1960 World Series
From BR Bullpen
|
Pittsburgh Pirates (95-59, NL) defeated New York Yankees (97-57, AL) |
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) and New York Yankees (AL). It is most notable for the Game 7, 9th-inning home run hit by Bill Mazeroski, winning the game for the Pirates 10-9, and also winning them their third Championship, their first since 1925. Befitting the wild-and-crazy flow of this Series, Bobby Richardson was named MVP of the Series, the only time that someone from the defeated team has been so honored (through 2006).
The Yankees outscored the Pirates 38-3 in the three games they won. For the Series as a whole, the Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27, outhit them .338 to .256 (team batting averages), and out-homered them 10-4, and lost. This is highest run-scored/runs-against ratio of any team that lost the World Series. The Pirates were soundly defeated in the three games they lost, but three of the four games they won were close, low-scoring matches, thus skewing the statistics. Game 7, of course, saw 19 runs scored between the two.
Mazeroski became the first player to hit a walk-off home run to win a World Series. Thirty-three years later, Joe Carter would become the only other player to end the World Series with a home run, doing so for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, albeit in Game 6.
Although most noted for the series-ending homer, Game 7 is also the only game in Series history with no strikeouts recorded by either side.
The Pirates' Don Hoak and Clem Labine also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers' 1955 World Series champions, which also defeated the Yankees in the World Series.
This would prove to be Casey Stengel's last World Series, as the Yankee club soon sent him into retirement. This led to his famous remark, "I'll never make the mistake of turning 70 again."
This World Series featured seven (7) past, present or future league Most Valuable Players. The Pirates had two (Dick Groat (1960) and Roberto Clemente (1966)), while the Yankees had five (Yogi Berra (1951, 1954, 1955), Mickey Mantle (1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris (1960, 1961), Elston Howard (1963), and Bobby Shantz (1952)).
As noted in the superstition called the "Ex-Cub Factor", this was the only Series after 1945 and until 2001 in which a team with three or more former members of the Chicago Cubs were able to win a World Series.
Records: Pittsburgh Pirates (W: 95, L: 59, Pct: .617, GA: 7) - New York Yankees (W: 97, L: 57, Pct: .630, GA: 8)
Managers: Casey Stengel (New York), Danny Murtaugh (Pittsburgh)
Umpires: Dusty Boggess (NL), Johnny Stevens (AL), Bill Jackowski (NL), Nestor Chylak (AL), Stan Landes (NL: outfield only), Jim Honochick (AL: outfield only)
Series MVP: Bobby Richardson (New York)
Television: NBC (Mel Allen and Bob Prince announcing)
[edit] Summary
This was the first trip to the Fall Classic for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 33 years. They were up against the New York Yankees, who had appeared in nine out of the last eleven Series (winning seven of them), and were the heavy favorites to win their eighth world championship in twelve years. However, it was the Pirates who struck first, winning Game One 6-4 at Forbes Field. Any hopes they may have had about an easy Series were crushed however, and so were the Pirates, as the Yankees won Game Two by a score of 16-3 and Game Three 10-0.
Determined not to lose any more momentum than had already been lost, the Pirates came into Game Four ready to fight their way back to a tie. Pirates pitcher Vern Law and reliever Roy Face allowed the Yankees to only 2 runs on 8 hits, as the Bucs won by a score of 3-2. With the series now tied at two apiece, Yankee manager Casey Stengel was desperate to avoid a comeback by the underdog Pirates. In a controversial move in Game Five, he started Art Ditmar, who had also started Game One, but Ditmar only lasted 1_1/3 innings. Stengel had hoped that Pittsburgh would underestimate Ditmar, but was dead wrong, and the Pirates won 5-2.
Just as the Pirates had been for Game Four, the Yankees came into Game Six determined not to lose. And just as the Pirates had done in Game Four, the Yankees won Game Six, but by a much larger margin of 12-0. Now, to Pirates fans, it seemed that the series was all but over. Game Seven would erase all of those thoughts.
Early in the game, it looked like the Pirates had it won, dominating New York for a 4-1 lead that lasted until the top of the 6th inning, where the Yankees suddenly found new life and scored 4, turning the Pittsburgh lead into a 1-run deficit. They continued their lead on into the 8th, with the score 7-4, and reliever Bobby Shantz at the top of his game. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, this game was far from done.
After Gino Cimoli and Bill Virdon both singled (with Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek being hit by Virdon's bad-hop hit and having to leave the game), Dick Groat followed with another one which cut the New York lead to 7-5. Next up was Roberto Clemente, who followed suit and the Yankee lead was again slashed, with the score now 7-6. The Pirates now had two runners on base and Hal Smith at the plate. Smith did what every Bucs fan was hoping for and hit one over the wall, and the Pirates took a 9-7 lead.
Bob Friend, an eighteen-game-winner for the Pirates and the Bucs' starter in Games 2 and 6, came on in the ninth to try to protect the 9-7 lead. The Yankees Bobby Richardson and pinch-hitter Dale Long both greeted Friend with singles, and Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was forced to lift the veteran pitcher in favor of Harvey Haddix. Although he forced Roger Maris to foul out, Haddix gave up a key single to Mickey Mantle that scored Richardson and moved Long to third. Yogi Berra followed suit hitting a short grounder to first, with Rocky Nelson stepping on the base for the second out. In what, at the time, stood as a monumental play, Mantle, seeing he had no chance to beat a play at second, scurried back to first and avoided Nelson's tag (which would have been the third out) as Gil McDougald raced home to tie the score, 9-9. The Yankees were still alive.
Ralph Terry, who had gotten the final out in the Pirates' eighth, returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth to finish the job. The first man he faced was Bill Mazeroski. With a count of one ball and no strikes, the Pirates' second baseman smashed a historic long drive over the wall in left, ending the contest and crowning the National League as champions. As the Pirates erupted in a wild celebration, the Yankees stood in disbelief knowing that they had clearly dominated the series, but were unable to finish the task. The improbable champions were outscored, 55-27, and out-hit, 91-60, but in the end the home team prevailed. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career. For Bill Mazeroski, it was the highlight.
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yankees – 4, Pirates – 6 | October 5 | Forbes Field | 36,676 |
| 2 | Yankees – 16, Pirates – 3 | October 6 | Forbes Field | 37,308 |
| 3 | Pirates – 0, Yankees – 10 | October 8 | Yankee Stadium | 70,001 |
| 4 | Pirates – 3, Yankees – 2 | October 9 | Yankee Stadium | 67,812 |
| 5 | Pirates – 5, Yankees – 2 | October 10 | Yankee Stadium | 62,753 |
| 6 | Yankees – 12, Pirates – 0 | October 12 | Forbes Field | 38,580 |
| 7 | Yankees – 9, Pirates – 10 | October 13 | Forbes Field | 36,683 |
[edit] Matchups
[edit] Game 1
October 5, 1960 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 36,676
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (A) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh (N) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Vern Law (1-0) L: Art Ditmar (0-1), S: Roy Face (1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Roger Maris (1), Elston Howard (1) PIT – Bill Mazeroski (1) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 2
October 6, 1960 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 37,308
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (A) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 19 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh (N) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 1 |
| W: Bob Turley (1-0) L: Bob Friend (0-1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Mickey Mantle 2 (2) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 3
October 8, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. Attendance: 70,001
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh (N) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| New York (A) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 10 | 16 | 1 |
| W: Whitey Ford (1-0) L: Vinegar Bend Mizell (0-1) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Bobby Richardson (1), Mickey Mantle (3) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 4
October 9, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. Attendance: 67,812
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh (N) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| New York (A) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Vern Law (2-0) L: Ralph Terry (0-1), S: Roy Face (2) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (1) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 5
October 10, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. Attendance: 62,753
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh (N) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| New York (A) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| W: Harvey Haddix (1-0) L: Art Ditmar (0-2), S: Roy Face (3) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Roger Maris (2) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 6
October 12, 1960 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 38,580
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (A) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh (N) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| W: Whitey Ford (2-0) L: Bob Friend (0-2) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Game 7
October 13, 1960 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 36,683
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (A) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh (N) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0 |
| W: Harvey Haddix (2-0) L: Ralph Terry (0-2) | ||||||||||||
| HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (2), Yogi Berra (1) PIT – Rocky Nelson (1), Hal Smith (1), Bill Mazeroski (2) | ||||||||||||
[edit] Composite Box
1960 World Series (4-3): Pittsburgh Pirates (N.L.) over New York Yankees (A.L.)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 60 | 4 | |
| New York Yankees | 7 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 55 | 91 | 8 | |
| Total Attendance: 349,813 Average Attendance: 49,973 | |||||||||||||
| Winning Player’s Share: – $8,418 Losing Player’s Share – $5,125 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Quotes of the Series
- Yogi Berra's assessment of what happened to his club: "We made too many wrong mistakes."
- Chuck Thompson's famous radio call of the final play, including a supposed mistake on who the pitcher was, and initially flubbing the final score:
- "Well, a little while ago, when we said that this one, uh, in typical fashion, was going right down to the wire, little did we know! ... Art Ditmar throws ... There's a swing and a high fly ball going deep to left, this may do it! ... Back to the wall goes Berra, it is ... over the fence, home run, the Pirates win! ... (long pause for crowd noise) ... Ladies and gentleman, Bill Mazeroski has just hit a one-nothing pitch over the left field wall to win the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of ten to nothing! ... Once again, that final score, the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates TEN, and the New York Yankees NINE!"
In reality, Thompson had been in the midst of saying "Art Ditmar throws in the Yankee bullpen" at the time the home run was hit and had not been mistaken as to the identity of the pitcher.
[edit] References and Further Reading
- David S. Neft and Richard M. Cohen: The World Series, 1st ed., St Martins Press, New York, NY, 1990, pp. 281-286.
- Jim Reisler: The Best Game Ever: Pirates 10, Yankees 9: October 13, 1960, Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA, 2007.
[edit] External links
- 1960 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
- 1960 World Series at Baseball-Almanac.com
- Kodak Presents - Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Bill Mazeroski's Home Run
| |||
| Modern Major League Baseball World Series
Pre-1903 Postseason Series |
