Baseball in the 1960's

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Gentile Not So Gentle on This Day

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Rich Klein of Grand Prairie, TX, who correctly identified the SAC FLY as the other stat Deron Johnson led the NL with during his best season. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

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NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Which Orioles Shortstop who had only 106 homers in 15 seasons actually led his club with 22 home runs during a season in the 1960s, beating Gentile by a single homer?

Jim Gentile spent nine seasons in the big leagues and had a lot of big games, but none bigger than against the Twins on May 9, 1961. It was one of those games the Baltimore Orioles slugger would remember for the rest of his life. It put him into the conversation for the best in the league and the MVP award.

He was batting clean-up that day, behind all-star Brooks Robinson. The Twins sent Pedro Ramos to the mound against Chuck Estrada. It was early in the season but neither team was playing impressive baseball. The Twins were at .500 and the O's were just two games over.

The game had a great start for Baltimore. The 4514 fans at the game were frustrated right off the bat. Whitey Herzog opened with a walk and Jackie Brandt followed with a double. Robinson walked to load the bases, bringing up the slugging Gentile. Gentile, who would finish with 46 homers that year, sent a Ramos pitch to deep center and over the wall at Metropolitan Stadium to clear the bases. The Grand Slam gave the O's an instant 4-0 lead.

The Twins failed to score in the bottom of the inning but the top of the second it was more of the same for the O's including more Gentile. Marv Breeding opened with a fly-out but then Ramos did the unthinkable. He gave up a single to the opposing pitcher, Estrada which was followed by a walk to Herzog. That was enough for Ramos who was replaced by Paul Geil.

Brandt then hit a ground ball back to Geil which could have been a double play, but the pitcher made an errant throw and Estrada scored to make it 5-0. Robinson walked again, again bringing up Gentile with the bases load. For the second straight inning Gentile blasted the ball into the seats. This time to right for his second straight grand slam and a 9-0 O's lead.

The rest of the game was pretty much uneventful. Gentile would draw a walk and go down on a strikeout in two subsequent at bats, but in the eighth he came up with a runner on third. A sac fly gave the slugging first sacker nine RBI on the day and the Orioles defeated Minnesota 13-5. It was a day the left handed hitting Gentile would never forget. Two grand slams in consecutive innings and a sacrifice fly to boot.

He'd finish the season with 46 homers, a league leading 141 RBI, a .302 batting average and a .646 slugging percentage. He would finish third in the MVP voting behind Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs and Mickey Mantle who belted 54. His outstanding defensive skills helped him be involved in 129 double plays which was good for second in the American League.

With 179 homers in his career, 1961 was far and away his best season. The Orioles that season would finish third despite winning 95 games. They closed the season 14 games behind New York as the Yankees went on to have the second greatest Yankee team of all time.

But on this day, Jim Gentile ruled the baseball world.

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Monday, May 8, 2023

When Bad Henry Took Down the Cubs

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to David Rolfes of Las Vegas, NV, who correctly identified Dean Chance as the losing pitcher in the final game of the 1967 season against Boston. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: In his best MLB season Deron Johnson led the NL in two batting categories. One was RBI, but what was the other?

Looking back over seasons of major league baseball often times one game, just one game, can define a team's destiny. For the 1968 Chicago Cubs that game was in Atlanta on June 15th. It was a night 27,000-plus fans would see their hero send the Cubbies into a tail spin from which they would never recover.

Chicago was just six games out of first place at 30-30 and certainly had the horses to put them in the thick of the pennant race. Led by Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ernie Banks and a young cast of characters who stood out the Cubs were primed. Among them Randy Hundley, Glen Beckert, Don Kessinger and Adolpho Phillips. The pitching was decent and the bullpen was great with Phil Regan the ace closer.

This night was not the Cubbies night though. Joe Niekro started against Milt Pappas. The Braves were not to be toyed with led by Hank Aaron, Felipe Alou, Joe Torre and Deron Johnson. The Cubs scored first. In the second, Santo drew a walk and Banks reached base when Felix Milan booted the ball. Sweet Lou Johnson tripled them both home and the Cubs led 2-0.

Two innings later Tito Francona drew a two-out walk and Deron Johnson blasted one deep to centerfield to tie it up at two-all. Both opposing Johnson's were responsible for driving in all the runs to this point. The game went on into the 10th. Both starters long gone it was a battle between the Braves Cecil Upshaw and Regan. Both put in three innings but Upshaw would have the last laugh.

With one out Milan made up for his miscue and singled. Henry Aaron then sent a shot to right field which rattled around long enough to allow Milan to score the winning run and put The Hammer in the books with an RBI double, and a Braves win 3-2.

Normally, this one game might not mean much but the Cubs would go on to lose 11 of their next 12, leaving them at 31-41 and 13 games back of the NL Leaders. They would never be any closer than 12 games back and when the final game of the season was played, they were indeed 13 games out. The June Swoon had taken it's toll and Henry Aaron proved once again, he was The Hammer.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

When One Game Displays a Season

TRIVIA WINNER: Congrats to Marty Keyes of Clovis, CA, who correctly identified Pat Jarvis, Ron Reed and Phil Niekro as the three losing Braves pitchers in the 1969 playoffs. The Prize: Starbucks Gift Card.

NEW TRIVIA QUESTION: Jim Lonborg won the final game of the season in 1967 to send the Red Sox to the World Series. Who was the losing pitcher in that game?

In what would become a classic match up of the late 1960s, Jim Lonborg and Denny McLain battled in out on a Wednesday night in May, 1967. Specifically May 24th when less than 10,000 fans in Detroit would see these two masters of the mound due battle and only one hitter make the difference. As it turns out it was one of the most important games of the season for both clubs.

Lonborg, who was in his Cy Young year and McLain who was one season away from winning his and 31 games to go along with it, took to the mound with pretty opposite records. McLain was 4-4 while the Red Sox starter was 4-1. The Detroit hurler was just as masterful as his Boston counterpart this evening, striking out six batters through seven innings.

Lonborg on the other hand struck out eight through the same time frame. Lonborg was only in trouble once, McLain only made one bad pitch. Leading off the second inning he faced left handed hitter and utility man, Dalton Jones. Jones took him deep to right for a 1-0 lead.

In the 7th Lonborg gave up a walk to Norm Cash, then hit Bill Freehan. After striking out Ray Oyler, he walked Gates Brown who was batting for McLain. With the sacks full and just one out it looked like the Tigers were about to break it wide open. However, as fate would have it Dick McAuliffe grounded to George Scott at first who threw home to Mike Ryan to get the force of Cash. Then Don Wert popped out to Ryan ending the threat.

Dave Wickersham pitched the final two innings for Detroit, holding down the fort. Lonborg gave up a double to Al Kaline but that was it and the Red Sox had a 1-0 win and Lonborg was 5-1 on his way to a 22-win season. McLain would finish 17-16. The Red Sox would go on to win the pennant one game ahead of the Tigers who went into the final day, tied with Boston. Boston won, Detroit lost and the Red Sox moved onto the Fall Classic. Oh for just one more timely hit.

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