Ken and Clete Boyer had something to do with the first and last runs scored by their teams in five of the seven games of the 1964 World Series. They would either score the run, or knock it in! Ken was the elder statesman of the two, and part of the National League winning St. Louis Cardinals. He was also the MVP of the regular season that year. Clete was a little in shadow of not only his older brother, but of many of the Yankees. Ken was the better hitter and Clete was the better fielder. Ken had five years on Clete. But their performances in this World Series seemed to narrow all of those gaps.
Ken got the Cardinals on the board first in game one. Facing Whitey Ford of the Yankees, he flied out to Mickey Mantle in the bottom of the first. There was only one out with runners on the corners. Mickey was actually playing right field, as his knees were not 100%. Roger Maris was in centerfield. Lou Brock tagged on scored. Ford fanned Bill White to get out of there without further damage.
Clete did not drive in or score the first Yankee run. Tom Tresh hit a 2-run shot in the top of the second to put the New York Yankees up, 2-1. But Clete did do something that inning. Clete singled off Ray Sadecki and scored on a Ford single. 3-1, Yankees.
Ken walked in his next at-bat in the bottom of the third. In the sixth, he led off with a single. He scored on Mike Shannon's towering 2-run home run. That tied the score at 4. The Cardinals would add two more to take the lead for good. St. Louis went on to win the game, 9-5.
Curt Flood drove in Mike Shannon with the first run of game two. That was on a groundout in the bottom of the third inning. But in the top of the 4th, it was Clete Boyer with an RBI on a sacrifice fly of his own. In Clete's last plate appearance, he walked intentionally by Bob Gibson. Ken did not get a hit or a walk. New York leveled the 1964 Fall Classic with an 8-3 win.
In game 3 in New York, Clete doubled home Elston Howard in the bottom of the second off Curt Simmons. Simmons himself tied the game with an RBI of his own in the top of the 5th. Clete didn't do much the rest of the way and Ken was held hitless for the second consecutive game. Thanks to a dramatic walk-off home run by Mickey Mantle in the bottom of the 9th, New York took this thriller, 2-1.
The next game saw the Yankees sail out to an early 3-0 lead with Bobby Richardson, Mickey Mantle and Elston Howard knocking in the runs in the bottom of the first. That was enough to knock out starter Ray Sadecki with just one out. In came Roger Craig, who more than got the job done. He and Ron Taylor combined to toss 8 2/3 shutout innings from there. A grand slam by Ken Boyer in the top of the 6th turned that 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 St. Louis lead. That was all the scoring in the game. Clete managed to get the last hit for the Yankees.
The next two games the Boyer brothers did not do much. But in game 7 at St. Louis, it was Ken Boyer with a double and a run scored in the bottom of the 5th. The Cardinals raced out to a 6-0 lead by the end of that inning. But Mickey Mantle hit a 3-run home run off Bob Gibson in the top of the 6th to cut that in half. That's where things started to get really interesting.
Ken hit a solo home run off Steve Hamilton in the bottom of the 7th. That seemed to put the game out of reach. It was the last run the Cardinals would score. But clearly, they weren't going to need more with Bob Gibson out there, right. A nice comfortable, four-run lead.
Actually, St. Louis got runners to second and third in the bottom of the 8th with just one out. But they failed to score. Gibson went out to the hill in the top of the 9th with St. Louis still up, 7-3. Bob needed just three more outs to put the Yankees away in the 1964 Fall Classic.
Tom Tresh went down on strikeout. But Clete Boyer rifled a solo home run of his own. That made it 7-4. Gibson fanned pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard, but then gave up another solo shot to Phil Linz. Now it was 7-5, Cards. Gibby had to dig deep and get Bobby Richardson, with thirteen hits in this World Series, to pop up and end it.
The Boyer brothers had been clutch for some, but not all, of the games in the 1964 World Series. They got the ball rolling on the offence. They overcame leads. The Boyers got their teams back in it. The made the 1964 World Series worth watching!
Ken got the Cardinals on the board first in game one. Facing Whitey Ford of the Yankees, he flied out to Mickey Mantle in the bottom of the first. There was only one out with runners on the corners. Mickey was actually playing right field, as his knees were not 100%. Roger Maris was in centerfield. Lou Brock tagged on scored. Ford fanned Bill White to get out of there without further damage.
Clete did not drive in or score the first Yankee run. Tom Tresh hit a 2-run shot in the top of the second to put the New York Yankees up, 2-1. But Clete did do something that inning. Clete singled off Ray Sadecki and scored on a Ford single. 3-1, Yankees.
Ken walked in his next at-bat in the bottom of the third. In the sixth, he led off with a single. He scored on Mike Shannon's towering 2-run home run. That tied the score at 4. The Cardinals would add two more to take the lead for good. St. Louis went on to win the game, 9-5.
Curt Flood drove in Mike Shannon with the first run of game two. That was on a groundout in the bottom of the third inning. But in the top of the 4th, it was Clete Boyer with an RBI on a sacrifice fly of his own. In Clete's last plate appearance, he walked intentionally by Bob Gibson. Ken did not get a hit or a walk. New York leveled the 1964 Fall Classic with an 8-3 win.
In game 3 in New York, Clete doubled home Elston Howard in the bottom of the second off Curt Simmons. Simmons himself tied the game with an RBI of his own in the top of the 5th. Clete didn't do much the rest of the way and Ken was held hitless for the second consecutive game. Thanks to a dramatic walk-off home run by Mickey Mantle in the bottom of the 9th, New York took this thriller, 2-1.
The next game saw the Yankees sail out to an early 3-0 lead with Bobby Richardson, Mickey Mantle and Elston Howard knocking in the runs in the bottom of the first. That was enough to knock out starter Ray Sadecki with just one out. In came Roger Craig, who more than got the job done. He and Ron Taylor combined to toss 8 2/3 shutout innings from there. A grand slam by Ken Boyer in the top of the 6th turned that 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 St. Louis lead. That was all the scoring in the game. Clete managed to get the last hit for the Yankees.
The next two games the Boyer brothers did not do much. But in game 7 at St. Louis, it was Ken Boyer with a double and a run scored in the bottom of the 5th. The Cardinals raced out to a 6-0 lead by the end of that inning. But Mickey Mantle hit a 3-run home run off Bob Gibson in the top of the 6th to cut that in half. That's where things started to get really interesting.
Ken hit a solo home run off Steve Hamilton in the bottom of the 7th. That seemed to put the game out of reach. It was the last run the Cardinals would score. But clearly, they weren't going to need more with Bob Gibson out there, right. A nice comfortable, four-run lead.
Actually, St. Louis got runners to second and third in the bottom of the 8th with just one out. But they failed to score. Gibson went out to the hill in the top of the 9th with St. Louis still up, 7-3. Bob needed just three more outs to put the Yankees away in the 1964 Fall Classic.
Tom Tresh went down on strikeout. But Clete Boyer rifled a solo home run of his own. That made it 7-4. Gibson fanned pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard, but then gave up another solo shot to Phil Linz. Now it was 7-5, Cards. Gibby had to dig deep and get Bobby Richardson, with thirteen hits in this World Series, to pop up and end it.
The Boyer brothers had been clutch for some, but not all, of the games in the 1964 World Series. They got the ball rolling on the offence. They overcame leads. The Boyers got their teams back in it. The made the 1964 World Series worth watching!
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