Sunday, August 27, 2023

The Year the Mets LOST Last Place

TRIVIA WINNER: The winner of this week's trivia contest is Chuck Riffee of Glen Allen, VA, who correctly answered the question the losing pitcher in Joe Nuxhall's first MLB win was Hoyt Wilhelm. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

TRIVIA CONTEST: By answering the TRIVIA QUESTION CORRECTLY you are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a Starbucks Gift Card. YOU MUST ENTER VIA THE EMAIL AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN. Please put your mailing address in with the answer so if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: At one time over the course of the 1966 season, nine players were on the Mets roster at age 30 or older. Which one had the most career home runs, and which other one had the most career wins as a pitcher?

Most people don't think of Ken Boyer as a New York Met, preferring his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he was a Met and also played with more teams including the White Sox and the Dodgers. However, it was as a Met where he made history. Few people remember but it was Boyer who drove in the winning run in a non-essential game in 1966.

(RARE Pregame Footage from Mets Inaugural Game in 1962)

It was a Tuesday night at Shea Stadium and the 14-thousand-plus fans in attendance would probably not even remember this one. The game had one significant factor; a Mets win assured they would NOT end up in last place for the first time in franchise history. The club was destined to finish near the cellar. In fact, the Mets had never finished out of the cellar in their history. They wouldn't the following year either.

In the four previous seasons the club had lost 120, 111, 109 and 112 games. In 1967 they again would lose 101. But in 1966 for the first time they would lose in double digits. The number nine grew large in New York and for the first time since the Dodgers and Giants fled the Big Apple, New Yorkers had a National League team which was not no. 10 in the standings.

The game on September 6th, would assure it. Reds ace Jim Maloney was facing off against Mets youngster, Dennis Ribant. Maloney was looking for his 15th win, Ribant hoping for his 11th. It was the latter's night.

Ribant made it through the first retiring the side in order. When the home town boys came to bat Maloney was wild. He walked lead off hitter Bud Harrelson who promptly stole second. Ron Hunt, as was customary with the second sacker, was hit by a pitch. He would go on to record 11 times being hit by the pitch that year, and would get hit 243 times in his bruised body career.

So with runners at first and second Maloney, K'd Johnny Lewis but walked Al Luplow. Ken Boyer came to bat. The aging Boyer's best days were behind him but he was still hanging on at age 35. Maloney uncorked a wild pitch scoring Harrelson and everyone else moved up ninety feet. Boyer then drove a single to left scoring both Luplow and Hunt and the Mets led 3-0.

The Reds would score two in the seventh; one on a Deron Johnson homer, but for the rest of the game it was all Ribant. The young righty went the distance giving up six hits while walking one and striking out three. Maloney took the loss. In six innings he walked seven, uncorked a wild one and hit a batter. All that came to unravel him in the three run inning.

The bottom line is that was win no. 60 for the Mets. The Cubs would only win 59. While Wes Westrum's team would go on to win 66 for New York, the key was finishing out of last place. And they did.

The win was Ribant's last for the Mets. They shipped him off to Pittsburgh after the season for Don Cardwell in a four player deal. Maloney would remain one of the aces of the Reds staff through the decade and Boyer would move onto the White Sox midway through the 1967 season before getting his release and ultimately finishing up with Los Angeles.

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Tuesday, August 22, 2023

A Very, Very, Old, Old School Contest

TRIVIA WINNER: The winner of this week's trivia contest is Jerry Jackson of Clinton, OK, who correctly answered the question of Maris/Mantle Retirements in 1968. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Joe Nuxhall broke into the big leagues in 1944 but did not win his first game until 1952. Who was the losing pitcher in Nuxhall's first win?

As a respecter of some of the early sportswriters who covered the game such as Ring Lardner, Grantland Rice and Damon Runyon, I occasionally like to pay tribute to them by writing a column in the style of the day. This is one of those columns about an average game between two of the oldest franchises in 1965. The Cincinnati Red Legs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I hope you enjoy it.

The contest began as to what looked to be a barn-burner with both the home town Red Legs and the visiting Pittsburgh club scoring in the first frame. It however, ended up as a duel between aging moundsmen in a close ball game. As night fell on Crosley Field in Cincinnati on this Monday July 19, the barely more than 11,000 fans would be seated for only 2:18, and would be home in time to watch the highlights on the 11:00 news.

(Documentary Film on Vernon Law)

Pittsburgh came into the mid-July summer battle with a 46-47 record while the Cincinnati club was rolling along at 52-39. They were resting in second place in their league. They had won nine-of-13 games to this point. The Pirates had lost 11 of 15 coming in. In the words of a local broadcaster, the club which got it's name nearly 100 years ago by "pirating" a player from another team, couldn't steal a win during the stretch. That was when the Senior Circuit was dealing with more issues than just bases and balls, and when Barney Dreyfus' club absorbed the Louisville nine, including players such as Honus Wagner.

Facing the 37 year old Joe Nuxhall, who broke into the big leagues as a 15 year old kid in 1944, Bucs outfielder Manny Mota managed a one-base hit. He was followed by his Latin teammate, Bob Clemente who smacked a double to bring the speedy Mota around to score. The 1-0 lead was all Pittsburgh could manage at the time.

In the latter half of the inning, Vernon Law who is known as the "Deacon" due to his affiliation with a certain Utah church, didn't need too many tosses before seeing the scoreboard light up with a tie score. Red Legs lead off batsman Tommy Harper sent an early offering by Law into the right field seats for his 11th home run of the campaign. The score was tied but Cincinnati could manage no more off the former Cy Young Award winner.

Law was spectacular at age 35 setting down the next 12 Cincinnati batsmen in order before giving up a one-base hit to opposing third baseman Deron Johnson. Johnson was quickly erased as Tony Perez smashed a hard ground ball to shortstop Gene Alley, who flipped it to Bill Mazeroski who completed the double play with a quick toss to first sacker Donn Clendenon. It was a good thing too because Johnny Edwards followed with a single but was left stranded as Law retired the side.

The Pittsburgh club was not idle. In the fourth frame, lanky 6'4" Clendenon drove a Nuxhall pitch deep into the crowd to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Clendenon, who was recruited to play professional sports in football as well as basketball, at this point was happy baseball was hit choice of profession. Law and Nuxhall continued their mastery through seven innings of play. At that point, Pittsburgh took advantage.

In inning number eight, after Mota was retired, Clemente added a second hit on the day by reaching first base. Clendenon followed with the same before defensive wiz Mazeroski plated the final run of the game with his second one base hit. Clemente's run made it 3-1 Pittsburgh to close out the scoring.

Law however, was not done. Aside from getting two hits himself in the contest, the smooth sailing right hander closed down the Red Legs on two more hits over the last two frames and picked up his ninth win of the year. The Deacon tossed a complete game giving up only six hits, striking out four and did not offer a base on balls to any batter. After only winning 29 games in four years since his 20-9 Championship season of 1960, Law is well on his way to a Comeback Player of the Year Award as his ERA is flirting with 2.00 on the season.

The Pirates showed off why they are one of the best batting teams in the Senior Circuit, managing 12 hits off Nuxhall with five players getting two each. Nuxhall did keep the powerful Wilver Stargell from the basepaths. Stargell got the collar in five at-bats.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

The Mick or Roger? The Best of 1961!

TRIVIA WINNER: The winner of this week's trivia contest is Dennis Cympl of Wauwatosa, WI, who correctly ID'd Lee Maye as the player who released the 1964 song "The Breaks of Life."The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: In what year did Mantle and Maris hang up their cleats?

There were so many phenomenal things about Roger Maris' 1961 season, to lump them all into 61* just isn't fair. When you look at the right-fielder's stat line it defies the odds. However, when compared to his slugging mate Mickey Mantle, there are fans who still argue who should have been MVP.

Maris could have hit for a higher average but Yankee brass discouraged it, choosing to get him to pull the ball for home runs into the short right field porch. That was the plan. Let the others get on base and have Maris take it deep. It was never done better, in that regard, than 1961.

Maris only hit .269 in 1961. Not much in comparison to Mantle's .317 and it should be noted The Mick did hit 54 homers compared to Roger's 61. He also missed the latter part of the season due to an injury. Let's look at what Maris really did accomplish though. Maris played in 161 games to Mantle's 153.

Maris scored 132 Runs to lead all major league players. He led the AL with 142 RBI. He led both leagues in Total Bases with 366 and of course did the same with 61 home runs, in being named the AL MVP. Let's look at what he didn't do however. He didn't strike out. He took the "K" only 67 times and added 94 walks. Mantle on the other hand struck out 112 and walked 126. He scored nearly as many runs (131) and drove in 128 Runs.

Maris was never walked intentionally (Mantle was usually batting behind him) where as Mantle drew 9 such walks. The big difference next is pretty amazing. Maris grounded into 16 Double Plays. Mantle hit into just two. And Mantle stole 12 bases to zero for Maris.

All this would lead you to believe, as many fans do, it was Mantle who should have received the MVP Award and not Maris. The voting was close, 202-198. And there in lies the bottom line.

Baseball in the 1960's

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