soberdennis
10-13-2010, 02:48 PM
Imagine a team outscoring its opponents 2-1 in a seven game series and losing.
The New York Yankees had dominated the American League in the 50s under Casey Stengel. They won 8 pennants and 6 World Series during that time.
The 1960s began the same way with the Yankees winning the AL, led by outfielders Mickey Mantle and MVP Roger Maris, who combined for 79 homers in a sneak preview of what was to come. It was Stengel's 10th pennant in 12 years with the Yankees.
Their opponents had had a much longer wait to get back to the Series. The Pirates won their first pennant since 1927, when they were swept by the Murderers Row Yankees. Dick Groat won the NL batting title and MVP award. Vern Law won 22 games and took home the Cy Young Award.
The stars of these two teams were outshone in the series by a couple of light hitting second basemen.
In game 1, Casey bypassed his ace Whitey Ford and went with Art Ditmar to face Law. The Pirates chased Ditmar in the first inning and went on to win 6-4.
Ellie Howard and Maris homered for the Yanks while Bill Mazeroski homered for the Bucs.
Game 2 set the tone for the Series with Bob Turley facing Bob Friend. The Yankees hammered 19 hits off 6 Pirate pitchers and won 16-3 in the second highest offensive output in World Series history. Mantle hit 2 homers for the winners, driving in 5 runs. Every Yankee got at least one hit.
Ford finally got his chance in game 3 and the Yankees continued their assault on Pirate pitching against Vinegar Bend Mizell. Mizell was chased in the first inning as the Yankees scored 6 runs, highlighted by a grand slam by Bobby Richardson, who set a record with 6 RBI in the game. Ford only gave up 4 hits and won 10-0.
Danny Murtaugh sent his ace out to quiet the Yankee bats in game 4. Law scattered 8 hits and only gave up 2 runs while helping himself with the bat with a double in the 3 run 5th off Ralph Terry, giving the Pirates a 3-2 win.
Harvey Haddix faced Ditmar in game 5. Again Ditmar didn't last long, being chased in the second. Haddix scattered 5 hits in 6 plus innings and Roy Face shut the Yankees down the rest of the way for a 5-2 win.
Ford was given the task of keeping the Yankees in the Series in game 6. He came through with another shutout while his mates banged 17 hits off Friend and 5 relievers in a 12-0 win. It was the most one sided shutout in Series history.
At this point, the Yankees had outscored the Pirates 46-17, They had already obliterated the previous record for runs of 43 set by the 1936 Yankees in 6 games. But they had one more game to play. What was to follow was arguably the greatest game 7 in World Series history with a history making finish.
Murtaugh sent his ace out to try to get his 3rd win of the Series while Stengel countered with 1958 hero Turley. Neither starter would figure in the decision.
The Pirates got on the board first in the opening inning with a 2 run homer by Rocky Nelson.
After Smokey Burgess led off the second with a single, Bill Stafford relieved Turley. A walk and singles by Mazeroski and Bill Virdon followed to make it 4-0.
The Yankees finally got to Law with a homer by Moose Skowron leading off the 5th.
Then in the 6th, after Richardson singled and Tony Kubek walked, Face replaced Law. After Maris got out, Mantle drove Richardson home with a single and Yogi Berra homered to make it 5-4 Yankees.
The Yankees added to their lead in the 8th with RBI hits by Johnny Blanchard and Clete Boyer.
The Pirates finally got to Bobby Shantz, who had replaced Stafford in the 3rd and shut the Pirates down for 5 innings, in the 8th. They were helped by a fluke bounce. After Gino Cimoli hit a pinch hit single to lead off the inning, Virdon hit a sharp grounder to Short. The ball bounced up and hit Kubek in the Adam's Apple sending the Yankee Shortstop to the ground and putting Virdon on first with a single. Groat then singled home Cimoli and sent Shantz to the showers. After Jim Coates got the next two outs, Roberto Clemente singled home a run and Hal Smith hit a 3 run homer to make it 9-7. Ralph Terry came in and got the last out.
The Yankees weren't through yet. Friend replaced Face. Richardson led off the ninth with a single and Dale Long followed with a pinch single. Haddix came in and got Maris to foul out before Mantle singled for his 11th RBI of the Series. Berra then grounded to first which scored pinch runner Gil McDougald with the tying run.
In the bottom of the ninth Bill Mazeroski led off for the Pirates. On the first pitch from Terry, he hit a ball to deep left field which all Yogi Berra could do was stand and watch it go over the fence. It was the first time a Series had ended with a walk off homer and still the only time a game 7 has ended that way.
The Yankees had set records for runs with 55 and hits with 91, Richardson had driven in 12 runs to set a new record and was named MVP, the only member of a losing team to be so honored. Mantle added 11 RBI, also surpassing the old record. Ford threw two complete game shutouts starting him on the way to setting a new record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, which he would do the following year. The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27.
Yet they lost.
It also was the last Series for Stengel and empire builder George Weiss, who were let go after the Series. Ralph Houk would take over and lead one of the greatest Yankee teams of all the following year. But that is another story,
As for the Pirates, they would contend for the remainder of the decade, but would not return to the Series again until 1971. But the memories of a classic game 7 capped by Mazeroski's homer would be indelibly etched in their memory.
The New York Yankees had dominated the American League in the 50s under Casey Stengel. They won 8 pennants and 6 World Series during that time.
The 1960s began the same way with the Yankees winning the AL, led by outfielders Mickey Mantle and MVP Roger Maris, who combined for 79 homers in a sneak preview of what was to come. It was Stengel's 10th pennant in 12 years with the Yankees.
Their opponents had had a much longer wait to get back to the Series. The Pirates won their first pennant since 1927, when they were swept by the Murderers Row Yankees. Dick Groat won the NL batting title and MVP award. Vern Law won 22 games and took home the Cy Young Award.
The stars of these two teams were outshone in the series by a couple of light hitting second basemen.
In game 1, Casey bypassed his ace Whitey Ford and went with Art Ditmar to face Law. The Pirates chased Ditmar in the first inning and went on to win 6-4.
Ellie Howard and Maris homered for the Yanks while Bill Mazeroski homered for the Bucs.
Game 2 set the tone for the Series with Bob Turley facing Bob Friend. The Yankees hammered 19 hits off 6 Pirate pitchers and won 16-3 in the second highest offensive output in World Series history. Mantle hit 2 homers for the winners, driving in 5 runs. Every Yankee got at least one hit.
Ford finally got his chance in game 3 and the Yankees continued their assault on Pirate pitching against Vinegar Bend Mizell. Mizell was chased in the first inning as the Yankees scored 6 runs, highlighted by a grand slam by Bobby Richardson, who set a record with 6 RBI in the game. Ford only gave up 4 hits and won 10-0.
Danny Murtaugh sent his ace out to quiet the Yankee bats in game 4. Law scattered 8 hits and only gave up 2 runs while helping himself with the bat with a double in the 3 run 5th off Ralph Terry, giving the Pirates a 3-2 win.
Harvey Haddix faced Ditmar in game 5. Again Ditmar didn't last long, being chased in the second. Haddix scattered 5 hits in 6 plus innings and Roy Face shut the Yankees down the rest of the way for a 5-2 win.
Ford was given the task of keeping the Yankees in the Series in game 6. He came through with another shutout while his mates banged 17 hits off Friend and 5 relievers in a 12-0 win. It was the most one sided shutout in Series history.
At this point, the Yankees had outscored the Pirates 46-17, They had already obliterated the previous record for runs of 43 set by the 1936 Yankees in 6 games. But they had one more game to play. What was to follow was arguably the greatest game 7 in World Series history with a history making finish.
Murtaugh sent his ace out to try to get his 3rd win of the Series while Stengel countered with 1958 hero Turley. Neither starter would figure in the decision.
The Pirates got on the board first in the opening inning with a 2 run homer by Rocky Nelson.
After Smokey Burgess led off the second with a single, Bill Stafford relieved Turley. A walk and singles by Mazeroski and Bill Virdon followed to make it 4-0.
The Yankees finally got to Law with a homer by Moose Skowron leading off the 5th.
Then in the 6th, after Richardson singled and Tony Kubek walked, Face replaced Law. After Maris got out, Mantle drove Richardson home with a single and Yogi Berra homered to make it 5-4 Yankees.
The Yankees added to their lead in the 8th with RBI hits by Johnny Blanchard and Clete Boyer.
The Pirates finally got to Bobby Shantz, who had replaced Stafford in the 3rd and shut the Pirates down for 5 innings, in the 8th. They were helped by a fluke bounce. After Gino Cimoli hit a pinch hit single to lead off the inning, Virdon hit a sharp grounder to Short. The ball bounced up and hit Kubek in the Adam's Apple sending the Yankee Shortstop to the ground and putting Virdon on first with a single. Groat then singled home Cimoli and sent Shantz to the showers. After Jim Coates got the next two outs, Roberto Clemente singled home a run and Hal Smith hit a 3 run homer to make it 9-7. Ralph Terry came in and got the last out.
The Yankees weren't through yet. Friend replaced Face. Richardson led off the ninth with a single and Dale Long followed with a pinch single. Haddix came in and got Maris to foul out before Mantle singled for his 11th RBI of the Series. Berra then grounded to first which scored pinch runner Gil McDougald with the tying run.
In the bottom of the ninth Bill Mazeroski led off for the Pirates. On the first pitch from Terry, he hit a ball to deep left field which all Yogi Berra could do was stand and watch it go over the fence. It was the first time a Series had ended with a walk off homer and still the only time a game 7 has ended that way.
The Yankees had set records for runs with 55 and hits with 91, Richardson had driven in 12 runs to set a new record and was named MVP, the only member of a losing team to be so honored. Mantle added 11 RBI, also surpassing the old record. Ford threw two complete game shutouts starting him on the way to setting a new record for consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series, which he would do the following year. The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27.
Yet they lost.
It also was the last Series for Stengel and empire builder George Weiss, who were let go after the Series. Ralph Houk would take over and lead one of the greatest Yankee teams of all the following year. But that is another story,
As for the Pirates, they would contend for the remainder of the decade, but would not return to the Series again until 1971. But the memories of a classic game 7 capped by Mazeroski's homer would be indelibly etched in their memory.