World Series: Did You Know?

Bobby Richardson set not one, but two records in 1960. "Most RBIs in a seven-game series, 12". "Most RBIs (6) in one contest". He seemed a worthy successor on the New York Yankees to Billy Martin. 

But unlike Martin, Richardson was a bonnie-fide star. Five straight Gold Gloves for the second basemen. By 1959, he was a .300 hitter, something the previous Yankee second basemen never came close to doing. The new second basemen had essentially picked up where Martin left off, but not when it matters. He made appearances in the 1957 and '58 World Series, but did not factor into key plays. Richardson had to take that next step, if he was to be remembered as an all-time Yankee great.

1960 was a bit of an off year for the Yankees, and Bobby Richardson. It was Casey Stengel's last year. Mickey Mantle hit .275, Whitey Ford won 12 games. Huh? Was the team in decline? Their second basemen had a rare off-season. Bobby Richardson had just one home run and twenty-six runs driven in.

Compare that to what he did two years later: He hit .300 again! Richardson was not a power hitter. At least not that year. He was the New York Yankees' leadoff hitter in 1960 for only 28 games. Tony Kubek, the shortstop, would bat first in '60, at least for 78 games.The next season was better, as it went Kubek leading off, Richarsdon to follow. And then the meat of the order. The result was Richardson was batting with some men on. But in 1960, Bobby often batted eighth in the lineup. 108 times to be exact.

"This was by second season I was playing regularly. My best position in the line-up was second," Richardson would say in 1992, "but Casey Stengel, who was our manager at the time, never knew that. 'He doesn't get enough walks', he'd say. So I batted seventh or eighth most of the time."

Times were better ahead for Richardson. The Yankees continued their winning ways as the 1960s continued. The second basemen would prove to be a whiz with the glove. And he'd start to knock 'em in and hit the occasional home run. So, what the 1960 Fall Classic a preview of what was to come the next six years from their second basemen?

Well, game one was a big let-down. What was Bobby doing? No hits. The Yankees needed 'em. They dropped a 6-4 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were the underdogs. Mickey Mantle, who was the only other Yankee to struggle this game, was in a foul mood about this, even thirty years later.

New York took an early lead on a Roger Maris home run in the top of the first at Forbes Field. But Bill Virdon led off for Pittsburgh that same frame. He walked. A crucial play developed. Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek had to be prepared for a steal. Who would cover second. When Virdon took on on a pitch, neither the shortstop or second basemen covered the bag. That enabled the Pirates to get a man to third. They ended up crossing the plate three times that inning. Worse still, Bob Skinner added a stolen base (In which the ball almost ended up in centre, again) that inning for Pittsburgh, which also led to a run. Skinner and later Roberto Clemente had both hit ground balls that the hard infield of Forbes Field helped guide into the outfield. 

Bobby made up for a tough opening act in the second contest. In the top of the third, with the game scoreless, Richardson (Batting in the eighth slot) walked. A bunt moved him to second. Tony Kubek, the leadoff hitter, singled Richardson home. The Yankees were ahead to stay. They added another run before the inning ended.

And the next inning, Richardson didn't let up. A single. A passed ball moved him into second. Bob Turley, the pitcher, had bunted last time up. Here, he singled home the man. 3-0.

The Pirates got a run back, but Mickey Mantle knew he had to help prove to his teammates this was their game. His two-run home run in the fifth made it 5-1 for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees, as per usual were inspired by number seven. You should have seen their sixth inning.

Bobby Richardson came up, and doubled home Elston Howard. You know what? He batted again that inning, and singled home Moose Skowron. How many runs did New York score that inning? Try seven! It was game over.

Richardson didn't much the rest of the game. Still, he was 3-4, 3 runs scored, 2 more driven home. But if you wanted RBIs, you wanted Mickey Mantle in game two. A record five! That must have lasted a long time, you'd think.

But in game three, the Yankees' second basemen took a backseat to nobody. Okay, maybe Whitey Ford. But the pitcher needed some offence, right? Back home at Yankee Stadium, Ford was always money. I think Bobby Richardson was money in the third contest.

You'd think that great game two performance would move Richardson up in the batting order. Oh, Casey Stengel sure did. Instead of batting just before the pitcher, now Bobby would bat before Tony Kubek. But Kubek was batting in the eighth slot.

No matter. Bobby Richardson was going to bat in the bottom of the first. It was 2-0 by the time he grabbed some lumber. With a mighty wallop, it was 6-0. The grand slam meant New York would have a great time with Pittsburgh. In two different interviews, Bobby talked about the great moment and what led up to it.

"We'd scored two runs already," he'd tell Susan Fornoff, "and the bases were loaded with one out. I went up there listening to Stengel to holler, 'Hold that gun,' meaning: 'Come back and let a more powerful guy hit.' But I didn't hear it, and I soon realized why: He had me bunting!"

It would have been interesting had Bobby done that. There'd have been no big wallop!

"I fouled off two pitches, and I heard out third-base coach [Frank Crosseti] telling me to hit the ball to the right field to stay out of the double play." Well, Richardson tried to do that.

"I was really trying to hit a ground ball to the right side. Clem Labine threw the fastball up and in," Bobby said in the mid-1980s, "and I hit the ball, and I guess I was more surprised than anybody when it went out of the park. And it was indeed a grand slam, and that record still stands for RBIs." Richardson could have been referring to both a single game (6) and entire Fall Classic, (12).

In the bottom of the fourth, Mickey Mantle hit his third home run of the 1960 World Series to make it 8-0, as Whitey Ford scored ahead of him. Richardson added a two-run single. Six RBIs. That record of Mantle's from game two sure lasted, eh?

Bobby was retired the next time up, finishing the game 2-5. But with six RBIs contributing to a 10-0 Yankees' win, Richardson was the man of the moment. It seemed now, like "Who was going to win the MVP?", more than, "Who is going to win the World Series?"

Alas, the stubborn Pirates regrouped in the next two games. Vernon Law went out for the Bucs, and looked strong, despite Bobby Richardson hitting a double off him in the last of the second. In the fifth, he got New York out on the right foot by singling. Ralph Terry tried to bunt him over, but ended up just striking out. So did Bob Cerv. And Tony Kubek.

It was 3-1 for Pittsburgh in the bottom of the seventh. Moose Skowron had accounted for the only Yankees' scoring with a long ball in the fourth. Here, Skowron opened with a double. Gil McDougald singled him to third. The tying run was aboard. Bobby Richardson was up, looking for his ninth RBI in the last three games. He got it, but only by sending a ball to his counterpart on Pittsburgh, Bill Mazeroski. The was the first out. Johnny Blanchard batted for the pitcher, and singled.

This brought about a pitching change, as El Roy Face came in to face Bob Cerv. Cerv crushed one, just a little bit to the right of the "407" sign in right. Billy Virdon, who had been originally singed by the Yankees and later managed them, raced over and made a tremendous catch, jumping to his left and snaring the ball. New York would have been ahead 4-3 but for Virdon's heroics. Richardson alertly tagged after the catch and made it to third. Ninety feet away from a tie ballgame. But Tony Kubek grounded out.

Bobby had the bat taken out of his hands by the manager in the ninth, despite his hitting .438 at the time. Dale Long batted instead, and was the last out of a 3-2 Pirate win. Just as things had started to look easy for the Bronx Bombers, they had their gold stolen by the Bucs.

The Pirates got ahead 3-0 before the Yankees got on the board. Elston Howard led off the second with a huge double. Bobby Richardson had RBI number ten in his sights, but grounded out. Still, it advanced Howard to third, laying the foundation for Tony Kubek's run-scoring grounder to first. The teams traded runs in the third, so it appeared the home team was getting to Pittsburgh starter Harvey Haddix.

Howard reached again in the fourth, and suddenly our boy was the tying run. Alas, Richardson lined it to Mazeroski at second, who doubled Elston Howard off first. Bobby Richardson finished the game 0-4. When the last out was recorded, it was the Pirates heading home up three games to two.

Once again, the second basemen and his team had to redeem themselves. They sure did in the sixth contest. Whitey Ford pitched for them, and he lifted their spirits. Ford knocked home a run of his own in the top of the second. The Bronx Bombers were off and running.

The next inning, Ford's buddy Mickey Mantle drove home two more runs with a single. Moose Skowron drove home another with a sacrifice fly. And Bobby Richardson lashed a two-run triple! 6-0, for the New York Yankees. The slaughter had begun, again!

Richardson tried to add to the onslaught in the fifth, but just lined out. However, he wasn't about to be denied. Top of the seventh. Another triple. Another RBI. Whitey Ford was amused. He cashed in Bobby by hitting into a fielder's choice. The New York pitcher had driven home two runs, while the entire Pittsburgh team was being shutout.

Yogi Berra plated Mickey Mantle in the eighth, and then Johnny Blanchard got Berra home with a double. Bobby Richardson was back up. Runner at second, two away. The score was 12-0 for the Yankees. Bobby flied out.

The game was the third rout by the Bronx Bombers. And their second basemen was up to twelve RBIs in just six games. Despite this, the 12-0 win only brought them to game seven. The Pirates could still pull this one out.

Bob Turley, the game two winner, started for New York. Vern Law started for Pittsburgh. Bobby Richardson started at second, leading off.

Bobby choked up on the bat, and took the first pitch for ball one. The next pitch was to Richardson's liking. The second basemen of the Yankees made one awesome bid for a hit. Bobby sent it to left, but shortstop Dick Groat went down to his knees to make a superb catch. 

It just wasn't Turley's day. The Pirates scored twice in the first, and another against him and Bill Stafford in the second. Were the Yankees done before this one really got going?

Moose Skowron got New York back on track with a home run in the fifth. The next inning, Bobby Richardson struck the match.

His leadoff single made it a 1-3 day. Tony Kubek followed with a walk. It is dictated by the Pirates that The Law was done for the day. El Roy Face came in to pitch to Roger Maris. Maris popped out.

But then, Mickey Mantle got a hold of the first pitch. For just a single, though it cashed in Richardson. Now it was 4-2. The Yankees had plenty of life left.

Yogi Berra was up. Face made a bat pitch, and Yogi Berra did what Yogi Berra always seemed to do. A clutch three-run home run! 5-4, Bronx Bombers! What a comeback. Bobby Richardson was retired in the seventh, but Bobby Shantz was pitching lights out for the Yankees. The countdown was on to champagne.

The "M and M" boys were retired to start the eighth, but they were never quit. Yogi Berra drew a bases on balls. Single, single, double. 7-4, New York. Eight more outs to go!

But fate intervened.

It seemed all-so-innocent. Gino Cimoli led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. Bill Virdon hit an 0-1 pitch to short. Right at Tony Kubek. It would be an easy double play to get New York to within four outs of a win. However, an earlier runner's spikes had accidentally dug out a small pebble. The ball hit it, bounced up and hit Kubek in the Adam's Apple. What a bad break for New York. Bobby Richardson, seeing his friend gasping for air, quickly called time out as he got to the ball. Bobby looked over his fallen pal.

A very sad sight. So sad that even Gino Cimoli came over to have a look at Kubek. He was replaced, and a big inning ensued. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored five times in the inning, three of them coming on Hal Smith's three-run home run (It appeared as though Smith may have gone around on a 1-2 pitch, but the Yankees did not appeal to first, for some reason).

Now, Bobby Richardson and his teammates had to play The Comeback, Part II in this game. Only this time, while the margin was only two runs (9-7), they had only three outs left. Richardson, clutch again, led off the ninth with a single. Dale Long followed with one. The Bronx Bombers were back in business. Roger Maris popped out to the catcher. Mickey Mantle came through again, singling home Richardson! 9-8. Yogi Berra grounded out to first and the Yankees had somehow comeback again. Never would have happened had Richardson not got the ball rolling. New York had trailed 4-0 and 9-7 and somehow were still alive.

But no for long. Ralph Terry pitched to Bill Mazeroski in the bottom of the ninth. A 1-0 pitch was launched over Yogi Berra's head in left for a dramatic walk-off. Everyone on the Yankees were in shock.

The worst part of it was the effort that New York had wasted from Bobby Richardson. How do you explain how 26 runs driven in during the regular season becomes a dozen in the World Series? Bobby would go home without a championship, but not empty-handed. He was given the World Series MVP (Now known as the Willie Mays' Trophy) for his outstanding performance. However, even the prize was not exactly to Richardson's use. As Bobby put it, the losing was not going to subside because of his prize. "After the game, the editor of Sport magazine told me I was the Most Valuable Player, but any air of excitement was gone both because we'd lost and because of the way we had lost."

One final irony, the prize itself didn't exactly end up helping Richardson or his family.

"I took the Corvette home and traded it in for a Jeep. I had two kids, and the Corvette just wasn't big enough." Bobby would have gladly traded in the Jeep, too, for a World Series ring in 1960.



References

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Gallagher, Mark. Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs. Arbor House, 1987.

Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Contemporary Books, 2000. 

Major League Baseball Productions. World Series Highlights, 1958,  1960, 1961, 1962.  DVD / Youtube. 14 Apr. 2023.

Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. The Mick. Easton Press, 1996.

------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball. HarperCollins, 1994.


Miller, Lawrence, director. New York Yankees (The Movie). Youtube, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023. 

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. 

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Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. 



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