Is it possible? You betcha.
Is it possible? You Betcha.
The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the heavily favored New York Yankees in the 1960
World Series in a dramatic Game 7 with a walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski, a
moment that remains one of the most iconic in baseball history.
Despite the loss, the Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27 in the series, winning
three games convincingly by scores of 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0. NOTE: The Bucs were
SHUTOUT 10 zip and 12 zip. HOW did they have the HEART to keep going? The Bucs
-28 run differential still stands the test of time. It was awful.
Oh my GOD!! And this was on the heels of the Yankees winning their TENTH pennant
in TWELVE years? Thank GOD, there was NO internet back then.
The Yankees (???) Bobby Richardson won the World Series MVP award, a rare
occurrence for a player on the losing team, as the award votes were cast before the
Pirates’ dramatic comeback. Well….congratulations, Bobby…you made it to Big Bob’s
Big Blog with a WORTHLESS award.
The Bucs were no spring chicken. This was their SEVENTY-NINTH season! And they
were about to become the City of Champions!!
Jesus H Christ, LOOK at who was on the Yankees: Let’s start with one of the most
famous managers of all time…Casey Stengal. He PLAYED 14 seasons, he
MANAGED TWENTY-FIVE seasons, mostly with the dominant Yankees. My GOD, they
had Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Mickey frikkin Mantle. And get this, Roger Maris. Who
Dat? Well the following year Maris BROKE Babe Ruths home run record (with 61). This
is the definition of a dynasty.
And WHO did the Bucs have? Bill Mazeroski?? WHO??? Let’s just call him the Nico
Hoerner of the 1960 Bucs. Awesome second baseman, GREAT D, and a few dingers.
Sound familiar?
Oh yea, the Bucs also had THE GREAT ONE!!! Robert Clemente!!
And the Bucs had (perhaps..up for debate, but not for me) the greatest announcer of
all time, Bob (he could dish up the nicknames) Prince.
What a great last name. Shoulda been King.
Look at how small Forbes Field (RIP) was compared to Yankee Stadium!
Let’s relive game 7. Here is your box score.
Game 7 Box Score
For the deciding seventh game, Bob Turley, the winning pitcher in Game 2, got the nod
for the Yankees against the Pirates’ Vern Law, the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 4.
Turley lasted only one inning plus one batter. After retiring the first two batters, Turley
walked Bob Skinner, then first baseman Rocky Nelson homered, Pittsburgs’ first home
run since Bill Mazeroski’s in Game 1, to give the Pirates a 2–0 lead. Turley was then
pulled after giving up a single to Smoky Burgess leading off the second. Don Hoak then
drew a walk against Bill Stafford, and a bunt single by Mazeroski (can this guy do it all or
what) loaded the bases. Stafford appeared to get the Yankees out of trouble after
inducing Law (NOTE: PITCHERS had to bat back then!) to hit into a double play, pitcher
to catcher to first. But lead-off man Bill Virdon’s single to right scored Hoak and
Mazeroski and increased the Pirates’ lead to 4–0.
The Yankees got on the board in the fifth on Bill Skowro’s lead-off home run, his
second of the Series. In the sixth, Bobby Richardson led off with a single and Tony
Kubek drew a walk. Elroy Face relieved Law and got Roger Maris to pop out to Hoak in
foul territory, but Mickey Mantle singled to score Richardson. Face then blew the
save when Yogi Berra followed with a three-run shot to right that gave the Yankees
their first lead, 5–4.
The Yankees extended their lead to 7–4 in the eighth with two more runs off Face. With
two out, Berra walked, and Skowron singled when the Pirates couldn’t get a force-
out. Johnny Blanchard (who had replaced Elston Howard at catcher for game 7) then
singled to score Berra, and Clete Boyer doubled to score Skowron.
But the Pirates retook the lead with a 5-run botto eighth inning!!!
Here’s how it happened:
Gino Cimoli (pinch-hitting for Face) led off with a single, and Virdon hit a ground ball to
short for what could have been a double play. But the ball instead took a bad hop and
hit Kubek in the NUTS (..well, I like to think that) throat, leaving everybody safe and
knocking the wind out of Kubek. He eventually got up, and game footage showed him
arguing with manager Stengel, seemingly insisting he was ok to stay in the game. He
was eventually coaxed off the field and replaced. He was taken to a hospital and kept
overnight for observation due to concerns surrounding his trachea swelling up and thus,
causing difficulty breathing. Kinda reminds me of “the Natural” when Roy Hobbs (the
best there ever was) goes to the hospital. Let’s keep moving.
Back on the field, Dick Groat then bingoed to score Cimoli and send Virdon to
second. Jim Coates relieved Shantz and got Skinner out on a sacrifice bunt, which
moved the runners up. Nelson followed with a fly ball to right, and Virdon declined to
challenge Maris’ throwing arm.
Wait for it.
Coates then got two quick strikes on Roberto Clemente and was a strike away from
getting the Yankees out of their most serious trouble of the afternoon, when Clemente
hit a Baltimore chop toward first. First baseman Skowron and Coates both tried to get to
the ball at the same time, and Clemente’s speed forced Skowron to just hold the ball as
Coates could not make it to first base in time to cover. The high chopper allowed Virdon
to score, cutting the Yankee lead to 7–6. Hal Smith, (I said, wait for it) who had
replaced Smoky Burgess at catcher followed with a three-run DINGER to give the
Pirates a 9–7 lead. Game 4 loser Ralph Terry relieved Coates and got the last out.
We just finished the EIGHTH inning and the Bucs have the LEAD 9-7!
What could POSSIBLY go wrong???
Well.
Bob Friend, an 18-game winner for the Pirates and their starter (and loser) in Games 2
and 6, came on in the ninth to try to protect the lead. Bobby Richardson and pinch-hitter
Dale Long both greeted him with singles, and Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was
forced to remove the veteran pitcher in favor of Harvey Haddix. Although he got Roger
Maris to foul out, Haddix gave up a key single to Mickey Mantle that scored Richardson
and moved Long to third. Yogi Berra followed, hitting a sharp grounder to first, with
Rocky Nelson easily getting the second out.
In what, at the moment, appeared to be a monumental play, Mantle, seeing he had no
chance to beat a play at second, faked a step toward second base and then dove
head-first back to first, narrowly avoiding Nelson’s tag (which would have been the third
out).
Mantle was safe….but… MEANWHILE, over there at third base…hello… Gil
McDougald (pinch-running for Long) raced home to tie the game at 9-9. (Had Mantle
been out on the play, the run would likely not have counted since the play happened so
quickly that the runner on third might not have crossed the plate before the out was
recorded.) With Mantle safe, the inning continued, but ended when Bill Skowron hit into
a force play.
If your heart ain’t racing already, let’s go to the bottom of the NINTH of Game SEVEN of
the WORLD SERIES! Up until now, there had been SIXTY-ONE World Series and what
you are about to read had NEVER happened before and will probably NEVER happen
again (which makes it every youngster’s DREAM to be the next).
We will return to the City of Champions after a word from our sponsors: Champion
Spark Plugs, Iron City Beer (vitamin I) and Binny’s Beverage Depot (sponsoring the
Toast of the game).
Batter up.
I think I was in Auburn, New York, of all places…sitting in front of the radio. (by now,
school was out). And boy it happened QUICK and it was like THUNDER on the radio!
Ralph Terry returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. The first batter to face
him was Bill Mazeroski. With a count of one ball and no strikes, the Pirates; second
baseman smashed a historic long drive over the left field wall for his second home run
of the Series, winning the game with a WALK OFF WORLD SERIES GAME 7
DINGER!! 10–9 was your final (and now it’s time to reflect on the previous 6 games,
what a DRUBBING the Yanks had put on the Bucs). The Pittsburgh Pirates were
crowned World Series champions.
As the Pirates erupted, the Yankees stood across the field in stunned disbelief.
The improbable champions were outscored, out-hit, and outplayed, but somehow
had managed to pull out a Game 7 victory. Years later, still haunted, Mickey Mantle was
quoted in Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball as saying that losing the 1960 series was
the only loss, amateur or professional, he cried actual tears over. For Bill Mazeroski, by
contrast, his Series-clinching home run was the highlight of a Hall of Fame career
otherwise notable mostly for his excellent defense.
Let’s take a trip down my memory lane when my son was in little league and I was a
mere parent in the stands. What was he, 12? No matter. His team was getting
SLAUGHTERED!! We had yet to invent the slaughter rule.. meaning, ya had to keep
going. My kid was on third, late in the beat down. There was a ground ball somewhere
and he tried to make it home. It was a very close play. Had we had it back then, had I
been the coach, I would have CHALLENGED and called for the replay.
BUT, rather than argue the call, the coach said “Ah, it doesn’t matter, we’re getting
slaughtered anyway”.
Legend has it (because I don’t remember), I LOST IT!! I jumped out of the stands right
then, right there and I was being held back…as I SCREAMED!
DON’T
YOU
EVER
TEACH
MY KID
TO
QUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Huh. Wonder where I learned that.