Oh, How Different Things Might Have Been: J.R. Richard and the 1980 Astros

History is fixed.  It is unchangeable.  Nothing can change the past.  You can watch Carlton Fisk hop down the line a million times and he will still waive the ball fair.  No matter how many times Todd Worrell touches that bag, Don Denkinger is still going to call Jorge Orta safe.  Bill Buckner is never going to field that little roller behind the bag and Mitch Williams will not look back over his shoulder to see Joe Carter's fly ball being caught.

The winners and losers in the history of the game will always be winners or losers.  But this series will explore some "what if's".  What if a player who missed the World Series hadn't gotten injured?  What if a play that turned a World Series had been completed differently?

We have already looked at  the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1910 Cubs, the 1962 Dodgers, the 1968 Tigers and last week we saw how the loss of  Jim Rice may have hurt the 1975 Red Sox.  This week we will look at how J.R. Richard may have saved the season of the 1980 Houston Astros:

This was new territory for the Houston Astris.  Since 1962 when they entered the National League, only three times had they finished in the top three of their division.  In 1972 they were third but still 10 ½ games out.  In 1976 they were third, still 22 games behind the Reds and Dodgers. 1977 was another third place finish 17 games out of first.  This was different.  The 1979 Astros were actually leading the pack.  On July 4^th they had a 10 ½ game lead and had just won their sixth straight game and second straight against the Big Red Machine.  From there they stumbled.  They lost 15 of the next 17.

Photo of 1979 Street & Smith Baseball Preview Courtesy of Sporting News

They maintained the podition until August 27^th but when they lost to Montreal on August 28^th, the Reds took over first place.  Houston managed to climb back in the lead on occasion but never separated themselves by more than ½ a game.  Still, the Reds didn’t seem to be able to pull away either and with just 4 games left to play they were a game and a half back.  Two straight losses to Atlanta along with two straight Reds wins clinched the Reds victory but Houston won their final two and finished only a game and a half behind the powerful Reds.  It was the first time Houston had finished the season less than 10 games back.

There was finally a hope for next year.

Their offense could certainly have used some improvements.  Right Fielder Denny Walling had played in 82 games and hit .327 but no other regular had hit above .290.  Their power numbers were dreadful with no player in double digits (the team leader was Jose Cruz with 9).  They were a speedy group and they kept their strikeouts down.  But how did they compete with such a poor offense?

Pitching.  Joe Niekro won 21 games and J.R. Richard won 18.  Niekro was the veteran and Richard was the phenom.  This marked Richard’s fourth straight year at 18 or more victories.  His fastball was spectacular.  No one could hit it.  His improvement into a pitcher was continuing and Astros fans looked to Richard as the foundation of their future.

There was finally hope for next year.

As spring training started in 1980 Astros fans had one more reason to be excited.  This was the new era of free agency and with a few pen strokes a team could change their fortunes over night.  The Astros did just that.  They made a big splash in the free agent market adding the Reds’ leader himself, Joe Morgan and another compliment to the Niekro/Richard rotation.  In his eight years with the Angels, Nolan Ryan had won seven strike out crowns and had led the halos to their first ever division title.  When Ryan went to work he finished his job and had already gained a reputation as unhittable.

With Niekro, Ryan and Richard as a 1-2-3 punch the Astros became the favorites in the NL West.  Richard earned the opening day start against the Dodgers and got the win 3-2. He threw 8 innings, allowed only 2 hits and 1 earned run.  His second start against the Braves was not quite as dominant .  He allowed 4 hits and 1 run in 5 innings but left with no decision.   He would beat the Dodgers again on April 19^th to put him at 2-0 for the year and reduce his ERA after three starts to 0.82.  He was tremendous that day.  He allowed no runs on one hit (a  two out 4^th inning single to Reggie Smith) and three walks.

Richard dominated the month of April.  He was at 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA.  He was brought back to earth with a 1/3 innings appearance where he allowed 5 hits, walked 1 and allowed 4 runs.  On May 10^th Richard pitched 9 strong innings allowing only 7 hits (3 of them in the 4^th), 2 walks and 2 runs.  He struck out 8 Braves.  In 4 of the 9 innings  he retired the Braves in order.  After nine innings the game was tied so the Astros went to their bullpen.  The Astros were able to scratch out a run in the Top of the 11^th and would win but Richard got a no decision after throwing a great game. 

May 16 continued his stretch of tough luck.  He threw 8 strong innings and allowed only 6 hits and walked 1.  Dick Ruthven of the Phillies did even better throwing 9 shutout innings and Richard lost 3-0 dropping his record to 4-2.  The tough stretch continued to May 21 when he lost 5-1 to the lowly Mets.  While they had started May in first place by a game and a half, nearing June the Astros were now 3 games back.

Photo of J.R. Richard Courtesy of SI Kids

Then just like that, on May 26, things turned around and Richard was off again like a shot from a Colt .45.  He won against the Padres on May 26 allowing only 5 hits in 7 innings and only one unearned run.  May 31 was a complete game shutout against the Giants in which he only allowed three hits.  No Giant reached second base.  It was a dominating performance and Richard improved to 6-3.

He faced the same Giants on June 6 and the results were mostly the same.  9 innings pitched.  Complete Game.  Shut out.  Only three hits allowed.  Still no Giants reached second base.  Yet, if it was somehow possible, Richard was even more dominant this time.  0 walks.  13 strikeouts.  With one out in the second, Milt May singled.  It was the Giants’ second hit of the game.  From  May’s single until a two out single by Joe Strain in the 9^th, Richard retired 22 consecutive batters.

He threw his third straight complete game and shutout on June 11.  If you could find any weakness in Richard over the three starts it could only be that he allowed a few Cubs as far as second base in the third straight shutout but still, no one scored.   He was nearly unbeatable and his willingness to eat up innings saved the bullpen for times it was needed.  You know, on days when superman wasn’t on the mound.

But all those innings appeared to be taking a toll.  He started on June 5^th and the Astros gave him a nice three run lead in the first but the Cubs were all over Richard.  A double by Ivan de Jesus and a double by Bill Buckner  put the Cubs on the board.  The Astros scored 3 in the second giving Richard a 6-1 lead and Richard settled down.  He batted for himself in the 6^th, still ahead 6-1, but when the Astros took the field for the bottom of the inning, Richard was replaced by Joaquin Andujar on the mound.  It was a strange decision but after three complete games and a large lead, Astros fans could rest easy that J.R. could rest up for his next start.  The Astros were rolling and led the NL West by 3 games and Richard’s win over the Cubs was the second win in what would become a six game win streak. 

Richard was unusually hitable in his next start against the Reds.  He allowed two base runners in the first (on an error and a walk) but kept the Reds scoreless.  He allowed a single in the second but was able to work around it.  Art Howe gave him a 2-0 lead with a Home Run in the third but the Reds answered and it looked like Richard was struggling a bit.  He loaded the bases with two out and allowed a bases clearing double to Johnny Bench.  The Astros failed to answer and left two runners n in the bottom of the third.  The 4^th was when Astros fans started to worry.  A fly ball out, a single and a walk and suddenly Richard was removed.  Randy Niemann replaced him and immediately gave up a triple and three straight singles.  By the end of the inning the Astros trailed 7-2 and concern focused on Richard who had now left two starts early.  Richard would say it was  “arm fatigue” and with the number of complete games he threw it was no wonder.

Richard said in his autobiography: "Boy, playing the first few months of that season was fun.  The team was doing well, we were battling for first place, and we had Nolan Ryan and Joe Niekro and me pitching well."

He pitched 6 innings on July 3 and got the win to improve to 10-4 and the Astros needed the win.  Their lead in the West had shrunk to a game and a half.  The win ended a three game losing streak and the Astros would lose the next three.

On July 8 the leagues paused for the All Star Break.  It was clear that Richard, despite the three short starts recently, was the dominant pitcher in the league and he was selected to start the game for the NL in Dodger Stadium.  ABC started their coverage of the game by telling the audience as Richard warmed up, that Richard was 10-4.  “He comes in, however,”  Keith Jackson said “after struggling in his last couple of starts.  He has been experiencing stiffness in his right forearm.  He uses the word fatigue to describe it.”  Richard easily retired Willie Randolph of the Yankees on a ground ball.  He walked Rod Carew, who stole second, but he got Fred Lynn to ground out and struckout Reggie Jackson to end the first.  The NL went in order in the bottom of the first.  Richard walked Ben Oglivie to start the second but struck out Carlton Fisk and got Graig Nettles to pop out.  Bucky Dent singled to send Oglivie to third but  Richard kept the game scoreless by striking out the pitcher Steve Stone of the Orioles.

That was all for J.R.  He had impressed the country and had fans outside of Houston saying “I wish our best pitcher had a dead arm that good.”

Richard writes: "I was chosen for my first All Star team.  Finally.  Getting the start was a thrill., and the American League had so many great player.  They had Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, and Reggie Jackson.  That's three Hall of Famers in the starting lineup.  What a powerful hitter Jackson was.  It was so enjoyable to be in that position.  I went out there thinking, This game is mine, even though I knew i wouldn't pitch that long because it was an All Star Game.  I was totally focused.  I put on a new hat and put it on just right.  I figured the opposition couldn't touch me...After the game ended with a National League win, we all rejoined our teams for the second half of the season.  I had every  reason to believe that I was in the middle of my best  season and that the second half held great things in store for me."

Still, Richard felt something wasn’t right.  He complained of pain in the arm, fatigue, discomfort.  The Astros didn’t completely ignore it but it was hard to take it seriously.  How could someone with the pain that Richard was describing pitch that well?

Richrd's biographer Lew Freedman stated: "Leading up to the All Star Game Richard wasn't even sure he wold be able to compete.  His arm felt dead and flat when he unleashed his speedy pitches.  Three days after the game while still in Los Angeles, Richard met with Dr. Frank Jobe., one of the most renowned sports medicine specialists in the United States.  While J.R. did not obtain a clear diagnosis, he said that Jobe recommended he not pitch for 30 days."

The Houston press and fans (and management) were not amused.  The rumors started.  J.R. was jealous of Ryan.  The implication was Ryan came in from nowhere with the high salary and headlines while J.R. had been with the team forever.  Yet neither J.R. or Nolan ever had anything negative to say to each other.  In fact J.R. said in his autobiography that he regretted not having more communication with Ryan and Ryan wrote the forward for the book.  There was no jealousy from J.R.  The next rumor was laziness.  Why did J.R. want to take off 30 days in a pennant race?  How could he just leave the game like that?  The Houston press was angry with him.

He started again on July 14 against the Braves.  He retired the first seven he faced then allowed a double in the third.  He retired the next 2.  He hit a double of his own in his first at bat but was left there.  But it was still there.  That odd feeling in the arm.  He walked Dale Murphy to start the 4^th but got Chris Chambliss to ground out.  It would have been a double play but an error by Craig Reynolds allowed Chambliss to reach second.  That was it.  Richard could go no further.  First Baseman Enos Cabell came over to the mound.  Cabell says: "He said, 'Man I can't feel my fingrs.  I'm throwing 100 miles per hour and I can't feel the ball.  I might kill someone."

Freedman explains: "J.R. did not want to come out for the fourth inning, and manager Bill Virdon urged him to keep trying.  Virdon apparently did not believe that J.R. was injured.  In the absence of a hard medical proof, he was a doubter.  After the game when sportswriters inquired about the reason for Richard's early departure, Astros team officials told them he had a stomach ache."

The Astrodome was a ball of confusion.  Richard seemed to be cruising and had great stuff but his arm would not allow him to go any further.  As Gordie Plodson walked to the mound to relieve him, Richard slowly walked to the dugout.  Furstrated, confused.  This was the season of his life and yet for some reason he just could not get his arm right.  There were other issues too.  His vision was blurry.  He was having trouble seeing the signs from the catcher.  His fingers felt numb.  After that last pitch he couldn’t even grip the ball.

The Astros put him on the DL and took a wait and see attitude.  Rest would fix everything.

The problem was it didn’t get better.  It got worse.  He would tell anyone who would listen how badly it hurt.  No one seemed to believe him.  He went to a chiropractor.  It didn’t help.  It just redistributed the pain.  After visiting the chiropractor he went to the Astros training facility.  The Astros were on the road but J.R. was cleared for light activity.

During the tranining session he now had a serious head ache and felt weak.  He told the doctors what he was feeling but still there was disbelief.  In moments things got scary.  Richard explained in his autobiography: I was inside the Astrodome doing a workout so I could be in some kind of shape when I came off the disabled list.  All of a sudden I felt a  high-pitched tone ringing in my left ear.  .  And then I threw a couple of more pitches and became nauseated.  A few minutes later, I threw a couple more pitches, then the feeling got so bad I was lising my equilibrium,  I went down to the Astroturf.  I had a headache, some confusion in my mind, and I felt  weakness in my body...I was lying on the floor of the Astrodome and I knew an ambulance was on its way.  Before I passed out, I had all kinds of things runnng through my mind, but the chief one was, What's wrong?"

He had suffered a stroke that was very nearly fatal.

The Astros led the division by a game and a half on July 30^th.  The lead disappeared quickly.  They lost 5 of 7 to fall half a game behind  the Dodgers.    They fell back by half a game but were able to somehow regain the lead by a half game during the losing streak.  They lost four straight, including a three game sweep by the Giants and fell behind by a game.  Richard had been replaced in the rotation by Gordie Pladson, a little used pitcher who had spent the early part of the year in the minors.    It was not pretty. He would end up 0-4 with three no decisions.  Also filling in was Juaquin Andujar, who would go 2-3 with three no decisions in his starts following Richard’s placement on the DL. 

A 10 game win streak in mid August should have put them up comfortably but it gave them only a three game lead.  The lead in the division went back and forth.  The Dodgers would go ahead and the Astros would come back.  The Astros would go ahead and the Dodgers would pull back even.

Bill Virdon was still hoping to get J.R. back but was realistic: "You don't replace a pitcher like J.R. but if there's one area  we could stand any loss, it's pitching.  We'll go with a four man rotation of Ryan, Ken Forsch, Joe Niekro and Vern Ruhle.  We're more concerned with J.R.'s health now."

Photo of 1980 Street & Smith's Official Yearbook Courtesy of Sporting News

Starting with a September 20^th, 3-2 win over the Giants, Houston went on to win 9 of 12. With just three games left in the season the Astros needed just one more win.  Their competition in the final weekend was the second place Dodgers.   Win one game and Houston made the playoffs for the first time.  Lose all three and the Dodgers would force a one game playoff for the West Division crown.

In the first game of the series, a Friday night at Dodgers Stadium, Ken Forsch faced off against Don Sutton.  Sutton struggled, working out of a bases loaded jam in the first and allowing a run in the second.  Forsch, on the other hand, retired the first ten Dodgers in order.  With one out in the 4^th the Dodgers went to work and eventually scored a run.  Sutton settled down and the game was tied 1-1 after 7.  Houston scratched out a run in the 8^th and heading into the bottom of the 9^th the Astros were just three outs away from the division title.  Jay Johnstone grounded out to start the inning and there were just two outs left.  Rick Monday followed that with a single.  In the days before closers were a part of every team, Forsch was allowed to stay in the game.  Dusty Baker grounded a ball to second base that could have ended the game but an error allowed everyone to reach safely.  If this were Boston or Chicago, talk of the curse would be rampant.  Steve Garvey flew out for the second out and now the Astros were one out away from their first post season appearance.  Next up was Ron Cey, the Penguin.  Cey punched a single to Center Field and Rudy Law, who had pinch run for Rick Monday, scored to tie the game.  A Pedro Guerrero ground ball ended the inning but the Dodgers were clinging to their season’s life by the skin of their teeth. Although Forsch had been given room to work, Tom Lasorda had removed Don Sutton for an unknown kid with a long name.  He had made his first appearance just a few weeks ago.  He got his first decision on September 30^th.  Now, in just his tenth major league appearance, Fernando Valenzuela held the season of the Dodgers in his hands.  He had pitched the 9^th and had allowed two base runners but no runs.  Playing with house money at this point, Valenzuela shut down the Astros in the 10^th.  Catcher Joe Ferguson came up with the season on the line.  He made a quick end to Forsch.  A solo Home Run to lead off the home 10^th sent the Astros home tired and defeated and the Dodgers with a sense of a miracle in the offing.

Game 2 saw 11-9 Nolan Ryan face off against 17-5 Jerry Reuss.  The Dodgers reached Ryan for a run in the second.  The Astros tied it up in the top of the 4^th and once again the tension set in.  Leading off the 4^th Steve Garvey homered giving the Dodgers another lead.  Thanks to a few strong innings and two timely turned double plays the Dodgers held that 2-1 lead through the game and although Ryan allowed only 6 hits, 2 runs and walked none in 7 innings, the Dodgers survived one more day.

Now the Dodgers were thinking miracle and the Astros were thinking disaster.

If only they had J.R. Richard to go out and clinch this thing, or at worst to shut down the Dodgers if a one game playoff were needed.  With everything on the line the Astros turned to Vern Rhule and the Dodgers to Burt Hooton.

After a walk and a steal by Terry Puhl, Hooton got through the first.  Rhule retired the Dodgers in order.   Now the Astros went to work and looked like the miracle at Chavez Ravine was being cancelled.  Cesar Cedno bunted for a single and stole second.  Art Howe attempted to sacrifice Cedeno to third but an error by Hooton allowed both runners to reach safely.  Alan Ashby scored Cedeno with a single and Craig Reynolds scored Howe with a single.  Just like that, two runs in, no one out and two on base, Hooton was gone and the season again hung in the balance.  Rhule allowed a lead off bunt single in the second but retired the next three in order.    Ruhle had already impacted the 1975 baseball season when he broke the hand of Jim Rice with an inside pitch.  Now he looked to impact the 1980 post season.   With two scoreless innings already under his belt, the Dodgers started the 3^rd with a single.  Oddly, that was all for Ruhle.  Andujar came on and retired the Dodgers.  In the 4^th, Houston added a run to take a 3-0 lead.  They needed just 18 outs to reach the playoffs.  With one out in the third Los Angeles cut the lead to 3-1 and Joe Sambito replaced Andujar.  Sambito got a double play and escaped further damage.  Fernando pitched two more scoreless innings and the Dodgers cut into the lead with a run in the 7^th.  The Astros still held the lead entering the bottom of the 8^th, cutting the out count down to 6.  A ground ball to third should have cut that count to 5 but an error allowed Garvey to reach safely.  As they had all weekend, the Dodgers made Houston pay.  The Penguin launched a two run Home Run to give the Dodgers the lead.  The Astros mounted a threat in the 9^th.  Jeffrey Leonard pinch hit to start the 9^th.  He flew out to left and the Astros had two outs left to avoid a one game playoff.  Gary Woods became the second pinch hitter of the inning and reached safely on a single.  Terry Puhl grounded to second, forcing Woods, but the Astros were able to avoid the double play and keep the inning alive.  Enos Cabell followed with a  single and Puhl moved to third.  With the tying run just 90 feet away both teams made a move.  Lasorda went to Don Sutton, normally a starter, to pitch and the Astros went to Denny Walling as a pinch hitter.  Walling grounded the ball to second base and the teams would play one more.

This was now getting worrisome.  Coming into the weekend series the Astros needed just one win.  They had won 6 of their last 7 and three straight coming in.  If they had J.R. and had they been able to win their first or second game this series they could have set their rotation for the NLCS.  Imagine Richard, Ryan, Niekro, Ruhle.  What a rotation that would have been in the playoffs.  Now, they had used Ryan and Ruhle and would need to use Niekro just to make the playoffs.  The Dodgers started Dave Goltz.  Niekro was brilliant.  He pitched a complete game allowing only 6 hits and 2 walks resulting in only 1 earned run.  Dave Goltz was not brilliant.  He allowed 8 hits and 4 runs in three innings.  Rick Sutcliffe pitched 1/3 of an inning and allowed 3 runs on 1 hit.  It was over quickly but Niekro threw the whole game. Next up would be the Phillies, who had struggled to close out their own division against pesky Montreal, however, they didn’t need the extra day to do it. 

Richard wrote: "You never really know about those things.  You'd like to think you could have made a difference.  I know I would have pitched against the Dodgers  at the end of the regular season when it came down to a one game playoff and I would have pitched against the Phillies."

If the Astros had their ace the matchups would have likely been this:  Richard vs Carlton, Niekro vs Dick Ruthven,  Nolan Ryan vs Larry Christensen.  The NLCS that followed was likely the greatest in history.  Four of the five games in the series went extra innings, including the deciding game.  Any one thing could have tipped the favor in the direction of either team.  If the Astros had J.R  Richard it is likely they would have had enough to overcome the Phillies.  Instead the Phillies scratched out a 10^th inning win in the final game to earn their name of the “cardiac kids”. 

Many of the players themselves felt J.R. was the difference.  Ryan wrote: "Philadelphia beat us and went on to win the World Series.  It is always a tough thing to assume things in hindsight, but if we had a healthy J.R. Richard down the stretch and in the playoffs, it is possible that it would have been Houston and not Philadelphia winning the series in 1980.

J.R. would try a come back in 1981 but the effects of the stroke had been too damaging.  He had suffered through a deep depression for the first few weeks after the stroke but worked hard to get back on the mound.  He tried to work through poor vision on one side and nearly got hit by a line drive back up the middle in spring training.  He would never throw another pitch in a Major League game.

Richard went through terrible times, including living on the streets of Houston under a bridge near the Astrodome.  Luckily the story has a happy ending.  Richard has found a way to love his life away from baseball and is happily married.  He often goes to games and hopes that the Astros will someday retire his number in honor of the years of service.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

J.R. Richard won a total of 107 games over 10 seasons (although only 5 of those could really be considered full seasons).  Richard never pitched for a Major League team other than the Astros.  Where does Richard rank on the Astros All Time wins leaders?

Answer to Last Week's Question:

Although he had the great numbers in the 1975 World Sereis, Pete Rose was not voted MVP of the series.  That honor went to Joe Morgan, who always seemed to come up with the most important hit, such as the series winner in Game 7.

Oh, How Different Things Might Have Been: Jim Rice and the 1975 Red Sox

History is fixed.  It is unchangeable.  Nothing can change the past.  You can watch Carlton Fisk hop down the line a million times and he will still waive the ball fair.  No matter how many times Todd Worrell touches that bag, Don Denkinger is still going to call Jorge Orta safe.  Bill Buckner is never going to field that little roller behind the bag and Mitch Williams will not look back over his shoulder to see Joe Carter's fly ball being caught.

The winners and losers in the history of the game will always be winners or losers.  But this series will explore some "what if's".  What if a player who missed the World Series hadn't gotten injured?  What if a play that turned a World Series had been completed differently?

We have already looked at  the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1910 Cubs, the 1962 Dodgers and last week the 1968 Tigers.  This week we look at how the loss of a rookie outfielder might have changed World Series for the 1975 Red Sox:

No one had predicted this.  Anyone who had would have been sent for evaluation.  Imagine it.  The Orioles had won the division every year (except 1973) since the division format had been invented.  Only the Tigers had been able to claw the birds out of the top perch.  Although Baltimore had sent Frank Robinson and Boog Powell to the Indians (suddenly the Indians looked improved) the O’s still had Brooks Robinson and that great pitching.  The Yankees had added Catfish Hunter and Bobby Bonds to a roster that already included Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles.  Even the young Brewers were improving with Robin Yount and Darrell Porter mixing with veterans George Scott and Hank Aaron.

So what did the Red Sox have?  They had arguably the best Catcher in baseball (Freehan, Munson and Bench were certainly in the discussion) but he was out of the lineup for god knows how long.  They had an aging legend in Carl Yastrzemski whose knees were shot and would be moved to First Base to save his body.  They had a pitcher that was rejected by Cleveland and Minnesota with a wind up so ridiculous it almost baffled the mind that the pitches made it to the catcher at all.  They had another pitcher that would have been rejected by Monty Python as a character too unbelievable to be part of their sketches and called himself “Spaceman”.

They also had a ton of young, unproven players.  No one was dumb enough to believe Boston had a shot at this.  Still, at the end of the first month the Sox stood at the top of the division at 7-5.  Any hope of a Boston miracle began to fade as the Sox dropped 4 straight and fell to 4^th.  A quick rally in the form of an 8-2 stretch actually put the Red Sox four games up by mid May and the focus was on the excitement of Luis Tiant and the young players.

Photo of Fred Lynn Courtesy of ESPN

There were three main youngsters that became the focus of the team: Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans  and Jim Rice. 

The opening day lineup was honestly a bit of a mess. Yaz, the man who had written the textbook on how to play the Green Monster, was at First Base.  In Left Field was Juan Beniquez with Lynn in Center Field and Evans in Right.  Catching was Bob Montgomery in place of an injured Fisk.

Friday April 18^th was a big day.  Though few saw it at the time, it would be a great day in the story of the franchise.  Facing off against the favored Orioles, Reggie Cleveland gave up 2 quick first inning runs.  Boston went in order (Beniquez, Rick Burleson, Yaz) in the first.  The O’s got another base runner in the second but Dave Duncan remained at first and the Sox came up for the second inning.

Dwight Evans grounded to Brooks Robinson at third to start the inning and Rico Petrocelli  walked.  Walking to the plate, in his first starting assignment of the year, was Jim Rice.  In the days before baseball players used weights, Jim Rice was a giant.  The theory at the time was that weights and baseball didn’t mix.  It was thought that larger muscles would interfere with the fluidity of the swing.  Rice was a challenge to that theory.  He was a football player on the baseball diamond.  He was so strong that he once broke his bat on a check swing.  Think about the physics of that moment.  His arms were so powerful that when they stopped their momentum a wooden bat continued moving, putting enough pressure to crack a solid object in two.  He demonstrated his power here with a two run game tying Home Run.  The next batter was Fred Lynn who walked.

Photo of Jim Rice and Fred Lynn Courtesy of NESN.com

In the third, Dwight Evans doubled giving the Sox the lead.  In the 4^th Rice stepped to the plate and hit his second Home Run of the day putting Boston up 4-2.  By the end of the inning Boston led 6-2.  In the 7^th Fred Lynn hit a solo Home Run.  The three youngsters (Evans, Rice and Lynn) would be 6-13, scored 3 runs, 5 RBI, a walk, a double and three Home Runs.  It was the first time all three had started together.  But try telling the Red Sox fans it was a great day as they filed out of Fenway.  Lee May, the Orioles First Baseman, had gone 2-3, with 2 runs, 7 RBI, 2 Home Runs (both with two men on).  The Sox lost 9-7, at home to a division rival.

The rookies took over the season.  It seemed that every time you looked up Fred Lynn was sliding face first on the grass or crashing into a wall to make a catch and Rice was trotting around the bases.  They were dubbed the “Gold Dust Twins” and they carried the team to win after win.  By July 28^th they were 9 games up.  The lead shrunk to 5 ½ by September 1 but they recovered and continued to win.  Lynn, Rice and Evans were everywhere.  Evans was the least successful of the three somehow.  Rice and Lynn were similar in numbers.  At the end of the year their numbers looked like this:

                                Hits        Runs      RBI         2B/3B/HR            Avg.       BB/K      SB/CS

Jim Rice                  174         92           102         29/4/22                .309        36/122  10/5

Fred Lynn               175         103         105         47/7/21                .331        62/90     10/5

It should be obvious why they were called twins.  It definitely was not because they looked alike.  Things were great.  Fisk was back in the lineup by the end of June, the kids were tearing it up and the combination of Tiant and Lee was consistently winning.  The Sox fans started seeing rings.

It was an unusual feeling.  The Boston Globe asked “What’s Right with the Red Sox”.  But this was still the era of the Curse of the Bambino.  It struck on September 21.  Facing Detroit, the Tigers had taken a 1-0 lead in the first, although with the Gold Dust Twins a one run lead was nothing.  Leading off the second inning was  Jim Rice.  The pitch came in tight on Rice.  It was too far inside and Rice did not react quickly enough.  It hit Rice on the hand, crushing the powerful hand between the ball and the bat, breaking the hand.  Rice would stay in the game and came around to score.  He walked in his next plate appearance and flew out in the 6^th.  With the Sox ahead heading into the 7^th, Evans replaced Rice in right field.    Rice was sent for x-rays and it was found that a bone was broken.  The Sox clinched their division but they would be without Jim Rice in the playoffs.

Photo of Jim RIce Courtesy of ESPN

Their first opponent would be a difficult challenge.  The A’s were the World Series Champions three times running.  They had lost Catfish Hunter since last year but they still had names like Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Gene Tennace, Vida Blue, Ken Holtzman, Rollie Fingers and the biggest of all, Reggie Jackson.  It did not appear to be an easy task and without Rice many thought the Red Sox didn’t stand a chance.

The Sox scored twice in the first inning of Game 1 thanks to two Oakland errors.  It remained 2-0 entering the bottom of the 7^th.  Boston exploded for five runs, three of those unearned, and cruised to a 7-1 lead.

Game 2 was a bit more tense.  Reggie Jackson put the A’s out to a 2-0 lead with a 2 run Home Run and the A’s young outfielder Claudell Washington added to the lead with an RBI double in the third.  Yaz answered in the bottom of the third with a 2 run Home Run of his own and Rico Petrocelli grounded into a double play that allowed Carlton Fisk to score from third.  Tie game headed into the 4^th.  From there it seemed to be all Red Sox.  Fisk drove in Yaz with an RBI single in the 6^th.  Petrocelli homered in the 7^th and Lynn drove in Juan Beniquez in the 9^th for a 6-3 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

We can only imagine the mood in the A’s locker room after the second straight loss. Often volatile, even when winning, we can at least be confident that it wasn’t quiet.   Without Catfish as an option, the A’s went back to their ace Ken Holtzman to try and save their season.  He had  been victimized by 4 A’s errors in Game 1 and had to work out of trouble n the 1^st inning of Game 3 but he seemed to settle down.  The game was scoreless entering the 4^th.  After 2 quick outs  Fred Lynn hit a fly ball that looked like it would get the A’s to the plate but Claudell Washington misplayed the ball and Lynn ended up on second base.  Petrocelli made them pay with a single scoring Lynn.  The A’s went in order in the 4^th and Holtzman returned to the mound.  Holtzman struck out Cecil Cooper to start the inning but Rick Burleson singled.  Juan Beniquez (Rice’s replacement) flew out for out number 2.  Denny Doyle singled to score Burleson and Yaz followed with a single. Holtzman’s day was done but the Red Sox were not.  Relief Pitcher Jim Todd gave up an RBI single to Fisk, scoring Doyle and was replaced.  Paul Lindblad came in and allowed Yaz to score on a Wild Pitch making it 5-0 Sox.  Down 6-1 in the 8^th, the A’s made one last rally when they bunched three singles and an error to score 2 but  Dick Drago came in to relieve Rick Wise and got a double play to end the inning.  The Sox had advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1967 and only the third time (1946 being the other) since 1918.

The Sox were able to win relatively easily without Rice in the ALCS but that was mostly thanks to A’s poor fielding.  Juan Beniquez, Rice’s replacement, had gone 3-12 with only one extra base hit, a double.  They would need more than that if they were going to beat the Reds of Bench, Morgan, Rose and Perez.

The Reds were heavily favored entering the World Series based on their dominant regular season and collection of future Hall of Famers.  The 1975 World Series is one of the greatest of all time with each game seemingly more surprising and exciting than the next.  Game 1 saw Luis Tiant pitch an emotional dominating game.  Tiant had been reunited with his parents for the first time since leaving Cuba.  Fidel Castro had allowed them a temporary visa to see their son pitch in the World Series. 

Boston led Game 2 heading into the 9^th inning and were on the verge of taking a 2 games to none lead until the Reds got 2 doubles, a stolen base and two runs to take the lead.  The Sox went in order in the bottom of the 9^th.

Game 3 saw a controversial end to a 10 inning game.  After trailing 5-1 the Sox fought back to tie the game only to lose on a non-call of batter/runner interference by Ed Armbrister. 

Game 4  was another win for Tiant, who was not as sharp as he had been in Game 1.  He allowed 4 runs but with a 5 run inning in the 4^th the Sox tied the series at 2 games each. 

Game 5 saw Tony Perez break out of his slump with a solo Home Run and a three run Home Run to give the Reds a 3 games to 2 lead in the series.

Game 6 was arguably the greatest game ever played.

Game 7 saw the Red Sox take a 3-0 lead and hold a 3-2 lead heading into the 7^th.  But Bill Lee had to leave when a blister formed on a finger on his pitching hand and Joe Morgan drove in Ken Griffey in the top of the 9^th to win the World Series.

Of course it is easy to say that Jim Rice would have made the difference but we can’t know that he would have made the difference.  Knowing that the series went 7 games and each game was close, Rice certainly could have made a difference.  It is not fair to say “things would definitely have happened differently if… “  There is never an absolute.  If a fielder doesn’t throw wild, our team will win.  If a runner doesn’t lose his footing turning a bag, our team will win.  It certainly would improve the team's chances of winning but it doesn’t automatically mean they will win.  So simply saying that the Red Sox would have won in 1975 if Jim Rice was in the lineup is not entirely accurate, but he certainly could have helped their chances greatly.

With that being said, let’s look at how Rice could have changed things had he been in the four losses in the World Series.  When the Red Sox were healthy and playing at their best in 1975 their lineup looked like this:

C    Carlton Fisk

1B  Carl Yastrzemski

2B  Denny Doyle

SS  Rick Burleson

3B Rico Petrocelli

RF  Dwight Evans

CF Fred Lynn

LF Jim Rice

DH Juan Beniquez/Cecil Cooper/Rick Miller/Bernie Carbo

The DH was not used in the World Series so two bats were essentially taken out of the lineup: Jim Rice and the DH.

The first loss for the Red Sox, Game 2, saw Yaz playing in place of Rice in Left Field but since Yaz was part of the regular lineup,First Baseman Cecil Cooper would have been considered the Rice replacement.  In Game 2 Cooper would go 1-5 with a double.  In fact he led off the game with the 2 base hit.  He was erased on a double play.So in his other 4 plate appearances could he have effected the game the way Rice could have?  Of course there is always the argument  that a healthy Rice could show his power at any time. so of course Rice could have changed the game in that way.  Cooper led off the third with a ground ball to Joe Morgan.  In the 5^th, he was the third out in a 1-2-3 inning.  In the 7^th, he was out number 2 in a 1-2-3 inning.  In the 9^th Cooper made the final out with a pop out to short, again part of a 1-2-3 inning.  There was no point in this game that Cooper left runners on base or killed a rally.

Game 3 had the same lineup.  Cooper was hitting in the lead off spot (Rice would normally be 4^th or 5^th in the lineup).  Cooper went 0-5 and twice he came to bat with a runner on base. In the bottom of the 5^th with two out and Burleson on first, Cooper grounded out.   The second time could be a situation where we could see Rice making a difference.  The Red Sox trailed entering the top of the 9^th.  Fred Lynn struck out to start the inning.  Rico followed with a single and after a pitching change Dwight Evans tied it with a Home Run.  Burleson followed with a single and suddenly the pressure was on.  Pitcher Jim Willoughby sacrificed Burleson to second and up came Cecil Cooper.  Imagine the pressure on the Reds had Jim Rice walked to the plate with a runner in scoring position instead of Cecil Cooper but the intimidation that could have been applied by Rice could have changed the way that game went.  Instead Cooper flew out easily to Center Field and the game remained tied into the 10^th.  Of course, you can also do the “what if” game with Ed Armbrister’s bunt in the 10^th inning as well, as in what if the umpire called him out.

Game 5 was the next loss and the lineup got juggled a little.  Yaz moved to First Base and batted third.  Taking over in Left Field was Juan Beniquez.  Beniquez would go 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.  But were any of his plate appearances in situations where Rice could have made a difference?  Beniquez led off the game by grounding to third.  That was followed by a Denny Doyle triple.  So had Rice been in the game he was more likely to get on base, although Rice normally batted in the middle of the lineup so we can give Beniquez a pass on the lead off spot.  In the third, Beniquez was the third out in a 1-2-3 inning.  In the 6^th, with the Reds ahead 2-1 Beniquez got a 2 out walk and was stranded there.  By the time he came up to the plate again to lead off the 9^th  the Reds were ahead 6-1.  Beniquez struck out looking. 

Photo of Carlton Fisk Courtesy of Fox Sports

Finally, Game 7.  Could Rice have changed things? Again the answer is that he could flex his power at any given moment but the real question is: did his replacement miss any opportunities to change the game? Yaz again played First Base but in Left Field to start the game was Bernie Carbo.  Carbo had hit a pinch hit Home Run the night before.  That Home Run tied him with Chuck Essegian of the 1959 Dodgers for most pinch hit Home Runs in a World Series with 2.  Carbo led off the game with a double to left field.  When Denny Doyle followed with a fly ball to right, Carbo failed to advance.  It was a lack of aggressiveness on the base paths that Red Sox fans would point to as a missed opportunity.  Yaz grounded to the right side of the infield, advancing Carbo to third, although he might have scored had he advanced to third on Doyle’s fly ball out.  Burleson flew out to end the inning.  Rice was not a tremendous runner.  He stole 10 bases in  1975 but would never again break double digits in that category.  So it is unclear whether this would have differed with him on the base paths.  With only one out and Yaz coming up, Don Zimmer, coaching 3^rd base, might have held Rice at second anyways.  Carbo next came up in the 3^rd with the game still scoreless.  He worked a one out walk, moved to third on a Doyle single and scored the game’s first run on a Yaz single.  Carbo came to bat again in the 4^th.  Bill Lee singled to start the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Carbo grounded to second to advance Lee to third, so although it wasn’t a base hit, it was a productive out.  Doyle and Yaz left Lee at third.   Carbo’s final at bat of the game came leading off the 6^th.  With Boston ahead 3-2 Carbo was the first out of a 1-2-3 inning.  Rick Miller replaced Carbo in left field to start the 7^th.  By the time Carbo’s spot came up in the order again the Sox were down 4-3.  Leading off the bottom of the 9^th, Juan Beniquez pinch hit for Rick Miller.  He flew out to right for the first out of a 1-2-3 inning.  Certainly the Boston approach to the game might have been different had Rice been in the game.  Rice would not have been replaced defensively by Miller in the 7^th and his presence at the plate would have made Sparky Anderson much more nervous than Juan Beniquez.  Following Beniquez’s fly ball out to start the 9^th, Boston went to the bench again and sent up Catcher Bob Montgomery to pinch hit for Denny Doyle.  Had Rice been in the game, Darrel Johnson would have had other options for pinch hitters (like Bernie Carbo) in that situation.

But the question still remains, would Rice have made the difference?  Comparing numbers is always helpful.  So as a final review to allow you to make your decision, let’s compare the numbers of Rice’s replacements to Rice’s numbers in the other post seasons he played in his career:

                                                AB/Hits Runs      RBI         2B/3B/HR            BB/K             AVG

Cecil Cooper (1975*)              1-18       0              1              1/0/0                     0/3              .056

Juan Beniquez (1975*)              1-8       0              1              0/0/0                     1/1              .125

Bernie Carbo (1975*)                2-5      2               3              1/0/1                     1/1              .200

Jim Rice (Career Postseason+)18-76   15              8              2/1/2                    9/22             .237

*-numbers used are only in situations where player was considered Rice’s replacement

+- Rice played in the 1978 playoff game to decide the AL East division as well as 1986 ALCS, 1986 World Series and 1988 ALCS.  The 1978 AL East division deciding game is technically not post season but was included as it added weight to viewing Rice’s performance in playoff situations.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

Joe Morgan was named the MVP of the 1975 World Series.  Morgan went 7-27,  including a double, for a  259 average. He also scored 4 runs, drove in 3, including the series winner, walked 5 times and stole 2 bases.

There was another major piece of the Big Red Machine who had great numbers and could have been considered for the Series MVP.  This Red went 10-27 (.370) including a double and a triple, scored 3, drove in 2 and walked 5 times. Although many feel this Red should be in the Naitonal Baseball Hall of Fame he has not been enshrined in Cooperstown yet. Who is he?

Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question:

The Cardinals and Tigers first faced each other in the World Series in 1934.  It was the Gashouse Gang vs. Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer and SchoolboyRowe.  In a great, tightly contested seven game series the Cardinals  came out on top.

The 1934 World Series was Detroit's fourth World Series appearance (they had lost to the Cubs in 1907 and 1908 and the Pirates in 1909).  It was the Cardinals 5th appearance (they had beaten the Yankess in 1926 and lost to the Yankees in 1928.  They had also lost to the Athletics in 1930 but beaten the Athletics in 1931)

By the time the two faced off again in 1968 the Cardinals had won the 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964 and 1967 and had lost the 1943 World Series. The Tigers had won the 1935, 1945 World Series and had lost the 1940 World Series.

After the 1968 season both teams fell off drastically.  The Cardinals would not reach the World Series again until the Whitey Herzog era of the 1980s.  They won the 1982 World Series but lost the 1985 and 1987 World Series.  The Tigers, following the 1968 World Series, would not return to the Fall Classic until 1984.

The 1990s were a terrible era for the Tigers but saw a rebirth for the Caridnals, although no World Series appearances.

The early 2000s started poorly for the Tigers but they surprised everyone with a dramatic 2006 turn around and run through the playoffs to the World Series.  The Cardinals continued their rebirth with a 2004 World Series appearance where they faced the Red Sox.  In 2006 tehy returned to the World Series and faced the Tigers (the third time they faced off) and won their first World Series since 1982.

The Cardinals returned to the World Series in 2011 and 2013 while the Tigers returned in 2012.  Any one of those seasons could have seen a rematch as the oposing team lost in the LCS round of their respective leagues.

Oh, How Different Things Might Have Been: Lou Brock, Curt Flood and the 1968 Cardinals

History is fixed.  It is unchangeable.  Nothing can change the past.  You can watch Carlton Fisk hop down the line a million times and he will still waive the ball fair.  No matter how many times Todd Worrell touches that bag, Don Denkinger is still going to call Jorge Orta safe.  Bill Buckner is never going to field that little roller behind the bag and Mitch Williams will not look back over his shoulder to see Joe Carter's fly ball being caught.

The winners and losers in the history of the game will always be winners or losers.  But this series will explore some "what if's".  What if a player who missed the World Series hadn't gotten injured?  What if a play that turned a World Series had been completed differently?

We have already looked at  the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics , Johnny Evers and the impact he might have had on the 1910 World Series. Last week we reviewed the impact of Leo Durocher on the 1962 pennant race.  This week we look at how two plays turned the 1968 World Series for the Tigers:

Everything was on the line here. Everything.  So many emotions turned over this one little white ball.  As Julian Javier connected on the Mickey Lolich pitch a million emotions unfolded.

Relief.  It was a little looper to left.  Not particularly well hit and in left field, Willie Horton was playing fairly shallow.  Horton sprinted, in trying to catch up to the slowly falling ball.  It didn't fix all of their problems but it kept things from getting worse.

Panic.  Tiger fans saw Horton take his route to the ball.  As he moved towards his right before coming in.  There was a sudden fear that this could fall in there.  Horton came charging in and as he pulled up, just slightly to charge the ball on the bounce the home town fans held their breath.

Confidence.  The runner at second was the definition of speed on the base paths.  The Cardinals already led the series 3-1 and this game 3-2.  The Tigers had just cut into the lead the inning before.  Answering with another easy run would crush the Tigers.  The series would be all but over and with Lou Brock running, a man so terrifying on the base paths that National League catchers had given up trying to catch him, there seemed to be no chance he would not score.  For the Cardinals, this would be the run that capped their second straight World Series title.

Photo of Lou Brock Courtesy of NBC Sports

Pride.  First, there was Mickey Lolich.  He knew he was the best pitcher on this staff but he was sick and tired of hearing that Denny McLain was the golden boy, the best pitcher in the AL.  Of course, if Lolich lost this, the public would say "well, you can't have McLain pitch every day."  Next there was the left fielder, Horton.  The home town boy.  He had grown up in the shadow of Tiger Stadium.  He went to High School in Detroit.  His friends and family were probably out there in left field suffering that panic attack as they saw him pull up in front of Javier's single.  He loved playing for the Tigers and loved what that old English D meant to the city he grew up in.  He was one of the leaders of this team.  Imagine how bad the pride of this man was hurt when he was removed from the game the day before and replaced for 'defensive purposes".

Anger.  "Is this the end of it?"  The baseball fans in Detroit were devastated by the way the Tigers had lost the 1967 pennant race.  Entering the last weekend of the season with a chance to at least force a tie for the AL pennant, it had all fallen apart.  McLain, this year's savior, was pinned with a big part of the blame when he missed the end of the 1967 season with a foot injury.  Some crazy story about injuring his foot, tripping over furniture while he was checking on a noise outside.  No one believed him. Of course baseball fans couldn't dwell on the lost 1967 pennant for very long.  They had a distraction that made baseball unimportant.  The city had torn itself apart in 1967.  Buildings were set on fire, riots erupted.  Police and citizens clashed.  Terror tore through downtown Detroit.  Lolich, a National Guard member.was called into service as the city burned.  He told a story of his surreal nervousness as his commander drove a military jeep around the smouldering, deserted, ghost town streets of Detroit and the commander was stopping at red lights.  Hearing sporadic gun shots in the distance Lolich suggested that the red lights may not apply in this situation.  The Tigers winning ways in 1968 had been a big way for the city to come together.  A communal focus.  A communal love.  A positive representation of their city to offset the hatred and destruction the country had seen a year ago.  But this was how it would end.  A lot of noise.  A long season.  The first 30 game winner since Dizzy Dean won 30 in 1934 and the first in the AL since Lefty Grove won 31 in 1931. All of this time and energy spent and this is how it will end.

Photo of Mickey Lolich Courtesy of New York Times

Desperation.  Everything rode on this play.  On this little white ball with red stitches.  If Lou Brock scores the Cardinals go back up by 2.  With a runner still on first and 1 out, Lolich would likely be pulled from the game.  Everything rode on this play. Horton fielded the ball on the first hop.  It bounced right into his waiting glove.  He had not caught it on the fly but he had played the hop perfectly.  His fundamentals were sound.  Square your body to the ball.  Get in front of it.  Don't let it get past you.  As he felt the ball smack in the glove he took two steps for some momentum and he let it go.  He let everything go.  The relief, the panic, the pride, the anger, the desperation.  He just put it all into the throw.

As it all came streaking home, Brock hit third and turned the corner.  What is always overlooked in this play is something that is so seemingly insignificant, yet so intrical to the play.  Don Wert.  More than anything Don Wert made this play possible.  What did Don Wert do?  He raised his arm and turned his body.  It is the key, silent gesture in a play that turned a World Series.

It is the answer to this great question:  how did Lou Brock, the speedster who was running all over the base paths freely, get thrown out at the plate?  He was out because he didn't slide.  Why didn't he slide?  He didn't slide because Don Wert raised his arm and turned his body.  What is seldom seen when watching a game at home is the on deck batter coaching the runner coming home.  He can be the difference.  By Wert simulating an attempt to cut off the throw from Horton, the Cardinals were tricked into believing Brock would score easily.  After all, why would the Tigers let that throw come through? Who would try to get Brock at the plate and risk turning an obvious RBI single into an RBI double.

The Tigers would.  They discussed it before the series and they felt that Brock had been conceded some bases on the base paths by his National League competition and had gotten a feeling of complacency.  They would challenge Brock with their throws and force him to beat them full speed.  Wert's fake of cutting off the throw fed the Cardinal's belief that no team would try to catch Brock and no one signaled for Brock to slide.

Brock and the ball arrived at the same time.  Standing in Brock's way was Bill Freehan with the ball.  As Brock seemingly stamped his foot on the plate he collided with Freehan and was called out.  The Cardinals argued but the call was right.  Brock never touched the plate.  Freehan had held him off.    It was the play that saved the series for Detroit.

Photo of Lou Brock and Bill Freehan Courtesy of USA Today

Let's not get this wrong. It wasn't an immediate flip of the switch.  The Tigers still struggled.  They were retired easily in the 5th and left the bases loaded in the 6th.  It was in the 8th that they finally roared loudly.  After Wert struck out looking, Lolich singled. Cardinal Relief Pitcher Joe Boever gave up a single to Dick McAuliffe and walked Mickey Stanley.  When Al Kaline singled to score 2 and Norm Cash followed with a single scoring one, the Tigers took a 5-3 lead. Lolich made it interesting in the 9th by giving up singles to Tim McCarver and Ed Speizio putting two on with Roger Maris, the Home Run king from 1961 at the plate.  Fortunately for the Tigers this wasn't 1961 and Maris struck out.  The Tigers held off elimination for one more day.

The series returned to St.Louis for the last two games.  The Cardinals needed just one win in the last two at home to take the World Series and with Bob Gibson set to pitch the 7th game (if it went that far) it would be a tough, some said impossible, job for the Tigers.  Detroit made it clear early in Game 6 that they would make Gibson necessary.  With two runs already in, the Tigers came up for the top of the 3rd facing starter Ray Washburn.  It was a nightmare inning for St. Louis.  It went like this: Walk, single, RBI single by Kaline, Relief pitcher.  RBI single by Cash, Walk, Grand Slam by Jim Northrup, Relief Pitcher.  Walk, Hit by Pitch, Sacrifice bunt (out number 1), intentional walk, Ground out (out number 2), 2 run single by Kaline, Relief pitcher, RBI single by Cash, RBI Single by Horton, Flyball out (Out number three).  When the inning was over the Tigers had scored 10 runs, sent, 15 men to the plate, had seven hits (two by Cash and two by Kaline) and the Tigers had given their 30 game winner a 12-0 lead.  Kaline would add a solo Home Run in the 5th and the Tigers crusied to a 13-0 win.  Kaline's day was the stuff of legends.

Yet, if the Tigers were going to win this World Series, they would have to beat a living legend in Bob Gibson in St. Louis in Game 7.  His opponent for the day was Mickey Lolich.  Although some, including Lolich himself,  considered Lolich the Tigers’ best pitcher, McLain had won 30 games that year.  If you were a betting man it was almost impossible to go against the Cardinals. 

Gibson did what you would expect.  He dominated the Tigers.  The same man who had struck out 17 Tigers in his first start of the series, kept the Tigers off the bases until the 4^th.  Mickey Stanley broke the pattern with a one out single but Gibson got the next two batters to leave Stanley at first base in the 4^th, then retired another 8 straight batters.  That means that Gibson retired 21 of the first 22 batters he faced and the one runner he allowed never advanced past first.  That is damn near perfect.

Lolich, on the other hand, seemed to always be in trouble.  Just one pitch from blowing the whole thing.  In the first, the Cardinals put two on with two out but Mike Shannon flew out to end the threat.  In the second he walked Tim McCarver to lead off the inning but got out of it with a double play.  McCarver singled to start the 5^th but Lolich got the next three batters.

Scoreless after 5 ½ the Cardinals looked like they would get their big inning in the bottom of the 6^th.  Lou Brock led off with a single.  Looking to get a jump on Lolich, Brock left too early and the Tigers picked him off the hard way. (Lolich to Cash to Stanley).  Lolich got Julian Javier for the second out but the speedy Curt Flood followed with a single and Orlando Cepeda stepped in to bat. 

Flood was a great base runner in his time, but playing in the shadow of Lou Brock, he often was overlooked.  The Tigers were just as concerned about Flood on the base paths as they were Brock, especially with Cepeda at the plate.  A ball in the gap could score Flood from first and send the Cardinals to the world title.  If Brock was picked off the hard way, then Flood’s was the master level.  Like Brock, Flood took off early trying to get a jump on a ball hit by Cepeda or to get into scoring position with a  steal.  Lolich caught him leaning and threw to Cash.  Cash threw down to Dick McAuliffe.  Flood stopped and turned back to first, trying to avoid a repeat of Brock’s blunder.  Lolich had come over to cover first so McAuliffe threw to Lolich.  Flood reversed again.  Lolich threw down to Stanley at second base and Flood was out.  Lolich had allowed two of the game's best base runners to reach base in the same inning of a scoreless, season deciding game and escaped unharmed.  The Tigers still had to do the impossible.  They had to get to Bob Gibson.

Leading off the 7^th in a still scoreless game, Stanley struck out looking and Kaline grounded out for the second out.  That brought up Norm Cash.  Cash was an enigma to Tigers fans.  When he flashed the signs of greatness that everyone knew he had he was the crowd’s favorite Tiger.  Although the Detroit press often portrayed him as lazy, indifferent and clownish and he had been booed often at home.  The Tigers had used Eddie Matthews, the aging Milwaukee legend, as a way to push Cash and put some fear in him about the safety of his job but Matthews was injured and Cash cruised along.  You couldn’t say Cash didn’t have  a sense of humor.  While the Tigers were being no-hit by Nolan Ryan (it would be Ryan’s second no hitter) Cash walked to the plate with a table leg, thinking the larger lumber would give him a better chance at hitting. Unfortunately, some took his humor as a lack of focus and the fans laughed, but shook their head.

Photo of Norm Cash Courtesy of SABR.org

Cash stepped to the plate with two outs and connected for a single to right field.  It was a clean base hit, you couldn’t quite call it a blooper but it wasn’t a hard line drive hit. It was only the second base runner Gibson had allowed and there was little concern for St. Louis.  Cardinals fans were still more upset over the missed opportunities of Brock and Flood getting picked off the inning before.  The focus changed when Willie Horton connected on the very next pitch.  It looked like an easy ground ball but it found it’s way between short and third for a base hit.  Two out, two on and neither of the hits were particularly impressive. 

Gibson loved to work fast but now it seemed like he was slowing, tiring.  McCarver went out to talk to him before they faced Jim Northrup.  Gibson hated the mound visits.  McCarver would tell him "runners on first and second..." and before McCarver could finish Gibson would snap "I know they're there.  I put them there."

Northrup followed Horton’s example and went after Gibson’s first pitch.  It was a fly ball to center field where Curt Flood, a seven time Gold Glove winner, was as sure a fielder as anyone.  Flood took off at the crack of the bat but the shadows played tricks on him.  On first reaction it looked like Flood had a beat on the ball and the great Gibson had performed one last escape trick.  Cardinals fans reacted with a collective stunned silence as they saw Flood stumble, just a bit, then recover and sprint in the opposite direction.  The ball fell just over his head and as Flood tore after the ball, Cash, Horton and Northrup tore around the bases.  It was a two run triple.

Photo of Curt Flood Courtesy of ESPN

Just a few days before, as Brock had headed home for an insurance run, the Cardinals were sure they were World Champs.  Now, after a few great plays by the Tigers and some help from the shadows, the Tigers had the upper paw.

Bill Freehan kept the pressure on when he followed with an RBI double.  Suddenly, the curtain had been pulled back from the great and powerful Gibson.  Baseball fans had come to expect a Cardinals victory when Gibson took the mound in the World Series but now, he was human.

Gibson and Lolich would both finish the game.  The Tigers added another run on a Don Wert RBI single in the 9^th and the Cardinals avoided the shut out with a solo Home Run by Mike Shannon in the bottom of the 9^th but the Cardinals had blown a 3 games to 1 lead and the Tigers were World Champs.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

The St, Louis Cardinals have appeared in 15 World Series in their history and the Detroit Tigers have played in 11.  How many times have they played each other in the Fall Classic?

Answer to Last Week's Question:

Leo Durocher was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager in 1994 by the Veterans' Committe.  In 24 years as manager he won 2008 games, 3 National League Titles and 1 World Series title.  He is best remembered as manager of the Dodgers and Giants.

He was, to put it mildly, a polarizing figure.  People either loved him or despised him.  After being fired by the Dodgers after the 1962 debacle, Durocher did get a chance to manage again.  He was hired by the Cubs in 1966 and he got the Cubs out to a big division lead in 1969, the first year of division play, although the team collapsed and lost to the Miracle Mets.  He held the Cubs managerial post from 1966 through most of the 1972 season.  

At 46-44 in 1972 he was let go by the Cubs.  The team was in 3rd place, 10 games behind the Pirates.  Before the 1972 season ended he was hired by the Astros.  The Astros were surprisingly in second place.  Durocher led them to a 16-15 record to finish the year in second place, 10 1/2 games behind the Reds.

Durocher's final year of managing was in 1973.  He led the Astros to an 82-80 record and a 4th place finish.

Oh, How Different Things Could Have Been: Walter Alston, Leo Durocher and the 1962 Dodgers

History is fixed.  It is unchangeable.  Nothing can change the past.  You can watch Carlton Fisk hop down the line a million times and he will still waive the ball fair.  No matter how many times Todd Worrell touches that bag, Don Denkinger is still going to call Jorge Orta safe.  Bill Buckner is never going to field that little roller behind the bag and Mitch Williams will not look back over his shoulder to see Joe Carter's fly ball being caught.

The winners and losers in the history of the game will always be winners or losers.  But this series will explore some "what if's".  What if a player who missed the World Series hadn't gotten injured?  What if a play that turned a World Series had been completed differently?

We have already looked at  the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics and  Johnny Evers and the impact he might have had on the 1910 World Series.  This week we will look at the impact Leo Durocher had on the 1962 pennant race and how different things might have been had he not been hired:

                                                                                     

This battle was more than a three game series.  This was generations of hatred.  It stretched all the way back to the first days of organized baseball and went far beyond the game.  In Brooklyn, considered a small town in New York, the citizens clung with pride to that small town feel.  The larger area of New York City was pushing to incorporate Brooklyn as a borough.

It was small town vs big city.  The battlefield was really the political arena but for the citizens, the baseball diamond turned into the battlefield.  It turned into us vs them.  Giants vs Superbas.  The acceptance of being a borough of New York sunk in after a few years but that hatred lingered on the field.

As the years  went on some started to forget what had first lit the fire but the embers were reignited in 1913.  John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson had been team mates and friends since 1892.  They played together on the old Baltimore Orioles, the dominant champions of the early National League.  As McGraw started managing and Robinson became too old to play, McGraw made sure that Robinson always had a job on his coaching staff.  They were inseparable.  That all changed over a glass (or keg, or two or three) in 1913.  While McGraw had turned the Giants into the terror of the National League, the Superbas had fallen to the second division.  The rivalry had become less intense, simply because Brooklyn was not very good.

McGraw and Robinson were two peas in a pod.  Neither could stand to lose a game.  So when the Athletics took the last game of the 1913 World Series it probably would have been better for all involved to just go home.  Instead, McGraw, Robinson and some friends went out to drown their sorrow.  No one quite remembers who threw the first insult.  McGraw had some criticism of the way Robinson had coached at third.  Robinson had plenty of criticism for the way McGraw had used his bench in 1912 and 1913.  Words got heated and someone (most say McGraw) threw their beer at the other.  That was enough for Robinson.  He quit on the spot and was hired as manager by the Brooklyn Superbas as a direct challenge to McGraw.

Photo of John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson Courtesy of Getty Images

The Giants continued to thrive and although he was hated by many of his players McGraw kept the Giants in contention every year.  Robinson was beloved by his players and the press.  He was known as "Uncle Robby" and the team changed their name to the Robins in his honor.  Unfortunately, with the exception of 1916 and 1920 they were not very successful and by the time Robinson left the managerial spot they were known as the "Daffiness Boys' for their poor play.

There were of course other incidents to incite the rivalry.  The most memorable was the famous Bill Terry question in 1934 "Are they still in the league?"  But when Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was fired midway through the 1948 season and hired immediately by the Giants, the rivalry took on a more intense feel.  The hatred intensified.  Every close pitch took on a sinister meaning.  Every hard slide at second base had a retaliatory equalizer.  The Dodgers hated Durocher.  Robinson hated him.  Furillo hated him.  Even Pee Wee Reese hated him.  It was fine because Durocher hated all of them right back.  Durocher was glad to be a Giant.  He had Willie Mays.

Photo of Leo Durocher and Willie Mays Courtesy of CBS Sports

The Durocher era of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry was intense since they were both fighting for first most years and most had that personal connection to Durocher.  What made it more intense was that the man who replaced Durocher, Charlie Dressen, had been a Durocher disciple (similar to McGraw-Robinson).  The most vivid moment of that era, of course, was the three game playoff in 1951 that ended with the Branca-Thomson confrontation.

The Dodgers remained at the top for the next few years following Branca-Thomson but the Giants fell off after a few years (although they did manage to shock the 1954 Indians).  When attendance fell at the Polo Grounds and the option for a move to the West Coast came, the Giants jumped.  The rivalry was still there between the organizations but they seemed to be on different schedules.

The 1958 Dodgers finished 7th while the Giants finished third.  The Dodgers won the first West Coast World Series in 1959 while the Giants finished a distant third.  The 1960 Dodgers fell to 4th while the 1960 Giants fell to 5th. The 1961 Dodgers climbed back to second, just 4 games behind the pennant winning Reds while the Giants came in third, 8 behind the Reds and 4 behind the Dodgers.

1962 proved to be the first real rivalry moment on the West Coast.  The Giants had dismissed Durocher years before moving west and most of the players from his days as the Dodger manager were gone by now.  Durocher wanted to get back into the game and he expected to be offered the job as the first manager of the Angels franchise.  According to Durocher in his autobiography, he helped the Angels prepare for the expansion draft and was shocked when Angels General Manager Fred Haney told him to tell anyone in the press who asked that he "wasn't interested in the job."  The problem was he was very interested.  Leo desperately wanted to manage.  That led to an offer that shocked him.  Out of nowhere he got a call from Buzzy Bavasi, Dodgers General Manager saying that Walter O'Malley and Walter Alston wanted him on their coaching staff.

Photo of Walter Alston Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britanica

It was a match made in hell.  It was oil and water. It was the man who never spoke and the man who never shut up.  It was a disaster waiting to happen.  Every move Alston made Durocher questioned.  It was bad enough that some of Alston's players questioned him but when the coaching staff backed up that insecurity it led to a tense, uncomfortable club house.

Alston was seen as the company man.  He got the job because Charley Dressen, who had led the team to the brink of the 1951 World Series followed by two straight NL titles, had the audacity to ask for a three year contract.  O'Malley was offended that his generosity of year by year contracts wasn't enough for Dressen so he replaced him with Alston who never questioned the annual contract negotiations.  He was a silent leader.  He rarely argued with the umpires.  He felt that arguing with them on close calls would prejudice them against you and you will never get another close one.  Durocher believed if you weren't antagonizing the umpire on every call you weren't doing your job.

Winning fixes everything.

The Giants started 1962 hot. It was a sign, thought Giants fans.  It was finally their year.  Opening day saw Juan Marichal dueling Warren Spahn. Marichal started the day with a quick inning.  Spahn got two quick outs in the bottom of the first by getting Harvey Kuenn and Jose Pagan but this Giants team went as Willie Mays went.  In the first at bat of the season Mays went deep.  Marichal would strike out 10 and allow only three hits.  The Giants won 6-0.  They won 6 of their first 7.  They won 12 of 13 from April 25-May  8.  By mid May they were 27-10 with a 4 1/2 game lead in the National League.

Photo of Willie Mays Courtesy of Wikipedia

By June 1st the Dodgers were tied for first.  Even that was an uphill battle.  In a normal season their efforts would put them in a good position and give them some separation from the pack.  This was not a normal year.  A Dodgers 13 game winning streak from May 21-June 1 was only good enough to earn them a tie with the Giants.  The Dodgers lost the next two before winning four more straight.  So winning 17 of 19 was only good enough for a half game deficit.

In the second week of June the Giants hit the skids.  They lost 12 of 16 from June 6 through June 22.  With a Dodgers team playing red hot heading into June this was their chance to pull ahead. They did not take advantage. Over the same stretch the Dodgers went just 8-8.  They were only up  2 1/2.  That quickly disappeared as the Giants recovered from their slide.

Neither team could do anything to pull away.  The Dodgers would pull ahead by a game but within days the Giants had erased it and pulled ahead by a game themselves.  The Dodgers pulled into first on July 8 but between that date and July 27th, they could not get the lead above 2 games.

On July 25th the Dodgers won.  The lead was at 1 game.  They won their next three to stretch the lead to 4.  An August 1st loss coincided with the Giants' 4th straight loss so the lead stayed at 4 but the Dodgers won another 4 straight.  Four more wins by the Dodgers put the lead at 5 1/2, the biggest any team had enjoyed to that point of the year.

Winning solves everything.  Losing causes problems.

The Dodgers had no problems anyone was aware of.  The Giants stars seemed to be sniping at each other behind closed doors.  Mays.  McCovey. Marichal.  Cepeda, Perry. The egos were reportedly out of control.  Each believing they were the most important cog in the wheel.  If management paid a kindness to one of them, another wanted to know why they had not gotten the same treatment.

What no one was aware of was the behind the scenes cat and mouse game between Durocher and Alston.  In his autobiography Durocher told how he would undermine Alston, although in his mind he wasn't undermining the manager he was doing things the way they should be done.  "Alston would give me the take sign, I'd flash the hit sign.  Alston would signal to bunt, I'd call for the hit and run."...I never 'saw' a take sign from Alston with any of the speedsters-and how they loved it.  The whole team knew what I was doing, and they were saying 'Just keep going Leo'."

Winning solves everything.

The Dodgers went into San Francisco for a three game series from August 10-12 with a chance to stretch the lead.  The Giants swept the series.  The Dodgers lost the next two to the Pirates and the lead was back down to 1 1/2.  No one could pull away.  As they entered the final month of the season the Dodgers were up 2 1/2 but no lead was comfortable.

After losing three in the first week the lead was back down to 1/2.  From September 8th through September 15th the Dodgers won seven straight and stretched the lead back to 4.  It was not a secure lead but by September 22nd, with only 7 games left to play the lead was still at 4.  The Dodgers needed to win just a few more games to shore up the pennant.  With Koufax and Drysdale there was little doubt they would do just that.

They lost September 23 in St.Louis while the Giants won in Houston.  The lead was down to three but only six games left.  The Dodgers would play the expansion Colt .45's for three and the Cardinals for three, all at home.  The Giants would play the same two teams, the Cardinals followed by the Colt .45's, also all at home.

The Dodgers lost two of three to Houston.  The Giants took two of three from St. Louis.  Entering the last three days of the regular season Los Angeles clung to a two game lead.

On September 28 the Dodgers lost in 10 innings.  When the Giants' game got rained out the lead was cut to a game and a half.  The Giants would play a double header on Saturday, September 29th.  They won the first game convincingly, cutting the lead to one game and with Marichal on the mound they felt they could keep the pressure on Los Angeles.  The Dodgers sent Drysdale to the mound with confidence that they could hold the one game lead.  Marichal failed to deliver.  In 4 1/3 innings he allowed 4 runs.  Houston's Bob Bruce pitched 9 innings and allowed only 2 runs.  The Dodgers could clinch if Drysdale could win. Drysdale pitched 8 strong innings allowing 0 Earned Runs, only 5 hits and 3 walks.  Ernie Broglio of the Cardinals pitched 9 innings and allowed only 2 hits and 0 runs.  The difference in the game came in the 2nd inning with two outs and a runner on first, Frank Howard made an error on what would have been the third out of the inning.  The runner on first scored.  The Cardinals pitcher followed that with a clean single and the Dodgers lost 2-0 on two unearned runs.

September 30th was the last day of the season. The Dodgers needed a win or a Giants loss.  The Giants needed a win and a Dodgers loss.

The Dodgers sent out Johnny Podres, the man who had clinched the only World Series title in Brooklyn history.  He would face Curt Simmons.  Podres was brilliant.  He retired the first six batters before allowing a single to Gene Oliver leading off the third.  Oliver did  not advance any further and Podres retired the next 11 straight.  Simmons seemed to constantly have a runner on base but double plays bailed him out several times.  The teams entered the 8th scoreless.  Podres got the first batter on a line drive to center,  He had now retired 18 of the last 19 batters.  The batter was Gene Oliver.  In his first full year in the majors Oliver had hit only 13 Home Runs this year.  He hit his 14th to give the Cardinals a 1-0 win.  It would hold up.

In San Francisco the Giants sent Billy O'Dell to the mound.  Like Simmons in Los Angeles, O'Dell seemed to be constantly in trouble.  The Colt .45's had runners on base in almost every inning.  The Giants had plenty of chances of their own but were unable to take advantage and were constantly leaving men on base.  The Giants drew first blood in the 4th with a Home Run by Ed Bailey.  Both teams continued to threaten and Houston tied the score at 1 in the 6th.  The Giants had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th with two out but Matty Alou popped out.  This Giants team went as Willie went. Leading off the bottom of the 8th with a 1-1 count.  Willie went deep.  It was a sign.  Willie wanted to win and the Giants did.  1-0.

The season was over.  The Dogers and Giants were tied.  The two teams, rivals for generations, would face off in a winner take all, three game death match.  A best of three series for the right to take on the other hated rival, the Yankees.

The Dodgers sent Koufax to the mound for Game 1.  At 14-6 to follow up an 18 win season it seemed that Koufax had finally figured it all out.  His 2.41 ERA was best in the NL for the year but he had missed all of August and had lost his last four decisions.  What was worse, he had not gone farther than the 4th inning in any of them.  The Giants sent Billy Pierce to the mound.  Pierce was a veteran near the end of a good career.  He had spent most of his career in Chicago with the White Sox and would love to be a World Series Champion before he retired.

The Dodgers went in order in the first and the Giants went as Willie went.  Willie went deep off of Koufax for a 2-0 lead in the first.  The Dodgers went in order again in the second and Jim Davenport went deep for a 3-0 lead and an end to the day for Koufax.  It wouldn't end there.  The Giants won 8-0. The Dodgers not only lost, they used six pitchers in the process.  The Giants' bullpen rested.

The Dodgers sent Drysdale out for Game 2. If anyone could save the season, Drysdale could.  He faced Jack Sanford. It started to look bleak for the Dodgers when the Giants took a 5-0 lead in the 6th.  It was a nightmare inning for Drysdale and the Dodgers. The 6th started with a strikeout but that was followed by a walk, a double, an error, a single, another single, a ground ball out and another single.  The typewriters in the press box were clicking out the Dodgers' obituary when Jim Gilliam led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk.   A Duke Snider double moved him to third and he scored on a sac fly. That was followed by a conga line of batters to the plate.  A walk, a single, a single, a hit by pitch, a double and an error.  A Giants team that entered the inning needing just 12 outs to advance to the World Series had given up 7 runs.  A once secure 5-0 lead was now a 7-5 deficit.  But this was Dodgers-Giants and no one gave up without a fight.  The Giants scored two in the 8th to tie it at 7 where it remained entering the bottom of the 9th.  Maury Wills walked to lead off the 9th.  Gilliam walked behind him.  A sacrifice bunt moved both in to scoring position.  An intentional walk loaded the bases with one out.  When Ron Fairly lined out to Center Field for a sacrifice fly, the Dodgers tied up the series at 1game each in the most difficult fashion.  They scored a walk off run without having an official at bat in the inning.

This was it.  One last game to decide the National League.  The Giants started Juan Marichal, their undisputed ace.  The Dodgers started Johnny Podres, the hero of the 1955 World Series.  The Giants scored two in the third.   The Dodgers scored once in the 4th and twice in the 6th and stretched the lead to 4-2 in the 7th,  The score remained there in the top of the 9th.

On the bench, Durocher had started his work before the inning started.  When Ed Roebuck came off the mound after the 8th Durocher asked Roebuck how he felt.  According to Durocher, Roebuck said "My arm feels like lead."  Durocher then went to the pitching coach, who was within ear shot of Alston and told them to get someone up.

Durocher's account says that Joe Becker, the pitching coach, didn't say a word but Alston said "I'm going to win or lose with Roebuck. He stays right there."  Meanwhile, further down the bench, Duke Snider, Koufax and Drysdale were pleading with Durocher to convince Alston not to send Roebuck back out for the 9th.  Durocher says he told the three "What the hell do you want me to do?   I'm not managing the club.  There's not a goddam thing more I can say than I've said."

The problem was not that Durocher was not running the team.  The problem was that Durocher had built a relationship with the players that made them comfortable coming to him to question the manager knowing that he would back them up on their griping.  It was almost as though Durocher was telling them "you're right.  he's wrong.  If I were in charge I would do what you are telling me you think is right."  What was worse he was doing it with Alston ten feet away.

Things fell apart for the Dodgers needing just three outs.  Alou led off with a single.  He was erased on a Fielder's Choice and McCovey walked putting two on with one out.  Things were still ok.  Except on the bench where Durocher and Snider were griping away about Alston.  Durocher's version implies that the Dodgers had an unlimited supply of relievers.  In reality, their bullpen had been working overtime in these three games.

Snider, who was unhappy with his own playing time for the season, had left the game in the 8th with a thigh injury.  His version makes Durocher's version slightly more questionable in the fact that the players knew there was no other fresh option opposed to Roebuck.  "Our pitchers were worn out by this point-Koufax, Podres, Ron Perranoski, Stan Williams, Ed Roebuck- all of them- except one, Don Drysdale...Big D was sitting next to me when the 9th inning started and I said to him 'Don, go down there and tell Alston you want to warm up.  We could still lose this thing if we're not careful...Don says 'I already told him.' 'What did he say?' ' He said he's saving me for tomorrow'."

What really changes Durocher's version is the way he told it to Snider.  In the way Durocher told the story to Snider it was not just once that Durocher questioned Alston.  According to Snider "Leo told him he was crazy.  A few minutes later, Leo tried again  Alston said again 'Roebuck's my man.'  When Leo questioned Alston's sanity in more candid terms, Alston said 'well then you're fired."

There was anarchy and chaos on the bench with a two run lead.  Instead of letting the team get the final two outs everyone was second guessing everyone.  There was no confidence that this would work out.  With Alou on first, Alston shifted second baseman Larry Burright towards first to close the hole opened up with a runner on first.  Snider said the Dodgers players were yelling to Burright to move farther towards the second base bag.  Snider seems to imply that Kuenn's fielder's choice  would have been a double play and everything would have been avoided if the players had run the team and positioned Burright.  Instead it was a ground ball with a force at second.

That was followed by a Willie McCovey walk, a Felipe Alou walk, and a Willie Mays single.  Now Durocher got his way and Stan Williams came in to pitch.  A sac fly scored the tying run.  There was then a wild pitch, an intentional walk, a walk forcing in the go ahead run,  another pitching change, an error by Burright on a ground ball and finally a third strikeout.  Snider would have told you Drysdale should have been in there and Burright should have been playing closer to second, that would have changed everything.  Durocher would have told you that Alston should have changed pitchers (to one of the other tired arms) at the start of the inning and that would have changed everything.

Regardless, the mood on the Dodger bench was one of panic and fear even with a two run lead.  The Dodgers were playing from behind with a lead and they beat themselves.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

Leo Durocher certainly wanted to get back into a manager position and he was able to do that with two more teams before finally retiring. What two teams did he manage after leaving the Doodgers?

Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question:

Johnny Evers was identified with the Cubs in the first decade of the sport as much as the ivy on the walls at Wrigley are today.  Frank Chance left the team over a dispute with management and Joe Tinker was traded to Cincinnati leaving only Evers of the famous "trio of bear cubs". 

In 1914, with the fortunes of the team falling, Evers was traded to the lowly Boston Braves.  Midway through the 1914 season the Braves got hot and went from dead last to the top of the league.  Led by Evers, Shortstop Rabbitt Maranville and pitcher Bill James, the "Miracle Braves" rolled into the World Series and not only won, they swept the heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics.  It was the first time a team was swept in World Series history.