Baseball in the 1960's

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Total Dominance; the 1966 World Series

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Scott Hitchcox of Portage, Michigan, who correctly stated that six pitchers who were 20 game winners going into the 1969 Playoff Series'. They were Mike Cuellar, Dave Boswell, Jim Perry, Dave McNally, Phil Niekro and Tom Seaver. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW 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. Don't forget to put your mailing address in with the answer so if you win we can send you the gift card in the mail.

Just a note to add; If you look at the top right hand corner of the side bar you will see a link to daily sports scores. We made an agreement with Baseball 24 in a mutual sharing situation. Hope its helpful to fans of several sports.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Which World Series winning team in the 1960s won the most regular season games and how many?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: There were six 20 game winners pitching in the 1969 NL and AL Playoff series. In the AL there were four; Mike Cuellar, Dave Boswell, Jim Perry and Dave McNally, while on the NL side were Phil Niekro and Tom Seaver.

It is time for the Fall Classic so we are looking back at 1960's Fall Baseball.

There were six World Series in the 1960s which went the full seven games but the biggest shocker (minus the 1960 Series) was the Orioles stunning four game sweep of the Dodgers in 1966. Three years previous Los Angeles had swept the Yankees in what would be New York's final World Series until 1976 or a 13 year drought.

The 1966 season was one of real transition. The Reds, who had traded Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Milt Pappas, lamented everyone of Robinson's 49 homers as he won the Triple Crown and the MVP in leading the O's to the Series. And every game Pappas missed due to a laboring arm didn't help. It would be the last Series for Sandy Koufax who retired after game four. And it was Don Drysdale's final trip to the Series as well.

The key to the four game sweep by the O's over the Dodgers was timely hitting, inept Dodger fielding and great pitching - by the Orioles young guns. The Dodgers scored two runs in game one losing 5-2. They didn't score another run in the Series. Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and Wally Bunker each pitched 9-inning shutouts and Moe Drabowsky pitched six innings in relief giving up just one hit to gain the Game One victory. In his only appearance in the Series the relief ace struck out 11 batters in six innings including six in a row at one point.

L-A scored two runs on 17 hits and only one homer. Jimmy Lefebvre knocked the only Dodger dinger for a club which had a few sluggers. Frank Robinson hit .286 and slugged a pair of homers for the O's including a game winner. He knocked in more runs (3) in the Series than the entire Dodger team. It was such a dismal showing one of the key highlights is the ineptness of Willie Davis. The Dodger center fielder made three errors on two consecutive plays in Game Two.

Dodger pitching was solid as usual. Claude Osteen and Don Drysdale each lost 1-0 affairs while Sandy Koufax lost 6-0 in game two. Drysdale started and lost Game One. The Dodgers batted an anemic .147. Rookie starter Don Sutton, a 12 game winner, never got into the series.

The Series was the end of the road for several Dodgers. Koufax and Jim Gilliam retired after the series as did Dick Stuart and Wes Covington. Maury Wills, Lou Johnson, John Kennedy and Tommy Davis were traded and several more would be gone the following season. Names such as Ron Hunt, Ken Boyer, Billy Grabarkewitz, Billy Sudakis and Paul Popovich would replace them along with Bill Singer.

The Birds would fly high for a few seasons returning to the Series in 1969, 1970 and 1971. They beat the Reds in 1970, pounding the Big Red Machine. They lost to the Amazin' Mets in 1969 and the Pirates in 1971. It was Roberto Clemente's last games played.

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Monday, October 25, 2021

The very first Modern Era Playoff Series

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Jim Corrales of New York, who correctly stated that seven of the 11 pitchers in the 1963 World Series pitched for west coast teams in their careers. The four Dodgers plus Al Downing, Steve Hamilton and Stan Williams (Downing and Williams for the Dodgers, Hamilton for San Francisco.) The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: How many pitchers who won 20 games in 1969, appeared in the 1969 AL and NL Playoffs. Bonus shout out if you can name them.

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Seven of the 11 pitchers in the 1963 World Series played at one time in their career for a west coast team.

It is time for the Fall Classic so we are looking back at 1960's Fall Baseball.

It may be hard to believe but until 1969 baseball pennants were decided by the two best records in the National and American Leagues. In 1969 baseball expanded and the first playoffs were established 52 years ago! It was October 4th, 1969 when the first divisional playoffs began. The Twins faced the Orioles in Baltimore and the Mets took on the Braves in Atlanta.

(Hank Aaron hits two run homer in Game Three of the 1969 Playoffs)

In the NL series it was Mets ace Tom Seaver against Braves ace knuckle-baller Phil Niekro. Two future Hall of Fame pitchers squared off and nearly went the distance but neither was really effective. Seaver gave up five earned runs in seven innings, Niekro gave up nine but only four earned in eight innings.

The first run of the game was scored in the second when the Mets Art Shamsky singled, Ken Boswell drew a walk and Jerry Grote singled home Shamsky. Boswell scored on a passed ball and the Mets led 2-0. The Braves played it close for a while but despite solo homers by Hank Aaron and Tony Gonzalez, the Mets won it 9-5.

The big inning came in the eighth with the scored tied at four. The Mets scored five runs, four earned (an Orlando Cepeda error) to put the game away as only the Mets could do. New York went on to sweep the three game series and face the Orioles in the World Series.

The AL series was all about the power of the O's. Jim Perry opened against Mike Cuellar and Perry was brilliant except for one pitch; the gopher ball; three of them. He gave up solo homers to Frank Robinson, Boog Powell and of all people light hitting, Mark Belanger. For their part the Twins were playing pretty much the same game. Tony Oliva's homer provided two of the Minnesota runs. The other came when Oliva doubled, took third on an error and scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Allison.

With the Twins leading 3-2 in the ninth Powell led off the bottom of the inning with a dinger to tie it, 3-3. The game almost ended in regulation. Brooks Robinson singled and went to second on an error. Another error put runners at first and second. A ground ball later put Robinson on third with two out. Believe it or not he was out trying to steal home.

The Twins loaded the bases in the 12th but veteran Dick Hall struck out Leo Cardenas and got Johnny Roseboro to fly out. The bottom of the 12th saw Belanger single off Ron Perranoski. Andy Etchebarren bunted him to second and one out later Paul Blair laid down a bunt, beat it out for a single and Belanger came around to score the winning run, 4-3.

The Orioles would go on to face the Mets in the Series only to lose to the Amazin's in the first National League World Championship for New York in more than a decade.

Monday, October 18, 2021

The First Sweep of the Yankees in a World Series; 1963

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Bill Widmire or Chino, CA, who correctly identified Howie Bedell as the player who drove in the run with a fly-ball out to end Don Drysdale's scoreless streak at 58 2/3 innings. So many of you knew that. It was one of his three career RBI and the only one he had that season. ** The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: How many of the 11 pitchers who actually pitched in the 1963 World Series played for California teams during their careers?

ANSWER to the Trivia question in the previous column: Howie Bedell was the player who drove in the run with a flyball out to end Don Drysdale's scoreless streak at 58 2/3 innings. .

It is almost time for the Fall Classic once we get through the Playoffs (which did not exist until 1969) so for the next couple of weeks we'll be looking back at some interesting World Series Games of the era.

The 1963 World Series was one for the record books for many reasons. It was the first time ever the New York Yankees were swept in a four game World Championship Series. The Yanks who many times swept their opponents, did not win a game against the New York Giants in 1922 but that series actually went five games. Game Two ended in a 10-inning, 3-3 tie. In 1963 they would face their old rivals; The Dodgers. It was the Dodgers homecoming of sorts. It was their first time back to Yankee Stadium since leaving Brooklyn for the West Coast in the late 1950's.

New York was favored to win, after leading the American League with 104 victories while the Dodgers corralled 99 to take home the NL Pennant. The Yankees had the sluggers. Even with Mickey Mantle limited to 65 games and 15 dingers, the club still smacked 188 to finish second in the league in round-trippers.

Four players hit at least 20 home runs led by Elston Howard's 28. Roger Maris hit 23 and while not one Yankee had 100 RBI, they did score 714 runs which was again second in the AL. Mantle was the only player to bat .300 with a .314 average while an aging Yogi Berra (38) hit .293 in a very limited role.

And they were solid on the mound with two 20 game winners; Whitey Ford won 24 and Jim Bouton went 21-7. A young (22 year old) Al Downing was 13-5 and Ralph Terry won 17. The team ERA of 3.07 was only bested by one club and despite a tremendous bullpen, Yankee starters led the league in complete games with an amazing 59, led by Terry's 18.

The bullpen was headed by Save leader Hal Reniff with 18, Steve Hamilton and Tom Metcalf each had ERA's under 3.00. To boot, Downing had four shutouts, Bouton six. Downing was amazing as well in the K department, striking out 171 batters in 175 innings.

Los Angeles was not a team of slouches by any means. Not a power team the Dodgers were really in the middle of a run which featured speed and pitching. Maury Wills batted .302 and stole 40 bases, while Tommy Davis hit .325, clubbed 16 homers and stole 15 bases. Willie Davis stole another 25 and former Brooklyn Dodger Jim Gilliam stole 19. Frank Howard led the team in homers with 28 but amazingly only drove in 64 despite a .273 BA. Tommy D., would lead the team in RBI with 88.

The pitching staff is where the Dodgers chose to shine. Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax were at the top of their games, starting 82 games between them and completing 37 and combining for over 500 innings pitched. Koufax was 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA while Big D., was 19-17, 2.64 ERA. Koufax was unbelievable in another category which wasn't a big deal back then, WhIP. His was 0.87.

Johnny Podres won 14 and Bob Miller another 10, but the ace in the hole was closer Ron Perranoski who finished 16-3, 1.67 ERA with 21 Saves. The Dodgers still were no match for the slugging New Yorkers when it came to the plate. On the Mound give a very slight edge to New York, too.

But in a short series pitching usually holds sway and it was no different in 1963. Game One was on a Wednesday, which meant Koufax would open against Ford. If a series started on Saturday, it would be Drysdale because the devoutly Jewish Koufax would not pitch on Saturday. No worries in 1963.

Koufax was magnificent, giving up but six hits while striking out 15 Yankees on his way to a 5-2 win. Tom Tresh did homer but so did Johnny Roseboro who took Ford deep in a four-run second inning.

In Game Two it was Podres turn to shine and he did. He went eight and a third before giving way to Perranoski to close it out. The Dodgers jumped on Al Downing for two runs in the first and in the fourth inning former Yankee, Bill Skowron clubbed a homer and when the dust settled the Dodgers were 4-1 winners.

Following the Friday off day, Los Angeles sent Drysdale to the mound against Bouton. It was a classic match-up and the big man was never better. He allowed only three hits. Tony Kubek had a pair and Mantle had the other. He also struck out nine while walking one. Bouton was also outstanding except for one inning. He walked Gilliam, then wild pitched him to second before Tommy Davis drove him home with a double for the only run of the game, and a 1-0 Dodger victory.

Up three games to none, Manager Walt Alston brought back Koufax on three days rest. Again he was matched up against 24 game winner, Ford. It was going to be a tight battle and it was all about the most mistakes. Ford actually out-pitched Koufax.

The game was scoreless until the fifth when Frank Howard blasted his only homer of the series to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until Mantle homered in the seventh to tie it up 1-1. It was then the big break came. Jim Gilliam led off the seventh with a ground ball to third baseman Clete Boyer who made a leaping catch of the high bouncer and threw directly onto first base for the apparent out. However, Joe Pepitone (apparently losing the ball in the white shirted background) couldn't handle the throw at first and the ball got by him down the line. By the time he got the ball, Gilliam ran all the way to third base. Willie Davis followed with a deep fly ball to center to drive home Gilliam on a sacrifice fly with the go ahead run.

Koufax closed out the last two innings without the Yankees really mounting a threat and the Dodgers had their sweep. Koufax, who gave up only six hits, struck out eight and did not walk a batter was named MVP of the series with two wins.

New York hit an anemic .171 in the series with only two home runs while Los Angeles didn't fare much better at .214 and two homers. Boyer and Tresh each struck out six times and Mantle, five. The key may have been; Yankee pitchers issued 11 walks. New York was outscored 12-4. Scoring an average of one run per game isn't going to win you any championships and that's how New York finished.

The Yankees would be back in the Series in 1964 but despite taking the series to seven games, they still lost to the Cardinals, 4-3. It wouldn't be until 1976 the Yanks were blitzed again. This time by the Reds. However, in 1998 and 1999 they swept both series against the Padres and the Braves and added a 4-1 Series win the following year, winning 12 of 13.

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