Even the Braves

[abben]

I think I can guess who's playing in the world series this year... again. Are those teams financially stable?

[petrel]

abben,

Yep. You guessed right. It will be a fourth straight Giants/Yankees series, which is undoubtedly a boon for New York fans, but a real snoozefest elsewhere. The only excitement comes from the fact that the Giants are so overwhelmingly dominant that they might win it all.

In the American League, only three teams are in the black:

Yankees 29.7M
Senators 10.4 M
Tigers 9.2 M

and everyone else is in the red. It makes sense that the Yankees would be in the black after winning five straight (soon to be six straight) pennants. Oddly enough, the White Sox are -37.3 M, or 37.3 million dollars in debt, but the fans still keep spinning the turnstiles to the tune of 30,000/year.

In the National League, there are six teams in the black:

Giants 21.5 M
Braves 16.2 M
Dodgers 14.7 M
Cubs 2.3 M
Brewers 1.5M
Pirates 933 K

I keep complaining to Frick and anyone who will listen that this New York dominance will destroy baseball. For the first time, the Blues and the Athletics will draw less than 1 million at the gate and the Athletics are threatening to draw under 800,000, which would be the worst showing of any team in baseball since attendance records were "reconfigured" in 1953.

--Pet

[petrel]

Early August 1964
Part I

On Sunday, August 2nd, in a hotel ballroom in New York City, two men gave a press conference at 7 pm. Those two men were Ford C. Frick, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and Branch Rickey, President of the World Baseball Association.

Rickey was the first one at the podium, and he announced those fateful words that would affect baseball history. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, the World Baseball Association...is dissolved!"

Rickey explained. After days of negotiation between MLB and WBA lawyers, both sides had come to an agreement. "Our goal was to bring baseball to places where it had never been before," said Rickey, "and we feel that our goal was successful. However, both sides have come to conclude that it is better that such an expansion should take place within the existing major league system."

It was left for Commissioner Frick to state what would happen. Even though what he said barely made the late editions of the big city papers and missed the national news entirely -- there was no ESPN in those days -- the news was front page center on Monday morning.

* -- Baseball would immediately add four teams -- two in the NL, two in the AL -- to expand to 24 teams total.
* -- Expansion play would begin the next year, 1965.
* -- Houston and Los Angeles would be accepted as National League teams.
* -- In order to resolve the infringement on the territory of the Angels, the new NL Los Angeles team would play 1965 at Chavez Ravine and pay rent to Walter O'Malley until a new stadium could be built.
* -- Minneapolis/St. Paul would be granted an American League franchise.
* -- The location of the remaining American League franchise would be determined by the American League.
* -- Owners in the WBA who were not granted expansion franchises would be paid modest indemnities by major league baseball.

That same day, after the conferences, Judge Roy Hofheinz held a conference in Houston (7 pm Central Time) and Gene Autry held a conference in Los Angeles (5 pm Pacific Time).

To say that the press in both cities was giddy would be an understatement. Even in Los Angeles, where they already had the Angels, there was a celebration as a second LA team truly made Los Angeles a "big league" town and would now bring National League stars to Los Angeles. And in Houston, Judge Roy Hofheinz fired two cap pistols into the air. "The people of Texas now have baseball!!"

Hofheinz announced the new Houston team name: the Houston Colt .45s, named after the handgun. They would play in the brand new Harris County Domed Stadium and become the first baseball team ever to play all of its games...indoors! Which made perfect sense, as Houston's weather was more appropriate to a jungle expedition than it was to baseball.

As for Gene Autry's team, he also had a name: the Los Angeles Stars. The Stars came from the "Hollywood Stars", an old Pacific Coast League team. "Now", said Autry, "the Twinks will belong to all of Los Angeles". The old Stars/Angels rivalry would live once again, although each team would be in a different league.

(* * *)

It was going to be bizarre. Twelve teams in the National League! And starting next year! That meant visits to both Houston and Los Angeles as a matter of course. And it meant more money to spend for travel.

But the news didn't stop there. Somehow, Calvin Griffith either inserted himself into the negotations or was inserted there. Like O'Malley and Stoneham before him, he has taken off for greener pastures in newer cities. The league announced that he would become the new principal owner of the Minneapolis/St. Paul franchise, and that the Senators would be sold after the completion of the 1964 season.

Ron Stark didn't like the news about the travel expenses. As for me, I had a few ballgames to try to win. Both the Braves and the Giants scheduled two days off, and afterwards, another meeting in Queens.

Dave Nicholson and Joe Cunningham are out for eight and one days respectively. They will be replaced with Ellis Burton and Don Mincher. And in Philadelphia, the Athletics lose their 8th straight game and are mathematically eliminated from pennant contention.

August 5th-7th, 1964
Boston Braves (60-45) at New York Giants (87-18)

Projected starters:
August 5: Don Drysdale (12-7, 3.47 ERA) vs. Ralph Beard (12-3, 2.87 ERA)
August 6: Jim Bouton (6-4, 4.08 ERA) vs. Claude Osteen (19-2, 2.16 ERA)
August 7: Bill graham (11-11, 3.19 ERA) vs. John Fitzgerald (16-4, 3.60 ERA)

August 5: The Giants hold the Braves to four hits in front of a sold out crowd at Giants Stadium. Giants 7, Braves 1.
August 6: Joe Christopher's double to left in the 7th caps off a three-run Braves inning. Braves 5, Giants 4.
August 7: John Fitzgerald shuts out the Braves. Giants 4, Braves 0.

(* * *)

And now, it was time for Commissioner Ford Frick to make news all by himself.

The Commissioner's term of office ended in 1965. It was time for both leagues to negotiate another term, but Frick stopped the negotiation. He did not want to return as commissioner. Private reports had indicated that Frick had had enough of contentious owners and rival leagues, and said, "for the first time, I'm looking forward to retirement."

Therefore, Frick's term would end at the end of 1965 and baseball would have to find itself a new commissioner for 1966. Who they would find is another story altogether.

(* * *)


August 8th-10th, 1964
Pittsburgh Pirates (50-55) at Boston Braves (61-47)

Projected starters:
August 8: Mickey McDermott (10-10, 4.08 ERA) vs. Hank Aguirre (12-7, 3.25 ERA)
August 9: Ken Johnson (7-2, 2.02 ERA) vs. Don Drysdale (12-8, 3.72 ERA)
August 10: Simon Scherr (0-1, 18.00 ERA, 4 IP) vs. Jim Bouton (7-4, 4.19 ERA)

August 8: Tommy Davis's first home run of the year is a grand slam in the 8th inning. Braves 5, Pirates 2.
August 9: A sac fly and a single in the bottom of the 8th put the Braves ahead to win it. Braves 4, Pirates 3. Pumpsie Green goes 5 for 5!.

[petrel]

Early August 1964
Part II

On August 9th, the Dodgers played the Brewers at Ebbets Field. Dee Geer was on the mound, and the Dodgers only got one run and four hits off Mickey Lolich...

...but not a single Brewers player reached first base as Dee Geer of the Dodgers pitched a perfect game, throwing only 93 pitches and striking out 10 Brewers, including Leon Hefland to end the game.

Geer only threw 93 pitches in a 2 hour,11 inning game. It is the seventh perfect game thrown in major league history, and it is the first National League perfect game since Charlie Robertson's perfecto in 1922.

(* * *)

August 10: The Pirates are swept as Jim Bouton shuts out the visitors on five hits. Braves 5, Pirates 0.

Next up: the Brewers, in 9th place. The Brewers have just been mathematically eliminated.

August 11th-13th, 1964
Milwaukee Brewers (38-73) at Boston Braves (64-47)

Projected starters:
August 11: Ray Semproch (3-11, 5.16 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (11-12, 3.23 ERA)
August 12: Karl Spooner (0-0) vs. Steve Ridzik (1-4, 4.83 ERA)
August 13: Dexter Magor (6-12, 3.92 ERA) vs. Hank Aguirre (13-7, 3.23 ERA)

August 11: Bill Graham and Don Carpenter hold the Brewers to four hits. Braves 4, Brewers 1.
August 12: A wild pitch by Don Carpenter lets a run score in the 9th, but Carpenter earns the save. Braves 5, Brewers 4.

Unfortunately, we got bad news. Dal Maxvill was demonstrating a hook slide to some Boston youngsters and broke his leg. Maxvill is out for the season. We have a choice of replacing him with Bernie Allen, who can't hit, or Harvey Kuenn who can't field. I decide to give up the fielding. At least Dave Nicholson returns to the lineup.

August 13: Don Mincher gets his 7th home run, and the Braves win their 7th straight game. Braves 4, Brewers 2.

(* * *)



I suppose it's up to the Braves to keep the Giants from winning the division by 32 or more games. We're in second place, 26 games out of first.

August 14th-16th, 1964
Boston Braves (67-47) at Pittsburgh Pirates (52-59)

Projected starters:
August 14: Edmund Richardson (7-14, 4.08 ERA) vs. Jim Bouton (8-4, 3.96 ERA)
August 15: Jim Waugh (10-10, 4.13 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (12-12, 3.15 ERA)
August 16: Ken Johnson (7-2, 2.27 ERA) vs. Hank Aguirre (14-7, 3.21 ERA)

August 14: Jim Bouton pitches a four-hit shutout. Braves 8, Pirates 0.
August 15: The Braves get 14 hits for their 8th straight win. Braves 10, Pirates 3.
August 16: Joe Christopher hits his 19th home run and the Braves sweep. Braves 7, Pirates 1.

Around the world:

The United States Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Lyndon Johnson broad powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on the US military.
A Rolling Stones performance in Scheveningen, The Netherlands breaks up after 15 minutes due to a riot.
Two murderers become the last people to be executed in the UK, both by hanging.

In baseball:

Reno Bertoia (Pirates) is out for the season with a broken elbow.
Fritz Ackey (Dodgers) is out for the season and for part of 1965 with a torn rotator cuff.
Jack Reed (White Sox) is out for the season with a broken leg.
Frank Torre (Red Sox) is out for the season with a broken leg.
Julio Becquer (Pirates) is out for the season with a ruptured cervical disk.

Don Elston retired after 11 seasons in baseball.



He pitched all but one year with the Chicago Cubs, ending his career in Pittsburgh. He finished with a 40-52 lifetime record as a relief itcher, with a 3.38 lifetime ERA and 169 saves. He was a member of the 1955 Chicago Cubs World Championship team, pitching 2 2/3 innings and only giving up 2 hits.

Frank Sullivan retired after 11 seasons in baseball at age 34. He spent his entire career with the Red Sox. He finished with an 83-76 record and 3.85 ERA lifetime. He pitched a no-hitter in 1955 and was the American League win leader with 20 wins in 1958, and was an All-Star that same year.
Rudy Arias retired at age 32. He pitched only three seasons, in 1959, 1960 and 1963, all for the Red Sox. He went 15-2 lifetime as a reliever and was an All-Star in 1959.
Chuck Churn retired at age 34 after six seasons with the Pirates. Churn fnished 24-21 with a 3.51 ERA and 25 saves lifetime. He was an All-Star for the Pirates in 1958 and 1960.

[abben]

Woah, a nine game winning streak! That makes you the hottest team in baseball. But from the looks of it, any series against the Brewers (or the A's) would inevitably give you a kick start on a good streak.

Another thing I'm seeing in the A.L, is a fairly vast dividing line between the winning and losing teams, and not just the Philly A's (will they forever live in the shadow of the great teams they fielded in the 30's?) The winners outnumber the losers in the A.L. 6-4, and they aren't just winners, they are winners, over .500 by healthy margins. If you took out Washington and New York, that would be quite a skirmish among those teams for first.

And adding two teams next season, that's just a lot of ball clubs that will have good years with nothing to show for it.

[petrel]

abben,

You're right on the mark about there being a "clear line" between winners and losers in the NL and AL. It seems that the Giants, Dodgers, and Braves are always good teams and the Pirates, Reds and Brewers are invariably bad. And the line is obvious in the American League with the Indians, Blues and Athletics scraping the bottom every year.

On the other hand, the faint hope is that Houston and L. A. will bring money to the National League and can at least bring the Giants down to realistic levels by competing for the same free agents. The Yankee juggernaut wasn't halted by the Angels (much less the Seals), but at least the Yankees have only had a "few" superteams.

I don't think that Minneapolis/St. Paul is going to do anything to challenge Yankee dominance, much less whatever other team earns the 12th American League franchise. But until the commissioner -- either Frick in his final year in 1965 or the new one to replace him -- does something about it, baseball is doomed to handle its problems too little and too late.

--Pet

[petrel]

Late August 1964


The Beatles make it to the cover of LIFE magazine.

The Braves were going to have to go to where they don't want to go: six games on the road, against the Dodgers and the Giants.

August 17th-19th, 1964
Boston Braves (70-47) at Brooklyn Dodgers (60-54)

Projected starters:
August 17: Don Drysdale (13-8, 3.72 ERA) vs. Shayne Hanlon (10-10, 3.63 ERA)
August 18: Jim Bouton (9-4, 3.73 ERA) vs. Gene Snyder (10-10, 3.47 ERA)
August 19: Bill Graham (13-12, 3.17 ERA) vs. Earl Wilson (5-1, 2.21 ERA)

August 17: Don Drysdale strikes out 8 in 9 innings pitched. Braves 5, Dodgers 2.
August 18: Joe Cunningham's two RBI single in the top of the 9th breaks up the shutout, but the Braves 10 game win streak comes to an end. Dodgers 3, Braves 2.
August 19: Vada Pinson hits two home runs and a double to lead the Dodgers to victory in the rubber game. Dodgers 7, Braves 4.

(* * *)

Up next: the damned Giants. We're hoping to roll back their lead a little bit.

August 20th-22nd, 1964
Boston Braves (71-49) at New York Giants (97-23)

Projected starters:
August 20: Hank Aguirre (15-7, 3.17 ERA) vs. George O'Donnell (1-6, 5.60 ERA)
August 21: Don Drysdale (14-8, 3.64 ERA) vs. Ralph Beard (14-4, 2.73 ERA)
August 22: Jim Bouton (9-5, 3.73 ERA) vs. Claude Osteen (20-3, 2.16 ERA)

August 20: An RBI single by Jimmie Hall in the bottom of the 9th gives the Giants the first win. Giants 4, Braves 3.
August 21: The Giants get 12 hits, but only one runner crosses the plate. Braves 5, Giants 1.
August 22: Joe Christopher hits a 3-run homer in the top of the 10th, and the Braves take two from the Giants...at home! Braves 4, Giants 1.

(* * *)

We have "narrowed" the Giants lead to 25 games. Up next: six games at home against the Pride of Pennsylvania, the Pirates and the Phillies.

August 23rd-25th, 1964
Pittsburgh Pirates (56-64) at Boston Braves (73-50)

Projected starters:
August 23: Jim Waugh (10-12, 4.17 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (13-13, 3.29 ERA)
August 24: Mickey McDermott (10-11, 3.94 ERA) vs. Steve Ridzik (1-4, 4.83 ERA)
August 25: Simon Scherr (0-1, 10.13 ERA, 8 IP) vs. Hank Aguirre (15-7, 3.21 ERA)

August 23: The Braves are held to four hits by the Bucs. Pirates 6, Braves 3.
August 24: Don Mincher and Joe Christopher each hit a pair of home runs in a rout of Pittsburgh. Braves 14, Pirates 0.
August 25: Four Braves hit home runs as the Braves take the series. Braves 8, Pirates 5.

(* * *)

We finish against two tough teams in August -- we play the 3rd place Phillies at home and the 1st place Giants at Giants Stadium.

August 26th-28th, 1964
Philadelphia Phillies (71-52) at Boston Braves (75-51)

Projected starters:
August 26: Jim O'Toole (10-10, 3.71 ERA) vs. Jim Bouton (9-5, 3.66 ERA)
August 27: Pete Craig (11-7, 2.55 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (13-14, 3.45 ERA)
August 28: Steve Blass (4-4, 4.80 ERA) vs. Steve Ridzik (1-4. 4.83 ERA)

August 26: Dave Nicholson singles in the bottom of the 9th to score the winning run. Braves 4, Phillies 3.
August 27: The Phillies only get 6 hits to the Braves 9, but the Phils make them count. Phillies 4, Braves 2.
August 28: Dallas Green gets a bunt hit with a man on third in the top of the 10th, and the Phillies take a close series in Boston. Phillies 7, Braves 6 (10).

(* * *)

From the 28th to the 30th of August, a race riot in Philadelphia has been major news. The riots are in North Philadelphia, off Columbia Avenue, not far from Connie Mack Stadium where the Phillies were hosting the Orioles and the Athletics were hosting the Blues.

Between 1963 and 1964 there have been civil rights protests in Philadelphia with ugly confrontations between agressive protestors and aggressive police. The riot was ignited when a black woman was arrested and rumor spread that the woman was pregnant and killed by the police, blacks rioted and destroyed many white owned businesses along Columbia Avenue as the police withdrew from the area.

This is the second set of white/black riots that I know of that have taken place this year. Harlem erupted in rioting as well this year.

(* * *)

As we go to New York, there are only four teams left alive in the pennant hunt: the Giants, Braves, Phillies and Dodgers. The Giants "magic number" is now eight games. Even if we get swept, we know one thing for sure: the Giants cannot win the pennant in August.

August 29th-31st, 1964
Boston Braves (76-53) at New York Giants (102-27)

Projected starters:
August 29: Don Drysdale (15-8, 3.65 ERA) vs. Claude Osteen (20-5, 2.34 ERA)
August 30: Jim Bouton (9-5, 3.56 ERA) vs. John Fitzgerald (19-5, 3.17 ERA)
August 31: Bill Graham (13-15, 3.47 ERA) vs. Bill Kirk (15-3, 2.64 ERA)

August 29: The Giants clout the Braves with 18 hits. Giants 17, Braves 4.
August 30: Earl Battey hits for the cycle as the Giants win. Giants 9, Braves 7

In a freak fall in the locker room of Giants Stadium, Jim Bouton fractures his elbow and Bouton is out for the season. Poor guy. He wanted 10 wins for the year so bad. Cecil Perkins, 14-2 with a 2.03 ERA in AAA Denver, gets the call up to the bigs.

(* * *)

At D. C. Stadium in the 5th inning, Mickey Mantle hits a home run off Juan Marichal of the Senators on the way to a 6-3 win. It is Mantle's 500th home run!!

His 500th puts him at 6th on the All Time list, just 11 behind Mel Ott. He's only 32 years old and soon, we're going to be having to ask the ultimate question: can The Mick break The Babe's record?

(* * *)

Another baseball record is on the line as Joel Cataldo of the Orioles strikes out 9 Philadelphia Phillies in 6 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he takes the loss but he notches his 251st strikeout of the year. He is only 14 strikeouts behind the National League record set by Christy Mathewson. Since the Phillies don't play at home until September 16th, Cataldo will probably break the record on the road against the Brewers or the Reds.

August 31: Bill Kirk holds the Braves to three hits and they are swept in New York. Giants 3, Braves 0.

Around the world:

In Atlantic City, President Lyndon B. Johnson wins the nomination of the Democratic Party for president.

In baseball:

The Federal Trade Commission rules that the Topps Gum company has a monopoly on baseball cards. Topps is forbidden to enforce any existing contract after November 1966.
Ground is broken for Anaheim Stadium, the future home of next year's Los Angeles Stars.

Gates Brown (Phillies) is out for the season with a broken hip.

Mike "The Big Bear" Garcia retired at age 40 after 17 seasons in major league baseball. A starting pitcher for the Indians, Reds, Indians, Braves and Blues, he finished with a 177-143 record, a 3.36 lifetime ERA and 1494 strikeouts. He was an All Star in 1952 and 1953 for the Indians, in 1954 for the Reds and in 1961 for the Braves.



He would win the Cy Young Award in 1961 as a Braves pitcher, going 21-6 with a 3.04 ERA that year. Signed by the Blues, however, he fell to 9-28 with a 6.13 ERA over 1962 and 1963.

Billy Martin retired at age 35. A fiery second baseman, Martin spent his career with the Yankees and the Angels finishing with a .281 average. He won a World Championship with the Yankees in 1954 and won the Gold Glove at second base in 1956, going to the All-Star Game in the same year.
Dolan "Nick" Nichols retired at age 34. He was a reliever for six years with the Orioles, going 26-26 with a 3.34 ERA and was named as an All-Star in the Orioles' inagural year of 1958.

[petrel]

Early September 1964
Part I

The Braves will travel to St. Louis for three days to play the Cardinals. As for the Giants -- their "magic number" to clinch the pennant is 5 against 2nd place Philadelphia.

September 1st-3rd, 1964
Boston Braves (76-56) at St. Louis Cardinals (52-71)

Projected starters:
September 1: Hank Aguirre (16-7, 3.01 ERA) vs. Bob Anderson (8-15, 5.58 ERA)
September 2: Don Drysdale (15-9, 3.81 ERA) vs. Ed Connolly (0-0)
September 3: Steve Ridzik (1-4, 4.83 ERA) vs. Tom Hughes (8-14, 3.46 ERA)

September 1: Hang Aguirre gets his 17th win. Braves 7, Cardinals 2.
September 2: The Cardinals score 5 runs in the first inning. Cardinals 9, Braves 2.

Even though the Giants lose 3-1 to the Dodgers, the loss eliminates the Braves from pennant contention. The Giants magic number is 3.

September 3: Steve Ridzik pitches eight quality innings with six strikeouts. Braves 3, Cardinals 2.

(* * *)

The American League officially opened its doors on September 2nd. Six cities will make bids to become the 12th city of the American League, following Minneapolis/St. Paul which will be headed by Calvin Griffith. Thos cities are officially named: Atlanta, Buffalo, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas and Toronto. All of those cities were former franchise locations in the World Baseball Association.

We still have a lot of fight for even though we're mathematically out of contention. My goal is to get at least 95 wins out of this club. The Braves will stay in St. Louis and take three days off before playing the Cardinals again.

Meanwhile, the Giants and Phillies both win. The Giants have a magic number of 2 games -- but they play their next three against the Phillies at Connie Mack -- the Phils might face the indignity of giving the Giants the pennant on their own home grounds.

And the Giants end it quick. Winning 12-1 at Connie Mack Stadium against the Phillies, the Giants wrap up their fourth straight National League pennant, tying the National League record of the 1921-24 Giants squads.

The New York Giants are 1964 National League Champions!!

Ken Boyer goes out for the next series with a stretched ankle ligament.

(* * *)

While the Braves prepare for three more games against the Cardinals, and the Giants have sewn up the pennant, National League attention turns to Cincinnati, where Joel Cataldo of the Orioles will face the Reds. Cataldo has 251 K for the year, and needs 16 more to tie Christy Mathewson's record.

September 7th-9th, 1964
Boston Braves (78-57) at St. Louis Cardinals (55-74)

Projected starters:
September 7: Bill Graham (13-16, 3.41 ERA) vs. Tom Hughes (8-15, 3.51 ERA)
September 8: Jason Dejban (0-0, 14.40 ERA, 5 IP) vs. Larry Jackson (5-17, 5.56 ERA)
September 9: Hank Aguirre (17-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Ray Washburn (14-3, 2.63 ERA)

September 7: Tied 3-3 going into the 12th, Joe Christopher hits a 2-RBI double that helps bring the score to 6-3, but the Cards even it in the bottom of the 12th with a home run by Joel James. In the top of the 13th, the Braves add two more runs on a home run by Dave Nicholson, and Howie Koplitz comes in in the bottom of the 13th. He gives up an RBI double by Lenny Green, but the Braves hang on. Braves 8, Cardinals 7 (13).
[b]Joel Cataldo strikes out 7 in Cincinnati on the way to a 5-3 Orioles victory. At 258 strikeouts, he is just 9 away from Christy Mathewson's record. His next start will probably be next week against the Reds in Cincinnati.
September 8: The Braves score 16 hits. Braves 8, Cardinals 2.
September 9: Jerry Schypinski hits a 3 run homer in the 2nd as the Cardinals score 4 that inning and hang on to win. Cardinals 5, Braves 4.

(* * *)

With both races seemingly locked up, the attention of baseball fans has turned to the new expansion franchises. Behind closed doors, the American League is still trying to decide who will gain admittance.

There are two problems with the odd art of naming a team. These days, a ball club keeps its name for as long as possible. But in Houston, the Colt Firearms company has officially filed a legal objection to the new Houston team's nickname of the "Colt .45s", at the very least to protect their copyright in court. The lawyers for Colt hint that further challenges may come in court.

In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Calvin Griffith has proposed the new name the Twin City Twins for the Minneapolis/St. Paul franchise. Minneapolis and St. Paul are the "Twin Cities" of Minnesota, and the reason given for the name of "Twins" is that both teams have a great minor league history. Minneapolis has the "Millers" and St. Paul has the "Saints", and each city, naturally, wants the name of its favorite minor league team attached to the major league franchise. However, the Twin City Twins name is not offiical, merely a proposal from Griffith's office.

But among the established teams, all is not well. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer states that Gabe Paul is doing economic reviews of the Seattle market in the hopes of getting the league to approve a move to the Northwestern US.

Dean Stone reveals that he has wrist pain for the last two or three days. X-Rays reveal a wrist fracture, and Dean Stone is probably out for the season.

Up next: some home games against 9th-place Milwaukee. Maybe we can put some money in their till with their share of the gate.

September 10th-12th, 1964
Milwaukee Brewers (51-87) at Boston Braves (80-58)

Projected starters:
September 10: Chuck Hobbs (0-6, 9.45 ERA) vs. Steve Ridzik (2-4, 4.31 ERA)
September 11: Tom Baker (0-0, 11.69 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (13-16, 3.41 ERA)
September 12: Mickey Lolich (1-6, 4.23 ERA) vs. Hank Aguirre (18-7, 2.95 ERA)

September 10: Steve Ridzik shuts out the Brewers on four hits. Braves 7, Brewers 0.
September 11: The Brewers are shut out again, this time by Bill Graham. Braves 2, Brewers 0.
September 12: The Braves score in the 9th, but can't get the final win as the Brewers avoid the sweep. Brewers 3, Braves 1.

[petrel]

Early September 1964
Part II

With the two wins at home, the Braves have won 82 games this year, guaranteeing us our 11th straight finish above .500. We have 21 games left and our goal is to win 13 of them.

But we might not meet our goal of holding the Giants to under a 32 game lead. We are 30 games back, tied with the Phillies for second place. We will host St. Louis at home at the next-to-last home series we will play in 1964.

September 13th-15th, 1964
St. Louis Cardinals (56-79) at Boston Braves (82-59)

Projected starters:
September 13: Bob Anderson (8-17, 5.83 ERA) vs. Don Drysdale (15-10, 4.06 ERA)
September 14: Ed Connolly (0-0) vs. Steve Ridzik (3-4, 3.66 ERA)
September 15: Tom Hughes (8-16, 3.63 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (14-16, 3.29 ERA)

September 13: Dick Lasseter hits a 2 RBI home run in the top of the 8th, but Don Carpenter gets the save in the 9th. Braves 3, Cardinals 2.
September 14: Barney Shultz gives up two singles and a walk, and Joe Torre walks home the winning run with the bases loaded. Braves 6, Cardinals 5.

With Joel Cataldo on the mound in Cincinnati, Cataldo gets his ninth strikeout in six innings when he strikes out Howie Goss of the Reds. This strikeout ties the National League season record for strikeouts set in 1903 by Christy Mathewson of the Giants. In the seventh inning, with two out, Cataldo fans his last batter of the night, Jim Mahoney, to clinch his 268th strikeout and claim the record all by himself!!

September 15: Lou Berberet flies out to right field with men on first and third in the bottom of the ninth and the Cardinals save themselves from a sweep. Cardinals 2, Braves 1.

(* * *)

And of course, expansion baseball takes front stage again on September 14th.

Calvin Griffith now has a final name for his expansion franchise: the Minnesota Twins. He has finally found a name that won't offend either Minneapolis or St. PAul. This is the first time that a baseball team has not been named after a city, but an entire state.

But the biggest news of all is that the American League has made up its mind. Atlanta, Georgia will be granted an expansion franchise by the American League in 1965. The new club owners already have a name: the Atlanta Peaches. Georgia is known as the "Peach State" and many Georgia minor-league clubs have worn the Peaches name with pride.

Let's see: Houston Colt .45s. Los Angeles Stars. Minnesota Twins. Atlanta Peaches. Those are names it will take me a while to get used to!

In baseball:

Frank Robinson (Giants) hits his 1000th run.
Andrew Axmacher (Seals) is out for the season with a ruptured cervical disk.

Gil McDougald retired at age 35. He was a third baseman for the New York Yankees from 1951, and was chosen by the Angels in the 1958 Expansion Draft. He ended his career with a .274 batting average and 157 HR.



He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1951, an All-Star once for the Yankees and once for the Angels, and won the Gold Glove for second base in 1956.

Earl Torgeson retired at age 40 after 18 seasons in baseball with the Braves, Athletics, Orioles and Senators. A first baseman, he finished with a .273 AVG, .393 OBP and 249 HR. He was an All-Star for the Athletics in 1954 and 1958.
[b]Rene Valdez retires at age 34 after seven seasons. Born in Cuba, he spent his entire career with the Yankees. A severed knee ligament took him out of baseball in March of this year, and Valdez has given up hope of a comback. He finishes with a 35-20 record and 3.20 lifetime ERA. He would be on the official roster of the 1960-61 Yankees World Championship teams and go to the All-Star Game in 1960.
Billy Hoeft retires at age 31. A relief pitcher with the Tigers and Angels, he finished with a 35-42 lifetime record and 4.13 lifetime ERA. He was an All-Star for the Tigers in 1954 and 1956.

[petrel]

Late September 1964

The pennant might already be decided in the National League and the magic number in the American League for the Yankees is two against both the Seals and the Red Sox.

But life goes on! We travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds, who have sunk to the bottom of the league.

September 16th-18th, 1964
Boston Braves (84-60) at Cincinnati Reds (46-92)

Projected starters:
September 16: Hank Aguirre (18-8, 2.98 ERA) vs. Ken McBride (4-13, 5.78 ERA)
September 17: Don Drysdale (16-10, 4.00 ERA) vs. Tom Steele (4-8, 5.18 ERA)
September 18: Steve Ridzik (3-4, 3.98 ERA) vs. Paul Toth (9-16, 3.82 ERA)

September 16: In the 8th inning, the Braves score 5 earned runs against Billy McCool in 1/3 of an inning. Braves 12, Reds 8.
September 17: The Reds return the favor, holding the Braves to four hits. Reds 12, Braves 1.
September 18: Steve Ridzik wins his way to a .500 record. Braves 6, Reds 4.

(* * *)

In Kansas City, Herb Score and the New York Yankees dominate the home Kansas City Blues 4-1. That night, the San Francisco Seals lose to the Indians at home 4-1, ending all suspense in the Pennant Chase as the Yankees win their sixth straight pennant.

The New York Yankees are 1964 American League Champions!

(* * *)

Since now nothing at all is going on in baseball until the World Series, Calvin Griffith has made some news of his own.

Despite being given everything he wanted in this settlement -- a new territory and new fans to torment with threats of moving -- he stated to Minneapolis reporters that he intends to bring the players of the Washington Senators with him to Minnesota, including fan favorite Eddie Mathews.

Washington fans are up in arms and the city council isn't happy either. They built the man a new stadium to move in and now, he's threatening to move all the talent to Minnesota and leave the Senators an empty shell. It reminds me of the joke of the lifeguard who saved the mother's little boy, and she looks at the lifeguard and scoffs, "you know, he had a hat when he went in."

(* * *)

The Chicago Cubs are 73-71 and fighting for a .500 record. We go to Wrigley Field to play them for the last time in 1964.

September 19th-21st, 1964
Boston Braves (86-61) at Chicago Cubs (73-71)

Projected starters:
September 19: Bill Graham (14-17, 3.27 ERA) vs. Jim Perry (18-6, 2.95 ERA)
September 20: Keith Paden (0-0, 9.95 ERA, 6 1/3 IP) vs. Art Mahaffey (8-8, 3.10 ERA)
September 21: Hank Aguirre (18-8, 3.10 ERA) vs. Mukisa Sato (2-6, 6.08 ERA)

September 19: Jim Perry gets his 19th win of the year. Cubs 10, Braves 4.
September 20: A sac fly by Al Kaline in the 8th brings the winning run in. Cubs 4, Braves 3.
September 21: On just two days rest against his old team, Perry pitches six solid innings and gets his 20th win as the Cubs sweep the Braves. Cubs 5, Braves 3.

(* * *)

It's time for the Braves to go back home -- but it will be last time in 1964 as our final nine games are on the road. We say goodbye to our fans in Boston playing the Pirates, who are 72-78 with an outside chance of .500.

September 22nd-24st, 1964
Pittsburgh Pirates (72-78) at Boston Braves (86-64)

Projected starters:
September 22: Mickey McDermott (11-11, 3.92 ERA) vs. Steve Ridzik (4-4, 3.82 ERA)
September 23: Simon Scherr (1-2, 5.50 ERA) vs. Bill Graham (14-18, 3.34 ERA)
September 24: Wayne Genser (6-17, 6.09 ERA) vs. Jason Dejban (0-0, 13.50 ERA, 6 IP)

September 22: Steve Ridzik holds the Pirates to three hits. Braves 3, Pirates 0.
September 23: Dave Nicholson walks in the winning run with the bases loaded at the bottom of the eighth. Braves 6, Pirates 5.
The Giants win their 11th straight to run their record up to 120-29 on the year.
September 24: Bart Shirley gets his first career home run as the Braves sweep the Pirates. Braves 6, Pirates 3.

(* * *)

We take our final western road trip of the year. First up: a visit to St. Louis to finish up the season series against the Cardinals, now in 8th place.

September 25th-27th, 1964
Boston Braves (89-64) at St. Louis Cardinals (60-87)

Projected starters:
September 25: Don Drysdale (16-12, 4.10 ERA) vs. Tom Hughes (9-17, 3.49 ERA)
September 26: Steve Ridzik (5-4, 3.48 ERA) vs. Larry Jackson (5-21, 6.13 ERA)
September 27: Bill Graham (14-18, 3.35 ERA) vs. Ray Washburn (14-4, 3.14 ERA)

September 25: Don Mincher's 22nd home run is the Braves only run of the game. Cardinals 3, Braves 1.
September 26: After starting the season 0-4, Ridzik gets his 5th straight win. Braves 6, Cardinals 4.
[b]The Giants win their 14th straight game to go to a 123-29 record with 10 games left to play. Meanwhile, the Cubs win 11 straight to come up to 81-71 on the year.
September 27: Bob Carroll singles for 2 RBIs in the bottom of the 8th, and Hal Smith earns the save. Cardinals 5, Braves 4.

(* * *)

We get one day off before going to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates, 73-83 and highly likely to finish in 6th place. We are tied for second with the Phillies, and even if we can't win 95 games, second place is a worthwhile goal.

The Giants beat the Dodgers 9-4 to not only extend their win streak to 16 games, but to win their 125th game, the most ever in a major league season. There have been so many "superteams" that there is surprisingly little fanfare this time. Charles Sullivan, a man who knows the right word for the right occasion, said it all. "I really hate those ****ing New York Giants."

In St. Louis, however, Joel Cataldo of the Orioles struck out 14 batters in just 6 2/3 innings! (He had just come off an elbow injury and Baltimore was being very careful.) That makes 288 strikeouts this season for Cataldo! He has a shot of breaking 300 at home in early October against the Brewers.

(* * *)

More news regarding the expansion today: first from Commissioner Ford Frick, and then, from the American League.

Commissioner Frick stated that "under no circumstances" was Calvin Griffith going to move the Senators players to Minnesota. "Mr. Griffith has been given the opportunity to run an expansion territory, and he shall have to acquire his players in the same manner as all of the other expansion teams -- through a draft offered by the league and through free agency. Dual ownership of clubs is forbidden by the league office and this is entirely a temporary circumstance until a purchaser can be found."

But the big news -- exciting and interesting for American League fans -- is that the American League is going to completely change in 1965.

Everyone figured that all 12 teams would be in a direction, single-table competition against each other. However, the American League has told the world that they will split in half, into an "Eastern Division" and a "Western Division". And the names of those teams have already been announced:

American League

Eastern Division

Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators

Western Division

Atlanta Peaches
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Blues
Los Angeles Angels
Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Seals

At the end of the season, the two Division Champions would play each other for the American League title and the right to progress to the World Series.

Some eyebrows were raised when Atlanta was named as a "Western" team. However, from what I understand, the division into leagues was a bit contentious. Some teams wanted to keep traditional rivalries, others kept distance as a factor. Atlanta, the "youngest team on the block" had to do what it was told and go over to the Western Division.

Some of the National Leaguers are scoffing at this artificial split in the American League. "This looks like basketball!" they say, with their three rounds of meaningless playoffs to determine a championship. No one wants that in the National League. But can we remain a single-table league after the American League splits? And could we do it with 12 teams?

In baseball:

Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants hits his 55th home run in a 130-game season, setting the Japanese baseball record.

[petrel]

Early October 1964

As I was walking to my office at Commonwealth Avenue at the end of September, I saw a young blond girl with straight hair down to her shoulders, wearing those "thigh boots". She looked like a beatnik, but not quite. Her appearance was striking, and she was standing next to a poster:

"JOIN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CONFORMITY!"

My thoughts? "Lady, I'm doing the best I can!"

We finally wrap up the season with six straight away games against the Pittsburgh Pirates: we still have the goal of finishing second in the National League.

September 29th-October 4th, 1964
Boston Braves (90-66) at Pittsburgh Pirates (73-83)

Projected starters:
September 29: Hank Aguirre (19-8, 3.13 ERA) vs. Wayne Genser (6-18, 6.19 ERA)
September 30: Don Drysdale (16-13, 4.08 ERA) vs. Jim Waugh (13-13, 3.77 ERA)
October 1: Steve Ridzik (6-4, 3.27 ERA) vs. Edmund Richardson (10-18, 4.52 ERA)
October 2: Bill Graham (14-18, 3.38 ERA) vs. Mickey McDermott (11-12, 3.93 ERA)
October 3: Keith Paden (0-0, 9.95 ERA, 6 IP) vs. Simon Scherr (1-2, 5.50 ERA)
October 4: Hank Aguirre (19-8, 3.13 ERA) vs. Wayne Genser (6-18, 6.19 ERA)

September 29: The Braves hit four home runs on the way to their first win in the six-game series. Braves 7, Pirates 5. Hank Aguirre gets his 20th win of the year.
September 30: Drysdale strikes out eight in a complete-game win, giving up only an unearned run in the 9th. Braves 3, Pirates 1.
October 1: Steve Ridzik gets his 7th straight win. Braves 3, Pirates 2.
October 2: Four Braves pitchers combine for the win, with Don Carpenter getting his 24th save. Braves 6, Pirates 5.

Joel Cataldo of the Orioles hurls 15 strikeouts at home in 8 innings against the Brewers to run up his record-setting total to 303 strikeouts on the year in a 1-0 Orioles win against the Brewers.

October 3: Tied 3-3 going into the ninth, Dave Nicholson and Joe Torre both hit solo home runs to make the score 5-3. In the bottom of the ninth, a throwing error by Bart Shirley allowed a run to score, but the Braves win again. Braves 5, Pirates 4.
October 4: The Braves end the 1964 season with an amazing 6-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh! Braves 6, Pirates 4.

(* * *)

Our season was over. We had won 96 games, 14 more than the year before, and we had secured second place, even if we didn't keep the Giants from beating us by under 32 games.

However, there was still news: news of the strange case of Bo Belinsky of the Giants, that stunned baseball and might, on the outside chance, have affected a World Championship.


Bo Belinsky, while not on the town.

On October 5th, in their penultimate game of the year, the Giants had broken open a 2-2 tie in St. Louis with a 5 run onslaught at the top of the 10th inning. Bo Belinsky, a 27 year old reliever in his third year with the Giants, was called to mop up the Cards in the bottom of the 10th.

He didn't do a bad job -- he gave up one home run pitch, though, to Lenny Green, but it was a meaningless homer and the Giants won 7-3.

As the Giants beat the Cardinals 8-1 in their final game of the season -- to finish at 131-31, and 100 games out of .500! -- they had a travelling press group who were hoping to see a four-game sweep of the Yankees in the World Series. Every one of the Giants was having to give interviews left and right to reporters.

Bo Belinsky was one of the wilder Giants. This was a man who hit every nightclub in New York City, and had been linked in the gossip pages to Ann-Margret, and Connie Stevens, and Tina Louise, and Mamie Van Doren. It was said that Belinsky had more fun off the field than on it!

Unfortunately, Belinsky was a soppy drunk as well. In a St. Louis nightclub, he fixated on that home run he gave up to Green and gave an interview to an Associated Press reporter. It was no secret that the easy going Manager Sam Mele hated Belinsky, whom he saw as undisciplined. (Drill sergeant-like former manager Hank Bauer knew how to keep Belinsky in line.)

Belinsky fixated on that home run, and in a drunken interview, stated that he was going to retire. Or at least...that's what we think was in the interview, which never went to press. (One story has it that the article was complementary, simply stating that Belinsky was a good competitor upset about giving up a cheap home run.)

Somehow, Braven Dyer of the Los Angeles Times found out about the interview. Dyer was a 64-year old beat writer and was not only a drunk, but was upset that Belinsky had been giving him the cold shoulder in interviews.

Dyer got the idea that he would go up to Belinsky's hotel room and belligerently demanded an interview at 2 am about this impending retirement. Dyer woke up Belinsky, Belinsky called Dyer a drunk and told him to get the **** out, and angry words were exchanged between the two.

Somehow, this led to that hotel door being opened. Whether it was a "sucker punch" or an open-handed slap by Belinsky, we don't know, but the next moment, Dyer was out unconscious on the bathroom floor of the hotel bleeding from the ear.

After the news hit the New York papers, the Giants suspended Belinsky for the rest of the year. He would not participate in the 1964 World Series. He is still up for arbitration at the end of the year, but now, there is a lot of anger and distrust between Belinsky and the parent club.

When Dyer got back to Los Angeles, he was stripped of his position as a baseball beat reporter. Let this be a lesson to young people all over the world: never pick fights with ballplayers.

(* * *)

Looking back on the season, there were still many interesting highlights at the finish. Joel Cataldo would finish the season with 311 strikeouts to set the National League record -- but his Orioles would finish at 70-92. His contract is up for renegotiation at the end of 1964 and the Orioles are in the red by 18.5 million dollars. Cataldo will be a free agent and a highly prized one.

In 1961, the Giants won 100 games, and every year since then, they've won more games than the year before. It's a remarkable record, one that you think could never fall -- but the Yankees have done the same thing from 1961 to 1964, and have won 100 games six years in a row.

Still, the 131-31 record of the 1964 Giants is the best record in baseball history, and they finish a record-breaking 35 games ahead of the second place Braves.

In Brooklyn, the Dodgers finished 83-79. Not bad, but this is the most losses for a Brooklyn team since 1944. And for the last place Cincinnati Reds, they have finished either 9th or 10th every year since the expansion in 1958.

In the American League, the Tigers finish second for the fourth straight year, one game ahead of the Angels. San Francisco's 96-66 finish is the best in its seven-year history.

The Boston Red Sox have their eighth straight season winning 90 games or more. And for the Philadelphia Phillies, they drop their last 12 to finish with just 41 wins, the worst showing for an Athletics team since the 1919 Athletics, which went 36-104 on the year.

(* * *)

My biggest worry, however, is the massive hits in attendance the weaker teams are taking. These numbers were shocking to me once I learned them:

Cincinnati Reds: barely over 1 million. (1,018,345)
Kansas City Blues: 891,000, their worst ever since moving to KC in 1954.
Milwaukee Brewers: 781,000, also their worst ever as a franchise.
Philadelphia Athletics: 709,000 -- it was a drop of over 300,000 in attendance from 1963 and the worst ever attendance since the accounting system was changed in 1953

The Athletics situation is bad. Very bad. They are 22.8 million dollars in debt; the Athletics are a shambles. Charlie O. Finley is shouting to the four winds about how bad the Blues are doing in Kansas City -- but this is his first truly bad season. And the Brewers are making money, although running the operation on a shoestring.

Bing Crosby is going to ask the league if he can sell the Athletics and the American League might give the idea serious interest. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Around the world:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize. He was honored in leading non-violent resistance to racial oppression. He is the youngest person ever to win the prize at 35.
Nikita Khrushchev is deposed as leader of the Soviet Union. Leonid Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin assume power.
The Labour Party wins the parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom, ending 13 years of Conservative Party rule.

[petrel]

1964 World Series
Game 1
October 17, 1964

Even though this was the fourth consecutive Giants/Yankees series, the interest -- in the press, at least -- was slightly greater than that of 1963.

First, this was the only series in that span where the Giants were seen as the favorite going in. "Giants in four straight", was the general feeling of the press. If the Giants tanked again, they would be The Greatest Losers of All Time, and most press men felt that the Giants were long overdue.

Second, there was the matter of Hank Bauer versus Sam Mele. Bauer, the manager of the Giants in 1963, left the club to become GM of the Yankees and was replaced with Sam Mele as manager. They were two different types of people: Bauer was a World War II veteran, a Bronze Star winner and a very strict disciplinarian. He demanded shirts, ties, curfews and no drinking in the clubhouse. Supposedly, one of the reasons Whitey Ford did not re-sign with the Giants was because of the clash of personalities, and that he feared that Bauer's replacement would be in the same mold.

When Mele arrived at Spring Training, one of the Giants said "it was like being freed from a POW camp", and the atmosphere was both relaxed and very positive. The Giants knew they were a good team; now they were being left alone by their manager to show the world just how could they were. They had an All-Star lineup -- literally -- and blew the competition out the door.

Third, Bo Belinsky was not on the Giants. The short reliever had been suspended from the Series after an altercation with a writer in a hotel room in St. Louis. Belinsky had a 4-2 record with a 2.55 ERA, and 43 K in 67 innings. But the Giants were so deep that Orlando Pena filled the role of short reliever just fine.

Finally, observers noted that with the split of the American League into two divisions -- the National League had not yet decided what it would do -- that this would be the very last of the "uncontested" championship teams going to the World Series. In 1965, at least in the AL, teams would have one extra round of playoffs to determine who would represent their league in the fall classic.

(* * *)

The series would start at Yankee Stadium, always an obstacle for the Giants. However, the Giants had three 20-game winners on the staff and would start with Claude Osteen (24-6, 2.51 ERA). Osteen had been a good pitcher with poor White Sox and Seals teams; with the Giants and with good run support, his record flourished. Osteen looked forward to have a chance to be the chief Giants pitcher on their first run to a title in over thirty years.

As for the Yankees, there had definitely been changes. Greg Hoover, the confident pitcher who had won three World Series games, injured his finger in July for a couple of weeks, went down to AAA for rehab and found that he couldn't win his way back into the lineup. As this was his final year, it left open the possibility that another club would sign him.

Manager Casey Stengel had gone with his veterans all year, and this year, Stengel would start at home with Whammy Douglas (17-10, 3.06 ERA). He had played for the Cubs in 1957, fallen back to AAA, played for the Angels, Seals, White Sox and Senators minor-league systems before resurfacing with the Cubs for one inning in 1962, then picked up as a free agent in 1963 by the Yankees, and had gone 24-15 since them.


Which eye is the glass eye, again?

One of the reasons "Whammy" found it so hard to return to baseball was that it was believed he had a glass eye. No one knew if this was true or not, and inquiries went unanswered. There wasn't a rule that said pitchers couldn't be successful with only one working eye, but it would be a rare GM to take a chance of a pitcher like that.

Douglas was a "trick" pitcher, relying heavily on the curve ball and the screwball and rarely on the fastball. It was a given that the Giants would be given nothing good to swing at, and that closing one eye wouldn't help them.

(* * *)

With the Giants up in the first inning, Douglas would only give up two hits. One of those hits, however, was a home run by Carl Yastrzemski, hit with two out in the top of the first inning. Giants 1, Yankees 0. Bob Johnson would then single to left, but Jerry Kindall would ground out to end the half-frame.

As for Claude Osteen, he would give up a single to Johnny Temple to lead off his part of the first, but he would then get Jose Pagan to fly out to center. With one out and two strikes on Roberto Clemente, Temple was given the sign to steal second. The next pitch went right by Clemente for a called third strike, and Earl Battey threw to Jerry Kindall at second for the third out!

As the game went on, Douglas would give it everything he had, relying on the curve ball and screwball extensively. "It was rarely a pitch by Whammy", said XXX, "that made its way in a straight path to his poor catcher Gene Oliver. They were all 'butterfly' pitches, arriving to the plate like a drunk weaving down the road."

An uneventful second inning led to a third inning, where Claude Osteen gave the Yankees a display of his power, striking out Andy Carey, Bob Perry and Whammy Douglas 1-2-3 to end the third inning and giving the Yankees a sign that winning against this Giants team might not be so simple.

As the fourth inning ended with none of the fourth-inning batters reaching base, both sides knew it might be a pitcher's duel where every run counted. The Giants had scored first, and that 1-0 lead was "worth at least two or three runs" according to Yogi Berra who "translated" it into terms that made sense, to at least him. Whammy Douglas would give up a single at the top of the fifth to Donn Clendenon, but Jimmy Hall would ground into a 4-6-3 double play. As for the Yankees in the bottom of the fifth -- they would go hitless.

With the fifth inning passing and Yankee fans looking uneasy, only five hits had been scored in the entire game. Earl Battey of the Giants got a double to left field off Douglad, but Carl Yastrzemski couldn't bring him home.

In the bottom of the sixth, with Andy Carey on second base and one out, Manager Casey Stengel sent Whammy Douglas to bat. Douglas would fly out to center field, but Carey would not take a chance on Jimmie Hall's arm.

The next batter was Yankees lead-off man Johnny Temple, who brought the Yankees to life again, hitting a double all the way back to the short wall in Yankees right field. Despite Frank Robinson's best efforts, Carey raced in well ahead of the throw and didn't even have to slide. The Yankees had tied it up. Giants 1, Yankees 1.

The Giants, however, were ready to threaten in the very next inning. With Douglas still on the mound, Jerry Kindall would single to left-center with one out. Donn Clendenon would follow with another single to right field and now, Douglas would face Giants at the corners with one out.

But Douglas's armory of pitches was still working. Jimmie Hall helplessly popped up to second and when Lou Jackson came in to pinch-hit for Frank Kostro, Jackson flied out to right and Douglas escaped the threat.

With the home Yankees contributing a single and a 1-4-3 double play by the Giants in the bottom of the 7th, Douglas would face the Giants again in the top of the eighth. Carmen Mauro would pinch-hit for Osteen, and he would lead off with a single. And when Frank Robinson flied out to center, Mauro tagged up and reached second with one out.

Next up was Earl Battey. Battey, the #2 man in the Giants lineup who had hit a double earlier, would contribute a triple this time! Mauro raced home and the Giants had the lead again. Giants 2, Yankees 1.

The Yankees brought the infield in as Carl Yastrzemski, who had hit a first-inning homer, came up. Yaz singled right over the head of Andy Carey at third and brought Battey in to extend the lead to two runs. Giants 3, Yankees 1. Bob Johnson then flied out to right, and Manager Casey Stengel pulled Whammy Douglas for Ed Bauta (6-4, 1.64 ERA, 13 saves), who struck out Bob Skinner to end the top of the 8th.

Jack Lamabe (10-2, 2.14 ERA, 6 saves) came in and the Yankees went three up and three down in the bottom of the 8th. With Bauta still on the mound in the 9th, and two out, Eddie Yost of the Giants would walk, but Johnny Romano, pinch hitting for Lamabe, popped up to third. It would be up to the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th.

Claude Raymond (3-3, 1.68 ERA, 27 saves) came in to close out the game for the Giants. Preston Ward, pinch-hitting for Bauta flied out to right. Johnny Temple grounded back to Raymond, and Jose Pagan flied out to center as the Giants won their first game in Yankee Stadium since 1962.

FINAL SCORE: Giants 3, Yankees 1.

(* * *)

After the game, a reporter heard a Yankee fan say, "Who'd be stupid enough to start a pitcher with one eye? Casey has lost it. The Old Man's gone senile."

Giants fans, however, were cautiously optimistic. They knew that they had won the first two games in 1963 and then fell apart, losing four straight. They were prepared for a long, hard fight to the championship.

[petrel]

1964 World Series
Game 2
October 20, 1964

The bettors who had bet on the Giants to sweep felt good after the Giants beat the Yankees 3-1 in the first game. However, many Yankee fans had a ready-made excuse: the Yankees had started Whammy Douglas. This time, promised Yankee fans to their disbelieving friends who followed the Giants, it would be different.

The Giants went down the line with the next pitcher in their arsenal of three 20-game winners: John Fitzgerald (25-5, 2.96 ERA). Fitzgerald was the winningest pitcher in baseball over the last two years, and still boggled players all over the league with his arcing "eephus pitch". However, he hadn't boggled anyone recently in the American League. His 1963 line in the World Series was two games pitched -- a win and a no-decision -- with a very un-Fitzgerald like 4.09 ERA and a .313 average against, giving up 15 hits in his two starts. He felt that a Game Two win would set his distractors quiet.

For the Yankees, Ralph Terry (19-5, 2.83). In many ways, Terry was Fitzgerald's American league counterpart. Both had had an unimpressive 1963 World Series. Neither pitcher relied on the fastball as his "money" pitch -- for Terry, it was the curve. Both had spend their entire careers in New York City.

Manager Casey Stengel said, "I had a lot of faith in this kid Ralph Terry and he won a lot of games for us over the last four years. They say I only start veterans and old guys. Well, he's an old guy, too -- he's as smart as any pitcher ten years old than him."

(* * *)

As Terry took the mound in the first inning, he gave up a couple of walks to the Giants, but that was all. Fitzgerald didn't give up a hit or a walk, removing the first three Yankee batters from contention. The audience wondered if this game would be another low-scoring pitcher's game like Game One.

The second inning passed uneventfully, and the third inning was an inning of wasted promise: Earl Battey of the Giants walked at the top of the 3rd, and Yastrzemski singled to left, but Bob Johnson lined out to the deep Yankee centerfield to end the chances of a Giants score. As for the bottom of the 3rd, Fitzgeral started shaky, walking Harmon Killebrew and hitting Andy Carey with a pitch that shook up Carey and led time to be called. Carey wobbled to first. But Ralph Terry lined out to center, and Johnny Temple grounded into a 4-6-3 that ended a scoreless 3rd inning.

Terry gave up a lone single in the fourth. Fitzgerald gave up a lone walk. After four innings, Terry had just given up two hits and Fitzgerald had held the home club hitless. Fans of both clubs shifted uneasily on their seats, worried that a one-run lead might become insurmoutable for the team that fell behind.

Earl Battey would draw his third walk in three at-bats in the top of the 5th, but nothing would come of it for the Giants. Harmon Killebrew would be walked by John Fitzgerald, but Andy Carey would ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the fifth inning with both clubs tied at 0-0.

Finally, in the 6th inning, the Giants threatened to shake up the game. With one out, Jerry Kindall would hit a long drive to the left field corner and score the first extra-base hit of the game, a double. Donn Clendenon would follow up with a single to center, and the Giants would have men on first and third with just one out. However, both infields were in top form and this time, it was the Yankee infield that would shine, as Jimmie Hall's grounder to Jose Pagan turned into a 6-4-3 double play that ended the hopes of the Giants to score a run.

In the bottom of the 6th, Don Buford would come in to pinch-hit for Ralph Terry. Buford singled to left field, which was the first Yankees hit of the game.

Manager Casey Stengel stood up outside the bullpen, almost acting as his own third base coach. Johnny Temple hit a groundball to Jerry Kindall at second, but the Giants' second baseman could only make the play at first instead of the double play.

With one out and Buford on second, Jose Pagan would fly out to deep center. But was his fly ball deep enough? Buford tagged up and raced for third base, and made it to third base standing up with the second out.

Roberto Clemente was up next. After working the count to three and one -- Clemente wanted to avoid setting up the double play with a walk -- he singled to left and brought Buford home for the first score of the day. Yankees 1, Giants 0. Bob Skinner would ground to short, and the Yankees would have to be happy with their one run going into the seventh.

Ed Bauta (6-4, 1.64 ERA, 13 saves) would be brought in to face the Giants at the top of the seventh. Bauta would give up a walk to Frank Kostro, but John Fitzgerald -- left in by Manager Sam Mele of the Giants -- would strike out and Frank Robinson would ground into a 3-6-3 double play, a deftly turned play by Harmon Killebrew, the Yankees first baseman. Killebrew, however, would lose the shine from his achievement as he himself would ground into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the seventh.

The Giants had to fight for at least one run to stay alive. With Bauta still on the mound, Yastrzemski managed to hit a single with one out. But Bob Johnson would ground out, and Jerry Kindall would ground harmlessly to Killebrew at first to end the top of the eighth.

The Yankees still had the chance to add runs to their total in the bottom of the eighth. Andy Carey led off with a single, but tried to stretch his hit into two bases and was thrown out at second by Jimmie Hall. Ralph Kiner, with 608 lifetime home runs, would pinch-hit for Ed Bauta but would ground out to second. And lead-off man Johnny Temple would bring the eighth inning to a conclusion by grounding to short.

Going to the top of the ninth, the Yankees hung on to their one-run lead. Don McMahon (12-1, 1.78 ERA, 25 saves) came in to pinch for the Yankees to close out Game 2.

Up first was first baseman Donn Clendenon of the Giants. He hit a screaming line drive in the direction of first base -- and Killebrew, no one's idea of a Gold Glove infielder, made a diving grab and caught the ball before it touched earth, saving a single.

Jimmie Hall would then pop up to second for the second out -- but McMahon gave up a walk to Frank Kostro. Lou Jackson would come in to pinch-hit for John Fitzgerald. The 28-year old, batting .266, hit a ground ball to first base. Killebrew didn't need to dive to the ground to field the ball and make the third out, and the Yankees had just tied the series!

FINAL SCORE: Yankees 1, Giants 0.

(* * *)

The Yankees had tied up the series before Game 3 at Giants Stadium in Queens. "One run is enough," said Manager Casey Stengel. "I'll take a win against these guys anyway I could get it. And did you see Killer out there? If we have that kind of fire and passion, we can't lose this one!"

For the Giants, it was only their 32nd loss of the entire season, excluding Spring Training. And it was a one-run loss, the kind of losses they were accustomed to. The last time they had lost a game by two runs was September 2nd; and they had not lost a game by three or more runs since August. The test of the Giants would be whether their home grounds, Giants Stadium, would be the insurmountable barrier to victory for the Yankees that Yankee Stadium had been to the Giants in 1963.

[abben]

One game down, three to go! Gotta root for Yaz & the Giants. Friends of my family know him actually and I was able to get his autograph. He has a home up in Maine, that I'm pretty sure is seasonal.

[petrel]

World Series
October 20, 1964
Game 3

For the very first time, a World Series game took place at the brand new Giants Stadium in Queens, New York.


I'm not a fan of the modern art facade.

So what are my thoughts on this brand new stadium? Giants Stadium is a very open stadium, particularly the outfield. It's as if one were playing in a bowl. Some New Yorkers say that in the future, Giants Stadium might be topped with a dome, to compete with the new domed stadium in Houston.

It has an extensive escalator system. No other stadium has this, and it's very convenient to get to the upper decks. Furthermore, it's right off the subway, making it a real ease to get to in crowded New York City. The scoreboard here is nothing short of beautiful.

There are some problems, however. There aren't any real bleachers here, and after the World's Fair departs (the fair will last until 1965), the stadium will be surrounded by the junk yards that occupy this part of Queens. The planes that fly overhead from LaGuardia Airport are annoying and are loud enough to interfere with the game.

And frankly...the stadium doesn't looked finished. That's because it isn't. Work has yet to be completed on the facade, and it can't come too soon. The facade belongs at the MOMA, and not on a baseball stadium.

(* * *)

During the day off for "travel", the big news was that Earl Battey, the Giants catcher, had pulled a hamstring during a warm up. The doctors told Manager Sam Mele of the Giants that Battey would miss the rest of the World Series.

As Giants fans moaned -- first Belinsky gets suspended, now Battey is injured -- the Giants turned to second-string catcher Johnny Romano. Romano had been acquired in a mid-season trade with the Pirates for a pair of Yankees minor leaguers. Romano did not like being demoted from Pirates starter to Giants backup, but he didn't mind playing in a World Series -- he was on the Braves in 1960, but was not named to the World Series roster in their try against the eventual champion Yankees.

The Yankees were hoping to capitalize on their Game 2 victory. Oddly enough, however, Herb Score -- who went 16-5 with a 3.60 ERA -- would be passed up for the 37-year old Al Corwin (10-8, 3.00 ERA). Corwin had been a Giant from 1951 to 1962 and he had an intimate knowledge of many of the players. Furthermore, Casey favored veterans in big situations, and Corwin had not had a chance to pitch in 1963. He was still hoping to "go out with a bang", and he knew that at age 37, he might not get many more chances to pitch in the bigs. He owned a World Series ring -- he had been on the Yanks roster in 1963 -- but, as Corwin said, "I want to earn this one."

For the Giants, they turned to Bill Kirk (20-3, 2.41 ERA). It had been a long time since 1961, and Kirk's first World Series when he was considered the ace of the Giants' staff. After winning Rookie of the Year, he found himself knocked out of the rotation by flashier pitchers, and fought hard to get back on the elite Gaints. He only pitched 8 innings for the Giants in 1962 (with a 0.00 ERA!) and spent all of 1963 in AAA. Now, he was back on the staff. Observers who knew Kirk suspected that he had taken the lessons of his long minor league stays to heart -- that fame in the big leagues, and especially with a New York club, was fleeting at best. He was still beholden to the Giants until the end of 1965, when he faced arbitration. But he liked playing for the Giants -- "who wouldn't enjoy pitching", he said years later, "on a team that won 131 games?"

(* * *)

When the visting Yankees came to bat in the top of the first, they showed scant appreciation for the brand new stadium. With one out, the Yankees debuted at Giants Stadium with a pair of singles -- a single by Jose Pagan and another single by Clemente to put men on first and second base. Bob Skinner, however, would ground into a 3-6-1 double play as the Giants infielders got Kirk out of the jam. As for Al Corwin, he would look dicey, giving up a couple of walks to Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Johnson before getting the third out of the first.

In the bottom of the second, Jimmie Hall would start off for the Giants with a double to the third base line. For a while, it looked as if Hall would be stranded at second with Johnny Romano lining out to left and Frank Kostro flying out to right, bringing up pitcher Bill Kirk to bat.

Kirk, however, drew a walk. This left Frank Robinson, who singled to left. As Kirk held up at second, Hall raced home and beat the throw standing up. Giants 1, Yankees 0. Then, Donn Clendenon singled to center field and Kirk was given the signal to run home. He executed the slide perfectly, slid under Oliver's tag at the plate, and the home team had a two run lead. Giants 2, Yankees 0.

After an uneventful third inning, the Giants began to take advantage of the Yankees again. In the bottom of the fourth, Johnny Romano led off with a walk. After Frank Kostro struck out, this left Bill Kirk back at bat again.

Kirk helped his own cause, an errant inside pitch by Corwin just nicking Kirk's arm and allowing him to take first base, hit by a pitched ball. Up next was Frank Robinson. Instead of hitting a single, however, he grounded to first and Killebrew forced the runner at second on a fielder's choice, leaving Kirk at third and Robinson at first.

With Donn Clendenon stole up, Robinson stole second on a very close play that almost had Casey Stengel having a few words with the ump. With Stengel safely shouting distance away, Donn Clendenon hit a hard shot right over the head of Clemente all the way in right field. Clendenon would take three bases on his long shot, both Kirk and Robinson would easily score, and the Giants extended their lead. Giants 4, Yankees 0.

Dave Giusti would have to come in for the Yankees. Corwin had lasted only 3 2/3 innings against the Giants. Carl Yastrzesmki would fly out to center and end the fourth inning.

Giusti (4-1, 2.24 ERA) would remain the pitcher of note during an uneventful fifth inning. The sixth was another inning where the Yankees couldn't score, going down 1-2-3. Jim Brady (9-2, 2.67 ERA) would pitch the bottom of the sixth and hold the Giants back, giving up only a walk to Romano.

As the seventh inning came -- and went -- the Yankees knew that unless they could spark something, they would go down in Game 3. The two hits they had scored in the first inning were the only Yankee hits of the game. Kirk was clearly in control of the Yankees.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Gene Oliver came to the plate. After working Kirk to a 3-1 count, he sent Kirk's palmball sailing into left center field as the Yankees bench stood up and cheered. Giants 4, Yankees 1. Oliver had hit a home run in every World Series since 1960, and he had just hit his 6th World Series home run to keep his amazing streak

However, Harmon Killebrew would fly out to right and Andy Carey would ground to Johnson at short to end the top of the eighth. Jerry Kindall of the Giants would single and Johnny Roman would walk in the bottom of the eighth, but Brady would close the inning with the help of a Yankees double play. It would be up to the Yankees to make the ninth inning count.

Bill Kirk would not walk to the mound in the top of the ninth. Claude Raymond (3-3, 1.68 ERA, 27 saves) walked to the mound to close out the Yankees hopes. Preston Ward of the Yankees and Johnny Temple wouldn't even hit the ball out of the infield. Jose Pagan, the last Yankees batter, would fly out to Robinson in right field and the Giants would take their second game of the series.

FINAL SCORE: Giants 4, Yankees 1.

(* * *)

Looking back on the three games played, a sinking feeling formed in the pits of Yankees fans. They had played three games and had a grand total of three runs to show for it. And in Game 3, the mighty American League Champions and four-time World Series winners had been held to three hits.

The Giants knew they would look to Claude Osteen for a Game Four start. The question was: would Manager Casey Stengel go to veteran Herb Score, or to Whammy Douglas, who faced Osteen in Game One? And, given how the Yankees were hitting...would it even matter?