibby pitch. At least, that's what umpire Bill McKinkey said. The St. Louis brass and players didn't think so. But a single by Tresh to left scored Mantle. New York took the lead, 2-1.
In the top of the 7th, it was Bob Gibson who came undone. Linz singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on Richardson's broken bat single to centre. Maris singled Richardson to third. Mantle grounded out, but that scored Richardson to make it 4-1, Yankees. That's all the Bronx Bombers would need in this game.
The Yankees unloaded on Barney Schultz in the top of the 9th. The Cardinals had scored in the bottom of the 8th to make it a 4-2 ballgame, but New York put this one out of reach here. Linz homered. Maris singled, Mantle doubled him home. Howard walked. Pepitone singled and Tresh flied out. It was 8-2, Bronx Bombers. St. Louis scored a meaningless run in the bottom of the 9th. Bob Gibson had lost his first World Series start.
In his next start, in game four with the Fall Classic tied at two, Gibson was much better. But he would need 10 innings to get the job done.
In the bottom of the second, Mantle led off with a walk. Howard was hit by a pitch. A Joe Pepitone groundout moved 'em both to scoring position. Gibson was forced to walk Tresh intentionally. But with the bases now loaded and only one out, Gibby bore down and fanned Boyer and Stottlemyre (also pitching a great game and also getting out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the 1st) to end the threat.
Bobby and Mel then settled things down and got 'em 1-2-3 in the top and bottom of the third and fourth inning. Gibson fanned Mantle who was again leading off, in the bottom of the fourth.
St. Louis broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the 5th, with Bob Gibson himself scoring the game's first run. And in the bottom of the 6th, Hoot again got Mantle on a K.
Stottlemyre though, stayed right with Gibson outside of the 5th inning, however. When he left after 7, those two runs (only one of which was unearned) were the only runs that the Cardinals got off him. Hal Reniff ran into some trouble in the top of the 8th, putting two on with just one out. Pete Mikklesen came in and got the next two men out. Then he added a 1-2-3 9th to keep the Yankees in this game.
Mickey Mantle led off the bottom of the 9th. He sent a routine ground ball to Dick Groat at second. Groat had robbed Roger Maris of a single in game four. But here, he made a costly error. Elston Howard fanned. Joe Pepitone hit a line shot that smashed off Gibson and went towards third base. Gibby pounced on the ball and tossed to first. Pepitone was called out, but it looked too close for that call to me. Manager Yogi Berra, first base coach Jim Gleeson and Pepitone went ballistic over the call. But it stood. Tom Tresh then tied the game up with a dramatic 2-run home run. Alas, the Yankees lost the game in the 10th inning. Bob Gibson finished the game with 13 strikeouts, two shy of Sandy Koufax's record 15 in game one of the 1963 World Series. Gibby would better that with 17 in game 1 of the 1968 World Series.
In game 7, Mantle led off the fourth against Gibson and fanned for the 5th time against him this Series. The Yankees actually went on to load the bases with two out, but Bob Gibson fanned Mel Stottlemyre.
Mantle led off the fourth and could only ground out. St. Louis then jumped on Stottlemyre for three runs in the fourth. Al Downing came in the bottom of the 5th, but couldn't stop the bleeding. The Cardinals scored three more times to make it 6-0. The end seemed near for New York.
Gibson, though, was tiring. And he escaped any damage himself again in the top of the 5th. Mike Shannon robbed Phil Linz of a hit when he snagged a sinking liner in right. Mike fired to second to double off Tom Tresh. The Yankees, down only 3-0 at that time, might have gotten a run or two (perhaps even three) if not for that play.
But Mickey Mantle was about to make sure the Yankees got three runs in the top of the 6th.
To get things going, it was Bobby Richardson who legged out a ball hit to third basemen Ken Boyer. Roger Maris singled to right on a bouncing ball. Two on, nobody out. Nowhere to put The Mick. Gibson tried to get one on the outside edge of the plate. But Mickey, batting left-handed, blasted the ball over Lou Brock's head in left for a 3-run shot. The lead was suddenly only 6-3.
Rollie Sheldon, now pitching for the Yankees, had a 1-2-3 bottom of the 6th. Gibson got the first two men in the top of the 7th. Then things got tough. Richardson connected solidly on a single to centre. Roger Maris then really got a hold of one and sent it to right. But it was where Mike Shannon could catch it.
Clete Boyer's older brother Ken went yard for the Cardinals in the bottom of the frame off Steve Hamilton. That made it 7-3. Mantle led of the top of the 8th. He connected again, but cold only fly out to Curt Flood in centre. Hamilton and Mikklesen held St. Louis at bay in the bottom of the 8th.
In the top of the 9th, with one out, it was Clete's turn to join his brother in the long ball action. After pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard fanned, Phil Linz hit the ball where Shannon could not catch it. Actually, Linz hit it where Flood and Brock could not catch it. It was over Brock's head in left. Lou tried to snare it, but came up short by about three and a half feet. It was now only 7-5 St. Louis. Bobby Richardson was at the dish, with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle to follow.
Bob Gibson managed to get him to pop up and end a very exciting 1964 World Series. And while Gibson had managed to hold Mickey Mantle to 1-9 (.111 average) the Yankee star had done quite a lot against him. Despite the five strikeouts, Mantle had walked twice and reached on an error. Mickey also had three runs scored and four RBIs. Plus, he had his 18th and final Fall Classic long ball. Mantle had gone out with a bang against one of the all-time greats in the World Series!
References
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Major League Baseball. World Series Of 1964. Major League Baseball Productions, 1964. DVD.
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. 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. 24 Mar. 2014. Web.
St. Louis Cardinals / New York Yankees. Game 7, 1964 World Series., Busch Stadium, Missouri, 15 Oct. 1964. MLB.Com 2002, audio recording.
The St. Louis Cardinals beat Mantle's Yankees 9-5 in game one of the 1964 Fall Classic. So things looked good for the Cards in game two. Their prized possession was on the hill, looking for the kill. The Yankees needed this game, or would have to go home down two games to zero.
After walking Phil Linz to open the game, Gibby fanned Bobby Richardson, Roger Maris and Mantle to get out of the inning. The Cardinals then scored off rookie Mel Stottlemyre in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, Gibby again fanned Mantle (leading off the inning), who didn't get the bat off his shoulders. But New York, down a run, found a way to score here. A pair of doubles, with Elston Howard only making it to third on the second, put two men in scoring position. A walk to Tom Tresh and a sacrifice fly by Clete Boyer tied the game.
Mantle again led off an inning. In the top of the sixth, The Mick coaxed a walk off Gibson. Howard was out on a scorcher to second. Joe Pepitone was hit by a Gibby pitch. At least, that's what umpire Bill McKinkey said. The St. Louis brass and players didn't think so. But a single by Tresh to left scored Mantle. New York took the lead, 2-1.
In the top of the 7th, it was Bob Gibson who came undone. Linz singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and then scored on Richardson's broken bat single to centre. Maris singled Richardson to third. Mantle grounded out, but that scored Richardson to make it 4-1, Yankees. That's all the Bronx Bombers would need in this game.
The Yankees unloaded on Barney Schultz in the top of the 9th. The Cardinals had scored in the bottom of the 8th to make it a 4-2 ballgame, but New York put this one out of reach here. Linz homered. Maris singled, Mantle doubled him home. Howard walked. Pepitone singled and Tresh flied out. It was 8-2, Bronx Bombers. St. Louis scored a meaningless run in the bottom of the 9th. Bob Gibson had lost his first World Series start.
In his next start, in game four with the Fall Classic tied at two, Gibson was much better. But he would need 10 innings to get the job done.
In the bottom of the second, Mantle led off with a walk. Howard was hit by a pitch. A Joe Pepitone groundout moved 'em both to scoring position. Gibson was forced to walk Tresh intentionally. But with the bases now loaded and only one out, Gibby bore down and fanned Boyer and Stottlemyre (also pitching a great game and also getting out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the 1st) to end the threat.
Bobby and Mel then settled things down and got 'em 1-2-3 in the top and bottom of the third and fourth inning. Gibson fanned Mantle who was again leading off, in the bottom of the fourth.
St. Louis broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the 5th, with Bob Gibson himself scoring the game's first run. And in the bottom of the 6th, Hoot again got Mantle on a K.
Stottlemyre though, stayed right with Gibson outside of the 5th inning, however. When he left after 7, those two runs (only one of which was unearned) were the only runs that the Cardinals got off him. Hal Reniff ran into some trouble in the top of the 8th, putting two on with just one out. Pete Mikklesen came in and got the next two men out. Then he added a 1-2-3 9th to keep the Yankees in this game.
Mickey Mantle led off the bottom of the 9th. He sent a routine ground ball to Dick Groat at second. Groat had robbed Roger Maris of a single in game four. But here, he made a costly error. Elston Howard fanned. Joe Pepitone hit a line shot that smashed off Gibson and went towards third base. Gibby pounced on the ball and tossed to first. Pepitone was called out, but it looked too close for that call to me. Manager Yogi Berra, first base coach Jim Gleeson and Pepitone went ballistic over the call. But it stood. Tom Tresh then tied the game up with a dramatic 2-run home run. Alas, the Yankees lost the game in the 10th inning. Bob Gibson finished the game with 13 strikeouts, two shy of Sandy Koufax's record 15 in game one of the 1963 World Series. Gibby would better that with 17 in game 1 of the 1968 World Series.
In game 7, Mantle led off the fourth against Gibson and fanned for the 5th time against him this Series. The Yankees actually went on to load the bases with two out, but Bob Gibson fanned Mel Stottlemyre.
Mantle led off the fourth and could only ground out. St. Louis then jumped on Stottlemyre for three runs in the fourth. Al Downing came in the bottom of the 5th, but couldn't stop the bleeding. The Cardinals scored three more times to make it 6-0. The end seemed near for New York.
Gibson, though, was tiring. And he escaped any damage himself again in the top of the 5th. Mike Shannon robbed Phil Linz of a hit when he snagged a sinking liner in right. Mike fired to second to double off Tom Tresh. The Yankees, down only 3-0 at that time, might have gotten a run or two (perhaps even three) if not for that play.
But Mickey Mantle was about to make sure the Yankees got three runs in the top of the 6th.
To get things going, it was Bobby Richardson who legged out a ball hit to third basemen Ken Boyer. Roger Maris singled to right on a bouncing ball. Two on, nobody out. Nowhere to put The Mick. Gibson tried to get one on the outside edge of the plate. But Mickey, batting left-handed, blasted the ball over Lou Brock's head in left for a 3-run shot. The lead was suddenly only 6-3.
Rollie Sheldon, now pitching for the Yankees, had a 1-2-3 bottom of the 6th. Gibson got the first two men in the top of the 7th. Then things got tough. Richardson connected solidly on a single to centre. Roger Maris then really got a hold of one and sent it to right. But it was where Mike Shannon could catch it.
Clete Boyer's older brother Ken went yard for the Cardinals in the bottom of the frame off Steve Hamilton. That made it 7-3. Mantle led of the top of the 8th. He connected again, but cold only fly out to Curt Flood in centre. Hamilton and Mikklesen held St. Louis at bay in the bottom of the 8th.
In the top of the 9th, with one out, it was Clete's turn to join his brother in the long ball action. After pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard fanned, Phil Linz hit the ball where Shannon could not catch it. Actually, Linz hit it where Flood and Brock could not catch it. It was over Brock's head in left. Lou tried to snare it, but came up short by about three and a half feet. It was now only 7-5 St. Louis. Bobby Richardson was at the dish, with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle to follow.
Bob Gibson managed to get him to pop up and end a very exciting 1964 World Series. And while Gibson had managed to hold Mickey Mantle to 1-9 (.111 average) the Yankee star had done quite a lot against him. Despite the five strikeouts, Mantle had walked twice and reached on an error. Mickey also had three runs scored and four RBIs. Plus, he had his 18th and final Fall Classic long ball. Mantle had gone out with a bang against one of the all-time greats in the World Series!
References
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000. Print.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. New York: Villard, 1994. Print.
Major League Baseball. World Series Of 1964. Major League Baseball Productions, 1964. DVD.
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. 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.
St. Louis Cardinals / New York Yankees. Game 7, 1964 World Series., Busch Stadium, Missouri, 15 Oct. 1964. MLB.Com 2002, audio recording.
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