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THE 60's: - 1960 - 1961 - 1962 - 1963 - 1964
Complete Composite Statistics and Box Scores at Baseball-Almanac.com

1960 World Series

"I don't know what the pitch was (to Bill Mazeroski in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series). All I know is it was the wrong one." - New York Yankees' Pitcher Ralph Terry

PINSTRIPE PERSPECTIVES: Events off the field

The fifty-star Flag of the United States was officially dedicated on July 4th. The newly expanded banner had been modified following the admission of the 50th state, Hawaii, on August 21st, 1959 with an Executive Order filed by President Eisenhower providing the arrangement of nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows staggered vertically.

President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 enabling federal judges to appoint referees to hear persons claiming that state election officials had denied minorities the right to register and vote. Though well intended, the statute proved ineffective, making it necessary for President Lyndon B. Johnson to persuade Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

John F. Kennedy, a first-ballot nominee, defeated Richard Nixon to become the youngest President ever elected in the United States. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic President and immediately set out to redeem his campaign pledge to get America moving again. His economic programs launched the country on its longest sustained expansion since World War II.

FALL CLASSIC: Pittsburgh Pirates (4) vs. New York Yankees (3)

After a thirty-five year hiatus, baseball's first modern National League champions (1901), the Pittsburgh Pirates finally returned to the Fall Classic. Their opponent, the American League's New York Yankees had participated in eight of the last ten contests and only had to wait one year to get back to the big show. Pittsburgh had no problem knocking off their "postseason cobwebs" and started strong with an opening 6-4 lead against the perennial champs in Game 1 at Forbes Field. However, their initial momentum was cut short as the Yanks dominated Games 2 and 3. Mickey Mantle did more than his share (two home runs and five runs-batted-in) and his teammates followed close behind, totaling nineteen hits off six different Pirate pitchers. The result was a 16-3 victory in the Steel City and a 10-0 shutout back home in the Bronx. Bobby Richardson took Mantle's example in the opener and added a grand slam off reliever Clem Labine in the third inning and a two run single, giving him a record six RBIs. "The Mick" responded with two more home runs of his own and three other hits, while Whitey Ford tossed his usual four-hitter.

A determined Pirate team went back to the basics and gave the ball to first-game winner Vern Law for Game 4. The National League's Cy Young Award winner, combined with relief ace Roy Face to beat back the Yankees 3-2, in an outing that was decided on Bill Virdon's single in the fifth inning, that scored two of Pittsburgh runs. Attempting to avoid a comeback, New York made a controversial decision and decided to go with Game 1 loser Art Ditmar, who had only lasted 1/3 of an inning. Some believed (in retrospect) that Stengel had thought the "Bucs" would underestimate the young pitcher, giving him the advantage. Unfortunately the Yankees skipper was wrong, as Bill Mazeroski took him for a key double in the Pirate's three-run second inning. Face returned with 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief after replacing starter and winner Harvey Haddix, to nail down the 5-2 triumph, which put Pittsburgh in the lead.

It was a completely different story in Game 6, as the day belonged to the "Bronx Bombers". Richardson had two triples. Johnny Blanchard added two doubles. Roger Maris, Yogi Berra and Blanchard all collected three hits each. And before it was over, the Yankees finished with seventeen hits and twelve runs. Whitey Ford added to the "Buccos" embarrassment by shutting them out again and many felt that it was all but over. Despite forcing another opportunity at their own Forbes Field, Pittsburgh had clearly been dominated by New York, who outscored them a staggering 38-3 in the Series. However, Game 7 would erase those numbers and leave fans in both agony and ecstasy.

Vern Law and the rest of the Pirates showed why they were still there, by rolling over New York to take an early 4-0 lead. However, the Yankees came back with key performances at the plate by Bill Skowron, Mantle and Yogi Berra and shot to a 5-4 lead going into the eighth inning. They continued to lead 7-5 and looked to be in great shape as reliever Bobby Shantz appeared at the top of his game. Fortunately for the Pirates, appearances can sometimes be deceiving.

Gino Cimoli led off the Pittsburgh eighth inning with a pinch-single and Bill Virdon hit a sharp grounder toward Yankees' shortstop, Tony Kubek. After the speeding ball took a bad hop and struck Kubek in the throat (resulting in a single), Joe DeMaestri was summoned to replace him as both Pirates remained on base. Dick Groat followed with another single, cutting the lead to 7-5 and Roberto Clemente kept the rally going with an infield hit that scored Virdon and advanced Groat to third. Now trailing 7-6, Pittsburgh had two runners on base and Hal Smith at the plate. Smith, who entered the game in the top of the eighth inning after Pirates catcher Smoky Burgess had left for a pinch-runner in the previous inning, sent shock waves through the crowd by blasting a timely home run over the left-field wall.

Bob Friend, an eighteen game winner for the Pirates and the "Bucs" starter in Games 2 and 6, came on in the ninth inning to try to protect the 9-7 lead. The Yankees Bobby Richardson and pinch-hitter Dale Long both greeted Friend with singles and Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was forced to lift the veteran pitcher in favor of Harvey Haddix. Although he forced Roger Maris to foul out, Haddix gave up a key single to Mantle that scored Richardson and moved Long to third. Berra followed suit, hitting a short grounder to first, with Rocky Nelson stepping on the base for the second out. In what, at the time, stood as a monumental play, Mantle, seeing he had no chance to beat a play at second, scurried back to first and avoided Nelson's tag (which would have been the third out) as McDougald raced home to tie the score, 9-9. The Yankees were still alive.

Ralph Terry, who had gotten the final out in the Pirates' eighth inning, returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to finish the job. The first man he faced was Bill Mazeroski. With a count of one ball and no strikes, the Pirates' second baseman smashed a historical long drive over the wall in left, ending the contest and crowning the National League as champions. As the Pirates erupted in a wild celebration, the Yankees stood in disbelief knowing that they had clearly dominated the Series, but were unable to finish the task. The improbable champions were outscored, 55-27, and out-hit, 91-60, but in the end, the home team prevailed. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 Series was the biggest disappointment of his career. For Bill Mazeroski, it was the highlight.

BOMBER BYTES: from Baseball-Almanac.com

Bobby Richardson of the New York Yankees set one (1) and tied one (1) World Series game record during the 1960 Fall Classic: October 8, 1960, most runs batted in during one game with six (6) & October 12, 1960, tied record for most triples during one game with two (2).

MVP Dilemma: Bobby Richardson won the Sport Magazine World Series Most Valuable Player and Bill Mazeroski won the Babe Ruth Award for Most Valuable World Series Player.

Major League Baseball (MLB.com) calls this particular Classic's finale as "The greatest Game Seven in World Series Championship history."

MORE HERE: Bill Mazeroski's Homerun

1961 World Series

"I know men are not supposed to talk about love for other men, especially so-called macho athletes, but I don't mind telling you that I love Whitey Ford. I couldn't love him more if he was my own brother." - Mickey Mantle

PINSTRIPE PERSPECTIVES: Events off the field

A new American based humanitarian organization called the "Peace Corps" was started at the insistence President John F. Kennedy. The program encouraged young people, most just out of college, to volunteer a year of their time to work as teachers, health care providers or other advisors for poor nations in Africa, Asia and South America.

The United States government pledged to increase its military presence to aid South Vietnam in the fight against the Viet Cong rebels. Although not "officially engaged" in a formal state of war, the new agreement provided increased funding for the Vietnamese army and more U.S. advisors in the field.

An unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government of Cuban premier Fidel Castro by United States-backed rebels took place in April. An invasion force consisting of approximately 1,500 Cuban exiles, armed with U.S. weapons, landed at the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) on the south coast hoping to find support from the local population. Within hours, most were wiped out by Castro's own troops or taken prisoner for ransom. Acting President John F. Kennedy took full responsibility for the disaster, even though the plans had been put in place during the Eisenhower administration.

FALL CLASSIC: Cincinnati Reds (1) vs. New York Yankees (4)

The 1961 season witnessed one of the most amazing performances in all of baseball as Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris went head-to-head for the all-time, single-season homerun record set by another slugger in pinstripes named Babe Ruth. Both men were extremely gifted athletes on both sides of the ball and their friendship and competitiveness was second to none. The press had dubbed them "The M&M Boys" and their story is an incredible example of the impact sports can have when two teammates who are as opposite as can be, come together to create something special. In the previous season, in his first game in Yankee pinstripes, Maris singled, doubled, and smacked two home runs. His MVP numbers included a league leading one hundred twelve runs-batted-in and thirty-nine home runs; only one behind league-leader Mantle, although he missed eighteen games with injuries. However, in 1961, Maris stayed healthy and played in one hundred sixty-one games, (his career high). As he and Mantle made their charge at Babe Ruth's home run record, the Yankees considered switching Maris (who batted third) and Mantle (fourth), to give "The Mick" (clearly the fan favorite) a better shot. Many experts feel that if the switch had been made, Maris almost certainly would not have broken the record.

Regardless of the decision, Mantle fell back in the middle of September when he suffered a serious infection in his hip. Maris kept it up and went into the one hundred fifty-fourth game of the season in Baltimore with fifty-eight homers. He gave it his best shot that night, hitting No. 59 and then launching a long foul on his second-to-last at-bat. Unfortunately, in his last at-bat (against Hoyt Wilhelm) he hit a disappointing checked-swing grounder. Despite the setback, Maris remained determined and finally passed "The Bambino" on the last day of the season against the Red Sox's Tracy Stallard. Fittingly, it went about 340 feet into Yankee Stadium's right field porch. Maris also finished the regular season with back-to-back MVP honors, driving in a league-leading one hundred forty-two runs. As expected, Ford C. Frick ruled that since Maris had played in a one hundred sixty-two game schedule (as opposed to Ruth's one-hundred fifty-four game schedule), his record would be listed officially with a qualifying asterisk. This decision stood until 1991. Although, he never experienced the same hitting streak, his consistency as a power hitter continued and he hit two hundred seventy-five home runs during his twelve-year career.

As expected, the rest of the '61Yankees were at the top of their game (winning one hundred nine) while attempting to forget the devastating loss in the previous year's Series, after the Pirates Bill Mazeroski hit "the shot heard round the world" in Game 7. New York, which had surprisingly dismissed Casey Stengel after the '60 Series, was now under the guidance of Ralph Houk. The new skipper was a former reserve catcher and coach for the Yanks, who practiced a slightly more modern philosophy than his long-time predecessor. Whitey Ford continued to dominate on the mound and finished with an amazing 25-4 record. And relief ace Luis Arroyo had a masterful season, going 15-5, with a 2.19 ERA.

Their rivals, the Cincinnati Reds had climbed to the top of the National League on the solid arm of Joey Jay (a .500 career pitcher in Milwaukee, but a twenty-one-game winner in Cincinnati). Many fans felt that it would be a showdown between pitchers and did not anticipate any high-scoring events despite the lumber wielding lineups. Whitey Ford proved the predictions right in the first game while holding the Reds to two measly singles for a 2-0 victory at home in the Bronx. Jim O'Toole had pitched extremely well throughout the opener, but fell victim to the '61 Yankees signature otherwise known as the home run. After all, they had belted two hundred forty during the regular season and boasted the newly crowned "King of Swing" in Maris. The Red's newest ace, Jay was given the start for Game 2 and promptly answered back with a 6-2 masterpiece of his own. After trading runs early on, the Reds pulled ahead on catcher Elston Howard's passed ball, which followed singles by Elio Chacon and Eddie Kasko. Johnny Edwards extended the lead to 4-2, with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. A throwing error by Yankees reliever Luis Arroyo, and an RBI-double by Edwards netted the Reds their final two runs in the eighth inning.

Game 3 returned the contest to Cincinnati for the first time in twenty-one years and the home team looked to maintain their momentum with a 2-1 lead going into the eighth inning. Bob Purkey had tossed an impressive four-hitter, but was nailed by Johnny Blanchard, who had contributed mightily to the Yanks long ball rally with twenty-one homers (in only two hundred forty-three at-bats) during the regular season. The pinch-hitter / reserve catcher / outfielder stepped up in place of Bud Daley and belted his twenty-second home run deep into the right field bleachers. Maris, who was hitless in ten Series at-bats led off the ninth inning and hammered his sixty-second of the year into the same seats as Blanchard. As the Reds took their turn, Arroyo was sent in to finish the job and induced pinch-hitters Dick Gernert and Gus Bell to ground out, ending the game.

Whitey Ford returned in Game 4 to build on his Series scoreless-inning streak of twenty-seven and eyed up another one of Babe Ruth's records of twenty-nine. The Yankees' veteran had no problem adding five more innings, before leaving in the sixth with an ankle problem. By then his team had a four-run lead, thanks to Clete Boyer's two-run double in the sixth inning. Jim Coates, who had replaced the "The Chairman," tossed four innings of one-hit relief. Mantle, who was limited to six Series at-bats, was replaced by Hector Lopez, who hammered a two-run single in the seventh inning on the way to a 7-0 final. In Game 5, the "Bronx Bombers" picked right up where they had left off, scoring five runs in the first inning. In the fourth, they added five more and steamrolled over the Reds 13-5 for the closing win and the title.

Although the "The M&M Boys" had managed only three hits and two RBIs in twenty-five at-bats, Blanchard and Lopez compensated with ten runs while going 7-19. Lopez had even gone further, with an amazing seven RBIs in nine at-bats. As predicted originally, pitching was the determining factor in the '61 Series as Ford, Coates and Daley went twenty-five innings without surrendering a single earned-run.

BOMBER BYTES: from Baseball-Almanac.com

The Most Valuable Player Award was earned by Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees who appeared in two (2) games, won two (2) games, and had an earned run average of 0.00.

Whitey Ford left the sixth inning of Game 4 due to an injured ankle. Several fans know that Ford set the record for consecutive scoreless innings during a World Series with thirty-three (33.1), During the third inning he passed the previous record holder who was none other than Babe Ruth who had pitched twenty-nine and two-thirds (29.2) consecutive scoreless innings.

The only World Series record set by the Cincinnati Reds was accomplished during Game 4 when Frank Robinson was hit twice by a pitch during a single game (tying the record previously set by the Yankees' Yogi Berra in the '53 Series).

MORE HERE: 1961: Year of The M&M Boys

1962 World Series

"Superstition, those guys aren't superstitious. They're just too cheap to send out their laundry." - New York Yankees Outfielder Tom Tresh

PINSTRIPE PERSPECTIVES: Events off the field

After hearing the case of Engel vs. Vitale, the Supreme Court ruled that state-sponsored prayer in schools was unconstitutional. Although prayer was not outlawed in school entirely (only school-sponsored prayer) the decision ignited a controversy that has continued unabated until today.

In February, astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in orbit and John Glenn followed later that year as the first to travel into space after a fifteen minute flight on July 21st. Both missions were in preparation of meeting President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

In late August, American spy planes detected the building of military missile sites in Cuba. U.S. Intelligence sources later determined the Soviets, under Nikita Khrushchev, had decided to shorten the strategic gap between the two world powers by placing missiles there limiting America's warning capabilities if attacked. In October, President John F. Kennedy was presented with conclusive proof that the Soviets were in fact installing medium-range ballistic missiles. After several tense days of defensive posturing, the issue was peacefully resolved after the United States agreed not to invade Cuba, and the Soviets agreed to withdraw all military forces and weapons.

FALL CLASSIC: San Francisco Giants (3) vs. New York Yankees (4)

Over the last few decades, the defending champion New York Yankees had made an art out of dominating the American League on the way to their twenty-fifth Fall Classic. It was becoming all too predictable and the early '60s were looking a lot like the '50s when the "Pinstripes" played in eight out of ten world championships. On the other side of the ball, the National League representatives were a familiar opponent to the Yanks as well as former "roommates". The Giants had finally recaptured the National League pennant for the first time since moving across the country to San Francisco (after the 1957 season). And it seemed fitting that the prelude to this "Subway Series" revival was a playoff between them and the Los Angeles Dodgers who used to call Brooklyn their home.

Series veteran Whitey Ford was given his usual Game 1 start by the Yanks sophomore manager Ralph Houk and extended his World Series consecutive-innings-scoreless streak to thirty-three before San Francisco got on the scoreboard in the second inning. The Giants' Billy O'Dell kept pace with "The Chairman" through six innings, but finally surrendered to Clete Boyer and his fellow "Bombers" in the closing innings for a 6-2 loss. Jack Sanford got revenge the following day though with a three-hit 2-0 shutout that evened the contest at one game apiece. Billy Pierce continued the cycle in Game 3, blanking the Yankees through six innings, until the newly crowned single-season homerun leader, Roger Maris, broke through the deadlock with a two-run single in the seventh inning and eventually scored on a force-out grounder. Yankees' closer Bill Stafford almost blew it in the ninth inning, after giving up a two run blast of his own to Ed Bailey, but managed to pull it together for the 3-2 victory.

Game 4 featured a rare breakout performance at the plate by the Giants' Chuck Hiller. An unlikely threat to the Yankees power pitching, the second baseman had hit only twenty home runs in his eight-year Major League career. Those numbers didn't matter though, as he nailed a bases-loaded homer off Yankees reliever Marshall Bridges in the seventh inning. It was the first grand-slam ever in a World Series outing by a National Leaguer and it snapped the 2-2 tie and resulted in a San Francisco victory at Yankees Stadium. In a strange twist, the winning Giants reliever was none other than Don Larsen, who (exactly six years earlier to the day) pitched his record-setting perfect game for the home team against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ralph Terry, who had gone 0-4 in Series outings finally managed to cross over in Game 5. As with the rest of the outings, both teams were locked in a tie late in the game. This time, it was Tom Tresh's turn to take the lead. The New York rookie hammered a three-run eighth-inning homer off Sanford, who lost the game despite putting up ten K's in 7 1/3 innings. After a five-day absence (due to travel and three rain delays) the Series returned, with the Giants well rested and ready to even the score in Game 6. Billy Pierce's three-hitter and Cepeda's three hits and two RBIs netted San Francisco the crucial 5-2 triumph that held the Fall Classic at a 3-3 standoff.

Terry, who had given up the deciding blast to Bill Mazeroski in the 1960 heart-breaker, returned for the start in Game 7 and responded by holding the Giants to just two hits (and a 1-0 lead) going into the ninth inning. The Yankees' pitcher had found some redemption winning twenty-three games during the regular season in '62 and was on his way to a complete-game victory. Pinch-hitter Matty Alou led off the inning with a perfect bunt for base one, but Terry answered back by striking out both Felipe Alou and Hiller. Willie Mays, who had just completed a phenomenal (forty-nine homer, one hundred forty-one RBI) season, rose to the occasion and blasted a double to right field. Maris made a sprinting grab and managed to reach cutoff man Bobby Richardson to hold Alou at third. Despite the great defensive stand by the Yankees, clean-up man, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda were due up next. During the regular season, McCovey had tallied twenty home runs and fifty-four RBIs while Cepeda added thirty-five homers and one hundred forty-four runs-batted-in. Houk elected to keep Terry in, believing the right-hander would handle the Giants' lefty. With a one ball, one strike count on McCovey, Terry brought the heat, but the Giants slugger sent the offering toward right field. Second baseman Richardson moved slightly to his left and desperately reached up with his glove snagging the ball and another World Series title.

Once again, the mighty Yanks had been able to hold off a worthy opponent despite failing to win consecutive games at any point in the Series and getting .174 and .120 batting marks from two of their biggest threats, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. Their less-than-stellar stats were certainly a compliment to the Giants pitching staff as the "The M&M Boys" had posted one hundred seventy-eight home runs combined in the last two seasons. It mattered little though as the American League's dynasty had proven that they were back and ready for more.

BOMBER BYTES: from Baseball-Almanac.com

The San Francisco Giants had a better team batting average, earned run average, hit more home runs, triples, and doubles, yet lost the World Championship.

In Game 1 during the second inning, Whitey Ford gave up a run ending his World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings at thirty-three and two-thirds (33.2).

1963 World Series

"The Dodgers had done to New York what the Yankees, in all their dominant years, had never been able to do to them. In baseball parlance, they had swept 'em." - The Sporting News

PINSTRIPE PERSPECTIVES: Events off the field

Minister and civil-rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King led over two hundred thousand people in the largest non-violent demonstration ever held to support the passage of civil rights legislation. The historic march on Washington D.C. was highlighted by King's infamous "I have a dream" speech in which he stated "…one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: we hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal."

On November 22nd, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed as he rode through the streets of Dallas, Texas aboard the presidential motorcade. Lee Harvey Oswald was later identified as the lone assassin although his guilt was never proven in a court of law. While in police custody, Oswald himself was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

As a first step toward ending the "Cold War", a test ban agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union was ratified by the Senate on October 10. The contract between the world's two superpowers prohibited any future above ground testing of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

FALL CLASSIC: Los Angeles Dodgers (4) vs. New York Yankees (0)

The National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers had rebounded from a late-season collapse in 1962 and went on to win the National League pennant with a six-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The biggest factor in the team's comeback was an all-star pitching combination featuring a young lefty named Sandy Koufax and a right-hander named Don Drysdale. Koufax had struck out a staggering three hundred six batters in three hundred eleven innings and his counterpart had won nineteen games with a 2.63 ERA. Veteran Johnny Podres had added fourteen wins of his own (five as shutouts) and ace reliever Ron Perranoski made sixty-nine appearances while going 16-3 with a 1.67 ERA. Their opponents, to no one's surprise, were their long-time rivals, the New York Yankees, who in classic "Bomber style", boasted four sluggers with twenty or more home runs and an equally qualified pitching rotation. Whitey Ford had twenty-four victories and Jim Bouton, Ralph Terry and Al Downing prospered as well, winning the American League pennant by 10½ games. It was the seventh meeting in the Fall Classic between the two ball clubs, with the American Leaguers leading the marathon 6-1.

Koufax went against Ford in the opener and quickly set the pace by striking out his first five batters including Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Tom Tresh, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Before the Yankees had a single hit off the rising left-hander, his team was up 4-0. Former Yankee Bill Skowron (who had been obtained after the '62 Series) singled home a Dodger run in the top of the second and John Roseboro cracked a three-run homer later in the inning. He added another run in the third inning and Koufax continued to dominate at the mound. After four innings, the Yankees were still waiting for their first base runner and things would not get much better. After sitting down Mantle, the Dodger ace forced Maris to foul out, but allowed the "Pinstripes" to load the bases on consecutive singles by Elston Howard, Joe Pepitone and Clete Boyer. The threat quickly disappeared though as Hector Lopez (batting for Ford) became the eleventh K victim. After striking out pinch-hitter Phil Linz in the eighth inning, Koufax had moved to within one K of Carl Erskine's single Series game strikeout record of fourteen. The record would have to wait though, as a late-inning homer by Tresh stalled the impending celebration, but it was only a matter of time. The first three of New York's final four outs in Koufax's 5-2 triumph came on a grounder, a liner and a fly ball. The last out of the game was record-breaking strikeout No. 15, with pinch-hitter Harry Bright submitting the score.

Podres attempted to keep the Los Angeles momentum alive in Game 2 and combined with two- out relief from Perranoski to beat the Yankees 4-1. Willie Davis set the pace at the plate with a two run double in the first inning and was followed by Skowron's homer in the fourth. Adding to the Yankees frustration was the Series-ending injury to outfielder Roger Maris who was hurt running into a rail in pursuit of a Tommy Davis triple. With a two-games-to-none lead, the Dodgers returned, for Game 3, to their newly christened West Coast palace known as Dodger Stadium. Don Drysdale made the homecoming even sweeter with a three hit 1-0 victory that ended with nine more strikeouts for the Yankees. Bouton had completed the outing while holding his own, but surrendered the critical game-winning run in the first inning on Jim Gilliam's walk, a wild pitch and a single by Tommy Davis, who had just captured his second straight National League batting championship.

In a classic rematch of the Series opener, Ford and Koufax went at it again in Game 4, as one pitcher tried to complete a sweep and the other attempted to keep his team alive. Both adversaries held each other scoreless until the fifth inning when the Dodgers' Frank Howard launched a rocket homer to left. Mantle evened the score with a blast of his own in the seventh inning, after going a miserable one for thirteen in Series at-bats. Maury Wills, known primarily for his speed (one hundred four steals in '62) regained the lead for the Dodgers in the bottom of the inning and from there on it was all Los Angeles. First, Gilliam led off the eighth with a high bouncer that resulted in a critical Yankees infield error between Pepitone and Boyer, who had missed to connect on the throw. Then, Willie Davis came in with a sacrifice fly to deep center field that scored his leadoff man. Finally, Koufax stayed in to finish the job and went on for the six-hit, eight-K, 2-1 triumph that not only swept the Yankees, but also ended their latest consecutive Series winning streak at two.

BOMBER BYTES: from Baseball-Almanac.com

The '63 Classic was the first time the Dodgers (including their time spent in Brooklyn) had swept a World Series opponent. It was the second time the New York Yankees had been swept - their first took place during the 1922 World Series.

The four (4) meager runs scored by the New York Yankees during this Fall Classic were the second lowest total by a team during a Series of any length through 1963.

The World Series Most Valuable Player Award went to Sandy Koufax who started two (2) of the four (4) games and had two (2) complete game victories. He also fanned the first five (5) Yankees' batters he faced during Game 1.

1964 World Series

"I never considered taking him (Bob Gibson) out (of game seven of the 1964 World Series). I had a commitment to his heart." - Cardinals Manager Johnny Keane

PINSTRIPE PERSPECTIVES: Events off the field

On February 9th, the British rock group The Beatles arrived in America for an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was the "Fab 4's" first trip to the United States and introduced their unique sound and stylish appearance to millions of American teenagers. By the week of April 4th, The Beatles had taken over the radio airways and held the top five slots on the American pop charts.

The highly contested and still criticized Warren Commission delivered its final report on September 27th concluding that President John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone and on his own recourse.

American's first computer dynasty International Business Machines (also known as IBM) introduced the first 360 Computer, which was defined as a second-generation system based on transistors. The groundbreaking machine was instantly heralded as a huge success and became the standard for computers of many businesses for many years.

FALL CLASSIC: St. Louis Cardinals (4) vs. New York Yankees (3)

After another devastating loss in the previous year's Classic, a different New York Yankees team returned to represent the American League in 1964. Yogi Berra had replaced Ralph Houk at the helm and under his guidance the Yanks managed to barely win the American League pennant by a single game over the Chicago White Sox. It was the fifteenth World Series for the former Yankee catcher as Berra had first appeared in the contest in 1947 and went on play in a record seventy-five games before his last outing in 1963. Many of his former teammates had remained in New York as Mickey Mantle prepared to play in his twelfth postseason exhibition, Whitey Ford entered his eleventh and Bobby Richardson posted his ninth appearance. Roger Maris, who was only in his fifth season as a Yankee, had never missed the World Series since donning the blue pinstripes. Their opponents, the St. Louis Cardinals had just missed the previous year's contest by finishing six games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (who had dethroned the once-mighty Yankees in a four-game sweep) and were determined to follow suit. Much like their American League rivals though, the Cards had a lot of luck to thank for their latest post-season opportunity. First the Nationals lost their General Manager in mid-August, but managed to climb from fifth to first (with considerable help from the Philadelphia Phillies, who blew a 6½ game league-lead with twelve games to play).

Whitey Ford, always a postseason standout, held onto a 4-2 lead going into the sixth inning of the opener. But St. Louis right fielder Mike Shannon hammered a long two-run homer off the veteran lefty. And when catcher Tim McCarver followed with a double, the thirty-five year-old Ford was through for the day, and (because of arm problems) the Series. The 9-5 loss of Game 1, as well as their number one ace, should have been a sign for what was to come, as the Yanks were now experiencing a new kind of streak… a losing one. The opening fiasco was their fifth consecutive loss in World Series play and for the first time (in a long time) the Yankees were the underdogs.

In an attempt to jump-start his team, Berra gave the Game 2 ball to an up-and-coming rookie named Mel Stottlemyre who went against Cardinal ace Bob Gibson. Stottlemyre had thrown strong down the home stretch (after getting called up from Richmond in August) and was a deciding factor for New York in the close American League pennant race. Both pitchers stood firm until Gibson left the game and his relief surrendered four ninth-inning runs for an 8-3 loss that put the "Bombers" back in the race. Game 3 followed the same script as veteran Curt Simmons and the Yankees' Jim Bouton were locked in a 1-1 tie through eight innings. Manager Johnny Keane used a pinch-hitter for Simmons in the ninth inning as the Cards threatened, but failed, to score. Barney Schultz, a clutch reliever for St. Louis, entered the game in the bottom of the ninth and threw one pitch, which Mantle promptly launched into the right-field stands for the 2-1 win. Ray Sadecki started Game 4 against the Yanks' Al Downing, but was taken for three quick first inning runs. Downing fared better and protected the lead going into the fifth inning, but the lefty was nailed by Ken Boyer for a grand-slam in the following inning. With relievers Roger Craig and Ron Taylor combining for 8 2/3 innings of two-hit scoreless relief, St. Louis went on to even the Series with a 4-3 victory.

Bob Gibson returned for Game 5 and was one out away from a 2-0 victory when the Yanks' Tom Tresh ripped a two-run homer that tied it up. Gibson prevailed however, after Tim McCarver responded with a three run blast off Yanks' reliever Pete Mikkelsen for the 5-3 victory. Game 6 witnessed yet another nail-biter as the contest remained tied 1-1 going into the sixth inning. This time it was the Yankees who came on strong with two consecutive home runs by Mantle and Maris and a grand slam by Joe Pepitone off reliever Gordon Richardson in the eighth. When it was over, New York had won 8-3, while staying alive and forcing a final Game 7.

Stottlemyre and Gibson both returned for the climatic finale and held each other scoreless through three innings. Then the Cardinals broke loose for three runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth, touched off by a home run by Lou Brock. Brock (a mid-June acquisition from the Cubs) proved to be a brilliant investment during the regular season after stealing thirty-three bases and batting .348 in one hundred three games. Mantle responded with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and Clete Boyer and Phil Linz both followed "The Mick's" lead in the ninth. Despite their efforts, Gibson stood tall and completed the game for a 7-5 Cardinal's triumph.

The Boyer brothers had both performed well for their respective teams and set a record as the first set of brothers to hit home runs in the same Series. Ken had contributed two for St. Louis and Clete added one for New York (with one for each coming in the same game). For the Cardinals, it was the end of a long postseason drought, as they had not appeared in the Fall Classic since 1946. For the Yankees, it was the end of an era as the perennial champions were about to start a drought of their own. Within two years, the American League dynasty would fall from first place to last and it would be several years before returning to their former glory (twelve years). It was the last World Series appearance for many regulars including Mantle (who set the all-time Series home run record at eighteen), Ford, Richardson, Kubek and Boyer. Howard would appear in the Classic once more (with the Boston Red Sox) and Maris was destined to play in two more with the Cardinals. Both managers were also fired after the Series, but in a strange twist, it would be the unemployed Cardinals skipper Johnny Keane who resurfaced in a Yankees uniform as Yogi Berra's replacement.

BOMBER BYTES: from Baseball-Almanac.com

On October 16, 1964 (one day after Game 7), both managers were unemployed. The New York Yankees fired Yogi Berra and Johnny Keane of the St. Louis Cardinals quit due to his unhappiness with the handling of Bing Devine's (the General Manager) termination.

Late in the 1964 season, Tony Kubek was playing injured and Manager Yogi Berra called up Chet Trail from Double-A ball. Trail never appeared in a single Major League game and Berra kept him on his roster during the 1964 World Series making him the only non-Major League player to appear on a twenty-five (25) man World Series roster.

During the 1932 World Series, Babe Ruth hit his fifteenth (15) and final World Series home run. On October 10, 1964, Mickey Mantle led off the ninth (9th) inning with a right field game winning blast that landed in the upper deck and broke the record set by the Bambino thirty-two (32) years earlier.

END 60's