World Series: Did You Know?

Roger Maris went yard in his first plate appearance in the Fall Classic.

Not quite a fan-favourite during his time in New York, Maris nonetheless made an imediate impact there, long before his 61st home run in 1961. There was the matter of Roger Maris in 1960, you know. And it before the World Series, too!

Coming to the Yankees in a one-sided deal with Kansas, Roger hit 39, home runs and 112 RBIs. He had missed three games in April, and then fifteen more in August in a play at second base. At the time of his August injury, Roger had 35 home runs, 95 RBIs and a .291 batting average in only 108 games.

So Roger hit only four more home runs to close out the '60 campaign. But the Yankees, who still had Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, caught fire in September. Those three, had much to do with it.

So in game one of the 1960 Fall Classic, it was the Pittsburgh Pirates that opposed the New York Yankees. The Series would open in Pittsburgh, where it was played at Forbes Field. The ballpark itself was a pitcher's favourite. But Roger proved otherwise in game one.

Vernon Law started for Pittsburgh. And what a season he had for the Pirates: 20-9 with 18 complete games and a fine 3.08 ERA! Enough to bring home the Cy Young Award.

Tony Kubek greeted him with a single to start things off in the top of the first for New York. So Hector Lopz stepped in. Roger Maris was now in the on-deck circle. All Hector really had to do was get Kubek to second. Roger had to figure, "They'll pitch to me!" Why? Because some chaps named Mantle and Berra were hitting behind him.

Hector, though, did the wrong thing in this situation. He tried to bunt and failed to get the bat on the ball. Then, Hector hit a grounder towards second, which the Pirates quickly did a twin-killing on. Maris went from a potential RBI situation to a bases-empty, two-out situation. Some situations in baseball dry up faster than rain on a humid day.

Roger, though, was undaunted. He smacked a pitch from Law out of the park in right for quite a home run. It was, of course, a solo shot. Mantle flied out to centre, so that was all the mighty Bronx Bombers got.

Pittsburgh did not waste time either, however. They scored three runs themselves in the bottom of the frame to erase that lead. And they didn't relinquish it, either. They went on to win the game, 6-4.



Maris had two more hits for good measure. It was not enough. Vernon Law, who gave up ten hits in only seven innings, ended up with the win. That was his 21st triumph if you include the postseason.

New York Yankee fans have 21 questions on this Fall Classic. Namely, how did they lose it? Their offence was amazing and they seemed to have the pitching, too! The Pirates, were a little better in the timing department, however.

The Yankees had brought Maris over from Kansas when their franchise was on the downward spiral. Or at least, that's what it seemed in 1959 when they finished third. Lost in Maris' impact, and in this disappointing Fall Classic, was Roger's sense of good timing in his first plate appearance!

World Series: Did You Know?

Elroy Face was the first pitcher to record more than two saves in the Fall Classic.

The stat, which was introduced by writers and historians in the 1950s, took on a meaning in as writer Jerome Holtzman put together a more meaningful way of assessing it. Previously, a save was given by some in baseball to pitchers who did little more than finish the game for the winning team but not pick up the win.

So Larry Sherry had pickup up two in 1959, looking great to go along with two wins. That regular season it was Elroy with an 18-1 record in relief. He added 10 saves, going along with the creteria for them at the time. But four of the wins were from blown saves, as was his lone loss. Also, Face blew four additional saves where he failed to pick up a decision.

So in some ways, Elroy was better in 1960. He won 10 games, still a pretty good total. But none of them were the result of blown saves. He also saved 24 games. He blew three saves in his losses, which totalled eight, but only two additional lost saves were in no decisions. Face ended 1960 with more games pitched (68) and innings pitched (114 2/3) then in 1959 (57 and 93 1/3). His ERA rose from 2.70 to 2.90, and the Pirates went 33-23 (one tie) in games Elroy pitched in 1959. In '60 it was actually a little worse. Pittsburgh went 39-28 (again, one tie) in his appearances.

But that should not detract that Elroy Face was clearly the man out of the 'pen in Pittsburgh. Years before Kenny Tekulve (who record three saves of his own in the 1979 Fall Classic) it was Elroy nailing down the last outs when the Pirates needed it the most.

Face had something huge going for him, though, that Tekulve did not. It was still the old system of saves being used. I'm not quite sure when the "new" criteria came into play. I suspect 1969, as that's when saves became an official stat.

Elroy hopped into the first game of the 1960 World Series, in which Pittsburgh was facing the New York Yankees. It was 6-2, Pirates at home. The first two batters had reached base in the top of the eighth. There were no outs. This actually is a save situation by today's standards as the Yankees had the tying run on-deck. But it was Mickey Mantle at the dish and Yogi Berra next. Mantle was not the type of guy to hit into a double-play.

But Face got The Mick to look at strike three. Then it was Berra's turn, as Moose Skowron looked on as the tying run. But Berra could only fly out. Neither Hector Lopez, at second, or Roger Maris at first, advanced. Skowron then became Face's second K.

In the top of the ninth, after Ryne Duren (who posed a 1.88 ERA himself in 1959 and 32 consecutive shutout innings that year from the pen) held Pittsburgh at bay, the Yankees got to Face.

Elston Howard went yard with a man on, and it was now 6-4 Pirates with only one out. Next, Tony Kubek hit a single. The tying run was at the dish!

It was Hector Lopez. He had two weaknesses. 1) He was poor defensively (which didn't matter here) and 2) He was slow (which did matter here).

Face got him to ground into an inning ending double play. So it went into any and all record books, then and now, as a save. But for a while, it didn't look like Elroy would get another in this World Series. The Yankees had too much firepower, you see.



They showed in game two, as New York won 16-3. Then Whitey Ford started his legendary shutout streak with an all-too-easy 10-0 shutout. Mantle, who Face fanned in game one, hit three home runs in those two games. Games four and five would be at Yankees Stadium, where Ford and his mates seemed unstoppable.

But Pittsburgh won game four, 3-2. Face came into pitch in the last of the seventh with Pittsburgh clinging to that 3-2 lead. Then, the Pirates looked done like dinner.

Johnny Blanchard batted for Bobby Shantz and singled. Then, Bob Cerv, crushed one of Face's offerings to deep right centre. It was up to Bill Virdon to make the catch. Joe DeMaestri, who was running for Blanchard, tagged and made it to third. It were two outs, but the tying run was ninety feet away. Kubek grounded back to Face. The inning was over. As was the Yankees offence.

Face got 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth as Roger Maris went down on a fly, Mantle fanned and Berra grounded out. When Elroy had another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth, the 1960 World Series was square at two, and Elroy Face's name was alongside Larry Sherry's with most saves in a single World Series. After game five, he had that record, all to himself.



Harvey Haddix, went out and held New York to just two runs. Pittsburgh had only four themselves as New York batted in the bottom of the seventh. But they had two more runners on as Lopez moved Kubek (who had singled) to second with a single. Richardson had been retired by Haddix to start the inning, but it was the last out he recorded. The Pirates needed Face to save face and the game.

A grounder by Gil McDougald forced Kubek. And then Face fanned Maris to get out of there. From there on in, all New York got was a walk to Mantle (The Mick's third of the game.). The Pirates scored on Duren in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch.



With a 5-2 win, Pittsburgh was back ahead in the 1960 Fall Classic for the first time since game one. And although the dropped game six back at home, the Pirates ultimately won game seven.

Elroy Face may have not pitched that well in the 1960 World Series, as New York scored four earned runs off him in game seven for good measure. Bill Virdon's catch in game four was also needed. But regardless, when Pittsburgh needed Face, he came in and did the job more often than not in 1960, from April to October!


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

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

Retrosheet. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.

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. 13 Oct. 2014.

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 Oct. 2014. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.

Youtube. Youtube. Web. 13 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

World Series: Did You Know?

Bill Mazeroski won the 1960 Fall Classic with a walk off home run in the seventh game. You knew that! But did you also know, that wasn't his only home run in that Series?

Game one of '60 was in Pittsburgh, where the underdog Pirates must have been expecting the worst. Here they were, in from of their fans, and ready to feel the wrath of the New York Yankees. The M and M Boys (Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle) had 79 home runs to their name that year alone. That, to go along with some other guys who knew how to leave the park, must have sent shudders down the Bucks back

But, of course, the Pirates did have guys like Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat, Bob Skinner, and Mazeroski with the sticks, right?

So in game one in Pittsburgh, it was Roger Maris that got things going as expected with a solo home run in the top of the first. Right off the bat, it seemed, it was the Yankees showing the Pirates that they were not in New Yorkès league.

But, if you can believe it, Pittsburgh came back in the bottom of the frame with RBIs from Groat, Skinner and Clemente! It was 3-1 Pirates. Now that was a lift that was needed! But, you had to think Pittsburgh needed more touches of home!

In the top of the fourth, the Bronx Bombers struck back. Maris struck the match again, leading off with a single. Vernon Law, the Pirates' starter, pitched carefully to Mickey Mantle. Too carefully. Vernon walked him. Yogi Berra flied out, but the swift Maris took third. When Moose Skowron singled, it was only a one-run game and only one out. Law managed to get out of there. But more offence was really needed now!

Here's where Mazeroski helped. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Don Hoak walked. Maz stepped in and smacked a two-run home run to put Pittsburgh up by three, 5-2. Law was then hit by a pitch, but the next two batters were retired.

Pittsburgh did not need anything more from the bats in this game one. They did add another tally in bottom of the sixth to make it 6-2. The Yankees didn't exactly go quietly in the top of the ninth. Elston Howard crashed a surprising two-run home run off Elroy Face to cut it to 6-4. The next batter, Tony Kubek, then got a single to bring the tying run to the dish with only one out. But Hector Lopez grounded into a game-ending double play. The Pittsburgh Pirates had drawn first blood in the 1960 Fall Classic. And they went on to win.

The Pirates already had the lead in this game, unlike game seven, when Bill Mazeroski delivered the long ball. But think about a situation like this, the first game, great opposition, tight game, the list goes on. You need the big hit to make you believe. Maz did just that. His home run put the game out of reach. The Yankees, with their time-honoured tradition of October success, were not about to be an easy push overs. Here, the Pirates had to think sweep (New York had done just that to Pittsburgh in 1927, the Pirates last Fall Classic appearance prior to this) was the likely outcome. They overcame that fear with this win, and it was their slick-fielding second basemen that delivered the unlikely knockout blow!


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 Books, 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.

Retrosheet. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.

Haddix: Was His 1960 Contribution Better Than 1959?

Harvey Haddix had the 12 inning perfect game (at least is was considered one at the time). It was 1959.

But the Pirates finished 78-76, for only 4th in the NL. In 1960, the Pirates finished first.

Haddix's performance dropped off. Although only 11-11 in 1959 (11-10 in 1960), he finished first in the NL in H/9 (7.6) and WHIP (1.061). Compare that to 9.9 H/9 and 1.317 WHIP in 1960, which wasn't even good enough for a top ten finish.

Haddix also finished 1959 8th in ERA (3.13), 6th in BB/9 (2.0), 6th in K/9 (6) and 6th in K's (149). He also finished 14 games, which was good enough for 9th. On the negative side, Harvey allowed 26 homeruns, which was good enough for 4th. His K/BB ratio was 3.0 for 1959, placing him 3rd.

And he made no errors in 43 chances to lead the NL in fielding percentage as a pitcher. This helped earn him his second straight gold glove.

1960, as mentioned above, was a different story for the most part.

His ERA was 3.97, but he did record an almost identical BB/9 (actually it was 1.985, whereas the season before it was actually 1.966). This was good enough for 5th place in the NL in 1960.

But his K/9 dropped from 6.0 to 5.3, and he actually gave up the exact same amount of hits in 1960 that he allowed in the 1959, 189. But he pitched less innings: 172.1 in 1960 compared to 224.1 in 1959. Neither, it should be noted, was enough for a top ten finish.

But Haddix's 13 homeruns allowed was the fewest he ever allowed in a full season. That allowed Harvey to finish 10th in fewest HR/9 in 1960 (0.7). In 1959, he allowed 1.0 HR/9. His K/BB ratio dropped from 3.0 to 2.7, but he managed to finish 6th among National League hurlers in 1960.

But, you know, how about Harvey Haddix's batting and fielding from 1959 and 1960? Here, is where it is better!

Haddix hit only .145 in 1959. In 1960, he hit .254. He drove in, and scored 7 runs. In 1959, Haddix had only 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. And Haddix had 17 more plate appearances in 1959. The .254 batting average was topps among pitchers with 70 or more plate appearances.

Fielding-wise, his Range Factor Per 9 Innings was just 1.73 in 1959. His Range Factor Per Game that season was just 1.39. So had he really fielded that well that year?

He topped both those marks in 1960, as his 2.87 R/9 put together in 1960 placed him 3rd. And Haddix's 1.90 R/G saw him in 5th place. He won another Gold Glove. It was his third straight (and final time) he would win it.

But baseball is a team game. 1959 ended with no postseason for the Pirates. 1960 ended with a World Championship for the Pirates. And it was against the great New York Yankees.

Haddix won 2 games. He pitched one hell of a game in game 5: 6.1 5H 2(E)R, 2BB, 6K. Harvey even got a hit in the game.

He also allowed a homerun by Roger Maris, but that came in the bottom of the third with the Pirates up 4-1. The Yankees would come no closer in the game, as Pittsburgh won it, 5-2.

The would win game 7, but that was in relief.

It had been a back and forth game. One of the best, most exciting game 7's you will ever see in baseball.

The Pirates took an early 4-0 lead. But the Yankees scored a run in the top of the  5th, 4 more in the next inning, and then 2 more in the top of the 8th.

The Pirates came back in the bottom of the frame. They crossed the plate 5 times. That's because a sure double-play ball hit by Bill Virdon, hit a pebble (dislodged from the ground by an earlier base runner) and then hit Tony Kubek in the throat.

Elroy Face had been removed by pinch hitter Gino Cimoli in that big 8th inning. So it was Bob Friend on the hill as the Pirates were just 3 outs away from an amazing upset.

But Bobby Richardson (just stick him into these situations, and what do you get?) led off with a single. And then Dale Long followed it with a pinch-hit single. Oh, those Yankees. They just don't roll over and die, do they? That's what brought Haddix into the game.

The first batter was a left hander, Roger Maris. Although a year away from 61 homeruns, it's not like his 1960 season was chopped liver. No, his 1960 season produced 39 homeruns in only 136 games. And Roger added two more here in the World Series.

So, as mentioned earlier, one of them was off Haddix. Harvey was here to stop Maris from belting another and putting the Yankees back on top. On top for good, in all likelihood.

It seemed to work as Maris popped out to catcher Hal Smith, whose 3 run dinger in the bottom of the eighth led to 3 of the 5 runs. But Mickey Mantle singled to score Richardson. Long made it to third. And then something odd happened.

Long was replaced by pinch-runner Gil McDougald, who was playing in what turned out to be his last game.

Anyways, Yogi Berra grounded to first. Rocky Nelson stepped on first for the second out, then looked at Mantle, who was standing there a little off the bag. Mantle was dead. But with a fake to the left and a slide to the right, Mantle made it under the tag! McDougald scored. Never count the Yankees out.

Moose Skowron grounded to Dick Groat the shortstop. Groat tossed to second basemen Bill Mazeroski for the force of Mantle at second. Bill had no idea what was about to happen to that very ball in his hand.

Ralph Terry, who had finally gotten the Yankees out of the 8th inning, was on to face the bottom of the Pirates. The first batter he faced was Mazeroski.

The first pitch was a high slider, ball one.

But then Terry threw a fat slider. Mazeroski jumped on it, and sent the ball over the left-field wall in left. The Pirates were World Series Champions. This was the first time the Fall Classic had ever ended with a homerun. And, like I said earlier, Harvey Haddix was the game winning pitcher in game 7!

Isn't that how you like to contribute at the end of a season?


References

Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print. pp. 380-381.

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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 03 Sept. 2013.