Pete Mikkelsen pitched in all four games the New York Yankees lost in 1964. Not that it was Pete's fault New York lost. He had two good outings and two bad outings.
Pete had to beat out Tom Metcalf in spring training that year to make it to the big league. Previously, Mikkelsen had been a mediocre pitcher in the minor leagues. At Binghamton ("A" ball), he'd been just 4-10 with a 3.49 earned run average in 1961. From there, though, Pete improved. His arm injured, Mikkelsen went 11-6 with Augusta ("AA" ball) with a 1.47 ERA in 1963.
However, Tom Metcalf was 9-5 with a 2.69 earned run average that year a level higher (With Richmond) than Pete Mikkelsen. And Tom was on his way to the New York Yankees. Called up in August, Metcalf went 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in 8 appearances.
But, although it seemed (To Tom Metcalf, at least) that he'd pitched better than Pete Mikkelsen in spring training a year later, it would be the bespectacled, sinkerballer who stayed up with the New York Yankees in 1964. Tom Metcalf, as it turns out, never pitched in the major leagues again, retiring after the 1965 season after arm injury. The Yankees won 99 games in '64, and Pete Mikkelsen had a lot to do with that, making fifty appearances that year and being named to the postseason roster.
Whitey Ford was up 4-2 in the first contest of the 1964 Fall Classic between New York and St. Louis. The Yankees had scored four runs, total, in the whole World Series a year earlier. Their bats were better here. Here, at Busch Stadium. Yankee Tom Tresh had three RBIs here, including a two-run home run to erase a 1-0 Cardinals lead in the top of the second frame. Ford himself made it 3-1 with an RBI single in the same inning.
But the ace lefty pitcher tried to make it 4-1 when Bobby Richardson singled. Ford was on second following a walk to leadoff hitter Phil Linz. The star pitcher was out, Lou Brock to Tim McCarver.
The teams traded runs from there, and Whitey Ford appeared to have things well in control. St. Louis got a man on in the third, but the New York pitcher stranded him. A triple by McCarver with one away in the fourth was stranded, too. Whitey did it in style. Strikeout, strikeout. Down went the home team 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth, for good measure.
Ford started the bottom of the sixth inning ahead 4-2. What an improvement from last year, not only the Yankees' pitcher but the team itself. Whitey lasted just five innings against Sandy Koufax in game one of the 1963 World Series. The New York Yankees ended up being swept in in that Fall Classic, scoring just four runs, total, in the four games. Ford seemed overmatched against the great Koufax. At least in their first meeting in the World Series. New York watched helplessly as the Los Angeles Dodgers put up a "4" on the scoreboard, only it was in one inning. That's how bad it was. The Dodgers scored as many runs in the top of the second as the Yankees did in the entire 1963 World Series! Sandy Koufax had five strikeouts by the end of the second inning and a 4-0 lead. It was too bad for Whitey Ford. Other than the four-run second inning, he hadn't pitched too bad. But LA even added a fifth run in the top of the third. It took New York until the last of the eighth to finally break through against Sandy Koufax. Tom Tresh, picking up from where he'd left off in the 1962 Fall Classic, smacked a two-run home run off Koufax. That made the final score a little better, 5-2. But the Yankees had sort of lost their aura in that game. The Dodgers beat 'em 4-1, 1-0 and 2-1 from there.
Against the St. Louis Cardinals a year later, the New York Yankees were up against a pretty good pitching staff. So the Los Angeles Dodgers had Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres. Well, St. Louis had Ray Sadecki going in game one, with Bob Gibson set for the second contest. Another pretty good starter, Curt Simmons, was going to take the hill when this World Series got to New York. Sadecki, pitching in game one, had gone 20-11 in 1964. But Ray's earned run average was 3.68. Sadecki's ERA was high for the early part of his baseball career. But from 1967-1976, it was 3.33. Being a left like Ford, maybe starting at Busch Stadium wasn't such a good idea. Yankee Stadium was probably better suited for Ray Sadecki, as it had a chasm to the power alley in left.
But you can only go with what pitcher's were available. Bob Gibson wasn't in any shape to start game one for St. Louis. He'd started game number 160 for the St. Louis Cardinals, losing 1-0 to the New York Mets. It had been a tight pennant race between St. Louis, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Curt Simmons started the last game of the season for the Cards. The New York Mets got seven hits and three runs off Curt in just four and a third innings. So he was battered. Bob Gibson entered the game, giving up two more runs (Walking five) in an eventual 13-5 win over the Mets. The win finally clinched the pennant for St. Louis.
So, their next game was at home vs. the American League Champions. They couldn't use their two big guns in Bob Gibson (19-12) and Curt Simmons (18-9). New York's ace Whitey Ford had the ball, up two runs going into the last of the sixth.
But Ken Boyer started a rally with a single. Elston Howard allowed a passed ball. Whitey fanned Bill White, but that was the last batter he retired. Mike Shannon crushed a pitch to left. The tape-measure home run tied the game. When Tim McCarver hit a double to the gap in right, Whitey Ford left the mound for the last time in the World Series.
Al Downing, another left-hander like Ford, came in to pitch. Charlie James was sent up to hit for Dal Maxvill, but could only pop out. Two away. Another pinch hitter was called. Carl Warwick. He just got it to left, away from shortstop Phil Linz lunge. The hit was enough to drive home Tim McCarver. The Cards were back on top, 5-4. Curt Flood got under the ball and sent it to left. That's were Tom Tresh, a few feet short of the wall, lost track of it. Flood ended up on third. Julian Javier, who was inserted as a pinch runner, scored.
The Yankees had their chances to tie it. Or go ahead. Mickey Mantle singled in the seventh with one away. Tom Tresh walked with two down. Nothing came of it, but the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, so it was still just a two-run game.
New York had some pinch hitting success of their own in the top of the eighth. With one out, Johhny Blanchard batted for Al Downing and hit a double. Then with two away, Bobby Richardson singled him home. 6-5. Roger Maris kept the rally going with a single of his own. Mantle ended the inning by grounding out.
So it was up to Rollie Sheldon to keep the New York Yankees within a run of the St. Louis Cardinals. But the bottom of the eighth was a disaster. First, Mike Shannon reached on an error. Then, Elston Howard allowed another passed ball. Tim McCarver walked. For some reason, Barney Schultz batted for himself. Yes, he was the closer on St. Louis in 1964 (1-3 with 14 saves and a 1.64 earned run average that season), but the Cardinals needed some insurance here. What they got out of Schultz batting for himself was a liner to to Sheldon. Alas, McCarver left first too soon and was doubled off first. The Yankees seemed like they were getting out of this.
Mike Shannon was still on second, so New York decided to walk Bob Skinner (Batting for Julian Javier). Here's where our boy Pete Mikkelsen came in.
Curt Flood greeted him with a single to score Shannon. Then Curt Flood doubled to left to score two more (Jerry Buchek had come in to run for Bob Skinner). This wrapped up a 9-5 St. Louis win. Mikkelsen still had problems from here as he walked Dick Groat before getting Ken Boyer to pop out to his brother Clete.
New York had lost, but had scored five runs. They scored eight off Bob Gibson, Barney Schultz and Gordon Richardson in game two, which they won 8-3. The teams headed to Yankee Stadium for the next three contests.
The Yankees needed a walk-off home run by Mickey Mantle to take the first game there. In game four, no walk-offs appeared to be necessary. That bottom of the first was amazing for the home team. Poor Ray Sadecki, the St. Louis starter, watched as Phil Linz doubled. As did Bobby Richardson. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle each singled. Mickey got a little to aggressive on his poke to right. Mike Shannon, the Cardinals right fielder, got the ball and got Mantle as he tried for two bases. Sadecki's day was over. So much for Yankee Stadium being easier to pitch in than Busch Stadium for Ray Sadecki. Elston Howard greeted new pitcher Roger Craig with a single, which scored Roger Maris and gave the home team a 3-0 lead.
New York seemed destined for more offence. Craig got the side 1-2-3 in the second, but suddenly lost his control the next inning. With two out, Mickey Mantle walked. So did Elston Howard. Craig had thrown eight straight balls. With the dangerous Tom Tresh up, Roger Craig still didn't have control. Ball one. And then, Mickey Mantle was picked off second. What a break for St. Louis.
This didn't stop the home team from another rally, though. In the last of the fourth, Tresh fanned on three pitches. Joe Pepitone was up, and again Roger Craig's control eluded him. Another walk. The third in only three innings of work for the former New York Met.
It is cruel to bring this up, but Roger Craig had come into the 1964 season after losing twenty games back-to-back with the 1962-63 Mets. But there should be no doubt Craig was a pretty good pitcher. And an experienced one, too. He'd been with the Dodgers back in 1955 when they were in Brooklyn. In the October Classic of that year, he'd started a game and ended up the winning pitcher. This helped the Dodgers win their first World Series. Craig was the losing pitcher in game three a year later at Yankee Stadium.
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, it seemed like Roger Craig's pitching skill moved up. He was just 2-1 in 1958 for LA as the pitcher with a split-fingered fastball had an arm injury. Craig spent most of the season with St. Paul of the American Association ("AAA" level), going just 5-17. 1959 included a stint at Spokane of the Pacific Coast League ("AAA" level), but everything was just fine now. Craig was 6-7 with a 3.19 earned run average in Spokane, but 11-5 with a 2.06 ERA with the parent club. The Los Angeles Dodgers went all the way that year, and Roger Craig had another World Series ring.
His contributions didn't stop there. Craig followed that up with an 8-3 record in only 21 games (15 starts in 1960). The Dodgers, you see, had a good team, but were waiting for some kid named Sandy Koufax (Only 8-13 that year despite 197 strikeouts) to wake up and show all that potential.
Well, Koufax was 18-13 in 1961, and Johhny Podres was 18-5. Don Drysdale was only 13-10 and Stan Williams 15-13. There suddenly wasn't much room for Roger Craig to be a starter. Not helping matters was his bad year. In 40 games (14 starts) Craig was a disappointing 5-6 with a 6.15 earned run average. That's probably what got him left unprotected in the expansion draft. It was off to New York. His experience with the Mets was tough. If you eliminate the two years with New York, Roger's won-loss record for his career is 59-52.
And even with St. Louis in 1964, Roger Craig couldn't pitch a winning record for a team that won 93 games. However, '64 marked the third straight year Roger's earned run average dropped. Remember when I said it was 6.15 for LA in 1961? Well, with the New York Mets the next season it was 4.51, despite going only 10-24. Craig then was just 5-22 in 1963, as the Mets followed up their 40-120 first year record with a 51-111 year. Roger that dropping ERA, 3.78.
So 1964 saw another drop, to a very respectable 3.25. The win-loss record was just 7-9, alas. So over a four-year stretch from 1961-64, Roger Craig was 27-61. That didn't seem to matter by the time he got to game four of the World Series that year.
So where were we? The New York Yankees were batting in the last of the fourth. One on, one out. Craig stared down Clete Boyer. On the first pitch, Clete had a single. New York now had a total of five baserunners on Roger (Two singles, three walks).
Craig settled down. He fanned pitcher Al Downing for his sixth strikeout. Leadoff batter Phil Linz then became Roger Craig's seventh victim of the K. A fine 1-2-3 fifth saw another strikeout for the former Met. Eight strikeouts in four and two-third innings.
It had kept the score 3-0 for the New York Yankees. But Yankee starter Al Downing had picked up were he left off in game one. Remember that 1-2-3 seventh by Downing in game one? Well, that was pretty much the story through five innings of this fourth contest. The St. Louis Cardinals had been retired in order in the first, second, fourth and fifth frames. In the third, they managed to get a two baserunners via a walk and a single, but nothing came of it.
Roger Craig would leave the game as Carl Warwick batted for him to start the top of the sixth. Warwick had been 2-2 coming off the bench in the 1964 World Series. He made it 3-3 with a single. Curt Flood, who'd had the first Cards' hit back in the third, followed with a single of his own. But then Lou Brock flied out.
Dick Groat then appeared to end the inning by grounding the ball just to the right of second. Bobby Richardson got it, but then seemed to have trouble getting the ball out of the leather. He tossed wide to shortstop Phil Linz, who covering the bag. Linz was dumped by Flood anyways.
So the bases were loaded for Ken Boyer. A fastball by Al Downing missed, 1-0. Elston Howard wanted another heater to Boyer. The packed Yankee Stadium had many a white shirt in centre field, and the lefty pitcher's fastball's weren't being seen well by the St. Louis batters. But Downing shook off the sign for fastball, wanting to go with a changeup. Howard settled on that, too.
However, Downing delivered a pitch that caught too much of the dish. Worse still, the thing didn't dance the way it should and was at the letters. Boyer smashed it to left, the ball ending up fair in the stands by a narrow margin. The Cardinals had a 4-3 lead.
Bill White popped out and Mike Shannon flied out to Roger Maris in centre. Pete Mikkelsen was in the bullpen, and his team now needed some offence. St. Louis went with Canadian Ron Taylor to pitch the bottom of the inning. Down went the Yankees 1-2-3.
St. Louis then went back at it in the top of the seventh. The first batter was Tim McCarver. Al Downing couldn't find the plate. Four straight balls and the Cardinals' catcher was on first. Dal Maxvill was up, and took two more balls from Downing. It was time to make way for Pete Mikkelsen.
With McCarver running, Maxvill grounded out to second. St. Louis seemed to have mastered the fine art of avoiding double plays. Now, here is where things got a little easier for Mikkelsen, however. The next batter was the pitcher. Ron Taylor was not much of a hitter, having hit .133 (2-15) in 1964 and .103 for his career. Pete fanned him. Leadoff hitter Curt Flood was up next, and Pete Mikkelsen was up to the challenge, getting him to ground out.
The New York Yankees came back up in the bottom of the seventh, but were retired in order. This was where Pete Mikkelsen's day ended. Johhny Blanchard batted for him, but could only fly out. Ralph Terry held the opposition in check the next two innings, but so did Ron Taylor. The fine effort of the St. Louis bullpen helped the visitors tie the Fall Classic, 2-2.
Bob Gibson pitched for the Cardinals in game five, and didn't need help from the bullpen. Mel Stottlemyre stayed with him. While Gibson was on his way to thirteen strikeouts, Mel fanned the side in the top of the first to leave the bases loaded.
Gibson also left the bases loaded in the game, in the last of the second. The scoreless deadlock was broken when the Cardinals scored twice in the top fifth. It wasn't exactly Stottlemyre's fault. He fanned Dal Maxvill for his fifth K in just four and a third innings. But Bob Gibson blooped a single that Tom Tresh, charging in from the outfield, couldn't get to. The ball dropped in off Tresh's glove. Curt Flood hit a ball similar to Dick Groat's from the last game: Close to second...Where Bobby Richardson watched as it took a bad bounce and he couldn't come up with it! Just like in game four, the visitors pounced on this miscue. Lou Brock singled home the game's first run. Bill White hit another grounder, and Richardson was not gonna miss this one. The toss to Phil Linz forced Brock. The throw to Joe Pepitone at first was low. Joe made a fine play to come up with it as it appeared the Yankees had gotten out of the inning with just that one run scored. The call at first by umpire Al Smith was safe. So it was 2-0 St. Louis.
Stottlemyre continued to pitch well despite this setback. In the sixth, Mel faced just three batters. Tim McCarver managed to single. But then, Mike Shannon grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Stottlemyre ended up with three frames where he faced only three batters. In the third inning, the 1-2-3 inning by Mel Stottlemyre was aided on a fine play by Clete Boyer on his older brother.
The Cardinals seemed like they were destined for more as the seventh inning rolled around. The first two batters were retired, including Bob Gibson via a strikeout. It was Mel Stottlemyre's sixth K. But then both Curt Flood and Lou Brock singled. Bill White hit it to left, where Tom Tresh made a fine catch.
Mel Stottlemyre was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the frame. The New York Yankees got a leadoff single by Joe Pepitone, but nothing more. In the eighth, the Cardinals would now face Hal Reniff, the new pitcher for the Yankees. Ken Boyer grounded out.
But like the last inning, it was time for the St. Louis bats to wake up. Dick Groat singled. So did Tim McCarver. Here's where Pete Mikkelsen was needed.
So Mikkelsen did indeed enter the ballgame, and just like the previous contest, New York trailed. Again, Pete had to hold the fort. Mike Shannon was the first batter to face him. Pete struck him out. That gave him and Mel Stottlemyre a combined seven K's in seven and two-third innings. They were still matching Bob Gibson in that category. Gibson was up to eleven of his own. Dal Maxvill forced Tim McCarver at second.
Speaking of Gibson, he got the home side out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eight. And he picked up some lumber to face Pete Mikkelsen to start the ninth. Our boy, who like Mel Stottlemyre possessed a great sinker, gave Gibby a dose of his own medicine by fanning him. Pete was pitching amazing. Two strikeouts in just an inning of work. Curt Flood and Lou Brock were dangerous hitters. But not to Pete Mikkelsen. He got Flood to line out to Clete Boyer at third. Brock sent it to centre, where Roger Maris got it. The Yankees' centre fielder been getting to everything, including a tough one off the bat of Mike Shannon in the fourth. Roger had to come in with one hand to snare the drive to short centre. But all this did not prevent the visiting team from heading into the last half inning up, 2-0.
Gibson, now pitching the bottom of the ninth, was just three outs away from winning the game. The home team wasn't about to go quietly into the night. Mickey Mantle hit a grounder to short. Dick Groat couldn't come up with it. A costly error. Elston Howard fanned.
It was time for another closer play at first. Joe Pepitone hit a comebacker that hit Bob Gibson and rolled towards Ken Boyer at third. But Gibson, who was an amazing athlete, pounced on it and threw to first even though the momentum of his body was carrying him towards third. Pepitone was called out at first, and New York was mad at the call. First base coach Jim Gleeson, Joe Pepitone and finally manager Yogi Berra were pissed off.
Tom Tresh followed all that mayhem by belting a Bob Gibson over he fence in right centre. You can see how big a play it was that Gibson made to get Pepitone out! Had he not, the game would be over and New York would have themselves a dramatic 3-2 win.
So the game carried on into the tenth inning. And sadly for Pete Mikkelsen, the wheels really came off the chariot. For the Yankees, too.
The thing you don't do to start an inning is walk a batter. But that's precisely what Pete Mikkelsen did to start the top of the tenth. Bill White was on first when Ken Boyer laid down a bunt. Neither Joe Pepitone nor Pete Mikkelsen could field it, as second basemen Bobby Richardson headed towards first to take the throw.
So two on, no outs. The Cardinals needed to get out of this double play situation. Dick Groat was up. And like Ken Boyer, his intentions were to bunt. But Groat had no luck with Pete Mikkelsen's prize pitch, a sinker for strike one. Bill White was running to third on the play, and now was a dead duck as Dick Groat had missed. White faked going back to second, then turned on the jets to third. Elston Howard had gunned the throw to second to get Bill White. But Phil Linz's throw to Pedro Gonzalez (Who'd taken over at third base for the New York Yankees in the top of the eighth) was late. Now, St. Louis had runners on the corners. And still nobody out.
The task was steep for Pete Mikkelsen. However, he got Dick Groat to force Ken Boyer at second, with Bill White holding at third. It seemed though, like the St. Louis Cardinals baserunners were playing havoc with the New York Yankees' entire team. Lou Brock, in the first game, had gone first to third on a single to right by Groat. Brock was the type of baserunner that challenged the arms of the great Roberto Clemente, and then in the 1964 World Series was daring the aging Mickey Mantle in right field to stop him. The Cardinals, as this series progressed, were testing the defence of the Yankees. And not just Brock and Curt Flood.
Tim McCarver, a left-handed hitter, was the next batter. He'd be a part of a daring double steal in game seven, that was successful. So even the St. Louis catcher was getting in on the act. Here, in game five, with the winner of this contest to obtain the lead in this Fall Classic, he'd done his part. Sure, Tim had struck out first time up, then grounded up in his second at bat. From there, McCarver was 2-2 with a pair of singles. It seemed like there would be a new pitcher for the Yankees. Lefty Steve Hamilton was up and ready. Surely, manager Yogi Berra would go with a lefty-lefty matchup. Berra left his righty relief star in. You know, Steve Hamilton had plenty of postseason experience. And not just in baseball. He'd pitched in the the 1963 World Series. And he'd scored a dozen points in game three of the 1959 National Basketball Association Finals. Hamilton was a two-sports star.
Against Phil Mikkelsen, the Cardinals' catcher got ahead in the count 3-1. Then, Tim McCarver saw a high fastball. All he could do with it was foul it off. The payoff pitch was sinker, and McCarver drilled it to deep right. There was no way Mickey Mantle was getting to this with his bad knees. Nor was there any way Mantle's arm could come up with a good throw. None of that actually mattered. The ball ended up in the bleachers for a three-run home run, all but sewing up a 5-2 St. Louis win.
Mikkelsen fanned Mike Shannon, to make it three strikeouts in just two and a thirds innings. That also upped the New York pitchers to nine total strikeouts in just nine and two-thirds innings. But did it matter? Dal Maxvill grounded back to Pete Mikkelsen, who threw to Joe Pepitone at first to finally end the carnage.
The strikeouts meant more to Bob Gibson, who was three outs away from ending this fifth contest. And now he had a three-run lead. Mike Hegan batted for Mikkelsen and became victim number thirteen of Gibson's on the afternoon. Phil Linz popped out. Bobby Richardson, who was really annoying Bob Gibson today (2-4), kept the ballgame going with his third hit. Roger Maris came back up. Gibson had had little trouble with him all day, holding Maris to 0-4. Roger popped it up to foul territory. Ken Boyer leaned into the stands to make an excellent catch for the final out.
Going back to St. Louis for games six (And possibly seven), the New York Yankees might have been a tad discouraged. But you know this team: It was just a matter of time before their bats came alive and did some serious damage!
Well, game six was 1-0 for the home team after just one inning, but it didn't hold. Come the fifth, the Yankees woke up. Their pitcher, Jim Bouton, drove in the tying run. Their two big bats of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris took over from there. Back-to-back home runs by Mickey and Roger put New York ahead for good in the top of the sixth. You think the Yankees were done? Nope. Elston Howard singled home a run in the top of the eighth off Barney Schultz. Then, with the bases empty, it was Joe Pepitone that applied the coup de grâce with a grand slam. Two more meaningless runs by the Cardinals made the final 8-3.
So it came down to Bob Gibson vs. Mel Stottlemyre in game seven. Gibson would not be the pitcher he'd been in the third contest. The Yankees seemed to have a rally going against him all day long.
In the top of the second, Gibson fanned Mickey Mantle. But then Elston Howard hit a single. One out later, Tom Tresh hit a single. Clete Boyer reached on an error. Bob Gibson had to fan his mound adversary Mel Stottlemyre to end that threat.
It was one of those bad innings by the New York Yankees that the St. Louis Cardinals took full advantage of to break the ice. That being the bottom of the fourth.
Ken Boyer, who'd sure would have one awesome game seven, got it all going with a single. Dick Groat walked. Tim McCarver grounded to first. Another good play by Joe Pepitone resulted in the Yankee first baseman getting to the ball. The throw to second for the force was in time. But the throw back to first, with Mel Stottlemyre covering the bag, was not on the money. Phil Linz, the shortstop in place of Tony Kubek (Who suffered a late-season injury and missed all of this Fall Classic) threw wide of first. This enabled Ken Boyer, who made it to third as Dick Groat was forced, scored as a result. Three bad things also happened: Stottlemyre ended up hurting his arm and St. Louis ended up tacking on two more runs before the inning was over!
Mike Shannon singled to right, sending Tim McCarver to third. An amazing play happened next. The St. Louis Cardinals attempted a double steal. It surprised Elston Howard, who never ended up getting Shannon at second, due to a bad toss. Bobby Richardson threw home. And it was a bad, low throw, that didn't get Tim McCarver. Dal Maxvill, who'd seen this all unfold at the dish, then singled to right. Mickey Mantle's throw home was not on the mark. Mike Shannon would score from second.
Stottlemyre was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth. The New York Yankees were trying to redeem themselves. Bob Gibson was helping them. Tom Tresh, continuing his excellent World Series (Coming into game seven, Tom was 5-25, but had two home runs and seven RBI! So far in this winner-take-all game, Tom was 1-1) walked. Clete Boyer flied out to centre. But then Mike Hegan batted for the pitcher and walked. Phil Linz, who'd singled his last time up, appeared to have a hit to get the visiting team on the board. But Mike Shannon made an excellent catch in right. The throw to second got Tom Tresh.
Al Downing came in to try and stop St. Louis in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't. It took the Cardinals four pitches to rout Downing from the contest. First, Lou Brock greeted him with a home run on the very first pitch. Bill White singled. Ken Boyer doubled to right. This brought in a new pitcher, Rollie Sheldon. Sheldon had been a surprisingly good rookie, going 11-5 back in 1961 for the New York Yankees. But Rollie didn't seem to build on that, as he slumped to just 7-8 in his second year. That was bad enough to result in a full season in the minor leagues in 1963.
Sheldon was sort of the forgotten man on the Yankees' pitching staff in 1964. The same could be said of Ralph Terry. Manager Yogi Berra, for some reason, seemed to have no faith in either of them, despite both pitchers being on the postseason roster.
Terry had struggled early on in 1964, his record just 2-8 come July 5th. One of the reasons was, Ralph was not 100 percent. Terry had hurt his back during spring training, and was staring at an earned run average over six, five days into August. The back began to improve. And, so did his pitching. Just when it seemed too late, Ralph Terry was more the pitcher he'd been previous years for New York. He went 5-3 with four saves and a 2.74 earned run average the rest of the way (Thirteen appearances). Yogi Berra used him just once in the World Series in 1964.
Sheldon was a similar story in '64. His ERA was up to 4.12 on August 8th. Was there something magic in the air that touched first Ralph Terry and now Rollie Sheldon? There sure seemed to be. Sheldon might have only pitched eight more times during the regular season, but went 2-1 with a save and an ERA of just 2.60.
Rollie could not hold the fort here in the seventh game of the World Series. With two inherited runners on in the last of the fifth, Sheldon had to stop St. Louis. Dick Groat grounded out. But a run scored. Ken Boyer was on third with just one out. Tim McCarver hit it to right. Mickey Mantle did get to it, but Boyer beat his throw. Another "3" on the scoreboard. A 6-0 lead.
But New York woke up. Bob Gibson faced the number two, three and four hitters to start the sixth inning. He gave up three straight hits. It actually looked like Gibson was going to walk a batter. He got behind Bobby Richardson 3-0. Though Gibson got the count to 3-2, Richardson hit one to third. Ken Boyer got to it, but Richardson made it to first. It was the twelfth hit by the Yankees' second basemen in this Fall Classic. Ron Taylor started to throw in the St. Louis' bullpen. Bobby Gibson stared down Roger Maris. It appeared as though the pitcher would get him out. Quickly, Gibson got two strikes on Maris. Roger almost went around on an 0-2 pitch, but didn't. Roger fouled off a 1-2 pitch. The Cards' bullpen now had Roger Craig throwing, too. Maris was really hanging in there as he fouled off another Gibson pitch. Gibson missed his next pitch. 2-2. Roger slapped a single to right.
So, Mickey Mantle was back up to the dish. Maybe he wasn't so good in the field anymore. But Mickey could still swing the bat. He'd hit a walk-off to win game three. His home run in game six helped New York win 8-3. The Yankees really needed Mantle to through, and number seven did. His three-run home run to left cut the lead in half, 6-3. It was the famed Yankee slugger's third home run of this Fall Classic. A rout was now a ballgame.
The visiting Yankees had life. And they were a long twelve outs away from losing. Bob Gibson got out of the fifth inning without any further damage, despite walking Tom Tresh. Rollie Sheldon went back to the hill in the bottom of the sixth and got the Cardinals 1-2-3. The Mick actually made a fine catch in right on a ball hit by Curt Flood.
Bobby Richardson got his thirteenth hit in the top of the seventh with two away, to set a World Series record. Only two men, Lou Brock and Marty Barrett, have equaled Richardson's record for, "Most hits, 13, in one World Series." Gibson managed to get Roger Maris to line out to Mike Shannon in right. Roger made solid contact. Was the St. Louis pitcher tiring?
Well, there was a new pitcher for the New York Yankees in the bottom of the seventh: Steve Hamilton! Steve got off on the right foot. First, Lou Brock swung and missed on strike three. Curt Flood didn't swing at strike three, he looked at it. Two quick outs. But then, behind 2-1 on Ken Boyer, Hamilton didn't throw it by the batter. Instead, Boyer hit it into the stands in left. The next batter was Dick Groat. Groat, like Hamilton, played at one time in the NBA (For the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952/53). Groat grounded out to Ken Boyer's younger brother.
Bob Gibson got New York 1-2-3 in the top of the eight, even though Mickey Mantle connected solidly with one of his pitches. It was just a fly to Curt Flood in centre, alas. The Cardinals weren't about to put away their bats come the bottom of the frame, either.
It all started with that Steve Hamilton / Tim McCarver matchup we should have gotten in the top of the tenth inning in the fifth contest. McCarver, you'd think was overmatched, with it being a lefty / lefty matchup. Nope. Single.
Mike Shannon then hit a grounder to Clete Boyer. Boyer couldn't make the play. It seemed like, "Here we go again" for the New York Yankees. With a four-run lead, you had to think the St. Louis Cardinals were going to bunt. Dal Maxvill obliged, getting it down. Two more runners in scoring position. And just one away.
Well, Steve Hamilton wasn't gonna be the pitcher to get New York out of this jam. It was Pete Mikkelsen. Clete Boyer had made the assist on the Maxvill bunt, and now picked up Bob Gibson's grounder to third. Tim McCarver had been ninety feet away from home when his batterymate hit the ball. How did we get to this? Well, Gibby was trying to make his own work a littler easier in the upcoming ninth inning, you see. He was a little overanxious on the first pitch, just fouling it off. Another foul. 0-2. Well, McCarver dug towards home.
Clete Boyer tossed to Elston Howard at home. Howard ran towards the trapped runner, and then fired the ball back to Boyer as Tim McCarver headed back to third. Mike Shannon was also heading there, from second. The toss from Elston Howard actually ended up hitting Tim McCarver. Clete Boyer quickly picked up the ball as McCarver started back towards home. Mikkelsen had gone to the plate to make sure home was covered. Shannon, himself briefly trapped between second and third, had headed back to second. Shortstop Phil Linz had moved to third. Boyer was after McCarver, and fired to Mikkelsen at home. Pete got the ball and chased Tim McCarver back towards third base. Mikkelsen, to Phil Linz. The shorstop slapped the tag on Tim McCarver. Two away.
Clete Boyer was having quite an adventurous inning. But with two away, there were just runners on first and second. Curt Flood was back up. Flood smacked it right at Boyer. Clete caught it. The Yankee third basemen would be heard from again, shortly.
Bob Gibson was tiring, but needed just three more outs to lock up the 1964 World Series in the Cardinals favour. He stuff seemed to still be there as he started the top of the ninth on the right foot, fanning Tommy Tresh. Tom had given Bob and the rest of the St. Louis' pitching staff trouble all series long.
Clete Boyer came back up to the dish. Gibson got ahead in the count 1-2, but missed with his next pitch. Roger Craig and Ray Sadecki began to throw for St. Louis. Boyer fouled off a pitch. The next pitch was lined foul by Clete. The Cardinals' pitcher missed high for ball three. The payoff pitch was hit into the stands in left. The solo home run made it 7-4.
Bob Gibson faced Johnny Blanchard next, who was batting for Pete Mikkelsen. Gibson fanned him. One more out to go. But then Phil Linz was up and trying to redeem himself from some poor fielding in the series. He'd hit a home run in the top of the ninth in game two. In this contest, Phil had hit the ball well, but was only 1-4. But he'd been robbed of hits by Ken Boyer in the first game, and here in this contest by Mike Shannon. So while he came in hitting .200 (6-30), Phil Linz was by no means an easy out.
Linz fouled off a pitch. Strike out. But then, the shortstop hit Bob Gibson's next pitch over Lou Brock in left for a solo home run of his own. Things were getting interesting. The St. Louis Cardinals had led by six runs after five innings. They'd still be up by four runs going into the ninth. And hadn't they had a golden opportunity to score more runs in the last of the eight? Pete Mikkelsen's strong outing was making a difference.
And now, Bobby Richardson was up. He was hitting the ball amazingly well. Thirteen hits in seven games. Seven hits, alone, vs. Bob Gibson (Richardson was now 7-13 against Gibson for an amazing .538 batting average) This was the guy you wanted up. Bob Gibson dug deep and got him to pop up to Dal Maxvill at second. This exciting World Series was finally over.
Pete Mikkelsen had to be content with his 0-1 record and a 5.79 earned run average despite two pretty good outings. Like many of the New York Yankees on this 1964 team, he never returned to the World Series. That being said, Pete remained a solid pitcher for the rest of his career, that ended with Los Angeles in 1972.
Mikkelsen eventually became a grape farming. In his spare time, Pete enjoyed hunting and golfing, possibly staying single his entire life. He died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 67.
References
Gallagher, Mark. “Home Runs of Baseball’s Greatest Player.” Explosion!: Mickey Mantle’s Legendary Home Runs, HarperCollins, Toronto, ON, 1987, pp. 205–2007.
Golenbock, Peter. “1964.” Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964, Dover Publications, Mineola, NY, 2000, pp. 511–539.
Halberstam, David. October 1964. Penguin Random House Canada, Toronto, ON,1994.
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed., Raincoast Books, Richmond, BC, 1990.
Skelton, David E. “Pete Mikkelsen.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 7 Mar. 2016, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/pete-mikkelsen/.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 15 Nov. 2021.
Sports Reference LLC. Basketball-Reference.com - Basketball Statistics and History. https://www.basketball-reference.com/. 22 Nov. 2021 (Update)
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