Pirates' History Lesson: "The Middle Decades"

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Roger l. McNamara

Continuation.   Here continues a series devoted to the history of Pittsburgh Pirate baseball.  As the franchise has now posted a cumulative regular season mark of 10,687-10,647 --- a .501 winning percentage --- there is no shortage of material to delve into. We left the club as two time NL Champions through that early decade, a string of first division finishes, and 1909 World Series Champions amid the glory years of Honus Wagner.   

Four Decades Straddling Mid-20th Century.    Baseball gods were generally indifferent to Pirate fortunes over the ensuing decades.  Noteworthy exceptions came twice in the 1920’s when, led mainly by right handed hitting 3rd Baseman and 1948 Hall of Fame inductee Pie Traynor, the Bucs captured National League flags in 1925 and 1927.   At the top of his form in the former appearance, he compiled 16 total bases in 30 plate appearances against an opposing staff featuring all time flame thrower Walter Johnson, good for a remarkable 1.029 Series OPS and a 4-3 team win over the Washington Senators (forerunners to the Minnesota Twins).  Two years later it was Pirate fate to match up against the 1927 New York Yankees, certainly the game’s most powerful hitting machine of the time and still regarded by many as the strongest of all time.  With Traynor held to a Series .200 batting average, Pittsburgh was simply not a factor, dusted in four games while outscored by a 23-10 margin.  Post season play would not return to Western Pennsylvania until 1960, among the very last seasons prior to expansion and the maintenance of a 154 game season schedule.  Again, it was the Yankees bringing a potent hitting machine in providing the opposition.

1960 Regular Season Summaries.

                                                           Games   Won   Lost   Pct.                    Result 

          New York Yankees                   154         97     57    .630    AL Pennant, 8 Games over Baltimore, 

          Pittsburgh Pirates                    154         95     59    .617    NL Pennant, 7 Games over Milwaukee

Neither inter league play nor post-season night games had yet to arrive on the Major League scene.  Led by Manager Danny Murtaugh and a batting order featuring a promising outfield youngster named Roberto Clemente, the Pirates stood ready to open the Series on October 5th at their venerable Forbes Field home.  New York was guided from the dugout by Casey Stengel, making this his 10th Series appearance as Yankee skipper --- 7  Wins ---  with a powerful batting lineup headed by Mickey Mantle.   For reasons never explained at the time nor since Stengel elected to withhold veteran staff ace Whitey Ford as Game One starter.  In fact it was not until Game 3 back at Yankee Stadium when Ford took the hill, a 10-0 NY final.  He would next hold the resin in Game 6 with the Series returning to the banks of the Allegheny River, this time a 12-0 Yankee romp to even the Series at three wins apiece..  As its other win came in Game 2 by a 16-3 final any casual observer would logically cede matters to the American League entrant.  That same observer could not, however,  have anticipated the high drama to follow.   The stage was set --- thick in the midst of a hotly contested U.S. Presidential election --- for Thursday October 13, 1960 and Game 7 of the World Series.   

A Late inning Climax.  Under fair skies did 36,383 partisans spin the turnstiles into Forbes as a pair of right handed starters, Bob Turley of the visitors and Vernon Law of the hosts toed the rubber.  Neither was especially sharp with the Yankees nursing a 5-4 lead through six innings.   The 7th was scoreless.  Drama unfolded in the 8th, as recounted in the following detail.

Top Half:  against Elroy Face and with two outs and bases empty the always dependable Yogi Berra drew a walk.  Right handed slugger Bill Skowron laced a single to 3rd base, Berra advancing to second.  Johnny (Doc) Blanchard --- the game’s starting NY catcher ---    drove a single to Right, scoring Berra and moving Skowron to third.   The slick fielding but generally weak hitting Yankee corner infielder Cletis Boyer then cracked a double into the left field corner, plating Skowron and setting Blanchard at third. Apparently working with an empty bench, Pitcher Bobby Shantz hit for himself and ended the frame with an infield lineout.   2 Runs, 3 Hits, No Errors, 2 Left on --- Yankees lead 7-4.   

Bottom Half:  Shantz remains as Yankee pitcher.  Pinch hitter Gino Cimoli singles on a soft fly to right center.  In what looks every inch a double play grounder hit by Bill Virdon toward the always sure and steady glove of SS Tony Kubek, the ball hits a stone or other lump on the infield skin, takes a wicked hop off Kubek’s throat, goes for a single, advancing Cimoli to 2nd.  Kubek is replaced by Joe DeMaestri.  Dick Groat grounds a single through the left side, Cimoli scoring and Virdon stopping at 2nd.  Jim Coates replaces Shantz, hitting 9th in  the order.  Bob Skinner successfully lays down a sacrifice bunt, runners advancing.  Rocky Nelson flies out to Right, two out, no advance.  Roberto Clemente singles on a slow infield roller, scoring Virdon while Groat reaches 3rd.   Replacement Catcher Hal Smith homers to deep left, scoring Groat and Clemente ahead of him.  Ralph Terry replaces Coates.  Don Hoak flies out to left.

5 Runs, 5 Hits, No Errors, None Left On ---- Pirates lead 9-7.

Now three outs away from defeat, NY comes to bat in the Ninth, now facing Bob Friend: 

Top Half:  Bobby Richardson singles to Center.  Pinch hitting for DeMaestri, Dale Long singles to Right, Richardson stopping at 2nd.  Harvey Haddix replaces Friend, retiring Roger Maris on a foul pop behind the plate.  Mickey Mantle --- three Series HRs now to his credit and an eventual .400 Series average --- singles to Right, scoring Richardson and advancing Long to 3rd.  Gil McDougald pinch runs for Long, batting 2nd.   Yogi Berra grounds out to First, McDougald scoring and Mantle holding.  Bill Skowron grounds to SS, Mantle forced at 2nd.      2 Runs, 3 Hits, No Errors, 1 Left On --- Score Tied 9-9. 

A player not yet mentioned in this account is 23 year old right handed hitting Pirate 2nd Baseman Bill Mazeroski.  A perennial NL All Star and MVP contender, he compiled a characteristically fine 1960 regular season.  He hit for a .273 average while delivering steadily reliable defensive play.  Over 17 career regular seasons --- all with the Pirates --- Mazeroski logged 8,379 plate appearances while stroking 138 Home Runs, or a mere one in every 61 at bats.  He now stood in the on deck circle, ready to face Terry in the home half of the Ninth.   

Bottom of the Ninth:  On a 1-0 count Mazeroski homers to deep left field.     

1 Run, I Hit, No Errors, None Left On --- Pirates Win, 10-9.

As he reached 2nd in circling the bases a delirious home town crowd swarmed the field.  Mazeroski pulled off his cap, which he otherwise would have had ripped away from him.  It was the ONLY time in history in which a World Series clinching game was decided by a “walk off” home run.  A Series composite box score reveals NY with a 55-27 run scoring advantage, while compiling a .338 to .256 team lead in batting average.  The trophy, however, is awarded on Games won.

Within a week after the Series conclusion the 70 year old Stengel was dismissed by the Yankees.