1960 World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1960 World Series
was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates
of the National League
(NL) and the New York Yankees
of the American League
(AL) from October 5 to October 13, 1960. It is most notable for the Game 7, ninth-inning home run
hit by Bill Mazeroski
, winning the game for the Pirates 10–9, and also winning them their third World Championship overall and first since 1925
.
This World Series featured seven 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), Bobby Shantz
(1952), Mickey Mantle
(1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris
(1960, 1961), and Elston Howard
(1963).
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
(Don Hoak
, Smoky Burgess
and Gene Baker
) was able to win a World Series.
– and lost. The Pirates' inconsistent pitching resulted in the peculiar combination of close games and routs. Law and Ford were both excellent for their teams, while Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face was a major factor in several games.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
As mentioned previously, in 1960 the Yankees had won their tenth pennant in twelve years; only the Cleveland Indians
in 1954
and the Chicago White Sox
in 1959
had managed to break New York's streak of consecutive AL championships. The Pirates, meanwhile, were appearing in their first World Series since 1927
, when they fell in a four-game sweep to the dominant "Murderers' Row
" Yankees. For Game 1, the Yankees threw Art Ditmar
against the Pirates' Vern Law
. (See Game 3 for remarks about Whitey Ford not starting Game 1 for the Yankees.)
In the top of the first inning, New York right fielder Roger Maris
, the eventual 1960 AL MVP, drilled a solo home run off Law to give the Yankees a 1–0 lead. In the bottom half, however, the Pirates evened the score when Bill Virdon
walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error by Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek
, and scored on a double by Dick Groat
(the eventual 1960 NL MVP). Bob Skinner
then singled to drive in Groat and stole second himself, coming home on another single by Roberto Clemente
. Pittsburgh now led by a 3–1 score, and this was enough to compel Casey Stengel
, the Yankee manager, to pull Ditmar in favour of Jim Coates
, who finally ended the inning.
In the fourth, New York cut the lead to one run when Maris singled, moved to second on a Mickey Mantle
walk, took third on a flyout by Yogi Berra
, and scored on a single by Bill Skowron. But the Pirates extended their lead to 5–2 when Don Hoak
walked and Bill Mazeroski
homered, a portentous omen of events to come in the series. Pittsburgh added an insurance run in the sixth, and although the Yankees sliced the lead to two on a ninth-inning home run by Elston Howard
, Pirate reliever Elroy Face successfully closed out the inning to give the Pirates a 6–4 victory and a 1–0 lead in the Series.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
While the Pirates surprisingly drew first blood with their victory in Game 1, in Game 2 (matching New York's Bob Turley
against the Pirates' Bob Friend
) the Yankees conclusively demonstrated why they had dominated the previous decade, mercilessly pummelling the Pirates 16–3.
The game was scoreless until the top of the third, when the Yankees jumped out to a 2–0 lead. New York second baseman Bobby Richardson
walked, was sacrificed over to second by Turley, and scored on a single by Tony Kubek
. Gil McDougald
then doubled, plating Kubek all the way from first base, and Turley aided his own cause in the fourth, driving home Richardson with a single. Although Hoak doubled home Gino Cimoli
in the bottom of the fourth to break the shutout, the Yankees extended their lead to 5–1 courtesy of a two-run home run by Mantle that also scored Maris.
In the sixth, the solid Yankee lead turned into a rout, as the Bronx Bombers erupted for seven runs and chased Pirates reliever Fred Green
from the game. Richardson and Berra led the way with two RBI each, while McDougald, Skowron, and Howard accounted for the other runs. Mantle continued the onslaught by popping a three-run homer in the seventh and scoring on a wild pitch by Tom Cheney in the ninth. Although the Pirates tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the frame, the game was well out of reach for them by this time. The decisive Yankee victory tied the series at a game apiece.
For Game 3, the series shifted to Yankee Stadium, and it was for this game that Stengel chose to send his ace, Whitey Ford
, to the mound against Pittsburgh's Vinegar Bend Mizell. This proved to be a critical decision, as Ford's starting of the third game made him unavailable for an eventual deciding seventh game. Why Stengel did not tap Ford to start Game 1 has been the subject of much speculation. Ford's last starting assignment had been on September 28 against the Washington Senators
, a week before the first game of the World Series. He had also been used in two innings of relief on October 2 against the Boston Red Sox
, presumably just to keep his arm fresh as the Yankees had already clinched the pennant. Some have written that denying Ford the honor of starting Game 1 of the series was manager Casey Stengel
's way of punishing Mickey Mantle
for off-field misconduct. Stengel's logic was that although he could not bench his best player, Mantle, a move unlikely to achieve the desired result in any event, he could penalize Mantle's off-field running mate and perhaps thereby moderate Mantle's behavior. However, since Ford underwent arm surgery after the Series, a more likely explanation is that Ford was experiencing arm problems and was questionable for even two starts, let alone three. In fact, Ditmar (15-9, 3.06 ERA and 200 IP) had a superior record to Ford (12-9, 3.08 ERA and 192.2 IP) that season, so it may well have been a decision based on merit.
For the third contest, the Yankees did not let up on their offensive pressure from the second game at all. They grabbed a 6–0 lead by the end of the first inning, as Skowron and Howard ripped RBI base hits while Richardson clubbed a grand slam
(during the regular season, Richardson had hit only one home run, off Baltimore
's Arnie Portocarrero
on April 30). In the fourth, the Bombers added on four more runs, courtesy a two-run home run by Mantle and a two-run single by Richardson. The Pirates, meanwhile, simply could not get anything going against Ford, who tossed a masterful two-hitter. The Yankees now led the series, 2–1.
The Pirates had seen their pitching fail them in the previous two games, as the team fell victim to the powerful Yankee bats. This was not the case in Game 4, however, as Pittsburgh sent Vern Law
to the hill against Ralph Terry
of the Yankees.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Skowron launched a solo home run off Law to give New York a 1–0 advantage. The very next half-inning, though, Pittsburgh stormed back, as Law doubled in Cimoli and Virdon added a two-run single. Law kept the potent pinstripers at bay, though the Yankees did scratch and claw for a single run in the bottom of the seventh when Skowron doubled, moved to third on a single by McDougald, and scored on a fielder's choice by Richardson. However, after the Yankees scored that run, Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh
brought in reliever Elroy Face, who held the fort for the final two innings as Pittsburgh tied the series at two games each.
With the series now tied at two apiece, Yankee manager Casey Stengel
started pitcher Art Ditmar
, his Game 1 starter, against the Pirates' Harvey Haddix
, who had become famous for losing a perfect game
in the thirteenth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Braves
the previous year.
As it turned out, on this day Ditmar could not get out of the second inning. Dick Stuart
singled and was forced out at second by Gino Cimoli
, who then moved to third on a double by Smoky Burgess
. Don Hoak
then slapped a ground ball toward Yankee shortstop Kubek, who flipped it to third baseman McDougald in an attempt to retire Burgess. However, McDougald missed the catch for a fielding error, allowing Cimoli to score, Burgess to move up to third, and Hoak to end up at second. Mazeroski then lashed a double to left, scoring both Burgess and Hoak. After this small offensive outburst, Stengel yanked Ditmar and replaced him with Luis Arroyo, who finally got out of the inning.
The next half-inning, New York picked up a run when Elston Howard
doubled, moved to third on a ground out by Richardson, and scored on another grounder by Kubek. However, the Pirates extended their lead to three runs in the third, when Roberto Clemente
singled home Groat, who had led off with a double.
In the bottom of the third, Roger Maris
touched Haddix for a home run to deep right field. Otherwise, however, the Pittsburgh hurler was in fine form, holding the Yankees at bay until the seventh, when he was replaced by Face. In the ninth, the Pirates added an insurance run when Hoak singled in Joe Christopher
, and Face shut down the pinstripers in the bottom half of the frame to give the Pirates a 5–2 victory and a 3–2 edge in the Series.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For the sixth contest in Pittsburgh, the Yankees threw Whitey Ford
against the Pirates' Bob Friend
. And as was the case the last time Ford had toed the rubber for the Yanks in Game 3, his teammates relentlessly mashed the ball en route to a resounding 12–0 victory.
In the top of the second, the Yankees went to work. After a Yogi Berra
walk and a Bill Skowron single, Elston Howard
was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ford himself then notched the first RBI of the game, with a ground ball single to his counterpart Friend that scored Berra. The next inning, Mantle cracked a two-run single that scored Kubek and Maris. After a Berra single moved Maris to third, Pirates skipper Danny Murtaugh
removed the clearly ineffective Friend in favour of Tom Cheney. Cheney, however, fared no better, as a Skowron sacrifice fly scored Mantle and a triple to deep left field by Richardson plated Berra and Johnny Blanchard
, making the score 6–0 New York.
The Yankees then began to run away with the game, scoring two runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Richardson ripped his second RBI triple of the contest, and Ford added his second RBI courtesy a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt. On the mound, as in Game 3, Ford was his masterful self, not letting the Pirates mount anything resembling a rally for the full nine innings. His second shutout of the series was a critical one, as it tied the series at three games each.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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. After dismissing the first two Pittsburgh batters, Turley walked Bob Skinner
, then Rocky Nelson
homered 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 base on balls against new pitcher Bill Stafford
, and Bill Mazeroski
's bunt single loaded the bases. Stafford appeared to get the Yankees out of trouble after inducing Law to hit into a double play, pitcher to catcher to first. But Bill Virdon
's single to right scored both Hoak and Mazeroski and increased the Pirates' lead to 4–0.
The Yankees got on the scoreboard in the fifth on Bill Skowron's leadoff home run, his second homer of the Series. In the sixth, Bobby Richardson
led off with a single and Tony Kubek
drew a base on balls. Elroy Face relieved Law and got Roger Maris
to pop out to Hoak in foul territory, but Mickey Mantle
singled to score Richardson. Yogi Berra
followed with a home run that gave the Yankees their first lead, 5–4.
The Yankees plated two more runs in the eighth. With two out, Berra walked and Skowron singled. Johnny Blanchard
then singled to score Berra, then Clete Boyer
doubled to score Skowron.
The Pirates opened the bottom of the eighth inning with singles by Gino Cimoli
(pinch-hitting for Face) and Virdon (on a ground ball to short for what could have been a double play; the ball instead took a bad hop and struck Kubek in the throat). Dick Groat
then chased Bobby Shantz
(who had entered the game in the third and had pitched five innings, after not pitching more than four during the regular season) with a single to score Cimoli. Jim Coates
replaced 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. Coates then got two quick strikes on Roberto Clemente
and was one strike away from getting the Yankees out of their most serious trouble of the afternoon.
Clemente eventually hit a Baltimore Chop
towards first with first baseman Skowron and Coates trying to get to the ball at the same time at the cut of the infield grass. Clemente's speed forced Skowron to just hold onto the ball as Coates, after trying to get the ground ball, 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 followed with a three-run home run to give the Pirates a 9–7 lead. Ralph Terry
relieved Coates and got the last out.
Bob Friend
, an eighteen-game-winner for the Pirates and their starter in Games 2 and 6, came on in the ninth to try to protect the lead. The Yankees' Bobby Richardson
and pinch-hitter Dale Long both greeted him with singles, and Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh
was forced to bench 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 short grounder to first, with Rocky Nelson easily getting the second out. In what, at the moment, 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
(pinch-running for Long) raced home to tie the score, 9–9. Had Mantle been out on the play, the run would still have counted if it had scored before the tag. With Mantle safe, the top of the ninth continued, but ended when the next batter hit into a force play.
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, ending the contest and crowning the Pirates as World Series champions. As the Pirates erupted, the Yankees stood across the field in stunned disbelief. The improbable champions were outscored, outhit, and outplayed, but had managed to pull out a victory anyhow. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career, the only loss amateur or professional he cried actual tears over. For Bill Mazeroski, by contrast, it was the highlight.
Mazeroski became the first player to hit a game winning home run in the seventh game, 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
against the Pirates' in-state rival
s, the Philadelphia Phillies
, albeit in Game 6. Although most noted for the series-ending homer, Game 7 is also the only game in all of postseason history with no strikeouts recorded by either side.
Bobby Richardson
of the Yankees was named MVP of the Series, the only time that someone from the defeated team has been so honored.
. As a result, the broadcasts of the first six games are no longer known to exist. The lone exception is a black-and-white kinescope
of the entire telecast of Game 7, which was discovered in a wine cellar in Bing Crosby
's home in Hillsborough, California
in December 2009.
A part-owner of the Pirates who was too superstitious to watch the Series live, Crosby listened to the decisive contest with his wife Kathryn
and two friends on a shortwave radio
in Paris
, France
. Wanting to watch the game at a later date only if the Pirates won, he arranged for a company to record it. After viewing the kinescope, he placed it in his wine cellar, where it went untouched for 49 years. It was finally found by Robert Bader, vice-president of marketing and production for Bing Crosby Enterprises, while looking through videotape
s of Crosby's television specials which were to be transferred to DVD
. The five-reel set is the only known complete copy of the historic game, which was originally broadcast in color.
The NBC television announcers for the Series were Bob Prince
and Mel Allen
, the primary play-by-play voices for the Pirates and Yankees, respectively. Prince called the first half of Game 7, while Allen did the latter portion.
On November 13, 2010, for the 50th anniversary of the series winning home run, a gala narrated by Bob Costas
was hosted by the Byham Theater
in downtown Pittsburgh. Bill Virdon
, 1960 MVP Dick Groat
and Yankee Bobby Richardson
were guest speakers. The MLB Network
would air the game and gala on December 15, 2010. The telecast was also released on DVD by A&E Home Video
.
(N.L.) over New York Yankees
(A.L.)
'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."
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's 79th season. The team finished with a record of 95-59, seven games in front of the second-place Milwaukee Braves to win their first National League championship in 33 seasons...
of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(NL) and the New York Yankees
1960 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the 58th season for the team in New York, and its 60th season overall. The team finished with a record of 97-57, winning its 25th pennant, finishing 8 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played their home games at...
of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
(AL) from October 5 to October 13, 1960. It is most notable for the Game 7, ninth-inning home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
hit by Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
, winning the game for the Pirates 10–9, and also winning them their third World Championship overall and first since 1925
1925 World Series
In the 1925 World Series, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending champion Washington Senators in seven games.In a reversal of fortune on all counts from the previous 1924 World Series, when Washington's Walter Johnson had come back from two losses to win the seventh and deciding game, Johnson...
.
This World Series featured seven past, present. or future league Most Valuable Players. The Pirates had two – Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
(1960) and Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
(1966) – while the Yankees had five: Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
(1951, 1954, 1955), Bobby Shantz
Bobby Shantz
Robert Clayton Shantz was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics , Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates , Houston Colt .45's , St...
(1952), Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
(1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
(1960, 1961), and Elston Howard
Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
(1963).
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
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
, Smoky Burgess
Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits...
and Gene Baker
Gene Baker
Eugene Walter Baker was an American Major League Baseball player. A native of Davenport, Iowa, he primary played second base for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected for the National League All Star game in 1955. He played eight seasons from 1953 to 1958 and 1960 to 1961,...
) was able to win a World Series.
Summary
The Pirates were grossly overmatched against the Yankees, who had won their tenth pennant in twelve years. Indeed, the Bronx Bombers outscored the Pirates 55–27 in this Series, outhit them 91–60, outbatted them .338 to .256, hit ten home runs to Pittsburgh's four (three of the latter's coming in Game 7), got two complete-game shutouts from Whitey FordWhitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.-Early life and career:...
– and lost. The Pirates' inconsistent pitching resulted in the peculiar combination of close games and routs. Law and Ford were both excellent for their teams, while Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face was a major factor in several games.
Game 1
Wednesday, October 5, 1960, at Forbes FieldForbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
As mentioned previously, in 1960 the Yankees had won their tenth pennant in twelve years; only the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in 1954
1954 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* World Series: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians * All-Star Game, July 13 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 11-9-Other champions:* Caribbean World Series: Caguas Creoles [Criollos de Caguas]...
and the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in 1959
1959 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox ; Larry Sherry, MVP*All-Star Game , July 7 at Forbes Field: National League, 5-4*All-Star Game , August 3 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5-3...
had managed to break New York's streak of consecutive AL championships. The Pirates, meanwhile, were appearing in their first World Series since 1927
1927 World Series
In the 1927 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in four games. This was the first sweep of a National League team by an American League team....
, when they fell in a four-game sweep to the dominant "Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row
Murderers’ Row was the nickname given to the New York Yankees baseball team of the late 1920s, in particular the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri....
" Yankees. For Game 1, the Yankees threw Art Ditmar
Art Ditmar
Arthur John Ditmar is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Athletics and the New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.A finesse control pitcher, Ditmar divided his career between the Athletics and Yankees...
against the Pirates' Vern Law
Vern Law
Vernon Sanders Law is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for 16 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Career:Law was a member of the National League All Star Team in...
. (See Game 3 for remarks about Whitey Ford not starting Game 1 for the Yankees.)
In the top of the first inning, New York right fielder Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
, the eventual 1960 AL MVP, drilled a solo home run off Law to give the Yankees a 1–0 lead. In the bottom half, however, the Pirates evened the score when Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error by Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher "Tony" Kubek is a retired American professional baseball player and television broadcaster....
, and scored on a double by Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
(the eventual 1960 NL MVP). Bob Skinner
Bob Skinner
Robert Ralph Skinner is a scout for the Houston Astros and a former outfielder-first baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball...
then singled to drive in Groat and stole second himself, coming home on another single by Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
. Pittsburgh now led by a 3–1 score, and this was enough to compel Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
, the Yankee manager, to pull Ditmar in favour of Jim Coates
Jim Coates
James Alton Coates is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Coates pitched for the New York Yankees , Washington Senators , Cincinnati Reds and California Angels ....
, who finally ended the inning.
In the fourth, New York cut the lead to one run when Maris singled, moved to second on a Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
walk, took third on a flyout by Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, and scored on a single by Bill Skowron. But the Pirates extended their lead to 5–2 when Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
walked and Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
homered, a portentous omen of events to come in the series. Pittsburgh added an insurance run in the sixth, and although the Yankees sliced the lead to two on a ninth-inning home run by Elston Howard
Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
, Pirate reliever Elroy Face successfully closed out the inning to give the Pirates a 6–4 victory and a 1–0 lead in the Series.
Game 2
Thursday, October 6, 1960, at Forbes FieldForbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
While the Pirates surprisingly drew first blood with their victory in Game 1, in Game 2 (matching New York's Bob Turley
Bob Turley
Robert Lee Turley was a Major League Baseball pitcher.Turley was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Browns in . He played his first game on September 29, 1951 for the Browns and moved with them to Baltimore in...
against the Pirates' Bob Friend
Bob Friend
Robert Bartmess Friend is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates , joining the New York Yankees and New York Mets in his final season of...
) the Yankees conclusively demonstrated why they had dominated the previous decade, mercilessly pummelling the Pirates 16–3.
The game was scoreless until the top of the third, when the Yankees jumped out to a 2–0 lead. New York second baseman Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
walked, was sacrificed over to second by Turley, and scored on a single by Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher "Tony" Kubek is a retired American professional baseball player and television broadcaster....
. Gil McDougald
Gil McDougald
Gilbert James McDougald was an American infielder who spent all ten seasons of his Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1960. He was a member of eight American League pennant winners and five World Series Champions. He was also the AL Rookie of the Year in 1951 and...
then doubled, plating Kubek all the way from first base, and Turley aided his own cause in the fourth, driving home Richardson with a single. Although Hoak doubled home Gino Cimoli
Gino Cimoli
Gino Nicholas Cimoli was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.A high school all-star at Galileo High School, Cimoli signed as an amateur free agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949...
in the bottom of the fourth to break the shutout, the Yankees extended their lead to 5–1 courtesy of a two-run home run by Mantle that also scored Maris.
In the sixth, the solid Yankee lead turned into a rout, as the Bronx Bombers erupted for seven runs and chased Pirates reliever Fred Green
Fred Green (baseball)
Fred Allen Green is a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of 5 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators. Green was a member of the 1960 World Series champion Pirates...
from the game. Richardson and Berra led the way with two RBI each, while McDougald, Skowron, and Howard accounted for the other runs. Mantle continued the onslaught by popping a three-run homer in the seventh and scoring on a wild pitch by Tom Cheney in the ninth. Although the Pirates tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the frame, the game was well out of reach for them by this time. The decisive Yankee victory tied the series at a game apiece.
Game 3
Saturday, October 8, 1960, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkFor Game 3, the series shifted to Yankee Stadium, and it was for this game that Stengel chose to send his ace, Whitey Ford
Whitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.-Early life and career:...
, to the mound against Pittsburgh's Vinegar Bend Mizell. This proved to be a critical decision, as Ford's starting of the third game made him unavailable for an eventual deciding seventh game. Why Stengel did not tap Ford to start Game 1 has been the subject of much speculation. Ford's last starting assignment had been on September 28 against the Washington Senators
1960 Washington Senators season
The Washington Senators won 73 games, lost 81, and finished in fifth place in the American League. They were managed by Cookie Lavagetto and played home games at Griffith Stadium. This was their final season in Washington, as they moved to Minnesota and became the Twins in , which they have been...
, a week before the first game of the World Series. He had also been used in two innings of relief on October 2 against the Boston Red Sox
1960 Boston Red Sox season
The 1960 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing 7th in the American League with a record of 65 wins and 89 losses, 32 games behind the New York Yankees.- Regular season :...
, presumably just to keep his arm fresh as the Yankees had already clinched the pennant. Some have written that denying Ford the honor of starting Game 1 of the series was manager Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
's way of punishing Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
for off-field misconduct. Stengel's logic was that although he could not bench his best player, Mantle, a move unlikely to achieve the desired result in any event, he could penalize Mantle's off-field running mate and perhaps thereby moderate Mantle's behavior. However, since Ford underwent arm surgery after the Series, a more likely explanation is that Ford was experiencing arm problems and was questionable for even two starts, let alone three. In fact, Ditmar (15-9, 3.06 ERA and 200 IP) had a superior record to Ford (12-9, 3.08 ERA and 192.2 IP) that season, so it may well have been a decision based on merit.
For the third contest, the Yankees did not let up on their offensive pressure from the second game at all. They grabbed a 6–0 lead by the end of the first inning, as Skowron and Howard ripped RBI base hits while Richardson clubbed a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
(during the regular season, Richardson had hit only one home run, off Baltimore
1960 Baltimore Orioles season
The 1960 Baltimore Orioles season involved the Orioles finishing second in the American League with a record of 89 wins and 65 losses, eight games behind the AL Champion New York Yankees.- Offseason :...
's Arnie Portocarrero
Arnie Portocarrero
Arnold Mario Portocarrero , was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Philadelphia Athletics, Kansas City Athletics, and Baltimore Orioles.-External links:...
on April 30). In the fourth, the Bombers added on four more runs, courtesy a two-run home run by Mantle and a two-run single by Richardson. The Pirates, meanwhile, simply could not get anything going against Ford, who tossed a masterful two-hitter. The Yankees now led the series, 2–1.
Game 4
Sunday, October 9, 1960, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Pirates had seen their pitching fail them in the previous two games, as the team fell victim to the powerful Yankee bats. This was not the case in Game 4, however, as Pittsburgh sent Vern Law
Vern Law
Vernon Sanders Law is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for 16 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Career:Law was a member of the National League All Star Team in...
to the hill against Ralph Terry
Ralph Terry
Ralph Willard Terry is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Kansas City Athletics , Cleveland Indians and New York Mets...
of the Yankees.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Skowron launched a solo home run off Law to give New York a 1–0 advantage. The very next half-inning, though, Pittsburgh stormed back, as Law doubled in Cimoli and Virdon added a two-run single. Law kept the potent pinstripers at bay, though the Yankees did scratch and claw for a single run in the bottom of the seventh when Skowron doubled, moved to third on a single by McDougald, and scored on a fielder's choice by Richardson. However, after the Yankees scored that run, Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh
Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...
brought in reliever Elroy Face, who held the fort for the final two innings as Pittsburgh tied the series at two games each.
Game 5
Monday, October 10, 1960, at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkWith the series now tied at two apiece, Yankee manager Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
started pitcher Art Ditmar
Art Ditmar
Arthur John Ditmar is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Athletics and the New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed.A finesse control pitcher, Ditmar divided his career between the Athletics and Yankees...
, his Game 1 starter, against the Pirates' Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
, who had become famous for losing a perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in the thirteenth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Braves
1959 Milwaukee Braves season
The 1959 Milwaukee Braves season was the seventh season for the franchise in Milwaukee and its 84th season overall. The Braves ended the National League regular season in a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With both clubs finishing with records of 86-68, a special best-of-three...
the previous year.
As it turned out, on this day Ditmar could not get out of the second inning. Dick Stuart
Dick Stuart
Richard Lee Stuart was a Major League Baseball first baseman from 1958 to 1966 and 1969. In 1967 and 1968, he played in Japan for the Taiyo Whales. Throughout his baseball career, Stuart was known as a fine hitter, but a subpar fielder, garnering the unique nickname of "Dr. Strangeglove" for his...
singled and was forced out at second by Gino Cimoli
Gino Cimoli
Gino Nicholas Cimoli was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.A high school all-star at Galileo High School, Cimoli signed as an amateur free agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949...
, who then moved to third on a double by Smoky Burgess
Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits...
. Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
then slapped a ground ball toward Yankee shortstop Kubek, who flipped it to third baseman McDougald in an attempt to retire Burgess. However, McDougald missed the catch for a fielding error, allowing Cimoli to score, Burgess to move up to third, and Hoak to end up at second. Mazeroski then lashed a double to left, scoring both Burgess and Hoak. After this small offensive outburst, Stengel yanked Ditmar and replaced him with Luis Arroyo, who finally got out of the inning.
The next half-inning, New York picked up a run when Elston Howard
Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
doubled, moved to third on a ground out by Richardson, and scored on another grounder by Kubek. However, the Pirates extended their lead to three runs in the third, when Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
singled home Groat, who had led off with a double.
In the bottom of the third, Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
touched Haddix for a home run to deep right field. Otherwise, however, the Pittsburgh hurler was in fine form, holding the Yankees at bay until the seventh, when he was replaced by Face. In the ninth, the Pirates added an insurance run when Hoak singled in Joe Christopher
Joe Christopher
Joseph O'Neal Christopher is a former outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from through . Listed at 5' 10", 175 lbs., he batted and threw right-handed....
, and Face shut down the pinstripers in the bottom half of the frame to give the Pirates a 5–2 victory and a 3–2 edge in the Series.
Game 6
Wednesday, October 12, 1960, at Forbes FieldForbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For the sixth contest in Pittsburgh, the Yankees threw Whitey Ford
Whitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent his entire 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.-Early life and career:...
against the Pirates' Bob Friend
Bob Friend
Robert Bartmess Friend is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates , joining the New York Yankees and New York Mets in his final season of...
. And as was the case the last time Ford had toed the rubber for the Yanks in Game 3, his teammates relentlessly mashed the ball en route to a resounding 12–0 victory.
In the top of the second, the Yankees went to work. After a Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
walk and a Bill Skowron single, Elston Howard
Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees...
was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ford himself then notched the first RBI of the game, with a ground ball single to his counterpart Friend that scored Berra. The next inning, Mantle cracked a two-run single that scored Kubek and Maris. After a Berra single moved Maris to third, Pirates skipper Danny Murtaugh
Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...
removed the clearly ineffective Friend in favour of Tom Cheney. Cheney, however, fared no better, as a Skowron sacrifice fly scored Mantle and a triple to deep left field by Richardson plated Berra and Johnny Blanchard
Johnny Blanchard
John Edwin Blanchard was a professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder and catcher from 1955 and 1959-1965. A defensive liability for the New York Yankees for most of his career, Blanchard is probably best-known for his play in the 1961 World Series...
, making the score 6–0 New York.
The Yankees then began to run away with the game, scoring two runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Richardson ripped his second RBI triple of the contest, and Ford added his second RBI courtesy a fielder's choice on a sacrifice bunt. On the mound, as in Game 3, Ford was his masterful self, not letting the Pirates mount anything resembling a rally for the full nine innings. His second shutout of the series was a critical one, as it tied the series at three games each.
Game 7
Thursday, October 13, 1960, at Forbes FieldForbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
For the deciding seventh game, Bob Turley
Bob Turley
Robert Lee Turley was a Major League Baseball pitcher.Turley was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Browns in . He played his first game on September 29, 1951 for the Browns and moved with them to Baltimore in...
, the winning pitcher in Game 2, got the nod for the Yankees against the Pirates' Vern Law
Vern Law
Vernon Sanders Law is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for 16 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates.-Career:Law was a member of the National League All Star Team in...
, the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 4.
Turley lasted only one inning. After dismissing the first two Pittsburgh batters, Turley walked Bob Skinner
Bob Skinner
Robert Ralph Skinner is a scout for the Houston Astros and a former outfielder-first baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball...
, then Rocky Nelson
Rocky Nelson
Glenn Richard "Rocky" Nelson was a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago White Sox , Brooklyn Dodgers and Cleveland Indians .A native of Portsmouth, Ohio, Nelson batted and threw left-handed...
homered to give the Pirates a 2–0 lead. Turley was then pulled after giving up a single to Smoky Burgess
Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits...
leading off the second. Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
then drew a base on balls against new pitcher Bill Stafford
Bill Stafford
William Charles Stafford was a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1960-1967. Stafford was a successful pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1961–1962, winning a combined 28 games in two seasons...
, and Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
's bunt single loaded the bases. Stafford appeared to get the Yankees out of trouble after inducing Law to hit into a double play, pitcher to catcher to first. But Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
's single to right scored both Hoak and Mazeroski and increased the Pirates' lead to 4–0.
The Yankees got on the scoreboard in the fifth on Bill Skowron's leadoff home run, his second homer of the Series. In the sixth, Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
led off with a single and Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher "Tony" Kubek is a retired American professional baseball player and television broadcaster....
drew a base on balls. Elroy Face relieved Law and got Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
to pop out to Hoak in foul territory, but Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
singled to score Richardson. Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
followed with a home run that gave the Yankees their first lead, 5–4.
The Yankees plated two more runs in the eighth. With two out, Berra walked and Skowron singled. Johnny Blanchard
Johnny Blanchard
John Edwin Blanchard was a professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder and catcher from 1955 and 1959-1965. A defensive liability for the New York Yankees for most of his career, Blanchard is probably best-known for his play in the 1961 World Series...
then singled to score Berra, then Clete Boyer
Clete Boyer
Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was a Major League Baseball player.A third baseman who also played shortstop and second base occasionally, Boyer played for the Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
doubled to score Skowron.
The Pirates opened the bottom of the eighth inning with singles by Gino Cimoli
Gino Cimoli
Gino Nicholas Cimoli was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.A high school all-star at Galileo High School, Cimoli signed as an amateur free agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949...
(pinch-hitting for Face) and Virdon (on a ground ball to short for what could have been a double play; the ball instead took a bad hop and struck Kubek in the throat). Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
then chased Bobby Shantz
Bobby Shantz
Robert Clayton Shantz was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics , Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees , Pittsburgh Pirates , Houston Colt .45's , St...
(who had entered the game in the third and had pitched five innings, after not pitching more than four during the regular season) with a single to score Cimoli. Jim Coates
Jim Coates
James Alton Coates is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. A right-hander, Coates pitched for the New York Yankees , Washington Senators , Cincinnati Reds and California Angels ....
replaced 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. Coates then got two quick strikes on Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
and was one strike away from getting the Yankees out of their most serious trouble of the afternoon.
Clemente eventually hit a Baltimore Chop
Baltimore Chop
The Baltimore Chop was a hitting technique used by batters during Major League Baseball's dead-ball era which was an important element of John McGraw's "Inside baseball." Popularized by and named after the original Baltimore Orioles, the batter would intentionally hit the ball downward to the hard...
towards first with first baseman Skowron and Coates trying to get to the ball at the same time at the cut of the infield grass. Clemente's speed forced Skowron to just hold onto the ball as Coates, after trying to get the ground ball, 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 followed with a three-run home run to give the Pirates a 9–7 lead. Ralph Terry
Ralph Terry
Ralph Willard Terry is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Kansas City Athletics , Cleveland Indians and New York Mets...
relieved Coates and got the last out.
Bob Friend
Bob Friend
Robert Bartmess Friend is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who pitched primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates , joining the New York Yankees and New York Mets in his final season of...
, an eighteen-game-winner for the Pirates and their starter in Games 2 and 6, came on in the ninth to try to protect the lead. The Yankees' Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
and pinch-hitter Dale Long both greeted him with singles, and Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh
Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...
was forced to bench the veteran pitcher in favor of Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
. Although he got Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
to foul out, Haddix gave up a key single to Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
that scored Richardson and moved Long to third. Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
followed, hitting a short grounder to first, with Rocky Nelson easily getting the second out. In what, at the moment, 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
Gil McDougald
Gilbert James McDougald was an American infielder who spent all ten seasons of his Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1960. He was a member of eight American League pennant winners and five World Series Champions. He was also the AL Rookie of the Year in 1951 and...
(pinch-running for Long) raced home to tie the score, 9–9. Had Mantle been out on the play, the run would still have counted if it had scored before the tag. With Mantle safe, the top of the ninth continued, but ended when the next batter hit into a force play.
Ralph Terry returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. The first batter to face him was Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
. With a count of one ball and no strikes, the Pirates' second baseman smashed a historic long drive over the left field wall, ending the contest and crowning the Pirates as World Series champions. As the Pirates erupted, the Yankees stood across the field in stunned disbelief. The improbable champions were outscored, outhit, and outplayed, but had managed to pull out a victory anyhow. Years later, Mickey Mantle was quoted as saying that losing the 1960 series was the biggest disappointment of his career, the only loss amateur or professional he cried actual tears over. For Bill Mazeroski, by contrast, it was the highlight.
Mazeroski became the first player to hit a game winning home run in the seventh game, to win a World Series. Thirty-three years later, Joe Carter
Joe Carter
Joseph Christopher Carter is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to . Carter is most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays....
would become the only other player to end the World Series with a home run, doing so for the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the 1993 World Series
1993 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, OntarioThe Series' first game sent two staff aces—Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often.The deciding plays...
against the Pirates' in-state rival
Phillies–Pirates rivalry
The rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball was considered by some to be one of the best rivalries in the National League...
s, the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, albeit in Game 6. Although most noted for the series-ending homer, Game 7 is also the only game in all of postseason history with no strikeouts recorded by either side.
Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
of the Yankees was named MVP of the Series, the only time that someone from the defeated team has been so honored.
Game 7 telecast
Prior to the 1970s, television networks and stations generally did not preserve their telecasts of sporting events, choosing instead to tape over themWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
. As a result, the broadcasts of the first six games are no longer known to exist. The lone exception is a black-and-white kinescope
Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
of the entire telecast of Game 7, which was discovered in a wine cellar in Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
's home in Hillsborough, California
Hillsborough, California
Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hillsborough is one of the wealthiest communities in America and has the highest income of places in the United States with populations of at least 10,000...
in December 2009.
A part-owner of the Pirates who was too superstitious to watch the Series live, Crosby listened to the decisive contest with his wife Kathryn
Kathryn Crosby
Kathryn Crosby is an American actress and singer who also performed under the stage-name Kathryn Grant.-Early life and career:...
and two friends on a shortwave radio
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Wanting to watch the game at a later date only if the Pirates won, he arranged for a company to record it. After viewing the kinescope, he placed it in his wine cellar, where it went untouched for 49 years. It was finally found by Robert Bader, vice-president of marketing and production for Bing Crosby Enterprises, while looking through videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
s of Crosby's television specials which were to be transferred to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The five-reel set is the only known complete copy of the historic game, which was originally broadcast in color.
The NBC television announcers for the Series were Bob Prince
Bob Prince
Robert Ferris Prince was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname “The Gunner” and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Prince was...
and Mel Allen
Mel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
, the primary play-by-play voices for the Pirates and Yankees, respectively. Prince called the first half of Game 7, while Allen did the latter portion.
On November 13, 2010, for the 50th anniversary of the series winning home run, a gala narrated by Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
was hosted by the Byham Theater
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as The Byham Theater in 1990.Built in 1903 and opened...
in downtown Pittsburgh. Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon
William Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
, 1960 MVP Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
and Yankee Bobby Richardson
Bobby Richardson
Robert Clinton "Bobby" Richardson is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees from through . Batting and throwing right-handed, he was a superb defensive infielder, as well as something of a clutch hitter, who played no small role in the Yankee baseball...
were guest speakers. The MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
would air the game and gala on December 15, 2010. The telecast was also released on DVD by A&E Home Video
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
.
Composite box
1960 World Series (4–3): Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(N.L.) over New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(A.L.)
Aftermath
This would prove to be Casey StengelCasey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
'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."
Series quotes
External links
- Kodak Presents - Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Bill Mazeroski's Home Run
- Audio: Bill Mazeroski's game- and Series-winning home run in Game 7
- "It Went All The Way!", Roy Terrell, Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, October 24, 1960