This is the first year for the Mets to play in Shea Stadium. Baseball has not returned to Manhattan since the Polo Grounds closed after the 1963 season.
The original Washington Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season. The Washington Senators who played in the 1964 season were an expansion team that launched the "curly W" logo used by today's Washington Nationals.
That clip has a wonderful shot of the original D.C. Stadium scoreboard -- the stadium wasn't renamed for Robert Kennedy until after he died. It also lets you see the Angels wearing their caps with a halo on top of the cap.
Another great thing about that clip is that D.C. Stadium was almost sold out for Opening Day, and then the Senators drew very few fans for the rest of the year. That's very Washington -- the folks here aren't great sports fans, but they do love to see the President.
This week in 1964, Sports Illustrated had an outstanding article about Vin Scully, the "Transistor Kid." Scully has become a huge star in L.A., where everyone listens to the Dodgers while driving home from work -- and many people bring their transistor radios to the game.
This week in 1964, Sports Illustrated had a cover story about Al Kaline. SI said that a lot of Detroit fans were disappointed in Kaline, who won the batting title for the first and only time in 1955, when he was only 20 years, but who was never that good again.
Here are the standings after the close of play on June 15, 1964:
NATIONAL Philadelphia: 32-21 --- San Fran: 34-23 --- Cincy: 30-26 3 ½ Pittsburgh: 29-27 4 ½ Milwaukee: 30-28 4 ½ Chicago: 27-27 5 ½ Los Angeles: 28-30 6 ½ St. Louis: 28-31 7 Houston: 28-32 7 ½ New York: 19-40 16
AMERICAN Chicago: 32-20 --- Baltimore: 34-22 --- New York: 32-21 ½ Minnesota: 32-26 3 Boston: 29-29 6 Cleveland: 27-27 6 Detroit: 25-29 8 Washington: 27-35 10 Los Angeles: 24-37 12 ½ Kansas City: 20-36 14
NATIONAL: Philadelphia; 56-37 – San Fran: 56-41 2 Cincinnati: 53-43 4 ½ Pittsburgh: 48-43 7 Milwaukee: 48-46 8 ½ Chicago: 47-47 9 ½ Los Angeles: 47-48 10 St. Louis: 47-48 10 Houston: 44-54 14 ½ New York: 29-68 29
AMERICAN: Baltimore: 59-37 – New York: 56-36 1 Chicago: 56-38 2 Los Angeles: 50-50 11 Minnesota: 48-48 11 Detroit: 48-49 11 ½ Boston: 47-51 13 Cleveland: 43-51 15 Kansas City: 38-58 21 Washington: 37-64 24 ½
NATIONAL: Philadelphia: 56-40 -- San Fran: 57-42 ½ Cincinnati: 55-45 3 Pittsburgh: 50-44 5 Milwaukee: 50-48 7 St. Louis: 50-48 7 Chicago: 48-48 8 Los Angeles: 48-49 8 ½ Houston: 45-55 13 New York: 30-70 28
AMERICAN: New York: 60-36 -- Baltimore: 60-38 1 Chicago: 59-38 1 ½ Los Angeles: 53-51 11 Boston: 50-51 12 ½ Minnesota: 48-51 13 ½ Detroit: 48-52 14 Cleveland: 43-54 17 ½ Kansas City: 38-61 23 ½ Washington: 38-65 25 ½
NATIONAL Philly: 65-43 -- San Fran: 64-48 3 Cincy: 62-51 5 ½ Pittsburgh: 59-50 6 ½ St. Louis: 59-52 7 ½ Milwaukee: 56-54 10 Los Angeles: 55-55 11 Chicago: 52-57 13 ½ Houston: 48-66 20 New York: 34-78 33
AMERICAN Baltimore: 69-43 -- Chicago: 67-44 1 ½ New York: 65-43 2 Los Angeles: 59-56 11 ½ Detroit: 58-57 12 ½ Minnesota: 54-59 15 ½ Boston: 53-60 16 ½ Cleveland: 53-60 16 ½ Washington: 44-72 27 Kansas City: 42-70 27
Here are the standings at close of play of August 26, 1964:
NATIONAL: Phliadelphia: 77-49 -- Cincinnati: 70-56 7 San Fran: 70-57 7 ½ St. Louis: 68-58 9 Milwaukee: 64-61 12 ½ Pittsburgh: 64-63 13 ½ Los Angeles: 62-63 14 ½ Chicago: 58-69 19 ½ Houston: 56-72 22 New York: 43-84 34 ½
AMERICAN: Baltimore: 77-50 -- Chicago: 78-51 -- New York: 72-53 4 Detroit: 67-63 11 ½ Los Angeles: 65-66 14 Minnesota: 63-64 14 Cleveland: 62-66 15 ½ Boston: 58-70 19 ½ Washington: 51-79 27 ½ Kansas City: 48-79 29
NATIONAL: Philadelphia: 87-57 -- St. Louis: 80-63 6 ½ Cincinnati: 79-64 7 ½ San Fran: 80-65 7 ½ Milwaukee: 74-69 12 ½ Pittsburgh: 74-69 12 ½ Los Angeles: 72-72 15 Chicago: 65-78 21 ½ Houston: 59-87 29 New York: 49-95 38
AMERICAN: Baltimore: 88-59 -- New York: 84-58 1 ½ Chicago: 86-61 2 Detroit: 77-69 10 ½ Los Angeles: 75-72 13 Cleveland: 72-72 14 ½ Minnesota: 72-74 15 ½ Boston: 64-83 24 Washington: 57-90 31 Kansas City: 54-91 33
On Thursday, September 17, the Phillies scratched out a run in the top of the 9th to beat Don Drysdale and the Dodgers 4-3. The Reds beat Chicago 7-5. The Cards and Giants had the weekend off. The top of the National League looks like this:
Philadelphia: 89-58 -- St. Louis: 82-64 6 1/2 Cincinnati: 81-65 7 1/2 San Fran: 81-66 8
There are only 15 games left, so the Phillies look pretty safe.
In the American League, Mel Stottlemeyer pitched the Yankees to a 6-2 win over the Angels. Mickey Mantle hit his 31st homer of the year. The AL race now looks like this:
New York: 86-59 -- Baltimore: 88-61 -- Chicago: 88-61 --
Can't get much closer than that.
Here are this weekend's key match-ups:
Phillies at Dodgers Pirates at Giants Cardinals at Reds A's at Yankees Senators at White Sox Angels at Orioles
On Friday, September 18, 1964, the Phillies had a 3-0 lead in L.A. going into the bottom of the 9th, but they gave up 3 runs in the 7th and 1 in the 9th to lose 4-3. The Pirates beat the Giants 4-3, and the Reds and Cards were rained out:
Philadelphia: 89-59 -- St. Louis: 82-64 6 Cincinnati: 81-65 7 San Fran: 81-67 8
In the American League, the Yankees beat Kansas City 6-0, the Orioles beat the Angels 10-8, but the White Sox lost to the hapless Senators, 5-4:
New York: 87-59 -- Baltimore: 89-61 -- Chicago: 88-62 1
On Saturday, September 19, 1964, the Phillies played 16 innings in L.A. In the bottom of the 16th, Willie Davies beat out an infield single, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and STOLE HOME to win the game 4-3. In Cincinnati, the Reds and Cardinals split a double-header. In Pittsburgh, the Giants clobbered Pittsburgh 13-4. Now the standings look like this:
Philadelphia: 89-60 -- St. Louis: 83-65 5 1/2 Cincinnati: 82-66 6 1/2 San Fran: 82-67 7
In the American League, the Yankees beat Kansas City 8-3 behind homers from Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle; the Orioles did not play; and the White Sox lost another game to the Senators, 1-0 in 10 innings:
New York: 88-59 -- Baltimore: 89-61 1/2 Chicago: 88-63 2
On Sunday, September 20, 1964, the Phillies sent out their ace, Jim Bunning, and he beat the Dodgers 3-2 to run his record to 18-5. The Reds beat the Cardinals 9-6, and the Giants beat Pittsburgh 4-3 in 11 innings. With two weeks left in the season, the top of the NL looks like this:
Philadelphia: 90-60 -- Cincinnati: 83-66 6 1/2 St. Louis: 83-66 6 1/2 San Fran: 83-67 7
The Phillies' magic number is 7.
In the American League, Jim Bouton threw a two-hitter against Kansas City, running his record to 17-13 as the Yankees won 4-0. Baltimore split a double-header with the Angels, and the White Sox finally beat Washington 4-3.
New York: 89-59 -- Baltimore: 90-62 1 Chicago: 89-63 2
Here is the next series of games:
Cincinnati at Philadelphia San Francisco at Houston St. Louis at New York New York at Cleveland Baltimore at Detroit White Sox at Angels
On Monday, September 21, the normally-hapless Colt .45s beat the Giants 3-1, in one of the last games played before the Houston team moved into the Astrodome. In Philadelphia, the Phillies were beaten 1-0 by Cincinnati thanks to a complete game shutout by John Tsitouris. Tsitouris was a major leaguer from 1957 to 1968, and threw only five shutouts in his career. This was the last of those.
Philadelphia: 90-61 -- Cincinnati: 84-66 5 1/2 St. Louis: 83-66 6 San Fran: 83-68 7
It should be noted that the only run in the Reds' victory over the Phillies was scored when Chico Ruiz, the Reds' third baseman, stole home in the top of the 6th -- even through Frank Robinson, the Reds' best hitter, was at the plate. This odd play gets a lot of attention in most accounts of what subsequently happened to the Phillies.
On Tuesday, September 22, the Reds jumped all over Philadelphia, pounding the Phillies 9-2 with help from a home run by Frank Robinson. The Reds are still trying to win the pennant for their dying manager, Fred Hutchinson. In New York, the Cardinals beat the Mets 2-1. In Houston, the Giants pounded Houston 7-1 with a homer by Orlando Cepeda. So the NL race is getting closer:
Philadelphia: 90-62 -- Cincinnati: 85-66 4 1/2 St. Louis: 84-66 5 San Fran: 84-68 6
In the American League, Kansas City trailed Minnesota 9-6 going into the last of the 9th -- but scored four runs to win the game 10-9. The A's had two walks, a three-run homer, and a one-run homer. I've never heard of a game ending on back-to-back home runs. The second homer -- the game winner -- was hit by a pinch hitter named Billy Bryan, who hit a total of 41 homers in his career. The win leaves the A's with a record of 55-96, three games behind the 9th-place Senators.
In other games, the red-hot Yankees sweep a double-header in Cleveland: 5-3 and 8-1. Roger Maris hits a homer in the first game, and Mickey Mantle homers in a nightcap. The Yankees know how to put you away. Meanwhile, the Orioles lose 2-1 in Detroit, while Chicago loses 1-0 to the Angels. (Imagine the agony of the Oriole and White Sox fans.) The Yankees are getting close to their fifth consecutive pennant:
It's amazing how this all still goes on, by the way. Since 2004, the Phillies, Cardinals, Giants, Yankees, and White Sox have all won the World Series, and the Orioles and Reds have both been to the playoffs. One of the best things about being a sports fan is that defeats are not always forever.
On Wednesday, September 23, Vada Pinson hit two home runs, including a three run home with two outs in the 7th, to power Cincinnati past Philadelphia 6-4. That's a three-game sweep for the Reds -- in Philly -- and the NL race is suddenly looking much closer. The Giants also gained ground, beating Houston 4-1 behind a great performance by Juan Marichal (who is now 20-7). But the Cardinals were stunned by the hapless Mets, losing 2-1 and blowing their own chance to move up. A really bad day for Cardinals fans.
Philadelphia: 90-63 -- Cincinnati: 86-66 3 1/2 St. Louis: 84-67 5 San Fran: 85-68 5
In the American League, Minnesota beat Kansas City 2-1, the Yankees swept a second straight double-header in Cleveland, 4-3 and 6-4, the Orioles lost again to Detroit, and the White Sox beat the Angels. With four wins in two days, the Yankees have suddenly taken control of the AL:
New York: 93-59 -- Baltimore: 90-64 4 Chicago 90-64 4
What the bitter Baltimore fans cannot possibly know is that the Yankees will not win another pennant until 1976, and that the Orioles will win FOUR pennants during that stretch. The O's are on the verge of their greatest period in history, but today their fans are miserable.
On Thursday, September 24, Jim Bunning was unable to stop the Phillies' losing streak. The Braves beat the Phillies 5-3, as the Phils lost their fourth game in a row. Meanwhile, the Cardinals went to Pittsburgh and swept a double-header, 4-2, and 4-0, to vault back into contention:
Philadelphia: 90-64 -- Cincinnati: 86-66 3 St. Louis: 86-67 3 1/2 San Fran: 85-68 4 1/2
There were no games in the American League.
Here are the key weekend match-ups in the National League:
San Francisco at Chicago Cincinnati at New York Milwaukee at Philadelphia St. Louis at Pittsburgh
On Friday, September 25, the Phillies trailed Milwaukee 3-1 going into the bottom of the 8th, but a two-run homer tied the game. In the top of the 10th, Milwaukee took a 5-3 lead, but Richie Allen tied the game in the bottom of the 10th with a TWO-RUN INSIDE THE PARK HOMER. Surely the Phillies could win now, right? Wrong. Milwaukee won 7-5 in 12 innings, sending the Phillies to their fifth straight defeat. Meanwhile, the Reds swept a double-header from the Mets, the Giants beat the Cubs, and the Cardinals beat the Pirates. Suddenly, the NL pennant race is getting very tight:
Philadelphia: 90-65 -- Cincinnati: 88-66 1 1/2 St. Louis: 87-67 2 1/2 San Fran: 86-68: 3 1/2
Meanwhile, in Washington, the Yankees trailed the Senators 5-2 after five innings but stormed back for a 6-5 win behind two homers from Roger Maris. The Yankees maintain a 4-game lead over both Baltimore and Chicago.
On Saturday, September 26, the Phillies -- now desperate to end their losing streak -- jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Milwaukee, and still led 4-3 going into the 9th. But Bobby Shantz -- in the next-to-last outing of his entire career -- was bombed in the 9th, giving up a single to Hank Aaron, a single to Eddie Mathews, a grounder to pinch-hitter Frank Bolling that turned into an error, and (with the bases now loaded) a game-losing THREE-RUN TRIPLE to Rico Carty. Final score: Braves 6, Phillies 4
Meanwhile, the Reds beat the Mets 6-1, the Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 6-3, and the Giants were rained out in Chicago. Now it's really close:
Philadelphia: 90-66 --- Cincinnati: 89-66 1/2 St. Louis: 88-67 1 1/2 San Fran: 86-68 3
In the American League, Mel Stottlemyre threw a two-hitter at the Senators, as the Yankees cruised 7-0 to maintain their four-game lead over Baltimore and Detroit.
On Sunday, September 27, the Phillies -- now on a six-game losing streak -- sent out Jim Bunning to pitch against the Braves. This was the sort of wacky move that Bill James and company would eventually kill off. Bunning had pitched six innings on Thursday, and it wasn't really that likely that he would be effective on two days' rest. Surely the best plan is to make sure Bunning has enough rest to be effective. But no, he went out in a futile effort to stop the Phillies' skid. He was hammered -- giving up 7 runs in only three innings -- and the Phillies took their seventh loss in a row, falling 14-8 to the Braves.
Meanwhile, the Reds swept a double-header from the Mets, 4-1 and 3-1. So the Reds move into FIRST PLACE. The Giants LOST a double-header in Chicago, 4-1 and 4-2. This almost kills off their chances. And the Cardinals shut out Pittsburgh 5-0. With only one week to go, no one knows what will happen:
Cincinnati: 91-66 -- Philadelphia: 90-67 1 St. Louis: 89-67 1 1/2 San Fran: 86-70 4 1/2
Today was Philadelphia's last game at home -- they end the year with three games at St. Louis and two at Cincinnati.
In the American League, the Senators beat the Yankees 3-2 in 11 innings. The Orioles won 4-0 in Cleveland, and Chicago won 5-3 in Kansas City. So the Yankees still have some work to do:
New York: 95-60 --- Baltimore: 93-64 3 Chicago: 93-64 3
The Yankees have seven home games left -- four against Detroit and three against Cleveland. It's not likely they'll blow the pennant under those circumstances.
I still can't get over the fact that the Phillies started Bunning in this game. He had just pitched against this same team on Thursday. And you've got huge games coming up next week against St. Louis and Cincinnati. Surely you have to save Bunning for one of those games.
On Monday, September 28, 1964, the Phillies came to St. Louis for a huge series with the Cardinals. I would have thought that Philly manager Gene Mauch would have learned his lesson after starting Jim Bunning on short rest against Milwaukee yesterday. But he has not. He opens the series with Chris Short, who just threw 7 1/3 innings on Friday against the Braves. Short is 17-8, but he can only last 5 1/3 innings, and leaves trailing 3-0. Meanwhile, the Cardinals start Bob Gibson, who runs his record to 18-11 by going 8 innings in an easy 5-1 victory.
The Phillies have now lost 8 games in a row.
No other pennant contender played today, and the NL standings now look like this:
Cincinnati: 91-66 --- St. Louis: 90-67 1 Philadelphia: 90-68 1 1/2 San Fran: 86-70 4 1/2
On Tuesday, September 29, 1964, the dazed and battered Phillies quickly fell behind 3-0 after two innings, and went quietly to a 4-2 defeat in St. Louis. It was their ninth loss in a row. This game featured the last MLB appearance of Philly pitcher Bobby Shantz, who went 24-7 (with 27 complete games and 5 shut outs!) for the 1952 Philadelphia Athletics. Shantz threw 279 innings that year at the age of 27; he never again threw more than 173 innings in a season.
Despite their losing streak, the Phillies are still only 1 1/2 games out of first place, because the Reds -- with a golden opportunity to seize control of the pennant race -- managed to get no runs from 11 hits in a home game against the Pirates. The game was 0-0 in the top of the 9th, when Bill Mazeroski singled in two runs to give Pittsburgh the win. Bob Friend pitched a complete-game, 11-hit shutout against a lineup that featured Pete Rose and Frank Robinson.
The Giants kept their season alive, thanks to a home run in the bottom of the 11th by Matty Alou, which gave SF a 5-4 win over Houston.
So now the NL looks like this:
Cincinnati: 91-67 -- St. Louis: 91-67 -- Philadelphia: 90-69 1 1/2 San Fran: 87-70 3 1/2
In the American League, the Yankees and Orioles were idle. The White Sox beat the Angels 2-1, and they now trail by 2 1/2 games with less than a week to go. Baltimore remains three back.
In Minnesota, Rocky Colavito hit a home run in the top of the 15th to lead the Kansas City Athletics to a 7-6 win over the Twins. The A's now have a record of 56-100.
On Wednesday, September 30, 1964, Phillies Manager Gene Mauch lost his mind, sending his ace Jim Bunning out to face the red-hot Cardinals on two days rest. The last time he tried using Bunning on short rest -- on Sunday -- Bunning was rocked for 10 hits and 7 runs in only three innings. Today Mauch's move achieved almost exactly the same result. Bunning lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs. The Cardinals led 8-0 after four innings and romped to an 8-5 win, sending the Phils to their 10th straight loss.
Now let's put this in perspective. During the month of September, Mauch started Bunning in NINE different games, including FOUR games between September 20 and 30. In his last five starts in September, Bunning went 1-4. He only made it into the seventh inning once.
Mauch's whole problem was that he couldn't see that an exhausted Bunning was a below-average starter. Mauch would have been better off starting almost anyone who was rested, and giving Bunning a chance to get better. Wouldn't it have been better to have Bunning go 2-1 or 3-0 than 1-4?
Meanwhile, the Reds were hooked up in another thriller against Pittsburgh. For the second day in a row, the Reds and Pirates were in a scoreless tie after 8 innings. Yesterday, Pittsburgh won 2-0 after nine. Today, the Bucs won 1-0 after 16. Pete Rose went 0-7. With the pennant on the line, the Reds have now gone scoreless over 25 innings.
In San Francisco, the Giants got an unearned run in the 11th to pull out a 2-1 win over Houston -- their second straight 11-inning victory. But it's probably too little, too late, as the Giants would need to win out -- and have the Cardinals lose all three of its remaining games -- to beat St. Louis.
So now the Cardinals are finally on top, and looking for their first pennant in 18 years:
St. Louis: 92-67 -- Cincinnati: 91-68 1 Philadelphia: 90-70 2 1/2 San Fran: 88-70 3 1/2
Over in the American League, the Yankees almost clinched their fifth pennant in a row, sweeping the Tigers 7-6 and 11-8. The Yanks are 3 1/2 games up on the White Sox, and Chicago only has 4 games left. The Orioles are 4 games back with 3 games left, so they're finally done.
On Thursday, October 1, 1964, the Phillies and Cardinals had the day off. Cincinnati finally started hitting again, and beat Pittsburgh 5-4. San Francisco rolled to a 6-3 win over Houston behind Juan Marichal, who ran his record to 21-8. Now the standings look like this:
St. Louis: 92-67 -- Cincinnati: 92-68 1/2 Philadelphia: 90-70 2 1/2 San Fran: 89-70 3
Over in the American League, the Yankees dropped a double-header to Detroit, losing 4-2 and 5-2 to the combination of Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain. Here's what the American League looks like:
On Friday, October 2, 1964, the Phillies finally ended their 10-game losing streak. They were in Cincinnati, where the Reds desperately needed a win, and the Reds were up 3-0 going into the top of the 8th, when suddenly the Phillies exploded for four runs. Philadelphia won the game 4-3. Meanwhile, the Giants beat Chicago 9-0 while the Cardinals were shut out 1-0 by the lowly Mets. So the National League is still up for grabs:
St. Louis: 92-68 -- Cincinnati: 92-69 1/2 Philadelphia: 91-70 1 1/2 San Fran: 90-70 2
Meanwhile, the White Sox swept a double-header from the A's, 3-2 and 5-4. The Orioles beat Detroit 10-4. But the Yankees beat Cleveland 5-2. So the Yanks maintain control:
On Saturday, October 3, 1964, the Reds and Phillies had the day off. It's funny that they didn't play on the next-to-last day of the season, given all the double-headers both teams played down the stretch, but that's how things worked back then. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were home to the Mets with another great chance to seize control of the race. They blew it, getting blown out 15-5 by the Mets. That improved New York's record to 53-108. Meanwhile, the Giants lost 10-7 at home to the Cubs, thereby finally eliminating themselves from contention. So with one game left, the NL race was down to three teams:
Cincinnati: 92-69 -- St. Louis: 92-69 -- Philadelphia: 91-70 1
Meanwhile, the Yankees clinched the American League pennant by beating Cleveland 8-3. The Yankees played spectacular baseball down the stretch to win their fifth pennant in a row, going 22-6 in the month of September. Of course, it would be twelve more years before they won another one, and that 1976 pennant would take place in a very different Yankee Stadium in a very different world.
On Sunday, October 4, 1964, Jim Bunning finally got to pitch on a decent amount of rest. After being wasted on short rest on September 27 and September 30, he had had three full days off. The rest made a huge difference, as he shut out the Reds on only six hits, and Philly rolled to a 10-0 win -- a laugher after so many heartbreaking defeats.
So the Phillies and Reds finished in a tie with a record of 92-70. The only question was whether St. Louis would join them. After losing two games in a row to the Mets, the Cards soon found themselves in trouble again. They were 3-2 with one out in the top of the fifth when they brought in Bob Gibson to stem the bleeding. Gibson wasn't great -- but he was good enough, giving up only two runs in four innings. That allowed the Cardinals' offense to tee off on New York's pitchers, and the Cardinals won the game -- and the pennant -- with an 11-5 victory.
St. Louis: 93-69 -- Cincinnati: 92-70 1 Philadelphia: 92-70 1
There was a sense, both at the time and ever since, that the Reds and Phillies had blown it. Philly had a 6 1/2 game lead with only a few weeks left, before suffering a disastrous 10-game losing streak that haunted manager Gene Mauch for the rest of his career. Meanwhile, the Reds appeared to have the race in hand when they headed home for the last five games of the year against Pittsburgh and Philly. But they lost four of those games, including the last two games of the year against the shattered Phillies. And they were shut out in three of those losses, one of which went 16 innings. With all the money on the line, their hitting simply collapsed.
But this view of the race is not fair to the Cardinals. St. Louis won the pennant because they went 17-11 in July, 18-10 in August, and 22-10 in September/October. They beat a red-hot Yankees team in seven games to win the 1964 World Series. And then they came back and won two more pennants in 1967 and 1968. With the exception of the Orioles (who won it all in 1966), none of the other 1964 contenders ever reached the World Series.
And so ends the dramatic story of the 1964 baseball regular season, one of the most exciting seasons ever played.
Standings at close of play after April 27, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNational League:
Philadelphia: 7-2
San Fran: 7-3
Pittsburgh: 7-4
Milwaukee: 6-5
Cincinnati: 6-5
St. Louis: 6-6
Houston: 6-7
Chicago: 4-6
Los Angeles: 4-9
New York: 2-8
American League:
Cleveland: 5-2
Detroit: 6-4
Baltimore: 5-4
Chicago: 5-4
Minnesota: 6-5
Washington: 6-6
New York: 4-4
Boston: 4-6
Los Angeles: 4-7
Kansas City: 2-5
This is the first year for the Mets to play in Shea Stadium. Baseball has not returned to Manhattan since the Polo Grounds closed after the 1963 season.
ReplyDelete"More than 45 acres of parking space." And next door to the site of the World's Fair.
DeleteI used to watch Nats games at RFK Stadium -- the parking was outstanding.
DeleteThe original Washington Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season. The Washington Senators who played in the 1964 season were an expansion team that launched the "curly W" logo used by today's Washington Nationals.
ReplyDeleteIn 1964, Houston was still known as the "Colt .45s." They wouldn't become the Astros until 1965, when they moved to the new Astrodome.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the new domed stadium in Houston is coming right along.
DeleteThat clip has a wonderful shot of the original D.C. Stadium scoreboard -- the stadium wasn't renamed for Robert Kennedy until after he died. It also lets you see the Angels wearing their caps with a halo on top of the cap.
ReplyDeleteAnother great thing about that clip is that D.C. Stadium was almost sold out for Opening Day, and then the Senators drew very few fans for the rest of the year. That's very Washington -- the folks here aren't great sports fans, but they do love to see the President.
DeleteHere are the standings after the games of May 5, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
San Francisco: 12-4
Milwaukee: 12-6
Philadelphia: 10-6
St. Louis: 11-8
Pittsburgh: 10-8
Cincinnati: 10-9
Los Angeles: 8-12
Chicago: 6-9
Houston: 8-13
New York: 3-15
AMERICAN:
Cleveland: 9-5
Chicago: 8-5
Baltimore: 9-7
New York: 7-6
Minnesota: 9-9
Detroit: 8-8
Los Angeles: 8-10
Boston: 7-9
Kansas City: 7-9
Washington: 8-12
This week in 1964, Sports Illustrated had an outstanding article about Vin Scully, the "Transistor Kid." Scully has become a huge star in L.A., where everyone listens to the Dodgers while driving home from work -- and many people bring their transistor radios to the game.
DeleteStandings at Close of Play of May 11, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL LEAGUE:
San Francisco: 15-7
Philadelphia: 14-8 1
Milwaukee: 14-10 2
St. Louis: 15-11 2
Cincinnati: 13-12 3.5
Pittsburgh: 13-12 3.5
Chicago: 9-11 5
Houston: 11-16 6.5
Los Angeles: 10-15 6.5
New York: 6-18 10
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago: 12-6
New York: 13-7
Cleveland: 12-9 1.5
Baltimore: 13-10 1.5
Minnesota: 12-11 2.5
Los Angeles: 11-13 4
Boston: 10-13 4.5
Washington: 12-16 5
Detroit: 9-13 5
Kansas City: 8-14 6
This week in 1964, Sports Illustrated had a cover story about Al Kaline. SI said that a lot of Detroit fans were disappointed in Kaline, who won the batting title for the first and only time in 1955, when he was only 20 years, but who was never that good again.
DeleteStandings after the games of May 18, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia: 18-10
San Fran: 19-11
St. Louis: 19-13 1
Pittsburgh: 17-14 2.5
Cincy: 16-14 3
Milwaukee: 16-15 3.5
Los Angeles: 14-19 6.5
Houston: 14-20 7
Chicago: 11-16 6.5
New York: 10-22 10
AMERICAN:
Chicago: 15-9
New York: 16-10
Cleveland: 16-11 0.5
Baltimore: 17-12 0.5
Minnesota: 16-14 2.0
Detroit: 14-15 3.5
Los Angeles: 13-18 5.5
Boston: 12-17 5.5
Washington: 14-20 6.0
Kansas City: 11-18 6.5
On Thursday evenings in 1964, CBS aired Password at 6:30 Central.
ReplyDeleteLucille Ball was "fabulous." Password was totally, totally right. I love her.
DeleteDesi Arnez Jr.'s "Marx" clue on "harp," to move the men to a 16-13 lead in the second half, was a stroke of genius.
DeleteAlso, I love how Allen Ludden suggests at the middle-of-the-show break that this would be a good time for "a bit of refreshment."
Road trip to Chicago ...
ReplyDeleteStandings at close of play of May 25, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia: 21-13
San Fran: 22-15 0.5
Milwaukee: 21-16 1.5
St. Louis: 22-17 1.5
Pittsburgh: 21-17 2.0
Cincinnati: 18-18 4.0
Houston: 19-22 5.5
Los Angeles: 18-21 5.5
Chicago: 14-20 7.0
New York: 11-28 12.5
AMERICAN:
Chicago: 20-10
Baltimore: 23-14 0.5
Cleveland: 18-13 2.5
New York: 18-14 3.0
Minnesota: 20-17 3.5
Boston: 19-18 4.5
Detroit: 17-19 6.0
Washington: 17-25 9.0
Los Angeles: 15-24 9.5
Kansas City: 12-25 11.5
Now that Password is over and it's 7 p.m. Central on Thursday, I'm switching over to Channel 3 and watching The Donna Reed Show.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, did you know that WSIL does not show ABC's evening news?
#GREENCOLLAR! The A's are out of last place!
ReplyDeleteStandings at close of play of June 1, 1964:
NATIONAL
Philadelphia: 25-15 --
San Fran: 26-17 0.5
St. Louis: 25-20 2.5
Milwaukee: 23-21 4
Pittsburgh: 23-21 4
Cincinnati: 21-21 5
Los Angeles: 21-23 6
Chicago: 19-22 6.5
Houston: 21-26 7.5
New York: 14-32 14
AMERICAN
Chicago: 24-12 0.5
Baltimore: 28-15 --
Cleveland: 22-16 3.5
Minnesota: 25-19 3.5
New York: 21-17 4.5
Boston: 22-21 6
Detroit: 18-24 9.5
Washington: 19-29 11.5
Kansas City: 15-27 12.5
Los Angeles: 16-30 13.5
Here are the standings after the close of play on June 15, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL
Philadelphia: 32-21 ---
San Fran: 34-23 ---
Cincy: 30-26 3 ½
Pittsburgh: 29-27 4 ½
Milwaukee: 30-28 4 ½
Chicago: 27-27 5 ½
Los Angeles: 28-30 6 ½
St. Louis: 28-31 7
Houston: 28-32 7 ½
New York: 19-40 16
AMERICAN
Chicago: 32-20 ---
Baltimore: 34-22 ---
New York: 32-21 ½
Minnesota: 32-26 3
Boston: 29-29 6
Cleveland: 27-27 6
Detroit: 25-29 8
Washington: 27-35 10
Los Angeles: 24-37 12 ½
Kansas City: 20-36 14
Standings at close of play on July 3, 1964
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
San Fran: 47-29 --
Philadelphia: 45-28 0.5
Cincinnati: 41-34 5.5
Pittsburgh: 39-34 6.5
St. Louis: 38-39 9.5
Milwaukee: 37-39 10
Chicago: 35-37 10
Los Angeles: 36-39 10.5
Houston: 36-42 12
New York: 23-56 25.5
AMERICAN:
Baltimore: 48-27 --
New York: 43-30 4
Chicago: 41-30 5
Minnesota: 42-35 7
Detroit: 35-39 12.5
Los Angeles: 37-42 13
Boston: 36-41 13
Cleveland: 34-39 13
Washington: 32-48 18.5
Kansas City: 30-47 19
ere are the standings after close of play on July 11, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia: 48-30 0.5
San Fran: 51-32 ---
Cincinnati: 44-37 6
Pittsburgh: 42-37 7
St. Louis: 41-41 9.5
Los Angeles: 40-40 9.5
Milwaukee: 40-41 10
Chicago: 37-42 12
Houston: 38-45 13
New York: 24-60 27.5
AMERICAN:
Baltimore: 51-29 ---
New York: 48-31 2.5
Chicago: 46-32 4
Minnesota: 46-37 6.5
Detroit: 41-40 10.5
Boston: 39-44 13.5
Los Angeles: 39-46 14.5
Cleveland: 35-45 16
Kansas City: 31-50 20.5
Washington: 32-54 22
Standings at Close of Play of July 24, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia; 56-37 –
San Fran: 56-41 2
Cincinnati: 53-43 4 ½
Pittsburgh: 48-43 7
Milwaukee: 48-46 8 ½
Chicago: 47-47 9 ½
Los Angeles: 47-48 10
St. Louis: 47-48 10
Houston: 44-54 14 ½
New York: 29-68 29
AMERICAN:
Baltimore: 59-37 –
New York: 56-36 1
Chicago: 56-38 2
Los Angeles: 50-50 11
Minnesota: 48-48 11
Detroit: 48-49 11 ½
Boston: 47-51 13
Cleveland: 43-51 15
Kansas City: 38-58 21
Washington: 37-64 24 ½
Standings at Close of Play of July 27, 1964
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia: 56-40 --
San Fran: 57-42 ½
Cincinnati: 55-45 3
Pittsburgh: 50-44 5
Milwaukee: 50-48 7
St. Louis: 50-48 7
Chicago: 48-48 8
Los Angeles: 48-49 8 ½
Houston: 45-55 13
New York: 30-70 28
AMERICAN:
New York: 60-36 --
Baltimore: 60-38 1
Chicago: 59-38 1 ½
Los Angeles: 53-51 11
Boston: 50-51 12 ½
Minnesota: 48-51 13 ½
Detroit: 48-52 14
Cleveland: 43-54 17 ½
Kansas City: 38-61 23 ½
Washington: 38-65 25 ½
Standings after August 10, 1964
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL
Philly: 65-43 --
San Fran: 64-48 3
Cincy: 62-51 5 ½
Pittsburgh: 59-50 6 ½
St. Louis: 59-52 7 ½
Milwaukee: 56-54 10
Los Angeles: 55-55 11
Chicago: 52-57 13 ½
Houston: 48-66 20
New York: 34-78 33
AMERICAN
Baltimore: 69-43 --
Chicago: 67-44 1 ½
New York: 65-43 2
Los Angeles: 59-56 11 ½
Detroit: 58-57 12 ½
Minnesota: 54-59 15 ½
Boston: 53-60 16 ½
Cleveland: 53-60 16 ½
Washington: 44-72 27
Kansas City: 42-70 27
Here are the standings at close of play of August 18, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Philadelphia: 71-46 –
San Fran: 67-52 5
Cincy: 65-54 7
St. Louis: 64-55 8
Pittsburgh: 63-55 8 ½
Milwaukee: 61-56 10
Los Angeles: 58-59 13
Chicago: 56-63 16
Houston: 50-71 23
New York: 38-82 34 ½
AMERICAN
Baltimore: 74-45 --
Chicago: 73-47 1 ½
New York: 69-48 4
Los Angeles: 62-61 14
Detroit: 62-61 14
Minnesota: 60-60 14 ½
Cleveland: 55-65 19 ½
Boston: 54-66 20 ½
Washington: 49-74 27
Kansas City: 44-75 30
Here are the standings at close of play of August 26, 1964:
ReplyDeleteNATIONAL:
Phliadelphia: 77-49 --
Cincinnati: 70-56 7
San Fran: 70-57 7 ½
St. Louis: 68-58 9
Milwaukee: 64-61 12 ½
Pittsburgh: 64-63 13 ½
Los Angeles: 62-63 14 ½
Chicago: 58-69 19 ½
Houston: 56-72 22
New York: 43-84 34 ½
AMERICAN:
Baltimore: 77-50 --
Chicago: 78-51 --
New York: 72-53 4
Detroit: 67-63 11 ½
Los Angeles: 65-66 14
Minnesota: 63-64 14
Cleveland: 62-66 15 ½
Boston: 58-70 19 ½
Washington: 51-79 27 ½
Kansas City: 48-79 29
The Phillies are on fire -- they have won 21 of their last 30 games.
DeleteNATIONAL:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 87-57 --
St. Louis: 80-63 6 ½
Cincinnati: 79-64 7 ½
San Fran: 80-65 7 ½
Milwaukee: 74-69 12 ½
Pittsburgh: 74-69 12 ½
Los Angeles: 72-72 15
Chicago: 65-78 21 ½
Houston: 59-87 29
New York: 49-95 38
AMERICAN:
Baltimore: 88-59 --
New York: 84-58 1 ½
Chicago: 86-61 2
Detroit: 77-69 10 ½
Los Angeles: 75-72 13
Cleveland: 72-72 14 ½
Minnesota: 72-74 15 ½
Boston: 64-83 24
Washington: 57-90 31
Kansas City: 54-91 33
Come on, A's!
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday, September 17, the Phillies scratched out a run in the top of the 9th to beat Don Drysdale and the Dodgers 4-3. The Reds beat Chicago 7-5. The Cards and Giants had the weekend off. The top of the National League looks like this:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 89-58 --
St. Louis: 82-64 6 1/2
Cincinnati: 81-65 7 1/2
San Fran: 81-66 8
There are only 15 games left, so the Phillies look pretty safe.
In the American League, Mel Stottlemeyer pitched the Yankees to a 6-2 win over the Angels. Mickey Mantle hit his 31st homer of the year. The AL race now looks like this:
New York: 86-59 --
Baltimore: 88-61 --
Chicago: 88-61 --
Can't get much closer than that.
Here are this weekend's key match-ups:
Phillies at Dodgers
Pirates at Giants
Cardinals at Reds
A's at Yankees
Senators at White Sox
Angels at Orioles
On Friday, September 18, 1964, the Phillies had a 3-0 lead in L.A. going into the bottom of the 9th, but they gave up 3 runs in the 7th and 1 in the 9th to lose 4-3. The Pirates beat the Giants 4-3, and the Reds and Cards were rained out:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 89-59 --
St. Louis: 82-64 6
Cincinnati: 81-65 7
San Fran: 81-67 8
In the American League, the Yankees beat Kansas City 6-0, the Orioles beat the Angels 10-8, but the White Sox lost to the hapless Senators, 5-4:
New York: 87-59 --
Baltimore: 89-61 --
Chicago: 88-62 1
On Saturday, September 19, 1964, the Phillies played 16 innings in L.A. In the bottom of the 16th, Willie Davies beat out an infield single, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and STOLE HOME to win the game 4-3. In Cincinnati, the Reds and Cardinals split a double-header. In Pittsburgh, the Giants clobbered Pittsburgh 13-4. Now the standings look like this:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 89-60 --
St. Louis: 83-65 5 1/2
Cincinnati: 82-66 6 1/2
San Fran: 82-67 7
In the American League, the Yankees beat Kansas City 8-3 behind homers from Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle; the Orioles did not play; and the White Sox lost another game to the Senators, 1-0 in 10 innings:
New York: 88-59 --
Baltimore: 89-61 1/2
Chicago: 88-63 2
On Sunday, September 20, 1964, the Phillies sent out their ace, Jim Bunning, and he beat the Dodgers 3-2 to run his record to 18-5. The Reds beat the Cardinals 9-6, and the Giants beat Pittsburgh 4-3 in 11 innings. With two weeks left in the season, the top of the NL looks like this:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-60 --
Cincinnati: 83-66 6 1/2
St. Louis: 83-66 6 1/2
San Fran: 83-67 7
The Phillies' magic number is 7.
In the American League, Jim Bouton threw a two-hitter against Kansas City, running his record to 17-13 as the Yankees won 4-0. Baltimore split a double-header with the Angels, and the White Sox finally beat Washington 4-3.
New York: 89-59 --
Baltimore: 90-62 1
Chicago: 89-63 2
Here is the next series of games:
Cincinnati at Philadelphia
San Francisco at Houston
St. Louis at New York
New York at Cleveland
Baltimore at Detroit
White Sox at Angels
Go, Jim Bunning! #ohky
DeleteOn Monday, September 21, the normally-hapless Colt .45s beat the Giants 3-1, in one of the last games played before the Houston team moved into the Astrodome. In Philadelphia, the Phillies were beaten 1-0 by Cincinnati thanks to a complete game shutout by John Tsitouris. Tsitouris was a major leaguer from 1957 to 1968, and threw only five shutouts in his career. This was the last of those.
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-61 --
Cincinnati: 84-66 5 1/2
St. Louis: 83-66 6
San Fran: 83-68 7
There were no games in the American League.
It should be noted that the only run in the Reds' victory over the Phillies was scored when Chico Ruiz, the Reds' third baseman, stole home in the top of the 6th -- even through Frank Robinson, the Reds' best hitter, was at the plate. This odd play gets a lot of attention in most accounts of what subsequently happened to the Phillies.
DeleteOn Tuesday, September 22, the Reds jumped all over Philadelphia, pounding the Phillies 9-2 with help from a home run by Frank Robinson. The Reds are still trying to win the pennant for their dying manager, Fred Hutchinson. In New York, the Cardinals beat the Mets 2-1. In Houston, the Giants pounded Houston 7-1 with a homer by Orlando Cepeda. So the NL race is getting closer:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-62 --
Cincinnati: 85-66 4 1/2
St. Louis: 84-66 5
San Fran: 84-68 6
In the American League, Kansas City trailed Minnesota 9-6 going into the last of the 9th -- but scored four runs to win the game 10-9. The A's had two walks, a three-run homer, and a one-run homer. I've never heard of a game ending on back-to-back home runs. The second homer -- the game winner -- was hit by a pinch hitter named Billy Bryan, who hit a total of 41 homers in his career. The win leaves the A's with a record of 55-96, three games behind the 9th-place Senators.
In other games, the red-hot Yankees sweep a double-header in Cleveland: 5-3 and 8-1. Roger Maris hits a homer in the first game, and Mickey Mantle homers in a nightcap. The Yankees know how to put you away. Meanwhile, the Orioles lose 2-1 in Detroit, while Chicago loses 1-0 to the Angels. (Imagine the agony of the Oriole and White Sox fans.) The Yankees are getting close to their fifth consecutive pennant:
New York: 91-59 --
Baltimore: 90-63 2 1/2
Chicago: 89-64 3 1/2
It's amazing how this all still goes on, by the way. Since 2004, the Phillies, Cardinals, Giants, Yankees, and White Sox have all won the World Series, and the Orioles and Reds have both been to the playoffs. One of the best things about being a sports fan is that defeats are not always forever.
DeleteHear, hear.
DeleteOn Wednesday, September 23, Vada Pinson hit two home runs, including a three run home with two outs in the 7th, to power Cincinnati past Philadelphia 6-4. That's a three-game sweep for the Reds -- in Philly -- and the NL race is suddenly looking much closer. The Giants also gained ground, beating Houston 4-1 behind a great performance by Juan Marichal (who is now 20-7). But the Cardinals were stunned by the hapless Mets, losing 2-1 and blowing their own chance to move up. A really bad day for Cardinals fans.
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-63 --
Cincinnati: 86-66 3 1/2
St. Louis: 84-67 5
San Fran: 85-68 5
In the American League, Minnesota beat Kansas City 2-1, the Yankees swept a second straight double-header in Cleveland, 4-3 and 6-4, the Orioles lost again to Detroit, and the White Sox beat the Angels. With four wins in two days, the Yankees have suddenly taken control of the AL:
New York: 93-59 --
Baltimore: 90-64 4
Chicago 90-64 4
What the bitter Baltimore fans cannot possibly know is that the Yankees will not win another pennant until 1976, and that the Orioles will win FOUR pennants during that stretch. The O's are on the verge of their greatest period in history, but today their fans are miserable.
On Thursday, September 24, Jim Bunning was unable to stop the Phillies' losing streak. The Braves beat the Phillies 5-3, as the Phils lost their fourth game in a row. Meanwhile, the Cardinals went to Pittsburgh and swept a double-header, 4-2, and 4-0, to vault back into contention:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-64 --
Cincinnati: 86-66 3
St. Louis: 86-67 3 1/2
San Fran: 85-68 4 1/2
There were no games in the American League.
Here are the key weekend match-ups in the National League:
San Francisco at Chicago
Cincinnati at New York
Milwaukee at Philadelphia
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Defeats Are Not Always Forever™.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday, September 25, the Phillies trailed Milwaukee 3-1 going into the bottom of the 8th, but a two-run homer tied the game. In the top of the 10th, Milwaukee took a 5-3 lead, but Richie Allen tied the game in the bottom of the 10th with a TWO-RUN INSIDE THE PARK HOMER. Surely the Phillies could win now, right? Wrong. Milwaukee won 7-5 in 12 innings, sending the Phillies to their fifth straight defeat. Meanwhile, the Reds swept a double-header from the Mets, the Giants beat the Cubs, and the Cardinals beat the Pirates. Suddenly, the NL pennant race is getting very tight:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia: 90-65 --
Cincinnati: 88-66 1 1/2
St. Louis: 87-67 2 1/2
San Fran: 86-68: 3 1/2
Meanwhile, in Washington, the Yankees trailed the Senators 5-2 after five innings but stormed back for a 6-5 win behind two homers from Roger Maris. The Yankees maintain a 4-game lead over both Baltimore and Chicago.
On Saturday, September 26, the Phillies -- now desperate to end their losing streak -- jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Milwaukee, and still led 4-3 going into the 9th. But Bobby Shantz -- in the next-to-last outing of his entire career -- was bombed in the 9th, giving up a single to Hank Aaron, a single to Eddie Mathews, a grounder to pinch-hitter Frank Bolling that turned into an error, and (with the bases now loaded) a game-losing THREE-RUN TRIPLE to Rico Carty. Final score: Braves 6, Phillies 4
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Reds beat the Mets 6-1, the Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 6-3, and the Giants were rained out in Chicago. Now it's really close:
Philadelphia: 90-66 ---
Cincinnati: 89-66 1/2
St. Louis: 88-67 1 1/2
San Fran: 86-68 3
In the American League, Mel Stottlemyre threw a two-hitter at the Senators, as the Yankees cruised 7-0 to maintain their four-game lead over Baltimore and Detroit.
Bobby Shantz has since 1975 been someone I wanted to know more about, and today I'm going to do something about that.
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday, September 27, the Phillies -- now on a six-game losing streak -- sent out Jim Bunning to pitch against the Braves. This was the sort of wacky move that Bill James and company would eventually kill off. Bunning had pitched six innings on Thursday, and it wasn't really that likely that he would be effective on two days' rest. Surely the best plan is to make sure Bunning has enough rest to be effective. But no, he went out in a futile effort to stop the Phillies' skid. He was hammered -- giving up 7 runs in only three innings -- and the Phillies took their seventh loss in a row, falling 14-8 to the Braves.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Reds swept a double-header from the Mets, 4-1 and 3-1. So the Reds move into FIRST PLACE. The Giants LOST a double-header in Chicago, 4-1 and 4-2. This almost kills off their chances. And the Cardinals shut out Pittsburgh 5-0. With only one week to go, no one knows what will happen:
Cincinnati: 91-66 --
Philadelphia: 90-67 1
St. Louis: 89-67 1 1/2
San Fran: 86-70 4 1/2
Today was Philadelphia's last game at home -- they end the year with three games at St. Louis and two at Cincinnati.
In the American League, the Senators beat the Yankees 3-2 in 11 innings. The Orioles won 4-0 in Cleveland, and Chicago won 5-3 in Kansas City. So the Yankees still have some work to do:
New York: 95-60 ---
Baltimore: 93-64 3
Chicago: 93-64 3
The Yankees have seven home games left -- four against Detroit and three against Cleveland. It's not likely they'll blow the pennant under those circumstances.
I still can't get over the fact that the Phillies started Bunning in this game. He had just pitched against this same team on Thursday. And you've got huge games coming up next week against St. Louis and Cincinnati. Surely you have to save Bunning for one of those games.
DeleteOn Monday, September 28, 1964, the Phillies came to St. Louis for a huge series with the Cardinals. I would have thought that Philly manager Gene Mauch would have learned his lesson after starting Jim Bunning on short rest against Milwaukee yesterday. But he has not. He opens the series with Chris Short, who just threw 7 1/3 innings on Friday against the Braves. Short is 17-8, but he can only last 5 1/3 innings, and leaves trailing 3-0. Meanwhile, the Cardinals start Bob Gibson, who runs his record to 18-11 by going 8 innings in an easy 5-1 victory.
ReplyDeleteThe Phillies have now lost 8 games in a row.
No other pennant contender played today, and the NL standings now look like this:
Cincinnati: 91-66 ---
St. Louis: 90-67 1
Philadelphia: 90-68 1 1/2
San Fran: 86-70 4 1/2
On Tuesday, September 29, 1964, the dazed and battered Phillies quickly fell behind 3-0 after two innings, and went quietly to a 4-2 defeat in St. Louis. It was their ninth loss in a row. This game featured the last MLB appearance of Philly pitcher Bobby Shantz, who went 24-7 (with 27 complete games and 5 shut outs!) for the 1952 Philadelphia Athletics. Shantz threw 279 innings that year at the age of 27; he never again threw more than 173 innings in a season.
ReplyDeleteDespite their losing streak, the Phillies are still only 1 1/2 games out of first place, because the Reds -- with a golden opportunity to seize control of the pennant race -- managed to get no runs from 11 hits in a home game against the Pirates. The game was 0-0 in the top of the 9th, when Bill Mazeroski singled in two runs to give Pittsburgh the win. Bob Friend pitched a complete-game, 11-hit shutout against a lineup that featured Pete Rose and Frank Robinson.
The Giants kept their season alive, thanks to a home run in the bottom of the 11th by Matty Alou, which gave SF a 5-4 win over Houston.
So now the NL looks like this:
Cincinnati: 91-67 --
St. Louis: 91-67 --
Philadelphia: 90-69 1 1/2
San Fran: 87-70 3 1/2
In the American League, the Yankees and Orioles were idle. The White Sox beat the Angels 2-1, and they now trail by 2 1/2 games with less than a week to go. Baltimore remains three back.
In Minnesota, Rocky Colavito hit a home run in the top of the 15th to lead the Kansas City Athletics to a 7-6 win over the Twins. The A's now have a record of 56-100.
On Wednesday, September 30, 1964, Phillies Manager Gene Mauch lost his mind, sending his ace Jim Bunning out to face the red-hot Cardinals on two days rest. The last time he tried using Bunning on short rest -- on Sunday -- Bunning was rocked for 10 hits and 7 runs in only three innings. Today Mauch's move achieved almost exactly the same result. Bunning lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs. The Cardinals led 8-0 after four innings and romped to an 8-5 win, sending the Phils to their 10th straight loss.
ReplyDeleteNow let's put this in perspective. During the month of September, Mauch started Bunning in NINE different games, including FOUR games between September 20 and 30. In his last five starts in September, Bunning went 1-4. He only made it into the seventh inning once.
Mauch's whole problem was that he couldn't see that an exhausted Bunning was a below-average starter. Mauch would have been better off starting almost anyone who was rested, and giving Bunning a chance to get better. Wouldn't it have been better to have Bunning go 2-1 or 3-0 than 1-4?
Meanwhile, the Reds were hooked up in another thriller against Pittsburgh. For the second day in a row, the Reds and Pirates were in a scoreless tie after 8 innings. Yesterday, Pittsburgh won 2-0 after nine. Today, the Bucs won 1-0 after 16. Pete Rose went 0-7. With the pennant on the line, the Reds have now gone scoreless over 25 innings.
In San Francisco, the Giants got an unearned run in the 11th to pull out a 2-1 win over Houston -- their second straight 11-inning victory. But it's probably too little, too late, as the Giants would need to win out -- and have the Cardinals lose all three of its remaining games -- to beat St. Louis.
So now the Cardinals are finally on top, and looking for their first pennant in 18 years:
St. Louis: 92-67 --
Cincinnati: 91-68 1
Philadelphia: 90-70 2 1/2
San Fran: 88-70 3 1/2
Over in the American League, the Yankees almost clinched their fifth pennant in a row, sweeping the Tigers 7-6 and 11-8. The Yanks are 3 1/2 games up on the White Sox, and Chicago only has 4 games left. The Orioles are 4 games back with 3 games left, so they're finally done.
On Thursday, October 1, 1964, the Phillies and Cardinals had the day off. Cincinnati finally started hitting again, and beat Pittsburgh 5-4. San Francisco rolled to a 6-3 win over Houston behind Juan Marichal, who ran his record to 21-8. Now the standings look like this:
ReplyDeleteSt. Louis: 92-67 --
Cincinnati: 92-68 1/2
Philadelphia: 90-70 2 1/2
San Fran: 89-70 3
Over in the American League, the Yankees dropped a double-header to Detroit, losing 4-2 and 5-2 to the combination of Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain. Here's what the American League looks like:
New York: 97-62 --
Chicago: 94-64 2 1/2
Baltimore: 95-65 2 1/2
From September 18 to September 30, while the Phillies were collapsing, the Yankees went 11-1.
Here are the key matchups for the last weekend of the regular season:
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia at Cincinnati
Chicago at San Francisco
New York at St. Louis
Cleveland at New York
Kansas City at Chicago
I'm for the Cardinals and Orioles.
ReplyDeleteOn Friday, October 2, 1964, the Phillies finally ended their 10-game losing streak. They were in Cincinnati, where the Reds desperately needed a win, and the Reds were up 3-0 going into the top of the 8th, when suddenly the Phillies exploded for four runs. Philadelphia won the game 4-3. Meanwhile, the Giants beat Chicago 9-0 while the Cardinals were shut out 1-0 by the lowly Mets. So the National League is still up for grabs:
ReplyDeleteSt. Louis: 92-68 --
Cincinnati: 92-69 1/2
Philadelphia: 91-70 1 1/2
San Fran: 90-70 2
Meanwhile, the White Sox swept a double-header from the A's, 3-2 and 5-4. The Orioles beat Detroit 10-4. But the Yankees beat Cleveland 5-2. So the Yanks maintain control:
New York: 98-62 --
Chicago: 96-64 2
Baltimore: 96-65 2 1/2
On Saturday, October 3, 1964, the Reds and Phillies had the day off. It's funny that they didn't play on the next-to-last day of the season, given all the double-headers both teams played down the stretch, but that's how things worked back then. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were home to the Mets with another great chance to seize control of the race. They blew it, getting blown out 15-5 by the Mets. That improved New York's record to 53-108. Meanwhile, the Giants lost 10-7 at home to the Cubs, thereby finally eliminating themselves from contention. So with one game left, the NL race was down to three teams:
ReplyDeleteCincinnati: 92-69 --
St. Louis: 92-69 --
Philadelphia: 91-70 1
Meanwhile, the Yankees clinched the American League pennant by beating Cleveland 8-3. The Yankees played spectacular baseball down the stretch to win their fifth pennant in a row, going 22-6 in the month of September. Of course, it would be twelve more years before they won another one, and that 1976 pennant would take place in a very different Yankee Stadium in a very different world.
On Sunday, October 4, 1964, Jim Bunning finally got to pitch on a decent amount of rest. After being wasted on short rest on September 27 and September 30, he had had three full days off. The rest made a huge difference, as he shut out the Reds on only six hits, and Philly rolled to a 10-0 win -- a laugher after so many heartbreaking defeats.
ReplyDeleteSo the Phillies and Reds finished in a tie with a record of 92-70. The only question was whether St. Louis would join them. After losing two games in a row to the Mets, the Cards soon found themselves in trouble again. They were 3-2 with one out in the top of the fifth when they brought in Bob Gibson to stem the bleeding. Gibson wasn't great -- but he was good enough, giving up only two runs in four innings. That allowed the Cardinals' offense to tee off on New York's pitchers, and the Cardinals won the game -- and the pennant -- with an 11-5 victory.
St. Louis: 93-69 --
Cincinnati: 92-70 1
Philadelphia: 92-70 1
There was a sense, both at the time and ever since, that the Reds and Phillies had blown it. Philly had a 6 1/2 game lead with only a few weeks left, before suffering a disastrous 10-game losing streak that haunted manager Gene Mauch for the rest of his career. Meanwhile, the Reds appeared to have the race in hand when they headed home for the last five games of the year against Pittsburgh and Philly. But they lost four of those games, including the last two games of the year against the shattered Phillies. And they were shut out in three of those losses, one of which went 16 innings. With all the money on the line, their hitting simply collapsed.
But this view of the race is not fair to the Cardinals. St. Louis won the pennant because they went 17-11 in July, 18-10 in August, and 22-10 in September/October. They beat a red-hot Yankees team in seven games to win the 1964 World Series. And then they came back and won two more pennants in 1967 and 1968. With the exception of the Orioles (who won it all in 1966), none of the other 1964 contenders ever reached the World Series.
And so ends the dramatic story of the 1964 baseball regular season, one of the most exciting seasons ever played.