The 1961 Fall Classic was the only one the Yankees won during Mickey Mantle's time there that lasted less then six games. With the exception of the 1953 World Series, which New York beat Brooklyn, it was also the only one Mickey won that didn't take seven games. The 1961 World Series was anything but easy for Mantle, however. The Yankees themselves didn't exactly have a cakewalk. The upstart Cincinnati Reds looked poised to become the next National League dynasty that year, with Pete Rose not even there until 1963, and Jim Maloney not at his peak.
To begin with, Mantle, in that long home run duel with teammate Roger Maris, had a bad hip. A trip to the infamous Doctor Max Jacobson, ended up making the situation worse rather than better. Max gave Mantle a needle. What was in it? Probably not something your average doctor would give you. So, The Mick would miss the first two games. And the Yankees would miss him.
So it was Maris in centre field, Mantle's spot for game one. Hector Lopez was in right, but he hit only .222 with 3 home runs all season long. No matter. Mantle's pal, Whitey Ford, went out and extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak in the Fall Classic to an amazing 27 games with a 2-0 New York win. All in a New York Minute, eh? The game took little more than two hours. But the Yankees only got six hits (Compared to the Cincinnati Reds' two) of Jim O'Toole. The Reds, you see, had some pretty good pitchers. The Yankees did too, but Ford would not be on the hill. The good news was Yankee Stadium, the site of game one (And game two, plus games six and seven if necessary) was a pitcher's ballpark, so maybe that would help New York some more. Or maybe the Reds.
Prior to game two, Ralph Terry, the Yankees' starter, had no Fall Classic wins to his name. And after this crushing 6-2 defeat, he still didn't have any. New York kept it close for seven innings (4-2 Cincy), but another two runs in the top of the eighth off ace reliever Luis Arroyo (Terry left after seven pretty good innings) salted this one away. It was off to Cincinnati's Crosley Field for games three, four and five.
In game three, The Mick was back. But at less than 100 percent, and it showed. Mickey went 0-4. The Reds, behind the fine pitching of Bob Purkey, took a 2-1 lead into the top of the eighth. However, here's where the Yankees firepower came alive. Pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard tied it with a home run in the top of the eighth. Arroyo did the job in the bottom of the frame, and Maris untied it in the top of the ninth. With Jack Reed in to play centre for Mickey in the bottom of the ninth, the Reds, Leo Cardenas came up as a pinch hitter with one down. He lashed a double way behind Reed and just missed a home run as it hit the scoreboard in left centre. Arroyo got the next two batters out and the Yankees had a slim 3-2 win.
Mantle, with game four scoreless, singled to send Roger Maris to third in the top of the fourth. But his knee was hurting. That should have been an easy double. The heroic Mantle could not continue and Hector Lopez came in to pinch run. New York scored a run that inning, and Ford made sure his buddy's contribution wasn't for not. The Bronx Bombers broke the close game open in the top of the sixth, doubling a 2-0 lead. Three more runs later, and the Yankees gave Ford (Who did not finish the game, having fouled a pitch off his foot), a 7-0 win. Finally, something a little easier. Ford had erased Babe Ruth's record for consecutive Fall Classic scoreless innings with that win. The lefty, was simply dominant, as he lost just four games all year, including the World Series.
Game five was pretty easy. Ralph Terry failed to get a win, as a 6-0 lead was cut in half off him via a 3-run home run off the bat of Frank Robinson. Terry left before five, so he was out of the equation. The Bronx Bombers, however, were not done. They outscored the Reds 7-2 the rest of the game, despite Cincy's 13 hits, and ran away with it. The 13-5 Yankee win ensured that the 1961 Fall Classic would belong to New York, four games to one.
The 1961 New York Yankees were one of the best baseball teams of all time, no doubt. But it wasn't just Mantle and Roger Maris (Who had just two hits, total, in the Fall Classic that year). The mighty Bronx Bombers hit a then-record 240 home runs. How about some pitching? Whitey Ford, for instance, finally given a chance to really pitch, took the ball as the game's best pitcher an ran with it, as the Yankees ran away from everyone. Luis Arroyo, with his 14 wins and (then record) 29 saves, had one of the greatest seasons of a relief pitcher. From the bench, Johnny Blanchard hit 21 home runs in only 243 at-bats, plus two more in the Fall Classic. Hector Lopez, made people forget about the regular season with seven RBIs in only nine at bats in the World Series. Six pitchers on this staff won at least 11 games (Plus another pitcher, Bud Daley, acquired in June, won eight games alone with New York) It wasn't that the Cincinnati Reds were a bad team, or a team just lucky to make it that far, it was just the Yankees firepower at it's finest. The Mick led the way, and the others followed his bat and glove, leaving every team in their path beaten and bewildered.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
"The Secret Service Gave Him the Code Name, 'Dr. Feelgood' " The Medical Blog. The Medical Bag, November 29, 2013. https://www.themedicalbag.com/despicabledoctor/the-secret-service-gave-him-the-code-name-dr-feelgood. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
"For the New York Yankees, The 1961 World Series Was No Cakewalk" Bleacher Report. The Bleacher Report, April 3, 2010. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/372941-the-1961-world-series-was-no-cake-walk. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
Retrosheet, Retrosheet. Web, <www.retrosheet.org/>. (11 Dec. 2015)
YouTube, YouTube. Web, www.youtube.com/. (11 Dec. 2015)
To begin with, Mantle, in that long home run duel with teammate Roger Maris, had a bad hip. A trip to the infamous Doctor Max Jacobson, ended up making the situation worse rather than better. Max gave Mantle a needle. What was in it? Probably not something your average doctor would give you. So, The Mick would miss the first two games. And the Yankees would miss him.
So it was Maris in centre field, Mantle's spot for game one. Hector Lopez was in right, but he hit only .222 with 3 home runs all season long. No matter. Mantle's pal, Whitey Ford, went out and extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak in the Fall Classic to an amazing 27 games with a 2-0 New York win. All in a New York Minute, eh? The game took little more than two hours. But the Yankees only got six hits (Compared to the Cincinnati Reds' two) of Jim O'Toole. The Reds, you see, had some pretty good pitchers. The Yankees did too, but Ford would not be on the hill. The good news was Yankee Stadium, the site of game one (And game two, plus games six and seven if necessary) was a pitcher's ballpark, so maybe that would help New York some more. Or maybe the Reds.
Prior to game two, Ralph Terry, the Yankees' starter, had no Fall Classic wins to his name. And after this crushing 6-2 defeat, he still didn't have any. New York kept it close for seven innings (4-2 Cincy), but another two runs in the top of the eighth off ace reliever Luis Arroyo (Terry left after seven pretty good innings) salted this one away. It was off to Cincinnati's Crosley Field for games three, four and five.
In game three, The Mick was back. But at less than 100 percent, and it showed. Mickey went 0-4. The Reds, behind the fine pitching of Bob Purkey, took a 2-1 lead into the top of the eighth. However, here's where the Yankees firepower came alive. Pinch hitter Johnny Blanchard tied it with a home run in the top of the eighth. Arroyo did the job in the bottom of the frame, and Maris untied it in the top of the ninth. With Jack Reed in to play centre for Mickey in the bottom of the ninth, the Reds, Leo Cardenas came up as a pinch hitter with one down. He lashed a double way behind Reed and just missed a home run as it hit the scoreboard in left centre. Arroyo got the next two batters out and the Yankees had a slim 3-2 win.
Mantle, with game four scoreless, singled to send Roger Maris to third in the top of the fourth. But his knee was hurting. That should have been an easy double. The heroic Mantle could not continue and Hector Lopez came in to pinch run. New York scored a run that inning, and Ford made sure his buddy's contribution wasn't for not. The Bronx Bombers broke the close game open in the top of the sixth, doubling a 2-0 lead. Three more runs later, and the Yankees gave Ford (Who did not finish the game, having fouled a pitch off his foot), a 7-0 win. Finally, something a little easier. Ford had erased Babe Ruth's record for consecutive Fall Classic scoreless innings with that win. The lefty, was simply dominant, as he lost just four games all year, including the World Series.
Game five was pretty easy. Ralph Terry failed to get a win, as a 6-0 lead was cut in half off him via a 3-run home run off the bat of Frank Robinson. Terry left before five, so he was out of the equation. The Bronx Bombers, however, were not done. They outscored the Reds 7-2 the rest of the game, despite Cincy's 13 hits, and ran away with it. The 13-5 Yankee win ensured that the 1961 Fall Classic would belong to New York, four games to one.
The 1961 New York Yankees were one of the best baseball teams of all time, no doubt. But it wasn't just Mantle and Roger Maris (Who had just two hits, total, in the Fall Classic that year). The mighty Bronx Bombers hit a then-record 240 home runs. How about some pitching? Whitey Ford, for instance, finally given a chance to really pitch, took the ball as the game's best pitcher an ran with it, as the Yankees ran away from everyone. Luis Arroyo, with his 14 wins and (then record) 29 saves, had one of the greatest seasons of a relief pitcher. From the bench, Johnny Blanchard hit 21 home runs in only 243 at-bats, plus two more in the Fall Classic. Hector Lopez, made people forget about the regular season with seven RBIs in only nine at bats in the World Series. Six pitchers on this staff won at least 11 games (Plus another pitcher, Bud Daley, acquired in June, won eight games alone with New York) It wasn't that the Cincinnati Reds were a bad team, or a team just lucky to make it that far, it was just the Yankees firepower at it's finest. The Mick led the way, and the others followed his bat and glove, leaving every team in their path beaten and bewildered.
References
Golenbock,
Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees,
1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
"The Secret Service Gave Him the Code Name, 'Dr. Feelgood' " The Medical Blog. The Medical Bag, November 29, 2013. https://www.themedicalbag.com/despicabledoctor/the-secret-service-gave-him-the-code-name-dr-feelgood. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
"For the New York Yankees, The 1961 World Series Was No Cakewalk" Bleacher Report. The Bleacher Report, April 3, 2010. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/372941-the-1961-world-series-was-no-cake-walk. Web. (11 Dec. 2015)
Retrosheet, Retrosheet. Web, <www.retrosheet.org/>. (11 Dec. 2015)
YouTube, YouTube. Web, www.youtube.com/. (11 Dec. 2015)
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