"Pitched against Mickey Mantle in the 1962 World Series, gave up his 500th home run in 1967!"
It's Miller Time!
No, not that one.
Stu Miller was on the 1962 San Francisco Giants. They won the pennant that year, then faced off against the New York Yankees in a classic 7 game World Series. The Yankees narrowly won it, 1-0 in the seventh contest.
Miller pitched in game one, relieving Don Larsen in the top of the ninth. New York had Tom Tresh on first, and were about to face a new battery, as a double switch occurred.
Stu was hitting in Ed Bailey's spot in the lineup. Since Bailey was a catcher, someone had to fill in for that spot. John Orsino did that. Whatever Orsino called, it was right, as Mantle fanned. But Tresh stole second, and Roger Maris walked. A single by Elston Howard scored the Yankees 6th and final run of the afternoon. New York won, 6-2.
So down two games to one going into game four, the Giants needed a win on the road. They got a big win, 7-3. So game five was the final one at Yankee Stadium. Miller got into this one, but the Giants lost 5-3.
Tresh had just smacked a 3-run home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th. That turned a 2-2 game into a 5-2 Yankee lead! Miller in, heart of the order up. All Miller did was retire Mantle, walk Maris, and then get Howard. End of the frame.
The Giants got a run back in the top of the ninth, and even had the tying run at the dish. It would have been Stu Miller, but there's no way the pitcher is batting for himself in this situation. Ed Bailey batted for him, and ended the game with a liner to Maris in right.
The Giants beat Whitey Ford in game 6, then merely surrendered 1-0 in game 7, with the series-winning run at second.
Stu had another crack at Mantle in 1967.
It was May the 14th at Yankee Stadium, and Mantle had a certain milestone in his vision. Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the 6th. He was now on the Baltimore Orioles and they trailed by a run. Mantle had ended the bottom of the 5th with a pop to 1st.
So in the 6th, Miller faced the batters after Mantle. Howard was retired on a fly. Tresh reached on an error, Steve Whittaker fanned. Then Joe Pepitone, who was on the postseason roster but did not play in the '62 World Series, hit a 2-run home run! Miller got out of there without allowing another run.
But in the 7th, Mantle came up with 2 outs and not a man on. Howard and Tresh were due up next. The count went to 3-2...
Tada!
The Orioles lost the game 6-5, and Stu took the loss. Miller posted an excellent 2.55 ERA that year, but could only go 3-10. Purchased by the Atlanta Braves in 1968, he made only two appearances, and retired. Mantle, ironically, also retired after '68.
References
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (17 Dec., 2017).
The Yankees won the 1962 Fall Classic, despite batting just .199 as a team. Their opponents, the San Francisco Giants, hit .226. It looked like in game one that it might be high-hitting series, but it was not to be.
Game one saw the Yankees win 6-2 in Candlestick Park, but barely out-hit the Giants 11-10. The game was closer then the score would indicate as the teams were tied at two going into the top of the seventh. A surprising home run by Clete Boyer broke the deadlock. Boyer knocked home another the next inning with a sac fly. But San Francisco seemed to have the edge in pitching after this.
Ralph Terry pitched a fine game for New York. However, he took a 2-0 loss. Jack Sanford stopped the Yankees cold on just three hits. Mickey Mantle hit a double in the top of the ninth, but he was stranded. It was on to New York in game three, where the Yankees seemed doomed for a while against Billy Pierce.
The Yankees scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the seventh off Billy Pierce, and it was enough for a win. Singles by Tom Tresh, Mantle and a an error brought Roger Maris to the plate in that inning with two runners in scoring position. Roger came through with a single to score two. Later, he scored the third an final run of that inning.
New York got nine hits, but only three runs in game four, and the Giants squared this thing at two games with a big 7-3 win. Maris and Mantle both scored a run, but were held hitless, as was Elston Howard. Worse still, an ex-teammate of Mantle's got the win, Don Larsen!
Game four was tied at two, like the World Series itself, going into the bottom of the eighth. But a dramatic, three-run home run by rookie Tommy Tresh paved the way for an eventual 5-3 win by the Yankees. But the Yankees woes at the dish continued as they were held to just six hits at home. And while they were up three games to two in the 1962 Fall Classic, they'd have to win it on the road.
New York lost game six in San Francisco, 5-2. Billy Pierce pitched even better this time. It seemed amazing that the Bronx Bombers got two runs in this game, as they collected just two hits. Their biggest was Maris' solo home run in the top of the fifth. But the Giants were ahead 3-0 at the time. Whitey Ford took the loss for the Yankees. Winner-take-all game seven!
That's where Ralph Terry pitched a gem for the Yankees. He'd lost game two, won game five, and pitched a shutout in game seven! But how about the Yankees? Well, they got only seven hits. And only one run. It proved to be enough, but the run scored on a double play. Willie Mays hit a double to put runners on second and third with two down in the bottom of the ninth. Willie McCovey lined to Bobby Richardson at second to end it. The Yankees didn't do much hitting, but they managed to pull it out!
Stu Miller, who just passed away on Sunday, happend to be the pitcher to get called for a balk in the 1961 All-Star Game in San Fran. He also happend to be the pitcher who gave up Mickey Mantle's 500th home run in 1967. But there was more to him than being in wrong place at the wrong time.
His career started out well enough with a 6-3 record and a good ERA of 2.05 in only 12 games in 1952. His team? The St. Louis Cardinals. So he was a teammate of Stan Musial. But he was not the only pitcher making his MLB debut that year with the Cards. Harvey Haddix was also getting his feet wet. Also pitching on that team, but not a rookie, was Cloyd Boyer. Ken and Clete's older brother.
Stu seemed not to fulfill his potential. He was in and out of the starting rotation for the Cardinals and when he was traded to the Giants, it was more of the same. When the Giants went west in 1958, he seemed to make steps to becoming better. In 1958 alone, he led the National League in ERA, 2.47. But his win-loss record was just 6-9. He was 8-7 the next year despite another good ERA, 2.84. He was starting less games, however. He pitched in 50 games in '59 and started only 9. The bullpen beakened his presence. And at this point, his career is looking a little like Sandy Koufax. Not pitching much as a starter, moves out west, pitches more, and makes progress. Koufax was 11-11 in 1958 and 8-6 in 1959. By 1961 he was a star. So was Stu Miller.
Miller went 14-5 with a league-leading 17 saves for the Giants in 1961. His ERA was below 3 for the third time in four seasons, 2.66. But here's what happened to him in the All-Star Game.
Back then, two games were played. And in 1961, the first was played in the new Candlestick Park. Not double-decked at this point, there were some serious wind problems. A nearby mountain had been leveled to make room for the parking lot. Too late, the makers realized the mountain had been a nature-created wind breaker. Take it away, and there were problems.
So the game, played on July 11th, was good one. An extra-inning affair. Both Miller and Koufax were the breakout starts of that season. And they both pitched.
Koufax had a tough assignment. In the top of the ninth, it was Elroy Face on for the National League to close out a 3-1 lead for the Seniors. But, alas, with one out, the AL came on! Norm Cash doubled and Nellie Fox came in to pinch run. Al Kaline singled to score Cash and cut it to 3-2. Roger Maris, on his way to 61 home runs, was the next hitter. Who better to bring in out of the 'pen then Koufax to face him?
But Roger Maris singled to right, Kaline only made it to second. Sandy's day was over. Miller came in. And here is where it got interesting.
Miller reared back on a pitch to Rocky Colavito, but a strong gust of wind held him up long enough for him to balk. That moved both runners up. And error by Ken Boyer allowed the tying run to score. Then, Smoky Burgess made an error chasing Tony Kubek's pop up in foul territory. The National League made a third error that inning for good measure. Stu managed to get out of that without any further damage, but in the top of the tenth, the tie was broken. Miller fanned the side, but another error by Boyer put the American League up a run.
The National League came back. In the bottom of the frame, Hank Aaron singled. went to second on a passed ball, then scored on a Willie Mays double. Roberto Clemente won the game with a single after Frank Robinson was hit by a pitch. Miller went into the record books as the winning pitcher in the (First) 1961 All-Star Game.
He stayed with the Giants the next year as they went all the way to game seven of the World Series against Mickey Mantle's New York Yankees. He got Mantle out the only two times he faced him.
And he went to the other league in 1963. He was now a Baltimore Oriole. And while he posted a 5-8 record, he lead the league in saves with 27. And his earned run average was 2.24 in 112 1/3 innings. But he just had to be on the wrong end of a home run in 1967. To Mickey Mantle.
The Mick, in his second last year but with 499 home runs to his name on May 14th, was with the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles. It was at Yankee Stadium. A lot of empty seats. The Yankees were no longer a great team. They weren't even a good team anymore.
Baltimore was up 4-3 when Stu came on to pitch the bottom of the sixth. He got Elston Howard, but Tom Tresh reached on an error. With two outs, Joe Pepitone hit a two-run home run to put New York up, 5-4.
The Mick came to bat in the next inning. Miller fell behind him 3-1, and threw a pitch that Mantle swings on and misses. Then, Mantle could only foul off the next pitch. But Mickey hit Stu's very next pitch to right for a home run. The ovation that came his way was loud and deafening. It lasted through Elston Howards plate appearance.
The pitch was Stu's changeup. It was also the only home run Mantle hit off Miller in his career. But that, and thee 1961 All-Star game, are two moments in baseball history that Stu was a part off. Maybe not the part he wanted!
References
Gallagher, Mark. Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs. New York: Arbor House, 1987. 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.
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.
YankeesAtShea. "Mickey Mantle 1967 - 500th Home Run as aired on WPIX-TV, 5/14/1967." Youtube, uploaded by YankeesAtShea, 20 May. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioALzM98jaQ.
After getting an RBI in his second plate appearance in the 1962 Fall Classic, The Say Hey Kid did not get another in the remaining six games.
Willie Mays, playing in his first World Series since the San Francisco Giants were in New York back in '54, got off to a hot start '62. He just didn't seem to be able to keep it up. A fine play by Roger Maris stopped him from tying game seven with an RBI.
The New York Yankees, starting things on the road, jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in game 2 behind a double by Maris in the top of the first. Mays started the bottom of the second for the Giants by singling and later scoring to cut it to 2-1.
In the next inning it was Chuck Hiller with a double and Mays driving him in with a single to tie things. That, however, was the last run the Giants would score. Mays added a single later, but it didn't do much.
The Giants lost that game 6-2, but won game two, 2-0. Mays, however, had no luck in this one. No RBIs or hits, for that matter!
The Series shifted to New York for game three, and New York took a 3-0 lead into the top of the ninth. It looked like Bill Stafford was going to get a shutout. But Willie ripped a double to left. Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda were retired, leaving behind only Ed Bailey, the catcher. Stafford was one out away from a shutout.
But Bailey surprised everyone by smacking a home run to right that just made it over Maris' head. That cut the score to 3-2. But Stafford got Jim Davenport to fly out to Tom Tresh in left to end the game. Mays had sure made things close, though!
Game four was close for a while, but San Francisco needed this one. A grand slam by Chuck Hiller broke open a close game and helped the Giants win 7-3. Mays followed Hiller's slam by making the last out of the inning. Earlier, he had singled and then been erased on a double play.
More was needed from Willie and his teammates in game five, as New York took a three to two series lead with a 5-3 win. Mays hit the ball well in the top of the first, as he lined out to Tresh. But Ralph Terry fanned him in the top of the fourth. His pal, Mickey Mantle caught Mays' drive to deep centre in the top of the sixth. Willie then grounded out to Clete Boyer at third in the top of the eighth.
Mays, however helped out in game six. In all went down in the bottom of the fourth. The Giants were back home and needed a win to starve off elimination! With a run already in and Willie on third after drawing a walk, it was time for Orlando Cepeda to smack a double. The hit scored Mays, and put San Francisco up, 2-0. A Jim Davenport single made it 3-0. The Giants had what they needed for a win (Final score, 5-2). Willie added a single and a steal of second in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Giants stranded him.
Against Ralph Terry again for game seven at home, the Giants seemed overmatched. New York, however, could score but one run. And it came on a double play. But the one run was destined to hold.
Mays really got a hold of one in the bottom of the seventh. He sent one to left that Tom Tresh made a great catch on. It was crucial, as the other Willie, McCovey, hit a booming triple next. That catch had saved a run and kept New York up 1-0.
In the bottom of the ninth, New York still led, 1-0. Matty Alou, pinch hitting, singled for just the third hit off the ballgame by San Francisco. Terry Felipe Alou and Chuck Hiller on strikeouts. He was one out away from a shutout. Willie Mays was the batter. Doing an amazing job of hitting, he sent one to right that seemed destined for the corner and a tie ball game. Roger Maris, however, got to it quickly and fired a great throw to Bobby Richardson, who was way out in the outfield to take the throw. Richardson's throw home was also on the money as both runners ended up on second and third only. When McCovey sent a sizzler to Richardson on Terry's second pitch, and Bobby caught that, New York was on top of the world in 1962.
It happens. Willie Mays, was one, if not the, best players of his generation. And here he was without an RBI in the last six games of this very exciting World Series. You have Fall Classics where that guy you should count on just doesn't seem to come through, while that guy who had no right to be a hero suddenly does. That's baseball for you at October's Showdown!
Of Whitey Ford's eight Fall Classic losses, five came at the hand of left-handers. Some classic lefty-lefty duels. Well, I guess this was all coming from out in left. Or as Sports Illustrated said about the 1963 World Series Preview: A Vote For The Left!
Ford actually didn't lose against a lefthander until game four of the 1958 World Series. It was a crucial affair. Ford's New York Yankees were down two games to one against Warren Spahn's Milwaukee Braves, and they needed this one at home.
But they didn't get it. Ford didn't pitch too badly. Johnny Logan hit a grounder to score Red Schoendienst from third. But the grounder resulted in an error by Tony Kubek. So that was an unearned run in the top of the sixth. In the seventh, it was Spahn himself with a single to score an earned run. One more run off Ford and a fine two-hitter from Spahn made the final score 3-0, Milwaukee.
Whitey didn't lose another Fall Classic game to a southpaw until game six of the 1962 Fall Classic. The Yankees looked poised to end their affair with the San Francisco Giants. But it was the Giants' Billy Pierce that sent the 1962 Fall Classic to the limit.
Pierce went out and shut down the Yankees, allowing just two runs. One of them was on a Roger Maris home run. But Ford came undone in the bottom of the fourth. He picked Felipe Alou off second, but Ford's throw was wild and Alou scored. When Orlando Cepeda followed with a double, Willie Mays scored to make it 2-0, Giants. Jim Davenport singled to score Cepeda. Another run by the Giants off Ford in the next inning finished Whitey.
The 1963 World Series saw Ford face his toughest test: Sandy Koufax! The Los Angeles Dodger was looking for his first Fall Classic win for his part. And he got two against Ford in '63!
The two ace lefties met in game one. Ford K'd two in the top of the first inning in the game played at Yankee Stadium. But Koufax went out and fanned the first five batters to face him! It was ex-teammate Moose Skowron who drove in the game's first run the next inning. Dick Tracewski followed with a single. When catcher Johnny Roseboro hit a double, three runs scored. It was 4-0 and Koufax was home free. Skowron drove home another run later. Koufax finally was scored on twice by New York on a two-run home run by Tommy Tresh in the bottom of the eighth. But that's all the Yankees got an the final score was 5-2, Los Angeles!
In game four, Ford pitched one of his best World Series games ever. And it was the first time he'd ever pitched in Chavez Ravine. He'd lost his last game thrown on the West Coast, but this one was a two-hitter.
Frank Howard had both hits. But one of them was a home run. In the bottom of the second, Howard had singled. He was then erased as the next batter, Skowron (who'd added a home run in game two) grounded into a double play.
Mickey Mantle got Ford out of a 1-0 deficit with a home run off Sandy Koufax in the top of the seventh. The majestic Mantle, was beginning to break down at 32, but one bad pitch to him, and you pay. The round tripper also tied him with Babe Ruth for most home runs in the World Series all time. But it would not matter for long.
Jim Gilliam led off the Dodger's half of the frame by hitting a tough bouncer to Clete Boyer at third. Boyer not only made the play, but he got the throw off to first. Joe Pepitone, New York's first basemen, lost the ball however, in the white shirts behind third. By the time Pepitone got to it, Gilliam was on third. Tommy Davis flew out to Mantle in centre, Gilliam scored and Los Angeles was back on top, 2-1. No one scored against Ford again. Hal Reniff came in and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for New York, but Koufax survived a Phil Linz single in the top of the eighth. A Bobby Richardson single, and an error by Dick Tracewski put Sandy in another hole in the top of the ninth, but Sandy got Hector Lopez to ground out and end that. The Dodgers had a sweep and Ford got tagged with a hard-luck loss.
Ford had an injured arm as he took the hill in game one of the 1964 World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals presented themselves as some stiff opposition. The good news was that Whitey wouldn't have to face Bob Gibson or lefty Curt Simmons in game one. That would have been tough. Ray Sadecki took the hill instead. But Sadecki went 20-11 that year. So this guy was no pushover.
Ken Boyer drove home the first Cardinal run on a sac fly to Mantle, who was playing right with Roger Maris in centre. St. Louis was ahead, but not for long.
Tom Tresh smashed a two-run home run off Sadecki in the top of the second to make it 2-1, New York. Ford then scored Ken's younger brother Clete with a single. Ford himself was cut down at home when he tried to score on Bobby Richardson's single.
Sadecki then got into the pitcher's hitting act himself with a single to score Mike Shannon in the bottom of the frame. Ford got out of there with no further damage. Then, he seemed to settle down. His teammates some offence left for good measure!
Mickey Mantle singled with two out in the top of the fifth. Elston Howard singled Mickey to second. Tom Tresh, having a great game so far, doubled home Mantle to make it 4-2. Three straight two-out hits! Ford seemed to have this thing in the bag!
But Ford's arm was beginning to fail him. After getting the Cardinals out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth, disaster struck him and reliever Al Downing. Ken Boyer singled in the bottom of the sixth. A passed ball moved him to second. Ford fanned Bill White, but it proved to be the last batter he retired. Mike Shannon absouluty crushed a Ford offering to left that hit off the "B" in the Budweiser sign in left. The game was tied, 4-4. When Tim McCarver hit a double between the M and M boys in right centre, Ford was done. Al Downing came in and got Charlie James to pop up. Pinch hitter Carl Warwick singled just passed Phil Linz at short to score McCarver. On the throw home, Warwick went to second. Curt Flood hit a fly to left that Tom Tresh seem to have, then not have. He later explained that he'd lost it in the sum. A last second stab at it was no use as the ball hit the wall. Warwick scored and Flood had a triple. Downing got the next batter out and had a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, but the Yankees could only score one more run. Rollie Sheldon and Pete Mikkelsen could not hold the fort in the last of the eighth, and a 6-5 game became a 9-5 blowout.
Ford's injured arm shelved him for the rest of the 1964 Fall Classic. The Yankees never made it back during Whitey's last three years.
Whitey Ford, in my book, was probably the greatest pitcher to take the mound in the Fall Classic. Yet, even the greatest can meet their match when they have to go up against guys like Spahn and Koufax, unquestionably two of the finest of all-time. Pierce and Sadecki were also tough opposition for Ford. But many of these were classic battles, which help make the World Series so exciting as two southpaws proved they're both capable of being the right guy to take the hill!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series.New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.Print.
Ford,
Whitey, and Phil Pepe. Slick. New York: W. Morrow, 1987. Print.
Golenbock,
Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees,
1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. 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.
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.
Snyder,
John S. World Series!: Great Moments and
Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
Bobby Richardson made the last putout in 1962. Then he popped out to end it in 1964! He always seemed to do something of note in the Fall Classic. It was Bobby's time to shine! It was a rematch of the 1951 World Series, The Mick and The Say Hey Kid again. But this this was a coast-to-coast affair. New York, in fact, was going to start things in San Fran, and end things there, too!
After two great World Series performances in 1960 and 1961 (.367 and .361), Bobby fell off in '62 with only a .148 batting average. He managed to collect two hits and two runs scored in game five. But in game seven, he made two nice plays to help the New York Yankees win it.
He walked twice in the game, which was pretty rare for him. But in the ninth inning, with New York clinging to a one-run lead (1-0), Bobby came through with the glove!
Matty Alou stepped in to pinch hit for pitcher Billy O'Dell, who had just tossed two fine scoreless innings of relief. O'Dell also did not allow a hit. But Ralph Terry, you see, was working on a two-hitter!
Alou got the third hit of the game for San Francisco. Terry settled down and put the Giants on edge by fanning the next two batters. But Willie Mays stroked a double to right. Tie game?
Alou rounded third and maybe had thoughts of home. But here's where Richardson comes to the rescue!
Roger Maris, playing right, got to it quickly. Bobby, the second basemen, ran out to short right to take the throw. Maris hit Richardson with a nice peg and Bobby gunned the thing home. Alou held. But now, the tying run was ninety feet away and the winning run was at second. A base hit here, and this thing is all over!
The other Willie, McCovey, stepped in. Terry's first pitch was fouled off to right. Maris gave chase, but this thing ended up in the stands. The next pitch was rocketed towards right-center. Here's where Richardson was positioned. Bobby caught the thing, and this exciting World Series was over.
Two years later, it was another exciting affair. The Yankees though, were ageing and injured. Richardson collected thirteen hits, including eight of St. Louis' star pitcher, Bob Gibson.
And Gibby (who just celebrated his 79th birthday yesterday!) was there on the hill in game seven as the Cards built a 6-0 lead after five innings.
In the top of the sixth, Richardson led off by beating a slow roller towards third. Maris followed with a single. When Mantle took Gibson out of the park on an 0-1 pitch, the lead was sliced in half. Gibson suddenly seemed a little less than invincible. Manager Johhny Keane decided to leave him in the game. But Gibson, who had started game five, was tired.
Richardson connected for another hit with two down in the top of the seventh. Roger Maris connected well on the next pitch, but it was a liner for an inning-ending out. The Cardinals, added a run in the bottom of the frame on a solo blast by Ken Boyer.
The Yankees, however, were fighting this thing to the end. With one out in the top of the ninth, and St. Louis still up 7-3, New York caught fire. Or they caught up to some of Bob Gibson's bad pitches.
Clete Boyer, not to be outdone by his brother, hit a payoff pitch into left for a home run of his own. It was now 7-4, St. Louis. Under today's scheme of things, we'd see the closer in at this point. But this was 1964 and no one came on for Gibson!
But Phil Linz hit the Yankees second home run of the inning and third of the game, as Gibson was just one out away from putting this thing on ice. But now, with the score 7-5, he'd have to face Bobby Richardson.
Gibson missed for ball one, then got a strike. But on the next pitch, Bobby popped out to second, ending a very, very exciting World Series that didn't seem to know where to stop.
For Bobby Richardson, it was his last Fall Classic. It was also his third seventh game, having gone to seven in '60 for good measure(He also was on the Yankees in '57 and '58 when it went seven, but never got off the bench past game five of either clashes!).
On a team that had Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Ellie Howard and Yogi Berra, Richardson was low on the totem pole of dangerous hitters. In fact, I believe he might have been the hitter that garnered the least attention. But at the end of '62 and '64, here's Bobby!
Pitching for San Francisco in the 1962, Don Larsen was the winning pitcher in game four. There are several ironies. For one, it was October 8th, exactly six years after he threw the only perfect game (let alone a no-hitter) in World Series history. Two, it was against the very same team that he was on in '56, the Yankees. It was even in Yankee Stadium, the site of his 27 straight outs!
There were some of his old teammates to worry about in this game. Mickey Mantle, fresh off his MVP year. The Mick had amazingly also been MVP in 1956 (and 1957). Yogi Berra, 38, but still going strong. Elston Howard, one year away from an MVP of his own. Whitey Ford was the starting pitcher, always money in the postseason. There was Bill Skowron, who hit a grand slam in game 7 of the 1956 World Series. Bobby Richardson, who was called up briefly in 1956, was also there. Then there was the second basemen that came close to beating out the Mick for MVP honours in '62. That was Bobby Richardson. Amazingly enough, my father saw New York play a game August 8th, 1956 against the Red Sox. Ralph Terry had made his debut for the Yankees two days earlier. The Yankees would trade him to Kansas before reacquiring him in the 1959 season. Terry did not pitch this game. But still another 1956 Yankee got into this game to pitch later.
Actually, Larsen did not start this game, but a Hall Of Famer did. Juan Marichal took the hill for the Giants. However, it was Bobby Bolin on the hill in the bottom of the 6th inning when he let the Yankees claw back from 2-0 down to tie it. Don Larsen came in. The Yankees used some moneyball from their big guns to score twice. Mantle and Roger Maris walked. With two down, Skowron cashed in Mickey with a single. Maris, with two MVPs of his own, was plated when Clete Boyer singled. Two on, two out, score 2-2!
And the very first batter Donny faced? Why, the very man who caught the last pitch Larsen threw in the perfect game. Larsen finished with a strikeout. But Yogi Berra was actually only pinch-hitting here for Whitey Ford. And this was no perfect game here as Berra walked. Bases loaded and two outs. Score tied. Wow! Wish I could have been there!
Tony Kubek grounded to Orlando Cepeda at first. Cepeda tossed it to Larsen, who covered first for the putout on out number three. And the very next inning, it all came undone for New York.
The Yankees may have failed with the bases loaded and two outs, but the Giants had no intention of losing this game. Tied game here, but down 2-1 in the 1962 Fall Classic. San Fran needed some offence fast. And they got it via a rather unlikely hero.
Jim Coates came in to pitch. He had been strong in 1960 and 1961 for the Yankees, but 1962 was a disappointment. Amazingly enough, he had a two-game trial of his own with the Bronx Bombers in...1956!
Having gone 13-3 in '60 and 11-5 the next year, he looked like one of those very good spot starters / long relievers. But 1962 saw Jim go only 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA. He allowed too many hits: 119 in 117 2/3 innings pitched!
And here he was doing exactly what you should never do. Jim walked the other Jim! Davenport was on to lead it off. After a strikeout of the next batter, Matty Alou stroked a pinch-hit double. Coates was out of there. Marshall Bridges came in and walked Bob Nieman intentionally, loading the bases with only one out. But when the dangerous Harvey Kuenn was retired on a pop fly, the situation was much better. And a little dramatic, perhaps. Bases loaded, two outs, score tied. Here we go again!
The batter was Chuck Hiller. Home runs hit in 1964, 1. Home runs hit lifetime, 20. The amount that The Mick and the batter on-deck (The Say Hey Kid, who just turned 83 the other day!) hit in about half a season. A half season of an off-season!
Yet Chuck slammed it to right and out of the yard. It was suddenly 6-2, San Francisco. Willie Mays was retired, but the game seemed over. Larsen's day was over for sure. Bob Nieman had batted for Ed Bailey, who was the announced pinch hitter for Don Larsen. It had all been brilliant manoeuvring all along, right?
Billy O'Dell got the Yankees in order in the bottom of the 7th. Bridges got two strikeouts and survived a walk to Davenport in the top of the 8th. Maris popped out to the catcher, leading off the bottom of the 8th. Howard and Skowron failed to get the ball out of the infield.
Hiller expanded on his unlikely heroics in the top of the 9th. With two outs and a man on second, he beat out a single to second. Bobby Richardson made a bad throw to first that allowed Alou to score. Mays fanned. But now it was 7-2 for the Giants!
O'Dell got the first two batters out in the last of the 9th, but then New York woke up. Kubek singled. Richardson kept it going by following suit. When Rookie Of The Year Tom Tresh singled, Kubek scored. 7-3. Mickey Mantle could really help by going yard here. But it was not meant to be as he forced Tresh. The Giants had tied the 1962 Fall Classic at two wins apiece with a 7-3 win.
So Larsen got the win in this big game. It turned out to be the last game he ever pitched in the World Series. And Don had faced just two batters. Nonetheless, it was his fourth World Series game he had won, against only two losses. That was much better than his 81-91 lifetime win - loss record. But this had been a game where two unlikely heros had played a part! That's what makes the Fall Classic so magical and enduring. Everyone gets a chance to do something special. Larsen's moment had been six years prior. Hillers' was on this day! But October 8, 1962 went into the record books as a win by Larsen and a slam by Hiller!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Fonseca, Lew, director. World Series Of 1962. American And National Leagues Of Professional Baseball Club, 1962. DVD.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. 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.
Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 15 May. 2014.
The last out of every World Series from 1958 to 1962 has something in common! The last letter of the pitcher on the mound when the last pitch was thrown, ended with a "Y". Although, not all of the last pitches resulted in outs! There was the 1960 World Series!
Bob Turley came into game 7 of the 1958 World Series vs. the Milwaukee Braves. The Yankees' Don Larsen had a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third, but he was struggling. The Braves scored a run in the first, then loaded the bases before Don escaped.
New York scored twice in the top of the second to take the lead, but Larsen faltered again in the bottom of the third. There were two men on with only one out. Turley came in, got an out, then issued an intentional walk to Eddie Mathews. Del Crandall hit a ball that hit Turley, and went to Gil McDougald. Gil threw out Del at first to end another Milwaukee threat. But the Yankees' pitchers had now issued 4 walks in only 3 innings. And the lead was still only 2-1.
Lew Burdette had to wiggle out of trouble in the top of the 4th as the Yankees put 2 men on. But from there, he settled down. 1-2-3, went the Yankees in the next 2 innings.
Turley had a 1-2-3 4th and a 1-2-3 5th to keep pace with Burdette and keep the Yankees up by that single run. But in the bottom of the 6th, Crandall tied the game with a home run.
Bill Skowron broke Burdette's spell with a single to lead off the top of the 7th. After one out, Turley bunted him to second. The Yankees could not get Moose home.
Turley retired the side in a 1-2-3 7th. And then the Yankees proceeded to win the game in the top of the 8th. With two outs, Yogi Berra doubled and was driven home by Elston Howard. After a single by Andy Carey, Skowron took Burdette deep! 6-2, New York in a blink of an eye!
Turley gave up a hit and a walk in the top of the 9th before recording the last out.
The next year was the Dodgers' Larry Sherry's time to shine. The Chicago White Sox won game 5 to force the Fall Classic back to The Windy City for game 6. The Dodgers seemed to put it away early as they raced out to and 8-0 lead behind the pitching of Johnny Podres.
But Ted Kluszewski smacked a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 4th to make it 8-3, Los Angeles. When Al Smith walked, Podres was finished. In came Larry Sherry, who had a win and 2 saves so far in the 1959 Fall Classic.
Sherry gave up a single and a walk to load the bases, but made sure Chicago didn't touch home in this, or any other inning.
Sherry gave up a leadoff double to Nellie Fox in the bottom of the 5th, but retired the next three batters. In the 6th, Larry got 'em 1-2-3. Aparicio singled with one out in the 7th, but Sherry got Fox out on a liner to left. Then Jim Landis ended the inning by forcing Aparicio at second.
After Sherman Lollar flied out to Don Demeter in center, Klu again made solid contact, doubling down the left field line. Larry bore down and got the next two batters out on grounders.
Chuck Essegian hit a pinch hit home run to make it 9-3 Dodgers in the top of the 9th. Better still, Sherry was just three more outs away from the Dodgers' first World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers!
Billy Goodman went out on a comebacker to start the bottom of the 9th. Norm Cash lined out to Demeter in center. And when Aparicio flied out to Wally Moon in left, the 1959 Fall Classic belonged to the Dodgers.
How The West Was Won By Baseball!
Ralph Terry was on the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning of game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The Pirates were all-too eager to face him, as Ralph was in no way shape or form to be pitching. He had warmed up, not pitched, warmed up, not pitched, all game long. The Yankees had watched their 7-4 lead evaporate in this inning and finally Terry was in the game. The Yankees now trailed by 2 runs, 9-7. Don Hoak flied out, and the inning was mercifully over. But now the Yankees needed a miracle to get to the bottom of the next inning. They managed to get one.
With one out and two men on, Mickey Mantle stroked a clutch single to center to cut the lead to 9-8. Yogi Berra grounded out. But Rocky Nelson, after stepping on first, forgot about Mickey diving back into first. Mantle slipped under the tag. While this was all happening, the tying run scored! That's the Yankees for you: Just when it looks like they are down and out, comes an unexpected uprising!
However, that great moment was cut short as Skowron forced Mantle out at second. Dick Groat took the grounder and tossed it to second basemen Bill Mazeroski. No one could have known, but as Bill made the putout on second, he was holding on to the last ball of the game. And Mazeroski was the reason it was the last ball. The score was 9-9, going into the last of the 9th.
The first batter Terry faced was Mazeroski. Ralph's first pitch was a slider that was too high. His next pitch was a slider as well, but it came in at waist level and over too much of the plate. Bill slammed it over Berra's head in left to end a very exciting World Series. It was the first time the Fall Classic had ended with a home run.
Ralph Terry got a shot at redemption the next year. Having lost game two of the 1961 Fall Classic to the Cincinnati Reds, he watched as the Yankees build a 3-1 advantage after 4 games. Who better to put the final nail in the coffin of Cincy? And a nice way to redeem yourself!
With a 6-0 lead after 2 1/2, things looked up for Terry. But then, Frank Robinson cut the lead in half with a 3-run home run. Terry was pulled, and since it was not past the bottom of the 5th inning, Ralph was not eligible for the win. Bud Daley came in. He didn't exactly have a "walk in the park" that inning either, Bud allowed a single and a double before he got out of it without giving up another run.
New York plated five more runners (3 via a 3-run home run by Hector Lopez) to make it 11-3, after 3 1/2 innings. Daley got things settled down with a 1-2-3, 4th
The Yankees were retired 1-2-3, themselves in the top of the 5th. A 2-run home run by Wally Post in the bottom of the frame, and it was the Yankees with a 6-run lead again, just like it was after 2 1/2 innings.
But Lopez drove in another run in the top of the 6th, and Daley himself cashed in the Yankees' 13th (and final) run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Daley had another 1-2-3, inning in the bottom of the frame. The Yankees actually looked like they might get more in the top of the 7th as they got runners to second and third with two outs. But Skowron flied out against (not the author yet) Jim Brosnan.
Daley allowed a booming double to Robinson in the bottom of the 7th, but nothing more. New York got a runner on in the top of the 8th as Clete Boyer singled, but could not get him home.
In the bottom of the 8th, Bud hit Wally Post, but again settled down. Gene Freese went out on a fly to Roger Maris in center, Johnny Edwards forced Post, and Jerry Lynch (pinch-hitting for Brosnan), grounded out to Bobby Richardson at second.
Maris walked with one out in the top of the 9th, but Johnny Blanchard forced him at second. Elston Howard fanned to end the inning. But now the Yankees were three outs away from ending a magical year for guys like Maris, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford.
But it was up to Bud Daley got them that last World Series out of 1961.
Elio Chacon grounded out. Eddie Kasko flied out to Maris (who moved from center to right as Jack Reed came in to play centerfield) in right. It would have been an appropriate that Roger get the last out in a season where he set the single-season home run record.
But it was not to be.
Vada Pinson flied out to Hector Lopez in left. Lopez, playing for the injured Mantle, came to bat 12 times in this World Series and had 7 RBIs.
But stick with me, here. The pitcher who got the last out was Daley!
Terry was back the next year and looking to nail it down in the 1962 World Series. But this time, it was game 7, as in 1960. But unlike 1960, Terry started this game. The San Francisco Giants stood in Ralph's way.
Terry, having lost game 2 of '62 to Jack Sanford, was looking at a lifetime Fall Classic record of 0-4 at that point. But a win in game 5 over Sanford gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the World Series. Terry finally had his first World Series win.
And he was even better in game 7. Down went the Giants in order in the first 5 innings. In the meantime, New York scored Terry a run when Kubek hit into a double play in the top of the 5th.
Then, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th, Sanford himself broke up the no-hitter with a single. But Terry got Felipe Alou out on a grounder.
The Yankees had gotten two men on in the third, but failed to score. A walk to Mickey Mantle in the 6th was erased when The Mick was picked off first. With a man on and two away in the 7th, Terry himself got a single. Kubek ended the inning by flying out to leftfielder Willie McCovey.
Terry needed some luck in the bottom of the frame. Tom Tresh, McCovey's counterpart in left, robbed Willie Mays with a fine backhand catch in deep left. That was the second out. But then McCovey (who had him a home run off Terry in game 2 of this Fall Classic) hit a triple that would have scored Mays if not for Tresh's catch. Orlando Cepeda fanned and Ralph Terry was out of the inning.
In the top of the 8th, New York looked like they had the game wrapped up. Bobby Richardson reached on an error, and when Tresh and Mantle followed with singles, a potential big inning presented itself to the Bronx Bombers! Billy O'Dell replaced Sanford.
But Roger Maris forced Richardson out at home and Elston Howard hit into an inning-ending double play. Would the Yankees rue these missed opportunities?
Terry had a 1-2-3 8th, for a fine 1-hitter through that stretch. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 against O'Dell in the top of the 9th.
Three more outs to go and Terry erases 1960 from his upset stomach.
Matty Alou led off with a bunt single for only the second hit off Terry. But Ralph bore down and K'd the next two batters, giving him 4 strikeouts on the afternoon. Willie Mays was next.
The Say Hey Kid avoided Tresh and went the opposite way to Maris in right. Maris made a fine throw to Richardson at second. Bobby then also made a fine throw himself to home, to stop Alou from scoring. But now, the World Series winning run was only a hit away.
And the batter was the other Willie. McCovey. He'd been hitting the ball hard this game. Although not having a great Fall Classic of 1962, he was going to be one tough last out. Big, tall, left-handed. Not the hitter you want to face, even with the bases empty!
Managed Ralph Houk came out to talk to Terry. It was decided not to pitch around McCovey. Willie got under one and sent a fly to right that Maris pursued. The ball ended in the seats, foul and short of the fence.
McCovey hit Terry's 0-1 pitch on a line between second and first. Richardson, playing it perfectly, caught it. It was not too difficult a play, but 3 or 4 feet to the left or right, and the Giants would have won the game, 2-1. But in any event, it was redemption for Terry, who finished with a fine 4-hit shutout.
And for the 5th straight year, why had the World Series ended? Because the pitcher's name who tossed the last ball ended with a "y"!
That's also "Y" I am so interested in baseball history!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series.New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.Print.
Gallagher, Mark. Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs. New York: Arbor House, 1987. Print.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. 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.
