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Friday, October 27, 2017

World Series Game #3 NYY Dynasty


TRIVIA QUESTION: While the Yankees didn't win a World Series between 1962 and 1976, they did play in some. How many losing appearances did the Yankees make during that time?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The only two regular starters in the line up of the 1961 Yankees who failed to hit home runs in double digits were the middle infielders. Bobby Richards hit three homers and Tony Kubek blasted eight. Everyone else hit at least 11 with Maris topping out at 61.


Since this is 2017 World Series Week, we'll be taking a look at the matching World Series games of the 1960's. Each of the next eight blogs will deal with a corresponding game where possible. This blog deals with the third game of the 1962 series while the next will deal with Game 4 of the 1963 series and so on. If the 2017 series is shorter than seven games we'll continue the series on here.

                                                 
                                                        1962 (Game Three)
                                       San Francisco at the New York Yankees

Some liken it to the beginning of the end of an era. This particular game was in the middle of that final World Series for the Yankees for a decade to come.
 
It often times comes down to one big inning and the 1962 World Series followed the exact same scenario in Game Three. Each team had won a game and by the time the Series moved to New York, it was anybody's contest. The Yankees won the first game 6-2 while the Giants took the second 2-0. Game three was a face off between two good but not outstanding pitchers.

For New York it was Bill Stafford. It seems he was always around the series back then. Coming off a pair of 14 win seasons he was perfect to start the third game of the Fall Classic. He was going up against Billy Pierce. Pierce had won 16 against six losses and was coming off his final good year. Two years later he would be out of baseball with 211 wins in a career which spanned two decades and saw him twice win 20 games with the White Sox.



In this game he looked solid for six innings. Then in the seventh a lead off single by Tom Tresh was followed by another single by Mickey Mantle with Tresh advancing to third on an error by left fielder Felipe Alou. When Roger Maris singled home Tresh Mantle went to third When Willie McCovery mishandled the ball in right field, Maris heading into second. 

Don Larsen, the aging one, came into face Elston Howard who lift a flyball to Willie Mays in Center and everybody moved up 90 feet. Larsen hit Moose Skowron putting runners at first and third. Clete Boyer hit a gronder to short and got the out at second but could not complete the double play. Maris came home with the unearned run; number three. Stafford grounded out to end  the inning but the damage was done.

Stafford held his own until the ninth when Mays led off with a double and two batters later Ed Bailey sent one over the wall in deep right field. But that was all the Giants got and Stafford closed them out 3-2 finishing with a brilliant 4-hitter, walking two and striking out Five.

The two teams took it to seven games where a double play ball by Tony Kubek drove in Moose Skowron for the only run of the game and the Yankees took game 7, 1-0.  Ralph Terry pitching a masterful 4-hit shutout and didn't walk a batter. 

It was probably one of the quietest World Series in modern history and the last the Yankees would win until 1976. It was the end of the Dynasty of the period and the beginning of a free for all of teams claiming the be the Kings of Baseball.

Please pick up a copy of my book "Tales of My Baseball Youth; A Child of the 60's" at www.bobbrillbooks.com, or on Amazon











































































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