1966 The Final NL Weekend

TRIVIA QUESTION: While Frank Robinson led the AL in homers with 49 in 1966, name the two players who finished behind him?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: The Cleveland Indians after the 1954 pennant winning season were never really the same club, finishing mostly in the second division or close to it. It wasn't until 1995 they finished in first, winning 100 games.

The last weekend of the season is often critical but never more critical than in 1966 as three teams had come down to the wire in the National League. It was the Dodgers, Giants and Pirates involved with the already eliminated Phillies playing a role. 

Here is the scenario. With three games left the Giants were three back of the Dodgers and were facing the Pirates in a double header on Saturday with the final game of the season on Sunday. The Pirates were a game and a half back of the Dodgers and were at home to face the Giants who had won three straight coming into the weekend. The Dodgers were in Philadelphia for a game on Friday night, an unusual off date on Saturday and a double header on Sunday. An inch of rain fell on the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday, so the twin bill was Sunday.

The key here was the Giants were actually facing a unique scenario. They still had a make-up game with Cincinnati from earlier in the season. So the outcome of the weekend games would decide if the Giants played that make-up game or not. It was a game washed out by rain.

The Giants needed to win all three games hoping for the Dodgers to lose all three to force a playoff (if the Giants won the make-up game). A Pirates sweep coupled with three losses by the Dodgers would hand the Bucs the pennant. All the Dodgers had to do to secure the title was to win one of the final games to eliminate San Francisco and offer up at least a playoff with Pittsburgh.

The Bucs fell first. In the first game of the three game set Ollie Brown and Jim Davenport combined for a couple of hits off Bucs closer Pete Mikkleson in the eighth inning to secure a 5-4 win, backing the 13 hit pitching of ace Juan Marichal. 

In Philadephia the Dodgers were doing their best to pump the TV ratings. Los Angeles fell to Chris Short who won his 19th on Friday night 5-3. After taking the rainy Saturday off, the Dodgers sent Don Drysdale to the hill against Larry Jackson. With the Dodgers leading 3-2 in the eighth, the Phillies put six straight batters on base with walks sandwiched around errors by catcher Johnny Roseboro and third baseman Dick Schofield. Philadelphia plated two runs to take a 4-3 lead and Short picked up his 20th win as he came in to relieve in hopes of getting no. 20. 

The Giants took out the Bucs again as Bobby Bolin pitched and hit his team to victory. Bolin went the distance in pitching a one hitter (second sacker Bill Mazeroski with the lone hit), and in the eighth inning doubled home the clubs first run in a 2-0 win. Tommie Sisk was awesome for the Pirates, but it wasn't to be. 

Who would Dodger manager Walt Alton turn to in this situation to face Phillie ace Jim Bunning? Sandy Koufax. The Dodgers made it anti-climatic early, scoring three runs in the third, capped off by a two run homer by Willie Davis to take a 3-0 lead. With a 6-0 lead, Koufax held sway until the ninth when the Phils scored three to make it 6-3 Dodgers. In today's world of "launch angle and never say never home runs" perhaps a 6-0 lead in the ninth was just a challenge. In 1966 it was impossible against Koufax. Sandy went the distance in pitching a 7-hitter, striking out 10 on his way to picking up his 27th win.

The Giants watched the scoreboard to no avail. Gaylord Perry battled Bob Veale for seven innings and at the end of nine they were tied at 3-3. In the 11th, Steve Blass in relief, fell apart giving up four runs including Willie McCovey's 36th home run of the season for a 7-3 Giants win. 

The season was over. In the books Los Angeles played 162 games to the Giants 161 and took the pennant 1.5 games ahead of San Francisco and three ahead of the Pirates. The victory celebration didn't last long. They Dodgers were blitzed in the World Series, dropping four straight to the Frank Robinson led Baltimore Orioles. 

Koufax with a 27-9 record did not win the MVP Award that season. It went to the Pirates Roberto Clemente who had his best overall offensive season banging 29 homers, .317 BA, 119 RBI and 105 Runs Scored. Even Clemente could not keep the Bucs from dropping all three games on the final weekend.

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The A-Paul-ling Cleveland Indians

TRIVIA QUESTION: In what year did the Cleveland Indians finally achieve a first place finish after finishing out of the race since 1954?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: When Reds slugger Tony Perez, who was born in Cuba, broke into the big leagues in 1964, he might have felt right at home in the clubhouse. Both Leo Cardenas and Chico Ruiz were on the club and both were also born in Cuba.

You can change or remake the club from one year to the next but it never guarantees a different outcome. Take the 1962 Cleveland Indians for instance. In 1962 Mel McGaha managed his team to an 80 win 6th place finish with a team which clubbed 180 home runs. In 1963 Birdie Tebbetts took over and with almost a completely different starting line-up, took the Indians to a 79-win, 5th place finish.

While many consider GM Gabe Paul a wise baseball man, the Indians never finished higher than third under his leadership and it didn't happen until 1968. Aside from that season, his clubs never ended up higher than 5th in the standings in Cleveland. Paul fought the good fight but it was almost always a losing battle.

As early as mid-August, the 1962 version was 15 games back of the leaders and would finish 16 back at the finish. The following year it only took Tebbetts' club until late July to fall to 15 back on it's way to a 25.5 games back season.

The 1962 team had nine players hit at least 10 homers, eight of them were starting players. The following year, the number fell to eight but only five of them were regulars in the line-up.

Johnny Romano led the 1962 Indians with 25 home runs. In 1963 he fractured a finger and was replaced in the line-up by Joe Azcue, limiting Romano's play at age 28. He did play in 89 games but only smacked 10 home runs. No one on the 1963 team came close to Romano's 25 dingers the previous season.

The club changed drastically. In 1962 the starting line-up mainly was Romano, Tito Francona, Jerry Kindall, Woodie Held, Bubba Phillips, Chuck Essegian (21 homers), Ty Cline and Willie Kirkland who shared the outfield with Al Luplow. The next season Fred Whitfield arrived to play first base moving Francona to the outfield where he replaced Essegian. Azcue did most of the catching, Larry Brown and Max Alvis took over the left side of the infield from Phillips and Held, and Vic Davalillo became the centerfielder. Kirkland continued to share time with Luplow. Cline was gone.

The really interesting thing about this club were the prospects and the pitching. Tommie Agee who would be the ROY with the White Sox in 1966 was on both clubs, but did not qualify for rookie status. The pitching staffs were loaded with guys who would make their marks with the Indians and in some cases other clubs.

While Sam McDowell and Gary Bell would remain Indian work horses, solid pitchers with the Indians who would become better known with other teams were plenty. Jim Perry, Mudcat Grant and Tommy John had better careers with other clubs.

Tommy John and Johnny Romano were eventually dealt to the White Sox along with Agee in a deal which brought Rocky Colavito to Cleveland in 1965. Bell would end up in Boston for Don Demeter and Tony Horton. Perry was dealt to the Twins during the 1963 season for Jack Kralick. For Perry, 163 of his 215 career wins came after leaving the Indians. Kralick would win 33 games in a Cleveland uniform before retiring in 1967. Grant of course with 21 victories, led the Twins to the 1965 pennant after being traded in 1964 for George Banks and Lee Stange. 

Gabe Paul is credited with fighting and maneuvering to keep the Indians in Cleveland. While his clubs were disastrous there, he finally became a winner in New York, leading a resurgence of the Yankees and winning the pennant and the World Series in 1977. He left the following season after battles with George Steinbrenner, ended up in Cleveland again (president and part owner) and went back to losing before calling it a career after the 1984 season. He died in 1998.

"NEW SPECIAL OFFER"
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Tony Perez Before the Big Red Machine

TRIVIA QUESTION: When Cuban born Tony Perez arrived with the Reds in 1964 there were two other players on the club who were also born in Cuba. Who were they?

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE PREVIOUS COLUMN: Bobby Richardson was the Yankee's lead off hitter for much of his career. During the 1960 World Series, when he was named the only Series MVP on a losing team, he only led off once in the seven game series. 

 You knew from Game One of the 1967 season, it was going to be Tony Perez's breakout year. He started off with a seven game hitting streak over the first eight games. He did not play in one of the eight. He was hitting .333 and the Cincinnati Reds were 6-2 to start the season off right. 

While Perez did most of his career damage with the group known as the Big Red Machine in the 1970's, the groundwork for that special group of guys was laid in the 1960's. The Cuban born Perez arrived in Cincinnati as a 22 year old kid in 1964. He got a real taste of the big leagues the following year sending 12 homers out of the park in 104 games while batting a respectable .260. His power fell off drastically in 1966 but when 1967 rolled around he was moved from first base to third and a star was born. 

 Typical of his '67 year was a game on May 5th at home against the Pirates. The two clubs battled into the 10th tied at 7-7. Perez had been a machine with three hits, three runs and an RBI. In the bottom of the 10th, facing Juan Pizarro with Tommy Harper at second and two out, Perez banged a double deep to the outfield and Harper came around to score the game winner. 

It was in the middle of a five game win streak while the Reds were winning nine of 11 and ran their record to 22-10. Before the season was over Perez breakout was complete. He hit 28 doubles, 26 homers and 102 RBI, while batting .290.

It was the first of his seven 100+ RBI seasons. Nine times Perez would hit 20 or more homers, topping the list with 40 in 1970, when the BRM was in full swing. Around him as part of that future squad in 1967 was Pete Rose and Lee May, Tommy Harper, Gary Nolan, Jim Maloney and a young kid who came up for a cup of coffee named Johnny Bench. 

Perez would play 23 years in the Bigs, finishing his final season at age 44. He left the Reds for the Expos, Red Sox and Phillies, but came back to play his final three seasons in the place he knew as home; Cincinnati. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000. Not bad for a kid from Cuba who grew up in a two bedroom home owned by the Sugar mill where his father, and he eventually would work before coming to the USA in 1960 under contract with the Reds.

"NEW SPECIAL OFFER"
Need to get out of a baseball hitting slump, or a golf swing slump? Order my new book "Beating the Slump; An athlete's guide to a better career." See it on Amazon for only $5.99. That is for the Paperback, you can also order Kindle on that link. You can also order paperback copies directly from me via the email below for my other books.

You can get a signed paper back copy of the above book

"Tales of My Baseball Youth - a child of the sixties"

for $15 Shipping Included 

Use PayPal to brillpro@prodigy.net or contact us at the same email for other payment. 

Thank you to those of you who purchased my book after reading this column.

Also: Please check out our new Western Short Film. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iron-gun-western-feature-film/#/

Please share this blog with your friends and colleagues and leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you have one. Thank YOU VERY MUCH!! 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.