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Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to do that anyway. I guess what you can do is make a new stadium with the year like Yankee Stadium 1965 rather than modifying the old one.Originally Posted by petrel
In any case, it is an effective method of getting certain teams to curb spending.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 23, 1965
Game 1
Part I
I don't care much for these abstract Sports Illustrated covers.
It was time for the World Series again. Normally, those words would lift me up, even if the Braves weren't playing. This year, however, it was different. I was tired of the Giants/Yankees domination of the Series, and I had mentally taken a vacation. Of course, I would accept the invitation of Joan Whitney Payson to attend the series from the Giants owners box, but my heart wasn't in it.
For Phyllis, it would be a chance to shop in New York. "New York has the best wedding dresses! I might have to buy another suitcase for you to drive home!"
"You're not going to watch the World Series?" I was amazed.
Phyllis gave a derisive laugh. "Between you and me, Ron, I think a New York team will win it."
The rest of the country was bitter, and the television ratings had been dropping over the last two years as the public started to bail out. But not in New York. The mood in New York was high celebration, as Giants fans and Yankees fans could fight another round of the eternal struggle for bragging rights in America's most populated series.
Bored, I was in a conversation with one of the tabloid writers who was looking for a new angle, as all of the old ones had been overturned by New York's diligent sports press. He was telling me a story.
"They hired me right in the middle of the war, 'cause I was 4-F anyway. I've been writing Giants stories for over twenty years, and this year, I flashed back to a game the Giants played against the Cardinals in Pittsburgh in '43. Gus Mancuso was the backstop for the Giants, and old as dirt. It was a meaningless game and everybody good for the Giants was off fighting. Anyway, Mancuso makes a play at the plate against Vince DiMaggio, Joe's older brother. Fourth inning of a meaningless late-season game, Giants finished in last place that year. I wrote it up in a column, just tossed it off in a column about my Giants memories.
"Next day, I get a hundred letters in the mail, telling me that Mancuso made that play against Jim Russell and not DiMaggio. One hundred letters! I swear, if you're a New Yorker, and you like baseball, you go a little bit crazy. The Giants and Yankees could play for the next hundred World Series, and these fans would still be arguing about who was better even if the whole ****ing league fell apart!"
(* * *)
There were still angles. Still nuggets of interest.
1. Johnny Keane. It was Keane's first year of managing the Yankees. He had a winning club, years of winning tradition, had taken the Yankees to their best record ever -- and his players hated him. He wasn't easy-going like Casey. Casey's best weapon was a sharp tongue, but Keane wanted everyone to fear him. The men on the Yankees felt like they were treated like rookies, after four World Championships and seven pennants. The clubhouse had split into pro-Keane and anti-Keane factions, and the New York press was too glad to pour fuel on a burning fire.
2. Frank Thomas. Thomas was now playing against the team that had traded him after Thomas had tried to hit Don Buford with a baseball bat during the fight. To say that Thomas was motivated would have been an understatement, and if the Giants win, the Yankees fans will never let Keane and Houk forget that trade.
3. Claude Osteen. One hundred fifty wins lifetime, 28-4, only 25 years old -- and sitting at home with a hip injury. If the Giants lose, they'll point to the loss of Osteen.
4. Johnny Temple. Also out with a hip injury, the Yankees 37-year old second baseman. Could Milt Graff and Jay Ward pick up the slack?
5. Marshall Renfroe. Won 26 games with the Braves in 1962. Snapped up by the Yankees, then tossed in their minor league gulag for two years, earning one start over that time (he was 1-0). This year, the Yanks needed Renfroe, and he pulled through with a 25-7 record.
There was drama there. You just had to know where to find it.
(* * *)
The visiting Yankees would call on Marshall Renfroe (25-7, 2.95 ERA) for the start. For Manager Johnny Keane to pass up Jim Proctor was a cause for gossip. "Jim pitched a lot of hard innings in that Angels series," said Keane (he pitched 13 innings), "and I'm gonna go with Renfroe."
As for the home team Giants, Manager Sam Mele would call for Bill Kirk (29-7, 2.62 ERA) to pitch. Kirk had pitched 264 1/3 innings in 1965 -- and only had 76 Ks. He wasn't a power pitcher, preferring to go with a change-up that, as one writer said, "was so slow the batter could take a shower and come back before the next pitch crossed the plate -- and by the time it got there, it would be flying horizontal, like a duck."
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 23, 1965
Game 1
Part II
The first inning of the game was uneventful, with Kirk and Renfroe keeping the opposing squads off the bases. Kirk immediately gave up a double, a single and a walk in the second to load the bases, but escaped with Stuart Petty hitting a lone groundout that drove Roberto Clemente in from third base. Yankees 1, Giants 0.
Frank Thomas, however, managed to make some headlines of his own. With out out, he singled to right, and then Thomas, one of the slowest center fielders around, a man who hadn't stole a base all year...stole second, shocking the Yankees who didn't think Manager Sam Mele would be so bold. Earl Battey would single over Harmon Killebrew's head, and the huffing and puffing Thomas would score the lone second inning run for the Giants. Yankees 1, Giants 1.
The game would remain tied through the third inning. Giants pitcher Bill Kirk would end up on third with one out after a single by Donn Clendenon, but Frank Robinson would ground out with a double play to end the bottom half of the third. And in the bottom of the fifth, the Giants would have men on first and second but both Donn Clendenon and Frank Robinson would fly and line out to Bob Skinner in left field to end the fifth with the score tied at 1-1.
The Giants would continue to rack up hits -- but waste chances. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, the Giants had the bases loaded once again -- and once again, the Yankees infield would work miracles, with Johnny O'Brien grounding into a 4-6-3 double play, proving that Jay Ward could do the job at second base for the Yanks.
Initially, it seemed that the Giants would pay dearly for their lassitude. With one out in the top of the seventh, Stuart Petty, batting seventh in the Yankee rotation, hit a home run off Kirk to put the Yankees ahead by one run. Yankees 2, Giants 1.
With a one run lead, Jim Brady (9-2, 2.03 ERA, 8 saves) came in to try to hold the Giants off for a couple of innings. Brady kept the home club off the bases and Jack Lamabe (4-2, 2.41 ERA) would do the same duty for the Giants in the top of the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, with one out, Bob Johnson of the Giants would double down the third base line. Frank Thomas would follow up with a single, and the Giants had yet another man in scoring position. This time, they got the run they had been looking for with an Earl Battey single, but Ken Boyer grounded into yet another inning-ending double play for the Giants. However, the Giants had now tied the game. Yankees 2, Giants 2.
The Yankees, however, had a ready answer. With two out, and Lamabe skill on the mound, Harmon Killebrew managed to hit one of Lamabe's amazing fastballs over the right field fence to give the Yankees the lead again. Yankees 3, Giants 2.
Don McMahon (5-2, 3.66 ERA, 22 saves) came up to put out the fire for the Yankees, and the Giants knew they would need every opportunity to score -- and that was exactly how they played. Johnny O'Brien led off with a double, bringing up Jack Lamabe. Manager Sam Mele left Lamabe in, and despite the Yankees looking for the bunt, Lamabe bunted the ball away from the third base line, a perfect bunt which brought McMahon to third with one out.
The Yankees would bring the infield in as Carl Yastrzemski came up to the plate. Yaz got enough of a McMahon slider, just far enough back into left field for O'Brien to cross the plate and tie it again for the home team. . Yankees 3, Giants 3.
After nine, it was all tied-up at 3-3. Jack Lamabe would remain on the mound for the Giants. Despite Preston Ward pinch-hitting for Don McMahon, none of the Yankees could get on base in the top of the 10th.
Ed Bauta (6-4, 2.32 ERA) would come in for the Yankees in the bottom of the 10th. Milt Graff would come in as a replacement at second. Ed Bauta struck out Frank Robinson to lead off, and Bob Johnson struck out, bringing up the black sheep of the Yankees, Frank Thomas, to end the inning for the Giants.
But today, Frank Thomas would get sweet revenge against his old club. Yankees announcer Red Barber explained it:
Bottom of the 10th, two out for the Giants and Frank Thomas steps up to the plate. I'm sure Mr. Frank Thomas remembers that little rhubarb this year that carried him across the river to the Giants, and he'd like to give the Yankees his calling card -- Bauta winds up and delivers -- hard hit, deep to right center and....it's a long one back, back, back, back...HOME RUN! Oh honey, a home run for Frank Thomas, and look at him run those bases. A sad day for the Yankees! Home run by Frank Thomas and the Yankees go down in Game One....!
FINAL SCORE: Giants 4, Yankees 3 (10)
(* * *)
Frank Thomas denied any will for revenge against the club that traded him in mid-season. "I was just thinking about hitting the best I could. I'm just trying to put food on my family's table. I'm just glad I didn't hit it off Dan (McMahon) -- that would have been awkward hitting it off my old roommate."
Manager Johnny Keane of the Yankees already knew the knives were out for him. And he knew the only way he could silence his many critics, both inside and outside the dugout, was to win Game 2.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 24, 1965
Game 2
With Game 2 approaching, there was a question if the Giants were peaking. The Yankees had a respectable 9-3 record for the month of October, including their 3-1 series victory against the Angels. But the Giants had a 7-0 record in October -- they were winners of nine straight games -- and the Game 1 win was the Giants fourth consecutive World Series win. Yankees fans were worried that the pendulum was swinging in the other direction.
For the Yankees, Ralph Terry would start (17-2, 3.15 ERA). Terry had considered this his best year, and Terry had won at least 16 games at least five years straight (the other two games he pitched were in 1958 and 1960 -- he went 0-1). He was 29 and 12 wins away from 100 games, but was frankly very unhappy in New York. He did not like Manager Johnny Keane, almost the opposite of the Ol' Perfesser, Casey Stengel. "Johnny Keane pushed us beyond what we were capable of," he admitted, "we won 131 games. I just never liked the way he was always on us for some little thing or another. Casey was younger than his age, but Keane was older than his age. Nobody liked him. He didn't understand us, and we didn't understand him."
Terry, however, wanted to win 100 games as a Yankee. Furthermore, his contract ran to 1967, and he had been a Yankee his entire career. Furthermore, he only had one World Series ring (from 1963) and he wanted more.
As for the home team, the Giants started Fred Newman (24-4, 2.22 ERA). It was Newman's first true full season, and as a young guy, he didn't feel burdened by all of the losses against the Yankees. "Just after I got to New York, we beat the Yankees in 1964. I just told myself that they could be beat like anyone else." When someone asked if Newman's change-up -- his primary pitch -- would be effective against the Yankee bats, he said, "Terry doesn't use the fastball alot, either. He uses the curve. So it's not as if you need to throw a fastball every pitch to be a good pitcher." If he could beat the Yankees, no one would doubt that Fred Newman was a good pitcher.
(* * *)
After Fred Newman pitched an effortless first inning, the Giants wanted to make sure they were the first to the scoreboard. Terry gave up a single to Donn Clendenon and a walk to Frank Robinson, setting up an RBI on a double by Bob Johnson. Giants 1, Yankees 0. Frank Thomas would pop up with men on second and third for the second out, but Earl Battey would drive a single to center for both runners to score as the Giants took a quick three-run lead. Giants 3, Yankees 0.
The second and third innings were uneventful, with no runner from either team reaching base, and Newman having retired all nine batters of the Yankee batting order. Any potential for a perfect game went out the window when Milt Graff reached first on an errant throw by Giants third baseman Ken Boyer, but Graff was held to first. Jose Pagan grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and Bob Skinner lined out to Johnny O'Brien at second, and whatever Yankee threat there was was quelled.
Newman was clearly in control of the Yankees. He faced the heart of the Yankee batting order, but neither Clemente, Oliver or Killebrew could get the ball out of the infield. Newman had only faced 15 batters in five innings and Giants fans silently cursed Ken Boyer for blowing Newman's rare shot at World Series perfection. However, there was still the possibility -- an outside one -- that Newman could somehow come up with a World Series no-hitter.
Johnny O'Brien singled to right in the bottom of the fifth. Normally, this wouldn't attract much notice but it was the first hit by any team since the bottom of the first inning. And neither Fred Newman himself, nor Carl Yastrzemski, or Donn Clenden could drive the potential run represented by O'Brien in. This was clearly going to be a day for the pitchers.
(* * *)
Manager Johnny Keane of the Yankees attempted to shake things up in the top of the sixth. He brought Don Buford to pinch-hit for Stuart Petty at the top of the order, but Buford grounded out. Andy Carey then struck out, and Preston Ward came in to pinch-hit for Ralph Terry. Ward did little better, grounding out to second.
Six innings had been pitched by Newman. Not only had the Yankees been held hitless through six innings, but none of the Yankees besides Bob Skinner in the first inning had even hit the ball out of the infield!
Ed Bauta (6-4, 2.32 ERA) held off the home Giants in the bottom of the sixth. As for Newman still on the mound in the seventh, Milt Graff grounded out to Newman for the first out, but Jose Pagan scored the Yankees first base hit! The no-hitter was over! But the next batter, Bob Skinner, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play! The Yankees were still scoreless after seven innings and Newman had only given up one hit!
As the top of the eighth arrived, Newman kept up his remarkable streak. Roberto Clemente grounded to short, but Gene Oliver hit the second Yankee single of the night. Perhaps, it was time for a Yankee comeback.
No comeback, however, would be forthcoming as Harmon Killebrew hit into a 6-4-3 double play!! Fred Newman had pitched eight innings and had only faced 24 batters. Could he close out the game with the minimum number of batters?
After the Giatns left men on first and third in the bottom of the eighth, Newman's moment would come as he faced the bottom of the Yankees batting order in the top of the ninth. Dick Phillips came in as a defensive replacement at first base.
First up: Don Buford, who hit the very first pitch to second baseman Johnny O'Brien for an easy first out. Next up: Andy Carey, who took a called strike before hitting the ball to Bob Johnson, who threw to Phillips for the second out.
The last batter -- #27 -- was Lee Maye, pinch-hitting for Ed Bauta. Maye worked the count to 3-1 before finally getting some wood on the ball -- but he could only hit the ball as far as Johnny O'Brien, who threw it to Dick Phillips for the final out as Fred Newman shut out the Yankees on two hits!
FINAL SCORE: Giants 3, Yankees 0
(* * *)
It had been a great day for Fred Newman:
* A complete-game shutout of the Yankees.
* The Yankees only got two hits and got on base with an error.
* Both hits were singles.
* Newman faced the mininum number of batters -- 27 -- as all three Yanks who got on base were eliminated by double-plays.
* Only one out in the entire game by the Yankees was made by a fly ball to the outfield -- all of the other Yankees were eliminated either in strikeouts or infield putouts.
The Giants now took a 2-0 lead in the series. Manager Johnny Keane knew that unless the Yankees could come up with similar brilliance at home, he'd have a lot to answer for.
Dynastarian
October 26, 1965
1965 World Series
Game 3
With the return of the series to the Bronx, and with the Yankees down two games to none, attention turned on the irascible manager of the Yankees, Johnny Keane.
A manager under fire.
Keane was under fire for an odd picthing move he had made during the Series. The first move was for Keane to start Marshall Renfroe in Game 1 instead of Jim Proctor. Proctor's ERA was a full point lower than Renfroe's. Yet according to Keane, Proctor was tired after pitching a couple of games against the Angels. (When asked about how tired he was, Proctor simply said, "You guys are just looking for a fight.") Still, many Yankees fans believed that if Proctor had started, the Yanks could have won one of the two games in Queens.
There were also the odd lineup changes. Many fans wanted Jay Ward to start at second in the absence of Johnny Temple, but in Keane's opinion, Graff was a better fielder. The weak-hitting Stuart Petty had won the centerfield job, in the absence of Frank Thomas, when fans thought that the 30-year old Lee Maye, hitting an atypical .392 in 79 games, should have gotten the chance. Keane simply responded, "That's why fans don't make the lineups."
The New York Post printed Keane Slurs Fans on the back page. Keane knew he was losing the war on personality, and if he lost the World Series, it might be a while before the New York press -- or the team that he managed -- gave him any breathing room.
(* * *)
As for Manager Sam Mele, the winner of five straight World Series games, he could afford to hold court, like a visiting monarch. His only question was how the Giants would adjust to being on the road.
He named John Fitzgerald (21-9, 2.36 ERA) as his starter for Game 3. Thirty-one years old, it was Fitzgerald's fourth series and fourth straight against the Yankees. They had seen his Eephus pitch several times, but when Fitzgerald mixed it with his fastball, it could destroy a batter's timing. Said Bob Skinner of the Yankees, "You might face a couple of fastballs, and you could be down two strikes and be ready to jump on anything that moves. Then he throws that Eephus. And you have to mentally readjust, wait, shift your position in the (batter's) box. That's a hard adjustment to make in a playoff game."
As for the Yankees, they would finally have a chance to see Jim Proctor (27-5, 1.86 ERA). Coming out of three great years at Detroit, where he was Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award winner his very first year. He had earned his 100th lifetime victory in pinstripes and after years of finishing second to the Yankees, now had the chance to win a ring.
He was very hard for the Yankees to figure out. When game time come, his serious, dour demeanor could put the most serious Yankees to shame. Some called him "The Undertaker", but not to his face. But off the field, Proctor would seek out rookies, seek out club veterans, ask for opinions. "You really felt that Jim was your teammate, and that he'd go the extra mile for you," Harmon Killebrew would say in later years. "Some people in the clubhouse weren't as friendly to Jim, just seeing him as a big ticket acquisition from the Tigers. I tried to do everything I could to help Jim along, both with my bat and my glove." In Game 3, it would be Proctor's first World Series start.
(* * *)
The Yankees got off to a good start in the top of the first. Carl Yastrzemski led off with a single, and Donn Clendenon followed. Yastrzemski was given the call to race to third, testing his speed against the great arm of Yankee right fielder Roberto Clemente. Clemente's throw took out Yaz at third, and Frank Robinson would hit into a 6-4-3 double play. The Giants tendencies for a quick start had been stymied.
However, in the bottom of the first, Jose Pagan of the Yankees would double with out out, but no one could advance him. Proctor would give up a single in the second which was wiped out by another Yankee 6-4-3 double play, and Earl Battey's double was lost as Ken Boyer would fly out to end the top of the second. The Yankees, however, would do nothing with their second inning and the game remained tied at 0-0.
In the top of the third, Johnny O'Brien, the #8 Giant batter, led off with a double down the first base line. John Fitzgerald came up for his first at-bat, and singled to right field, helping his own cause and moving O'Brien to third. Yastrzemski would ground to second, but Milt Graff made the play at second, forcing out Fitzgerald, while Yaz scored the fielders choice RBI and put the Giants on the scoreboard. Giants 1, Yankees 0.
Yastrzemski then raced for second, and beat Gene Oliver's throw to Graff, taking the extra base. Frank Robinson followed with a double to left, and then Bob Johnson singled up the middle. Robinson would slide home on the run from second, cross the plate in time, and the Giants were up by three runs! Giants 3, Yankees 0. Frank Thomas would ground out to end the top of the third, but the Giants had scored three runs on just four hits.
Aside from Johnny O'Brien being hit by a Jim Proctor fastball in the top of the fourth, the game was uneventful until the bottom of that same inning, when Jose Pagan would double into right field, and two batters later, Roberto Clemente would score the first Yankee run, hitting a single down the right field line that would bring Pagan safely home. Giants 3, Yankees 1.
The Giants would answer back. Of the first four batters that Jim Proctor faced in the top of the fifth, three singled, and those singles were good enough to drive in a Giant run as Bob Johnson drove Yaz in from second on a single to left. Giants 4, Yankees 1. The only high point of the fifth was the Yankees turning their third double play of the game, with Frank Thomas as the victim.
As for a Yankees response, they could only manage a single all through the end of the sixth inning. By that time, Ed Bauta (6-4, 2.32 ERA) had come in to relieve Proctor, who gave up eleven hits and four earned runs in just five innings pitched. In the seventh, both Bauta and Fitzgerald would give up singles, but the game remained 4-1 Giants.
With the Giants up in the eighth, they hung on to their three run lead, only managing a Bob Johnson single to center. In the bottom of the eighth, Preston Ward pinch-hit for Ed Bauta and hit a single to left field to put the tying run on deck.
Jay Ward then single to left and Jose Pagan hit the ball cleanly to Bob Johnson at short, but Johnson dropped the ball and couldn't make the play, earning the first E6 for the Giants. The bases were now loaded and the Giants had no one out.
Don Buford then hit another grounder to Johnson. Johnson did not make a play at first, instead throwing straight to Earl Battey at the plate, who caught Preston Ward before he could tough the plate, earning the out but keeping the bases loaded.
Roberto Clemente would hit a fly ball to the back wall of the short Yankee right field. Jay Ward would race home and beat Frank Robinson's throw for a Yankees run. Yankees 4, Giants 2.
Gene Oliver was then walked by John Fitzgerald. Manager Sam Mele had seen enough. With the bases loaded and two out, Mele called in Jack Lamabe (4-2, 2.41 ERA), the Giants reliever who got Harmon Killebrew to pop foul to the third base line and allow Ken Boyer to snag the third out as the disappointed Yankees left the bases full at the bottom of the eighth and only had one run to show for it.
Jim Brady (9-2, 2.03, 8 saves) came in for relief for the Yankes at the top of the ninth. Brady would give up a single to Johnny O'Brien, but one out later, Carl Yastrzemski would ground into the fourth double play of the game, the Yankees pulling a 4-6-1 with Brady at first to make the third out himself.
By the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees were still down by two. The Giants called upon closer Claude Raymond (6-2, 2.00 ERA, 23 saves) to do the final honors, with Dick Phillips and Jimmie Hall coming in as defensive replacements. And Claude Raymond would make it look easy. Fifteen of the seventeen pitches he threw went for strikes. He would give up a single to pinch-hitter Lee Maye with two out, and the Yankees would follow with a Jay Ward single, putting the tying run on third base. Unfortunately, Jose Pagan would wear the goat horns, striking out on three straight pitches and ending Game 3 with a Yankees loss.
FINAL SCORE: Giants 4, Yankees 2
(* * *)
The Giants were now one win away from their second straight championship. Each of the three games had been close, without blowouts. Giants fans wondered if they could win an amazing four games in a row.
As for the Yankees, it seemed that Johnny Keane had tried everything. Down three games to none, the secondary goal of winning the 1965 World Championship would have to be set aside from the primary goal of escaping embarrassment at the hands of the National League champions.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 27, 1965
Game 4
The Giants were sitting on top of the world. They had won five straight World Series games, had a commanding 3-0 lead against the Yankees in the 1965 series, and had a chance to set some benchmarks:
1. A sixth World Series win. The win would go along with their 1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, and 1964 titles, tying the Giants with the Cardinals for the most World Series wins by a National League team.
2. A sweep. A win would be the first World Series sweep since the Yankees swept the Phillies in 1950. Furthermore, the Yankees had only been swept by one team -- the New York Giants in 1922 - and a win would put two Yankees sweeps under the Giants' belt.
Commissioner Ford Frick, present at this World Series game and every other since he assumed the rank of Commissioner, knew that this would be his final series presiding in the role of commissioner. He had started in baseball with the New York American, and covered the New York Yankees as a reporter.
It is fitting that the Yankees and Giants are playing this year, as the rivaly between these clubs has endured since I earned my first job with baseball, covering the Yankees victories and defeats. Upon reflection, it reminds me of the importance that baseball has in the life of great cities, and New York can comfortably be given that designation. In a city with three active baseball clubs, we see the love of baseball at its sharpest, and the rivalries between clubs at their most storied. An all-New York series is always good for baseball, because it draws attention to how the successes or failures of a club can translate into the character, determination, and resignation of those who root for them. In New York, there is no finer example.
Unfortunately for Frick, it seemed his career in managing the day-by-day results of baseball would end where his career began -- at Yankee Stadium -- if the Yankees lost the fourth game.
(* * *)
However, ill fortune fell upon the Giants team. That morning, Bob Johnson, Giants shortstop, woke up with pain in his right knee. Calling a team doctor up to check the knee, it had been badly bruised -- it had either been bruised in his sleep or he had injured it in Game 3 and shook off the pain, thinking nothing of it.
Even walking with the knee was painful. "I would have been as immobile as a tree stump if I tried to stand out there," Johnson would tell reporters. Johnson's line was .346/.479/.671, and he had hit 34 home runs for the Giants with 129 RBI. His loss was a significant one, and doctors refused to say whether he'd be back or not for any World Series game. They agreed on one thing -- Johnson would have to wait for the bruising to go down first.
This left Manager Sam Mele with a quandary -- what to do about the hole in the Giants offense. His choices were the 31-year old Joey Amalfitano, who had hit over .300 over the season in a limited role (his line was .251/.331/.299!!) but had no hits in the post-season.
The other choice was 36 year old Billy Hunter. He had been in baseball so long he had played 89 games for the St. Louis Browns in 1953, and was one of only four active players to have worn a Browns uniform still in the majors. Hunter was no great shakes either, hitting only .222 for the Giants after being acquired from Cleveland at the trading deadline, where he hit .213. The difference between the two was that even at 36, Hunter's fielding was a step up from Amalfitano's.
Therefore, Johnny O'Brien would be leading off, Yastrzemski, Robinson and Thomas would take the 3-4-5 spots and Hunter would step in at the bottom of the batting order. Mele hoped it would be enough, and that the Giants would get a chance to end the Yankees season.
(* * *)
The only other choice to make was pitcher, and Mele turned to his Game 1 winner, Bill Kirk (29-7, 2.62 ERA). Like most of the Giants, he wasn't a true fastball pitcher. "We win on guile," Kirk said. "We don't have those overpowering arms. We're taught here to outthink batters." The only pitcher among the Giants who used the fastball as his main pitch was John Fitzgerald.
As for the Yankees, Manager Johnny Keane turned again to Marshall Renfroe (25-7, 2.95 ERA). "Like it or not, you can't go wrong with a Cy Young winner!" said most Yankees fans on entering the stadium. (What they said about Giants fans couldn't be printed.) If a Giants fan had been around, he would have pointed out that the Cy Young Award was won in 1962, and the gloss had faded.
(* * *)
When Bill Kirk took the mound at the bottom of the first, it didn't take long for the Yankee fans to figure out that the 29-game winner must have left his 29-game winning arm at home. Jay Ward, leadoff batter for the Yankees, said that Kirk's pitches looked "shaky" and the Yankees dug in, with Jay Ward leading off with a double. Joe Pagan would walk, and one out later, Roberto Clemente would single and drive home a run, and then Gene Oliver singled to drive in Pagan and give the home team a 2-0 lead. Yankees 2, Giants 0. The Yankees had men on first and third, but Harmon Killebrew grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The game remained uneventful until the third inning. The Giants managed to put back to back singles up against Renfroe, but the Giants couldn't move them. In the bottom of the third, however, Ward hit his second double into the shallow right field corner of Yankee stadium. Betting that it would take longer for Frank Robinson to get a handle on the ball, Ward raced to third and beat the throw to third baseman Ken Boyer. Jose Pagan would fly out to the deep part of shallow right near the bleachers -- a Yankee fan knocked Robinson's cap off -- and Ward tagged up and ran for home, beating Robinson's throw and scoring another Yankee run. Yankees 3, Giants 0.
Throught the top of the fifth, Marshall Renfroe kept the Giants off the bases for the most part -- however, he kicked a ground ball hit by Ken Boyer to let Boyer reach first (Renfroe would be charged with the error). The game was half-over, and in order for the Yankees to keep the lead, they would either have to keep the Giants off the basepaths....
...or score more runs. In the bottom of the fifth, with Bill Kirk still on the mound, Renfroe led off the fifth with single. One out later, Jose Pagan singled, and then Don Buford grounded to second, but Johnny O'Brien couldn't turn the second half of the double play.
With men on first and third and two out, Roberto Clemente singled in the right field gap, guaranteeing another Yankees run. Yankees 4, Giants 0. Orlando Pena (4-1, 3.05 ERA) was called in to pitch for the Giants, but he would give up another single -- and another Yankees run -- before Harmon Killebrew flew out to end the fifth. Yankees 5, Giants 0.
Marshall Renfroe was in control of the game, working his knuckleball and the Giants were just not hitting. He kept the Giants scoreless through seven innings. Furthermore, in the bottom of the seventh, Jose Pagan hit a single off Pena and Don Buford homered just around the foul pole in right, for a cheap Yankee Stadium home run that added to the Yankees tally. Yankees 7, Giants 0.
With the Yankees firmly in command, the only question was if Renfroe could pitch a shutout. In the top of the eighth, Renfroe would give up a single to Johnny O'Brien but otherwise keep the Giants scoreless.
However, Manager Johnny Keane surprisingly took the ball from Renfroe, when he was one inning away from a complete game shutout. The ball was given to Yankee reliever Ed Rakow (6-4, 2.32 ERA). But nothing was changed -- three Giants batters later, the Yankees had finally won Game 4 in a do-or-die shutout victory.
FINAL SCORE: Yankees 7, Giants 0
(* * *)
Any hostility that Renfroe might have had in being pulled after eight innings was gone. "I'd rather be pulled after eight innings than pitch a bad ninth and go home. We needed this win today. We're still alive."
As for Manager Sam Mele of the Giants, he had some real concerns. Bill Kirk had given up 9 hits in 4 2/3 innings, and five earned runs. Billy Hunter, replacing the injured Bob Johnson, had gone 0 for 3. He hoped that the shortcomings of the Giants wouldn't be the start of the trend as the Giants would play their final Yankee Stadium game in Game 5.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 28, 1965
Game 5
Part I
While Yankee fans breathed a massive sigh of relief and while the Giants fans learned the virtue of patience, the world rolled on:
That day, the last piece of St. Louis's Gateway Arch was rolled into piece:
It is 630 feet tall and 630 feet wide, and with its completion becomes the tallest structure in Missouri. City trucks had to hose down one of the legs of the Arch because officials insisted on a public capping ceremony. It was not known if the keystone would fit precisely, and the cooling was needed to make sure the metal had not expanded beyond tolerance.
Also, by a vote of 2221 in favor and 88 against, the Vatican confirmed the Nostra Aetate at the Second Vatican Council. It stated that in the Catholic Church's opinion, the Jews as a whole were no longer to be considered responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, or "rejected by God" or "cursed" in any way. The responsibility for Christ's death rested on those who actively promoted his crucifixion, and not on any of their descendants.
As Phyllis was Catholic and I wasn't, I asked her about this little bit of Catholic prejudice. "My grandfather told me that the Jews were responsible for all the misery in the world because they killed Our Lord," she said. "Frankly, I found my grandfather extremely creepy. I'm glad the Church finally caught up with common sense."
(* * *)
Meanwhile, in New York, the Giants and the Yankees were preparing Game 5, which would be the last game played at Yankee Stadium in 1965.
The Giants would start Fred Newman (24-4, 2.22 ERA). If there was anyone who had a chance of beating the Yankees entirely by himself, it was Fred Newman. Newman had pitched a 3-0 shutout in Game 2 where he only gave up two hits and no bases on balls. He had proved he could be "the kind of pitcher that beats the Yankees", he said later in life; now he wanted to be the pitcher that clinched the 1965 World Series.
As for the Yankees, Ralph Terry (17-2, 3.15 ERA) was back at the plate. Despite the fact that he had the fewest wins and highest ERA of any of the Yankees starters, he felt comfortable. He had already pitched in three straight World Series. Personally, he knew that the difference between the Giants and the Yankees in Game 2 was the fact that the Yanks couldn't score three runs. "I've seen this team win 131 times this year," said Terry, "and I think they'll be ready".
Bob Johnson, meanwhile, was still out with his bruised knee. He had not even attended Game 4, and would watch Game 5 on television, with his leg propped up in his hotel room bed.
(* * *)
In the bottom of the first, the Yankees wanted to establish to Fred Newman that they were not the same team he had faced in Game 2. Milt Graff started the game with a lead-off single, and although no one moved him further, there would be no opportunity for Newman to no-hit the Yankees. The Yankees added another single in the second, but after two innings, the score was tied 0-0.
After the top of the third, the Giants had not made it on base, save for a walk by Johnny O'Brien in that same inning. Terry was working his curve, and Gene Oliver called curveball "a dancing pitch -- he was really putting his weight on it". "I didn't care if my arm fell off," said Terry later, "but I wasn't going to be the losing pitcher if the Giants won the series."
The Yankees continued to put the pressure on Newman. Andy Carey led off with a single in the bottom of the third, but Ralph Terry would ground into a double play and lose the runner. Milt Graff, however, singled to right and decided to run on Frank Robinson.
Running on a single to right is dangerous business in Yankee Stadium, because right field is so shallow. However, Graff went for the extra bases and some say that Robinson was caught offguard. In any event, Graff was safe at second.
Graff would be rewarded for his guts on the basepath -- Newman would end up throwing a changeup that fell six feet short of the plate and bounced past Earl Battey, with Newman charged with the wild pitch and Graff now safe at third. This provided the opportunity for Jose Pagan to single with two out, bringing Graff in from third for the first Yankee run. Yankees 1, Giants 0.
The next batter was Bob Skinner, who found the pitch he was looking for ,a "slurve" that didn't quite slide or curve enough for Skinner, who hit it over the left field fence for a home run, giving the Yankees a three run lead. Yankees 3, Giants 0.
The Giants, however, were determined not be left behind. Ralph Terry gave up a single to Yastrzemski to lead off the inning, followed by a double by Frank Robinson and a single by Frank Thomas, to drive in the first Giants run of the game. Yankees 3, Giants 1. With Robinson on third, Earl Battey would strike out but Ken Boyer would single to right and score Robinson and close the gap to one run. Yankees 3, Giants 2.
At the middle of the fourth, Manager Sam Mele made an odd decision -- he pulled Fred Newman to give Jimmie Hall a chance to pinch hit. With men on first and second, Hall struck out and the Yankees still led by one run, 3-2.
An even odder decision was for Mele to hand the ball to George O'Donnell (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 4 innings pitched). It wasn't that O'Donnell had no experience: he had a 48-105 lifetime record, once going 2-22 for Milwaukee back in 1965. But O'Donnell did the job, limited the Yankees to a single in the bottom of the fourth.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 28, 1965
Game 5
Part II
The Giants knew that only one run separated them from possibly winning a second series in a row. In the top of the fifth, Johnny O'Brien managed to lead off with a single against Terry, and one out later, Yaz would walk to put a runner in scoring position. But Frank Robinson would ground into a double play to end the game and make it "legal" in case of rain.
The Yankees came close to adding a run in the bottom of the fifth. Manager Johnny Keane pulled Terry for Don Buford, who got on base with a walk off current Giants pitcher George O'Donnell. On successive groundouts, Graff was moved to second, then to third, but Bob Skinner grounded out to Johnny O'Brien at second, and one toss later, Clendenon had the ball and Skinner was the final out.
Ed Bauta (6-4, 2.32 ERA) came in to pitch the sixth for the Yankees and keep the Giants off base. But Manager Sam Mele stuck with O'Donnell, and it paid off, as none of the Yanks would reach first in the bottom of the sixth.
As Bauta took care of the Giants in the top of the seventh, O'Donnell was switched out for Dick Phillips as a pinch-hitter. This brought Giants reliever Jack Lamabe (4-2, 2.41 ERA) in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Lamabe found the going more shaky, with Milt Graff hitting a two-out double, but Jose Pagan would fly out to left and take Lamabe out of the inning.
(* * *)
The Yankees needed two more good innings to secure a Game 5 win. Jim Brady (9-2, 2.03 ERA, 8 saves) came in to the game, pitching a perfect top of the inning. Jack Lamabe would find it a bit more difficult. Bob Skinner would walk to lead off the half-inning, but Roberto Clemente would ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Gene Oliver would be hit by a pitch -- then steal second -- but Harmon Killebrew would fly out to center. Lamabe did his job, but it wasn't pretty.
Brady was three outs away from a win. Frank Thomas led off with a single to left field, putting the tying run on first. Earl Battey then tripled to bring in the tying run -- Battey had only hit five triples all year, but now had his second post-season triple. Giants 3, Yankees 3. And now...the Giants were threatening another run.
The Yankees brought the infield in. Ken Boyer was up next and grounded to Yankee third baseman Andy Carey, who threw to Gene Oliver at the plate. Battey tried to bowl Oliver over -- but Oliver hung on to the ball and negated the go-ahead run for the first out.
The next batter was Billy Hunter, who laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Boyer over from first for the second out. With the Giants once again threatening to score, Carmen Mauro came in to pinch-hit for Jack Lamabe. However, Mauro grounded to first and the top of the ninth was over -- but the Giants had tied the game!
Claude Raymond (6-2, 2.00, 23 saves) came in to keep the Yankees off the bases in the top of the ninth. Andy Carey was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning...but blew his chance when Claude Raymond picked Carey off first with a quick throw to Donn Clendenon! Lee Maye came in to pinch-hit for Jim Brady, but popped up to second. The game was tied after nine innings and would go to extra innings!
In the top of the 10th, Don McMahon (5-2, 3.66 ERA, 22 saves) came in to pitch against the Giants. He gave up a hit to Donn Clendenon, but no one could move him over and the Giants left their runner stranded.
Raymond remained in for the Yankees at the bottom of the tenth. Milt Graff would fly out to left field, and Jose Pagan would ground to short. It looked as if an 11th inning was inevitable.
The next batter was Bob Skinner. Skinner, who had already hit a home run in the game, worked the count to 1-0 before catching a Claude Raymond fastball and hitting it to right field. In other parks, it might have been a long fly ball -- but at Yankee Stadium, it was a home run! As the crowd went nuts, Skinner's Yankee teammates congratulated him -- he had sent the Yankees into Game 6 all by himself!
FINAL SCORE: Yankees 6, Giants 5 (10)
(* * *)
The Yankees were still alive, and it looked as if the swagger had come back to the men in pinstripes. They were down for the count, but had rolled off two straight wins. The big question, however, was could they win a game at Giants Stadium?
As for the Giants, whose season had been marred by an injury to Claude Osteen, wondered if their success in the 1965 World Series would depend on Bob Johnson's right knee.
Registered User
The potential for a comeback would be exciting if it wasn't the Giants and Yankees playing. Who should we root for? Standard Oil or U.S. Steel? Carnegie or Rockefeller?
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 30, 1965
Game 6
Part I
As October was threatening to come to an end, the series returned to Giants Stadium in Queens -- a hopefully more favorable ground for the Giants. Meanwhile, the New York Daily News was still running headlines like "Bob Johnson Still Gimpy, Game 7 Availability in Doubt". In case, of course, there was a Game 7.
If the Giants felt insecure with the two straight losses at Yankee Stadium, they weren't showing it. No team had ever came down from 3-0 to bring the World Series to a 3-3 tie, and they doubted the Yankees were going to start, with the Yankee clubhouse a house of dissention. Manager Sam Mele of the Giants looked almost serene, saying, "We'd like to win Game Six so Giants fans can celebrate at home. God knows, we want to win these games but we have to be patient and rely on the skills that brought the club this far."
What was making news was the Vietnam War. There was a march of 25,000 in Washington marking for the war and for President Johnson -- but that was just a drop in the bucket compared to the millions marching against it. By the end of the year, there would be 180,000 United States soldiers in Vietnam, but President Johnson's support was still at 60 percent.
A pro-war blood drive. I think 99 percent was slightly overstating it, at least at Boston University.
(* * *)
Knowing that he had nothing to lose, Manager Johnny Keane of the Yankees seemed a little less frazzled. Jim Proctor (27-5, 1.86 ERA) would be on the mound. "I'm feeling good. Feeling good," said the usually dour Proctor with a smile for the press. "This is the situation any pitcher wants to be in. It makes you feel alive." When asked if he would be able to take the booing Giants fans, he said, "Hey, the Yankees fans will be cheering for me. They didn't cheer for me when I was with Detroit."
Manager Sam Mele still radiated calm -- despite not having Bob Johnson ready for Game 6. "We're confident that he'll be back tomorrow, but everyone wants Bob to rest that knee. We want him to rest it all season. It's our job to make sure he doesn't have to come back tomorrow."
John Fitzgerald (21-9, 2.36 ERA) returned to pitch Game 6. "I've been in four World Series now. The Giants are 1-2 as far as I'm concerned, and here's where we tie it." Fitzgerald hoped that at home, he'd get all of the good calls from the umps to make that dream a reality.
(* * *)
As fans grabbed their "space age" souvenir programs (the Yankees and the Giants were fighting each other from space capsules above the world (series)), Fitzgerald took the mound and the flight of his dreams began to have engine trouble. With his first pitch, he tried to throw a forkball past Jay Ward of the Yankees, and Ward hit the ball right over the right field fence, a lead off home run. Yankees 1, Giants 0. Ward, a 26-year old Rookie, had only had 25 at-bats the regular season. His home run off Fitzgerald was his first career home run, and the Yankee bench had fun giving him the traditional cold shoulder when he came round the bases.
Fitzgerald only gave up one hit that first inning -- the home run -- and Proctor took the mound. Johnny O'Brien would lead off with a single, and steal second, beating Gene Oliver's throw. But O'Brien would not move further and the Yankees would keep their 1-0 lead after one inning.
Fitzgerald steeled himself for the second inning. Gene Oliver led off with a single, bringing up Harmon Killebrew. On a 1-1 count, Fitzgerald threw a fastball, low and inside, but Killebrew turned on it fast and hit it to the left field fence and into a bleacher full of unhappy Giants fans. Yankees 3, Giants 0.
Once again, there would be no rustles of offense from the Yankees, but with just three hits, the Yankees had a three-run lead! When the Giants failed to get on base in the bottom of the second, the Giants fans braced themselves for a long day.
(* * *)
The next two innings were uneventful, with the three runs of the Yankees hanging over the Giants. Yastrzemski's lead off single in the bottom of the fourth promised excitement, but Frank Robinson struck out and Frank Thomas hit into a 6-4-3 to end Giants hopes. The game was almost half-over.
Billy Hunter's single was the only excitement the fifth inning offered as Yankee fans held their breath and hoped against hope. With two outs in the top of the sixth, John Fitzgerald faced Don Buford. Soon, Fitzgerald found himself behind 2-1 and threw a high fastball at Buford.
"It didn't rise enough," Fitzgerald said later. It was just a few inches away from Buford's "happy zone", and Buford crushed the ball into the left-center stands. Yankees 4, Giants 0.
Manager Sam Mele finally came out to the mound. Fitzgerald's hopes of leading the Giants to a championship were over. "I went right to the locker and stared right into it and kept staring into it. I didn't even watch the rest of the game," were Fitzgerald's words, many years later.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 30, 1965
Game 6
Part II
Jack Lamabe (4-2, 2.41 ERA) finished the top of the sixth for Fitzgerald. The bottom of the sixth once again proved uneventful for the Giants, with a Carl Yastrzemski base on balls breaking the monotony. Giants fans wondered if the home team was going to be shut out a second time.
The seventh passed, with Proctor still on the mound for the Yankees and the Giants failing to score. Bob Skinner would replace Jay Ward as a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth, but the Yankees would not reach base.
As for the Giants in the bottom of the eighth, as Milt Graff came to play second base, they would get a break as Jim Proctor could not grab a spinning infield grounder and lost the ball before he could throw it to first. Hunter had reached first on an error, and Jack Lamabe expertly bunted Hunter to second. The Giants now had a runner in scoring position.
Jimmie Hall, pinch-hitting for Johnny O'Brien, grounded to second, but moved Hunter to third base. However, Donn Clendenon would strike out and the Giants would still be scoreless after eight innings.
In the top of the ninth, with Joey Amalfitano coming in to play second base, the Yankees threatened to add more runs to their total. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Don Buford was hit by a pitch. Prolonging the suspence, Roberto Clemente then singled Buford to second. Harmon Killebrew, however, popped up foul near third base and the Yankees offense was put to sleep. The problem for the Giants was, however, how would they score four runs?
There was hope. Proctor, who had thrown seven strikeouts in eight innings, was relieved by Jim Brady (9-2, 2.03 ERA, 8 saves). Yaz started the bottom of the ninth by grounding out, but Frank Robinson singled to left field to put a man on first. When Robinson threatened to steal second, the Yankees made it clear that they'd pay him scant attention. He slid into second but Gene Oliver didn't even pretend to make a play, and the official scorer denied Robinson a steal. Still, however, the Giants had a run in scoring position.
Frank Thomas was up next. Thomas weakly dribbled the ball along the first base line as Robinson ran to third base. It looked like Oliver would get the ball cleanly to the waiting Killebrew -- but he tripped on the basepath scrambling after the fall. Thomas narrowly avoided the collision...but was safe at first! The Yankee error put Giants on first and third with only one out.
Earl Battey was the following batter for the Giants. He grounded the ball to third base, but the ball bounced right off the bottom of the glove of third baseman Andy Carey, and dropped like a stone, not moving, as Carey desperately looked for the ball. Battey reached first, and Robinson crossed the plate on an unearned run to break the shutout! Yankees 4, Giants 1.
Two consecutive Yankee errors had allowed the Giants to come to life, and now, they had men on first and second with one out. Ken Boyer would single through the left side, giving the Giants just enough room to load the bases with only one out and the threat was unspoken that the Giants might tear the game wide open in the bottom of the ninth!
Johnny Romano was called to pinch-hit for the weak-hitting Billy Hunter. Romano, who had hit .295 during the year, could only manage a fly ball into center field, but it was enough to allow Thomas to tag up and cross the plate and close the gap to just two runs for the Giants. Yankees 4, Giants 2.
The crowd was now at fever pitch as Dick Phillips was called in to pinch-hit for Jack Lamabe. Phillips, despite a .290 lifetime batting average, had been relegated to bench duty in 1965 and had only hit an anemic .200. He had only been .217 during the 1963 World Series and was 0 for 1 despite appearing in four games in the 1965 Series.
Phillips took the first two pitches for balls. The crowd was even more delirious than before. On the third pitch, Phillips hit a hard grounder to Milt Graff at second....
...but Graff had no trouble with it. He took his time, made a clean throw to first, and beat Phillips by three feet to the bag. The Yankees could celebrate. Game 6 was over.
FINAL SCORE: Yankees 4, Giants 2
(* * *)
For the Giants, it was a disheartening loss. They had become the only team in baseball history to let a team that was down 0-3 in a World Series win three straight games afterwards. Frank Thomas, the ex-Yankee, simply said, "I know these guys are good. I helped them win some of those 131 games. You turn your back and," he snapped his fingers three times, staccato, for emphasis, "there they are. Tomorrow, there'll be no more excuses."
Even thought the Yankees could still not completely relax, Roberto Clemente said, "I've been proud to be a Yankee. And I've always been proud. Tonight, it will be the Giants tossing and turning. Winning four games (in a row) is hard -- but the pressure is all upon them, now." Clemente smiled. He felt really, really good. Tomorrow night was Halloween, and maybe, he could create some magic.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
October 31, 1965
Game 7
Part I
Bob Johnson noted that "already there were two reporters sleeping in the hotel lobby". He had had to ask the hotel management to disconnect his phone, just to avoid the well wishers and to have some piece and quiet from people calling up to the room all of the time. If there were any messages, his Giants roommates would send them.
Claude Osteen was cleared to visit the Yankee clubhouse during Game 7 -- he would wear a uniform but not be on the offical roster. He was walking, but had been forbidden to run or climb stairs "so they lifted me up the stairs, like some old woman." He had been part of the Giants team all year, having a chance of winning 30 games before a hip injury took him out for the season.
Manager Sam Mele seemed "tight" according to the Giants. "He rode us a little bit during warmups", said Frank Thomas. "Not like Johnny Keane yells at the players. Skip is usually one of those soft-spoken guys, but I guess the pressure is starting to get to him."
It was the biggest game of the year. The Giants/Yankees battle would come down to one last game, but the Giants players waited to see if Bob Johnson, with his 34 home runs and .346 batting average, would help the Giants stem back the Yankee insurgency.
(* * *)
Johnson put on his uniform and limped to the shortstop position. Giants coaches hit some grounders towards him, but Johnson was as immobile as a lamppost. He would make tenative stabs at ground balls going by with his arm, and he would occasionally run after a ball, only to come to a dead stop for seemingly no reason. "I was taking aspirin like you couldn't believe, knee packs, everything. I actually felt worse out there on the field than I did before I came in."
Finally, after 15 minutes of hope against hope, Mele called the drills off. "Bob," he said, "I don't think I can use you today." They would have to go with Billy Hunter at short and pray for the best.
(* * *)
As for the Yankee dugout, Manager Johnny Keane said, "I just wanted to show that this club had a chance at winning." He almost talked like the Yankees were the underdogs instead of the winners of seven straight American League pennants. "Tonight, we can prove it. We can do something no club in baseball has ever done, win a World Series after being down three. This club can do it. I don't think there's a Yankee club that compares to this club. And I'm talking Ruth and Gehrig here."
The 33-year old Andy Carey had been part of all seven of those Yankee pennants. 1965 was a contract year for Carey. If this were his final year with the Yankees, he said, "I might retire. I've always wanted to get into the stock market, financial planning. Be with my children, and my wife. If this is going to be my final year on a baseball field, I want to go out on top." His attractive wife, one-time glamour girl Lucy Marlow, brought their children to see their father play in what might be his last game. When asked if Carey was going to retire, Marlow said, "I don't think he's ready. He'll quit when he has to."
Everyone else of note planned on being back for 1966. "You know," Keane said to the assembled press, "maybe 1964 was just a bump in the road. Clemente, Killebrew...how could you say those guys aren't World Champs and class acts all the way?"
"What if it wasn't?" asked a reporter.
Keane shot a look that can kill. "Then we come back loaded for bear next year and whip those sons of bitches."
Keane was under a lot of pressure to start Bob Skinner in left field in place of Don Buford. Skinner had been the Yankees starter in left field all year, but Keane had wanted to keep the left hander away from lefties like Bill Kirk and Skinner had only started in Game 2 and Game 4. Skinner was the second highest paid player on the team, at $16.1 million, and was pinch-hitting in Game 7! It was one of yet another of Keane's bizarre moves. He called it "playing his hunches", and he did it right 137 out of 169 times in 1965. All he needed was to get it right one more time.
(* * *)
The starting job had been given to Marshall Renfroe (25-7, 2.92 ERA). He had one win in his two appearances against the Giants. "I was lucky to get on this lineup this year. Is there pressure? Sure. But when has a pitcher ever not had any pressure?" He popped the ball into his glove as if it was another day at the office -- which was how the Yankees treated all their games. Nothing special. Play The Yankee Way. Championships were to be expected.
As for the Giants, Bill Kirk (29-7, 2.62 ERA). He tried to forget the last time he played the Yankees, a nightmare when he gave up 9 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Most of the time he spent talking to Claude Osteen, ignoring the other Giants and going down the lineup, asking Osteen how he would pitch the Giants. "I figure between the two of us, we can squeeze out one more win. One more win, claim the trophy, and go home."
When the Giants fans arrived at the stadium, some were dressed in Halloween regalia. There was already a carnival atmosphere. Both groups of rooters, Giants fans, and Yankees fans, were completely convinced that their squad would walk away champions after nine innings.
(* * *)
Kirk pitched a perfect top of the first against the visitors, and when Johnny O'Brien singled off Renfroe in the bottom of the first, Giants fans held their breath. But the Yankee infield was still dynamite, with Donn Clendenon hitting into a double play. It only heightened the tension in the crowd. A pitcher's duel means that "every hit counts double" as Yogi Berra of the Yankees said to reporters.
With Kirk only giving up a walk in the second, the Giants tried again. Frank Robinson, leading off, hit a double into the left field gap that had Giants fans immediately on their feet. Frank Thomas then grounded to Jay Ward at second, who had to make the sure play at first. Robinson moved to third, and the Yankees moved their infield in after the first out.
Earl Battey was the next batter, who flew out to center field, deep enough for Frank Robinson to head for home and easily slide in under the throw. The Giants now had their first run of the game. Giants 1, Yankees 0. Ken Boyer would walk, but Billy Hunter would ground out, ending the second with the Giants leading 1-0.
Marshall Renfroe, however, was fortunate. With one out in the top of the third, and facing Kirk, Renfroe hit a double over the head of Giants centerfielder Frank Thomas, who was playing close to the infield. Renfroe had hit five doubles in 1965, and this was his sixth.
Renfroe was now on second and after Jay Ward grounded to third, Jose Pagan would single up the middle, moving Renfroe to third with two out. Don Buford came up to bat, and got his first hit of the night, a single that brought Marshall Renfroe home to score the first Yankee run and tie the game. Yankees 1, Giants 1. But Jose Pagan running to second on the hit, was given the call to stretch for an extra base. It would be a footrace between Pagan and Yastrzemski's throw from left field...and this time, Yaz would win on his home grounds, throwing out Pagan at third and ending the top of the third.
The Giants, however, would not answer, as Renfroe took care of the Giants in the bottom of the third. The game was a third over, and it was tied 1-1.
(* * *)
But the Yankees came right back. Kirk got into trouble again, the same kind of trouble that plagued him in his last appearance. In the top of the fourth, he started off by walking Roberto Clemente. Gene Oliver followed by hitting a double over the outstretched glove of Ken Boyer, and Kirk then uncorked an errant pitch that hit Harmon Killebrew in the thigh. The bases were now loaded with Yankees, and there was no one out.
However, when Stuart Petty grounded to Giants second baseman Johnny O'Brien, O'Brien made a dead-eye throw to Battey at the plate. Clemete tried to slide in, but was called out by American League Umpire John Flaherty for the first out. Then, Andy Carey followed up with a 6-4-3 double play that left two men on base and ended any chance for the Yankees to take a commanding league. "I was lucky to get away," said Renfroe later.
In the bottom of the fourth, with two men on, Frank Thomas hit into a 3-6-1 double play with Bill Kirk making the play at first. Yastrzemski, however, was moved to third, but Earl Battey struck out to end the fourth inning, the game still tied.
With the fifth inning completely uneventful, both managers knew they'd have to play it smart. Four innings separated either the Yankees or the Giants from a World Championship.
The sixth inning also passed with no one reaching base. Everyone was at the height of tension as the game entered the seventh inning. But aside from a Earl Battey walk in the bottom of the seventh, neither side could break the stalemate.
(* * *)
With the start of the eighth inning, Manager Johnny Keane of the Yankees would be the first manager to make a substitution of any kind during the game. Bob Skinner would pinch-hit for Marshall Renfroe, finally getting his chance to contribute, but unable to create any offense. Neither could any of the other Yankees in the top of the eighth.
This left Jim Brady (9-2, 2.03 ERA, 8 saves) to make his fifth appearance in the 1965 World Series. He faced light-hitting Billy Hunter first...but on a routine grounder near first, Brady and Killebrew became confused as to who was to take the ball and the hesitation on Brady's part led Hunter to take first base! Brady would be charged with the error.
Next up was pitcher Bill Kirk, to the consternation of the Giants faithful as ugly murmurs ran through the crowd. The Giants needed some offense! But Kirk had been called in to lay down a bunt, and he did his job, moving Hunter to second with the sacrifice bunt.
Dynastarian
1965 World Series
Game 7
October 31, 1965
Part II
However, Johnny O'Brien grounded to Jose Pagan at short, who made the play at first with Hunter unable to move. Donn Clendenon came up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. He had been 0 for 3 during the night. He went to a 1-2 count.
Then two foul balls.
Then took two balls to make it a full 3-2 count.
Then another foul ball. Then another.
Finally, he found the pitch he wanted and hit it into the left-center gap. Clendenon held up at first as Hunter was given the go-ahead to score by the Giants coaches. Buford grabbed the single and made the throw to Gene Oliver as the 36-year old Hunter slid...!
...SAFE!! Hunter had scored and the Giants were now in the lead!! Giants 2, Yankees 1. All was forgiven as the Halloween crowd, clad in season-appropriate black and orange, went nuts. Hunter, a man considered by some Giants fans not worthy to carry Bob Johnson's shoes, was now the hero of the night, and mobbed by the Giants in the dugout.
However, Manager Sam Mele played the percentages one too many times. He gave the signal to Clendenon to steal. Clendenon had stolen successfully 9 of 11 times -- but not this time! He was called out at second by National League Umpire Edward Vargo, and the eighth inning was over, with the Giants carrying a tenuous 2-1 lead into the ninth.
(* * *)
"Three more outs, fellas!" shouted Claude Osteen from the bench. "Let's take this one home!"
Manager Sam Mele was not taking chances. Dick Phillips came in to play first base and Jimmie Hall was called to play right field. As for pitching, Claude Raymond (6-2. 200 ERA, 23 saves) was called in to wrap up a possible championship. The scouting report of the Yankees read, "he throws the fastball, change and curve and throws all of them well".
The first batter was Don Buford. Buford took one ball, and then hit a line drive to center field, but Stuart Petty was there to grab it before it fell for a hit. One out down.
Following Buford was Roberto Clemente. He had gone 0 for 2 with a walk. He took two pitches before making contact....
...and this time, he hit the ball hard to right center field and right into the bleachers! As the Yankee dugout exploded, Clemente ran almost at full speed around the bases to the cheers of his teammates as well as those others in New York city watching the game on national television. The Yankees had tied it! Yankees 2, Giants 2.
Raymond got out of the top of the ninth, but the lead was gone. The hope was that the Giants could win it in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Jimmie Hall singled to left, putting the winning run on first, but Frank Thomas grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Nine innings were finished and the score was 2-2. The game would go into extra innings!
(* * *)
Only two other times had a World Series reached (at least) at Game 7 and ended in extra innings. The 1912 World Series ended in Game 8 (it was a nine-game series back then), with the Red Sox on top. In 1924, the Senators won Game 7 of their World Series in extra innings, finally giving Walter Johnson a world championship.
The victims. In both series, the victims were the New York Giants. History did not offer much encouragement to the home team.
In the top of the 10th, Manager Johnny Keane would try to spark the Yankees. Preston Ward would pinch-hit for Stuart Petty, but fly out harmlessly to left. Andy Carey lined out to center field, and Lee Maye was called in to pinch-hit for pitcher Jim Brady. But Maye struck out, and it was now the Giants turn to bat.
Don McMahon (5-2, 3.66, 22 saves) hoped to keep the Yanks alive for one more inning. Johnny Keane put Milt Graff in center field. Graff had played a grand total of one game in center field his entire career.
Earl Battey popped up for the first out. Ken Boyer then hit a line drive to center field that was sure to fall for a base hit....
...but Milt Graff made an amazing diving catch that even awed the Giants! "Look at him scoop that up! Joe D eat your heart out!" shouted Red Barber in the broadcast booth, calling up visions of the Yankee Clipper patrolling center field.
The Giants weren't done yet, thought. Billy Hunter got ball four and walked to first, putting the winning run on first again. Carmen Mauro was called in to hit for Claude Raymond.
McMahon then threw a high fastball -- too high -- that went right toward the backstop. By the time Earl Battey recovered the ball, Hunter was now in scoring position after the wild pitch!
However, Mauro harmlessly popped up to Jay Ward at second! The 10th was over, and the Giants would have to endure an 11th inning.
Orlando Pena (4-1, 3.05 ERA, 3 saves) got the call to pitch at the top of the 11th. Jay Ward led off with a single to right, putting a runner on. Jose Pagan would fly out to right field...but Don Buford would single up the middle. Ward didn't dare go past second base, and the Yankees put a runner in scoring position.
Roberto Clemente came up. Remember the home run he hit in the 9th, Battey walked out to the mound to talk things over with Pena. Finally, they were ready for Clemente.
Clemente managed to hit the ball to Johnny O'Brien at second, but O'Brien would have to stoop down and make the safe throw at first for the second out. Ward was now on third base, bringing up Yankee catcher Gene Oliver.
On a 1-2 count, Pena threw a fast ball low and outside to Oliver. Oliver swung...and missed!! Strike three! And the top of the 11th was over, as the clock passed midnight! Whoever won the World Series would win it on November 1st.
(* * *)
McMahon faced the top of the Giants batting order at the bottom of the 11th. His first batter was Johnny O'Brien, who popped up to Jose Pagan at short.
Following O'Brien was Dick Phillips, a defensive substitute who made Sam Mele into a genius when he hit Don McMahon's first pitch for a base hit to left. The Giants had a man on first with one out, and another chance to win.
Carl Yastrzemski was the next batter. Yaz took a swing at McMahon's first pitch, but he missed. McMahon threw his next pitch, a fastball, low and inside.
Yaz quickly turned on it and got a base hit! An extra base hit -- it was going back...back...back!!
But it wouldn't clear the outfield wall, instead bouncing off between left and center. Buford raced for the ball, calling off Graff at center...Yaz was now reaching second and if there was a play, it would be made at the plate.
Yaz slid into third, belly first, but the play wouldn't be there. Phillips was heading home, and Buford threw to Andy Carey, his cut off man, who ignored Yaz to try to make the play at home....the throw came in from Carey as Phillips made his slide...!!
...SAFE!! SAFE!! It was over!! The Giants had done it again!! In extra innings, they held off the Yankees to win their second straight World Championship!! The Giants fans in the stands made a bacchanal, and the Yankees felt as if their dream of another World Series had turned into a pumpkin after the stroke of midnight.
FINAL SCORE: Giants 3, Yankees 2 (11)
(* * *)
It seems as if Carl Yastrzemski collapsed in the Giants dugout while his teammates were dancing around and showering every available surface with champagne. He looked stooped over, but wore a huge grin. "All that work this year payed off. I'm going to remember that hit as long as I live. That hit was better than a ring." At least in parts of Manhattan and Queens, it would last a lot longer. Like Sherm Lollar who won a series with a home run in Boston, Yaz would never have to pay for his drinks as long as any bar in New York City was open for the rest of his life.
Manager Sam Mele could afford to do some bragging. "Right now, team for team, I think the National League East is the toughest division in baseball. Playing against the teams in the NL East was good experience for what it would take to win this series. The injuries affected us, but we pulled it together. It's like the Yankees...after a while, experience rings true."
As for the Yankee dugout, it was dead quiet. Manager Johnny Keane, the brunt of so much hostility from the press, was left to do the post-mortem. "It's so hard to believe that one hit can separate you from a World Championship. It's very hard to take. But I'm proud of this club. Even down three games, they never gave up. The next time we're here, the Giants better look out because we're going to win it all."
"Is that a prediction?" said one of the reporters.
Manager Keane sighed. "Well, I thought predicting the Yankees would be a sure thing. It takes more than luck to win one of these things."
As Andy Carey came back from the shower and began dressing, reporters asked him if he was going to take his retirement. "Well...who wants to end it on a sour note? I think that the symphony has a few more bars to play."
Read More Dynasties!
Now that was a fun world series! I'm happy that the Giants won - anything that makes the Yankees suffer makes me sing
Your post-mortem, especially Carey's comment was well written and fitting! Of course, I'm anxious to get back to the Braves. Maybe this is the year?
Retired Dynasties I'm Proud of
To Rule in Kansas City Part I and Part II (Kansas City Royals 1969-73, Hall of Fame)
Cardinal Sins (St. Louis Cardinals 1976-78) and it's sequel:
Diverting Destiny (Montreal Expos 1994)
Script for my Requiem (New Orleans Blues (fictional) 1954)
Dynastarian
CatKnight,
Maybe this is the year for the Braves. Hope springs eternal.
On another note, I've moved the game over to Baseball Mogul 08. The game, of course, has done some weird things:
1) Salaries are at 2007 levels but expenses have fallen to 1965 levels. I'm trying not to take advantage of this.
2) The encyclopedia believes that every team that has existed since 1953 is an American League team -- and it also has forgotten their names. Team history remembers the names, but somehow thinks all teams are AL teams, at least in the past.
3) On the other hand, with some judicious engineering, you can have ALL WOMEN in baseball. Someday, I can do my AAGPBL dynasty!!
--Pet
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