MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

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MILWAUKEE * WISCONSIN
JOURNAL SENTINEL

Monday 23 February 1960

BRAVES FANS STILL ANGRY
OVER AARON DEBACLE

Story by Lomas Robertson

Almost three weeks have passed since the Philadelphia Phillies confirmed that they had signed Hank Aaron away from our Braves on a four-year deal but the anger of many Milwaukee baseball fans is yet to subside. Regular readers of this newspaper would be only too aware of how many letters we've received and published from disgruntled Braves followers. Without a doubt the issue has been the most talked about in our fine city for a long time and the split is about 50/50 when it comes to the blame game. There are those who say that Braves management is entirely responsible for letting the organisation's star player walk (and without any compensation in return) while on the other side of the fence many believe that the ego and greed of "Turncoat Hank" meant that Milwaukee never had a chance of retaining him.

"The guy was MVP just three years ago!" said West Milwaukee resident Jimmy Oliver in a recent letter to the paper. "Three years ago! We wouldn't have repeated without him in '58, either. You could have bet your life on that. I can't comprehend how it is that they didn't pay the guy what he wanted. What were they thinking?!? Hank Aaron was meant to be a Milwaukee Brave for his entire career but now he's probably gonna lead those damn Phillies to the pennant and the World Series! The Phillies, for god's sake!"

"We don't need him!" said Michael King of River Hills. "Yeah, he was great for us in the past but why would you want to keep a guy who's only motivated by money? It shows that he never really cared about our team and he sure didn't care about the fans. At least, he didn't consider us when he made this decision. Ever since he found out that Temple was at the top of the totem pole his nose has been out of joint. I never thought he'd be that type of person but I guess he is. So I say good riddance! We'll do fine with Adcock, Lynch and Temple."

Speaking of Adcock, Braves management should be doing everything they can to keep the '58 National League MVP in Milwaukee beyond the coming season. His contract expires at its end and the fans might just run them out of town if they let two former MVPs leave within twelve months of each other. The 32 year-old started his career with the Reds but was picked up by the Braves before the start of the '53 season, which was their first here in Milwaukee. He is held in as high regard as Aaron was and to lose him would be a terrible blow to the organisation...

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The Boston Globe

FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY 1960

TED WILLIAMS
ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Story by James Wilks

One of the greatest careers in the history of Major League Baseball officially ended yesterday when Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams announced his retirement. Without a contract at the end of the 1959 season Williams had hoped he'd be picked up for one final year in the league but with no clubs expressing any interest in him the 41 year-old made the decision this past Tuesday to bring his career to a conclusion. He called a press conference for Thursday in his home town of San Diego and in front of a throng of media announced his retirement from the sport.

Williams was signed by the Red Sox in 1939 and stayed with the club through until 1959, when he was waived early in the season and picked up briefly by the Chicago White Sox. He served as a United States Marine Corps pilot during World War II and the Korean War. As a result he missed the entire 1943, '44 and '45 seasons and most of the '52 and '53 campaigns. Many have said that he could have challenged Babe Ruth's career home run record if not for his military service but it's something that Williams has never regretted and always been intensely proud of, saying that Ruth's record was insignificant compared to the honor and importance of serving his country.

When asked about his future plans Williams jokingly said they involved "fishing, fishing and more fishing." He went on to admit that he had a desire to manage in the major leagues but would not be pursuing that avenue for "at least twelve months". Williams said he wanted to spend some time "away from the game" and be with his family during the coming year. He said that one of the things he'll miss about baseball is the comraderie of being with his teammates but he did not shy away from saying that he was happy that he would no longer have to deal with the media. During his career Williams had a stormy relationship with sports writers here in Boston, who he called the "knights of the typewriter" and claimed were more interested in his personal life than his play on the field.

Without a doubt Ted Williams is a legend of the game and his retirement not only signals the end of one era but the beginning of another. In that sense it's almost fitting that it's occured at the start of a new decade...

***

Ted Williams career numbers

2,124 games played
7,263 AB, 2,492 H, 1,935 BB
.343 AVG, .483 OBP, .628 SLG
1,721 R, 475 HR, 1,714 RBI

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BASEBALL WEEKLY

Monday 15 March 1960

VOLUME 26, ISSUE 11

BLUES LOOKING FORWARD
WITH OPTIMISM

Story by Howard Notts,
published in the 13 March 1960 issue of BASEBALL WEEKLY

The Cleveland Blues averaged 91 wins a season during the 1950s, a fantastic achievement that was almost completely overshadowed by the near decade-long American League dominance of the New York Yankees. It was a truly bittersweet period for the Ohio ballclub, one that could be perfectly summed up by the phrase "so near, yet so far". After winning their first World Championship in 28 years in 1948 followers of the organisation were confident and optimistic that a golden period of success would follow for the Blues and they were largely correct in that assessment. The problem was that it didn't yield any further triumphs. They finished eight games back from the Yankees in 3rd place in '49 and maintained that great consistency through the start of the decade. From '50 through '53 the Blues pushed the Bronx Bombers each year, 4th place in 1950 followed by a trio of appearances as bridesmaids. During that four year stretch they finished an average of just five games behind the Yankees.

The breakthrough finally came in '54 when they set a new record for wins in a season with 111. It appeared that the Blues would finally see all those years of contending bear fruit, but it all fell apart in the Fall Classic when they were swept by the Giants. That series will forever be remembered for Willie Mays' fantastic over-the-shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz flyball in game one. Two more 2nd place finishes followed in '55 and '56, continuing the frustrating ride for Blues fans. The era of this outstanding team appeared to come to an end in '57 when they recorded their first losing season since 1946, going 76-77 and floundering 21.5 games back from New York.

A six-game improvement under new manager Joe Gordon followed in '58, the campaign highlighted by Rocky Colavito smashing Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. That was a mere prelude to the excitement of this past 1959 season when the Blues fended off not only the Yankees but also a resurgent Detroit Tigers to win the pennant. But once again they could't get it done in the World Series, losing in five games to a brilliant Chicago Cubs outfit that claimed its first World Championship in 51 years. One of the major disappointments of the series was the play of Rocky Colavito. Expected to be Cleveland's biggest contributor the power hitter disappeared, batting just .200 for the series.

The Blues have had an entire off-season to get over that failure and with a new decade comes new expectations and fresh optimism. Yes, the '50s was a time of missed opportunities but the ballclub is confident that they'll be able to make the most of their chances in the future. They have retained the services of both Colavito and Roger Maris for 1960, as they had the option to do with neither eligible for free agency. Many experts predicted that one of the rightfielders would be playing in a different city this year but Blues management decided that having both of the big hitters available can only strengthen their chances of repeating as American League Champions. Big things are expected of pitching ace Herb Score who missed most of the second half of '59 through injury. His absence really hurt Cleveland's World Series campaign and from all reports Score is hungrier than ever to succeed coming into this new season.

Whether the Blues can produce the same quality play that saw them take the pennant last year remains to be seen but in the opinion of this writer they'll once again be competing for it late into the season, which is something that every baseball fan should be looking forward to...

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THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

TUESDAY, 23 MARCH, 1960

CUBS CONFIDENT BUT WEARY AS
SEASON OPENER APPROACHES

Story by Brian Davison

With the start of the new Major League Baseball season just two weeks away the defending World Champion Chicago Cubs are brimming with enthusiasm and confidence over their chances of a repeat trip to the Fall Classic. The ballclub's management did a good job of retaining the key players behind last year's triumph with the "three Bobs" starting pitching trio of Anderson, Conley and Purkey all accepting one-year extensions, as did World Series MVP Harry Anderson.

While they do have their share of veterans such as Bobby Thomson, Ernie Banks and free agent signing Carl Furillo (from the Dodgers) the Cubs have a fantastic group of young, hungry players who excelled last year and will only get better this season. While the general attitude is one of excitement and enthusiasm, field manager Bob Scheffing is not as confident as most in the organisation.

"I never like to speculate on the future," he said during a recent spring training game. "For instance, who could have predicted after those efforts in '56 and '57 that this team would be World Champions just two years later? People would have called you crazy for suggesting such a thing, especially when you take the drought we've had into account. I have every reason to believe that we'll compete for the pennant again this year but I wouldn't dare say that we're a lock to win it. I've heard some throwing around "dynasty" but what have we done to deserve that? The Yankees are the only club in our sport who can lay claim to that honor. No one else can come close to what they've achieved . All I'm concerned about is doing everything we can to finish 1st again."

Scheffing went on to speak of the improvements that the other National League clubs have made, in particular the Philadelphia Phillies. They gave Chicago quite a challenge for much of the '59 season and should be even stronger after securing former Milwaukee Brave and League MVP Hank Aaron for four years. Most observers are predicting a two-horse race between the two organisations this season. Philadelphia's state rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates also made some great signings as they picked up ace pitcher Joey Jay and hard-hitting outfielder Gus Bell. They could also make a big push for the pennant.

"We are intensely proud of what we achieved last year," said shortstop and 1959 National League MVP Ernie Banks. "To reach a goal that most of us have strived for for so long was incredible. I'll never forget the look on Bobby Thomson's face at the end of game five. He had come so close a few times before and the absolute joy in his eyes was great to see. It was an incredible feeling for all of us and something we'll be even hungrier to duplicate this year."

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KANSAS CITY TELEGRAPH

TUESDAY 30 MARCH 1960

ATHLETICS OWNER PASSES AWAY
FOLLOWING STROKE

Story by George Milton

News services in West Palm Beach, Florida reported yesterday that Kansas City Athletics owner Arnold Johnson had passed away after being struck down by a cerebral hemorrhage. Johnson was 53 years old and had been watching his ballclub in a spring training game only a half-hour before suffering the fatal stroke. Johnson leaves behind a wife of some thirty years and two children, a daughter (Wendy) and son (Jeffery) who are both in their mid-twenties.

The Chicago-born industrialist had a controversial tenure as Athletics owner. After purchasing the organisation from the Mack family in 1954 he immediately moved it from Philadelphia to Kansas City, where they played at Municipal Stadium. But this was simply the first part of a plan that Johnson hoped would see the team eventually call Los Angeles home. That plan fell through after the Brooklyn Dodgers/Walter O'Malley debacle and the subsequent allocation of an expansion team to the city by Major League Baseball for 1962. However, the success of the San Francisco Giants during their first two years in California (at least in terms of crowd numbers) had led to Johnson commenting recently that the state was "big enough for three teams", an indication that he was still eager to relocate his ballclub to the golden state.

Another aspect of Johnson's reign that drew much criticism was his "special relationship" with the New York Yankees. Johnson had owned Yankee Stadium before acquiring the Athletics but was forced to sell the Bronx-based venue as a condition of his purchase. Even so, once he was in control of the Athletics he maintained ties with the Yankees by trading a number of prospects to the club in exchange for cash and aging veterans. Johnson used the excuse that these former star players would improve attendance, even though crowd numbers were already pretty healthy. He promised the fans in Kansas City that the moves would eventually bring the city a World Championship or, at the least, a pennant. But it has not turned out that way as, in the five years the ballclub has been in KC it has averaged just sixty wins, with last season's 5th place finish and 73-81 record the best performance to date.

Last July, Johnson acquired pitcher Ryne Duren from the Yankees in exchange for another young prospect in Ralph Terry. To many it looked like just another one-sided Yankees-Athletics transaction and was actually the reversal of a trade involving the two players that had occured in June of '57. Surprisingly, the move definitely benefitted the Athletics more than the Yankees. Duren was fantastic for them and was named the American League's Cy Young Award winner at the end of the season. In comparison the Bronx Bombers' campaign went into a downward spiral where they eventually finished 3rd. That trade along with February's signing of Cleveland Blues World Series starter Don Mossi gave reason to believe that Johnson was changing his tune but now it seems we'll never know.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the Athletics in the wake of Johnson's death. A possibility could be that his fellow Chicago businessman Charles O. Finley will attempt to purchase them. Finley had tried to do so back in '54 but was beaten to the punch by Johnson. Many have often wondered if things would have turned out differently for the organisation if Finley had been successful back then. With all respect to his passing, news of Johnson's death will give fans of the Athletics hope that the team can become a contender in the near future.

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Just a little note on Johnson. He actually died March 10 but I thought it was the 30th when I was planning out my posts schedule. No biggie, though.

Well, that concludes all the off-season action. The next post will be a report on the Cubs' opening day matchup with the Dodgers at Wrigley.

[GrimmyDee]

Absolutely fantastic read. It's amazing how everytime I want to restart my franchise I end up reading great writing such as this and wonder why I should even bother!

Truly great stuff! Keep up the wonderful work! Go Blues!

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Originally Posted by GrimmyDee

Absolutely fantastic read. It's amazing how everytime I want to restart my franchise I end up reading great writing such as this and wonder why I should even bother!

Truly great stuff! Keep up the wonderful work! Go Blues!

Thank you very much! That's a great compliment and I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I'm hoping the Blues can make it back-to-back pennants aswell.

[Jeff1787]

Good stuff as always!!! but...GO BRAVES

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Originally Posted by Jeff1787

Good stuff as always!!! but...GO BRAVES

Thanks, Jeff. I'm hoping your guy can work his way into the starting rotation by the end of the season, or at least be part of the bullpen.

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THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

MONDAY, 5 APRIL, 1960

WORLD CHAMPS OPEN TITLE DEFENSE
WITH WIN OVER DODGERS

Story by Brian Davison

The Chicago Cubs kicked off their World Championship title defense with a 5-3 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Wrigley Field yesterday afternoon. In a stand-alone opener to the 1960 Major League Baseball season the Cubs jumped on the New Yorkers early, taking a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning before holding on for the win.

In a promising sign for the new year Chicago received great efforts from most of their star performers from last season with World Series MVP Harry Anderson enjoying a 3-for-4 afternoon and leading off the 5th inning with a home run to left-centre that made it 5-1. Earlier on veteran centrefielder Bobby Thomson opened the scoring with a two-RBI double down the right field line, the shot scoring both Ernie Banks and Lee Walls. Thomson was 2-for-4 in the game with those two RBI. It was an eventful opening frame with Anderson getting thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch a single into a double and Walls reaching on a two-out error by 3rd baseman Gil Hodges.

The Cubs added another pair of two-out runs in the 2nd inning, a trio of consecutive singles doing the trick. Bobby Adams brought Johnny Goryl home from 1st before Anderson moved Adams to 3rd and Ernie Banks then knocked him in with a blast to the gap in left-centre. Banks finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. The Cubs were given a great outing by starting pitcher Bob Anderson as he went eight innings, allowed six hits and gave up two earned runs. Anderson struck out six and walked two batters, throwing 116 pitches.

While they were on the wrong end of the result it wasn't a terrible afternoon for the Dodgers. Catcher Johnny Roseboro hit two solo home runs, one in the 6th and the other leading off the 9th to bring Brooklyn within two and send some apprehension around Wrigley. Their starting pitcher Johnny Podres stayed on the mound for all eight innings, giving up nine hits and three earned runs while striking out seven on 122 pitches. If not for the Hodges error in the 1st inning the Dodgers could have bagged themselves a win, or at the least sent it into extra innings.

"Just nice to get this one out of the way," said Cubs manager Bob Scheffing. "There's been so much talk and anticipation about the season so it's good to finally get started. We had some luck there in the 1st and it turned out to be the difference. But we'll take that every day."

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THE OHIO EXPRESS

Tuesday, 6 April, 1960

MAYS DRIVES IN SIX
AS BLUES WIN
WILD SEASON OPENER

Story by Grady McCallum

Fans at Fenway Park found much more than they would have bargained for during yesterday's season-opening shootout between the Red Sox and the Blues. Anyone who came to the stadium expecting a laid-back opening day affair was given a pleasant surprise as the Ohio ballclub triumphed in a 13-10 thriller. Led by the brilliance of Willie Mays the Blues opened their quest for a return trip to the Fall Classic in an exciting manner. Mays went 3-for-6 with two home runs (one of them a grand slam), a double and six RBI in a game that featured a combined 25 hits.

Mays was assisted by fellow outfielders Minnie Minoso and Rocky Colavito but also had some help from an unexpected source in starting pitcher Herb Score. Minoso was 1-for-2 with two walks and three RBI, all of which came on a base-clearing double in the 6th. Colavito didn't drive in any runs but he batted 2-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored while Score hit a two-RBI single in the 5th. Mays did all of his damage in his first two at-bats, a two-run homer in the 1st and then a grand slam in the 2nd. The Blues took a 7-2 lead into the 3rd but were never really safe. By the end of the 5th the Red Sox had reduced the lead to three with the score 9-6 and even after the Blues added three runs in the 6th Boston replied with four of their own in the bottom of the same frame.

But the home team could get no closer and when Colavtio crossed home plate on a Floyd Robinson sac fly in the 8th the final score of 13-10 had been reached. Five of the Red Sox's thirteen hits were doubles. They were well served at the plate by Jim Piersall (2-for-5, 1 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI), Pete Runnels (3-for-4, 2 BB, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI) and Don Buddin (1-for-2, 3 BB, 1 R, 3 RBI). While his team was victorious Blues starter Herb Score had the type of outing he'd like to forget. The lefthander lasted just 4.1 innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs. He had terrible trouble finding the strike zone as he walked eight batters. Only half of his 128 pitches were strikes and he was an unhappy figure when removed from the game in the 5th inning.

"There's not much we can take from this except the win," said Blues manager Joe Gordon. "It was one of those big slugfests you have a few times each season. Just a surprise it came in the opener. Yeah, Herb was pretty nervous out there today. Because of the injuries it's been quite a while now since he's been in that rhythm of pitching every fourth or fifth day and it might take a while for him to get it back."

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THE MICHIGAN HERALD

Wednesday 14 April 1960

PAPPAS INJURED IN
UGLY LOSS TO YANKEES

Story by Michael Fredricks

The Detroit Tigers suffered a double whammy yesterday afternoon at Briggs Stadium. They were soundly beaten 10-3 by the New York Yankees but that was not the worse news to come out of the game as it was announced afterwards that starting pitcher Milt Pappas will be out of action for the next five weeks. The 1958 American League Rookie of the Year pulled a tricep muscle while pitching in the 4th inning and left the game immediately.

The Yankees were leading 4-0 at the time and went on to claim victory thanks mainly to fantastic efforts from Yogi Berra (4-for-6, 1 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI) and leftfielder Norm Siebern (3-for-4, 1 BB, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI). Mickey Mantle also contributed to the cause, batting 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the 3rd inning. Starting pitcher Whitey Ford cooled Detroit's bats, giving up just six hits in pitching a complete game. This was an ugly defeat for the Tigers and it was all but over when the Bronx Bombers exploded for six runs on six hits in the 5th inning. After losing their first two games the Yankees have now won six straight. Meanwhile the Tigers were defeated for the fourth time in a row and fell to 3-5.

The loss of Pappas is unfortunate for the Tigers as he had been pencilled in as the #1 man in their rotation. He struggled in his first three starts of the year, going 0-2 with an ERA of 7.04, eight walks and six strikeouts. They'll now look to a pair of off-season pickups in former Yankee Bob Turley and former Brave Carl Willey to step up for them in Pappas' absence. A free agent following the '59 season Turley signed a three-year deal with the Tigers back in February. Willey had accepted an offer to spend another year with the Braves back in January but the ballclub made the surprise decision to waive him just a week out from the start of the season, the Tigers picking up his contract on opening day.

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The Cleveland Courier

FRIDAY 16 APRIL 1960

COLAVITO STRAINS HAMSTRING
IN WIN OVER SENATORS

Story by Larry Jacobson

Cleveland Blues outfielder Rocky Colavito suffered his second injury in the space of a week yesterday, the single-season home run record holder straining a hamstring while running the bases during Cleveland's 7-0 win over the Washington Senators. He's expected to be out of the lineup for at least a week, possibly two according to Blues trainers. Back on the 8th Colavito injured his ankle (also while running the bases) in the 12th inning of a thriller in Baltimore that the Blues lost 8-7. He did not miss any time due to it but yesterday's injury is clearly more serious.

Colavito has made a promising start to the season, batting .357 with a home run and three RBI. He's been walked ten times, leading to an on-base percentage of .526. Yesterday's win saw the Blues improve to 7-3, a mark that is all the more impressive considering all ten games have been on the road. They were up against a Senators team that also started their campaign away from home and brought a surprising 7-2 record to Briggs Stadium with them. Their fans packed out the venue but left disappointed as Blues starter Don Ferrarese mesmerised their lineup with a fantastic four-hit complete-game gem. By comparison Washington's starter Frank Sullivan was out of the game before the end of the 5th, the former AL Cy Young Award winner giving up eight hits and three earned runs.

Colavito was injured in the 9th inning after doubling down the left field line, Roger Maris replacing him and eventually scoring on a Minnie Minoso double. The two Billys Harrell and Moran both drove in a pair of runs for Cleveland, who have made a great start to their American League pennant defense. The Blues will stay in Washington for three more games through Sunday before hosting the Yankees in their home opener on Monday...

AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
AS AT END OF PLAY, 15 APRIL 1960

1ST: CLEVELAND BLUES 7-3 (.700)
1ST: NEW YORK YANKEES 7-3 (.700)
1ST: WASHINGTON SENATORS 7-3 (.700)
4th: Baltimore Orioles 6-4 (.600) (1.0 G.B.)
5th: Boston Red Sox 5-5 (.500) (2.0 G.B.)
5th: Detroit Tigers 5-5 (.500) (2.0 G.B.)
7th: Chicago White Sox 2-8 (.200) (5.0 G.B.)
8th: Kansas City Athletics 1-9 (.100) (6.0 G.B.)

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THE BALTIMORE COURIER

Sunday, 18 April, 1960

NIEMAN HAMMERS THREE HOME RUNS
AS ORIOLES SMASH TIGERS

Story by Lenny Adams

On this past 7th of September Baltimore Orioles leftfielder Bob Nieman hit three home runs in a 5-3 win over the New York Yankees. Yesterday the 33 year-old repeated that feat as the Orioles decimated the Detroit Tigers 17-2 at Briggs Stadium. Nieman was a fantastic 4-for-5 with five runs scored and seven RBI in the game and was joined in the slaughter by teammates Dick Williams (3-for-6, 1HR, 2 R, 4 RBI), Daryl Spencer (3-for-4, 2 BB, 1 2B, 4 R, 1 RBI) and George Altman (3-for-5, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 R). Meanwhile Orioles starting pitcher Jack Harshman shut down the Tigers offense with a masterful performance. He gave up just five hits and two earned runs in a complete game effort. Harshman struck out seven Detroit batters and walked four, throwing 143 pitches in recording his first win of the season.

The Orioles held a 3-1 lead through the first four innings, Nieman providing all of their spark with homers in the 1st and 3rd. Even so, there was little indication of what was to come. They went on to score four in the 5th, two in each of the 6th, 7th and 8th and then four more in the 9th. Nieman's third home run was a grand slam in the 5th while Williams hammered a three-run shot with two out in the 9th. The win saw Baltimore improve to a promising 8-4 while the Tigers fell to 5-7 in an underwhelming start to their campaign. Nieman has now hit an MLB-leading seven home runs and eighteen RBI, batting .438 through a brilliant opening to his season.

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The Pittsburgh Gazette

Tuesday, 20 April, 1960

PIRATES SCORE SIX IN 9TH
TO BEAT DODGERS

Story by Michael Thomas

The Pittsburgh Pirates staged a remarkable 9th inning rally yesterday afternoon to score a 7-6 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers in their home opener at Ebbets Field. Trailing 6-1 heading into the final frame the Pennsylvanian ballclub took to the Dodgers bullpen, who completely undid a brilliant outing from starter Don Drysdale (8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 106 PI). Howie Nunn was brought into the game at the start of the 9th and he promptly loaded the bases with Roberto Clemente's lead-off single followed by walks for both Gus Bell and Bob Skinner. Clemente then scored when Frank Thomas grounded to 3rd, Gil Hodges stepping on the bag to dismiss Bell on the force-out. The bases were loaded once again when Dick Groat was walked, Ted Kluszewski then singling to right to bring Skinner home and make it 6-3.

Nunn was replaced by Tom Qualters, who gave up a two-RBI single to Bill Hall to pull the Pirates within one and send murmurs of discontent around Ebbets, Thomas and Groat crossing home plate. When pinch hitter Danny Kravitz produced Pittsburgh's third consecutive single it was all tied up, Kluszewski scoring the run. With still only one out Roman Mejias hit a sacrifice fly to centrefield, Bill Hall tagging up from 3rd and easily beating Duke Snider's throw to home to give the Pirates an improbable lead. Having led off the inning Clemente flied out to deep left to end it but the damage had already been done and the near capacity crowd was in a state of stunned silence.

The Dodgers went down in order in the bottom of the 9th, bringing an ending to the game that had seemed inconceivable only thirty minutes earlier. The Dodgers had played their opening thirteen games of the season on the road, compiling an encouraging 6-7 record that included three wins from four against their arch rivals the San Francisco Giants. A near capacity crowd of 34,464 had turned up in loud, excited voice at Ebbets, confident of a win in the first home game under the team's new ownership of Maurice Goldstein and his associates. The Dodgers made a great start, scoring twice in the 1st on four hits before the audience were on their feet in thunderous ovation in the 5th when Snider smashed a grand slam home run to deep left field to give the home team a 6-1 buffer. Unfortunately it would be the last time that the Dodgers bothered the scorers on the afternoon.

***

National League Standings
as at end of play, 19 April 1960

1st: Chicago Cubs 8-6
1st: Cincinnati Reds 8-6
1st: Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6
1st: Philadelphia Phillies 8-6
5th: Milwaukee Braves 7-7
6th: Brooklyn Dodgers 6-8
6th: St. Louis Cardinals 6-8
8th: San Francisco Giants 5-9

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The New York Age

THURSDAY, 22 APRIL, 1960

YANKEES SWEEP BLUES
IN CLEVELAND

Story by Louis Greenberg

The New York Yankees made an early-season statement yesterday afternoon when they completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Blues in Cleveland with an 11-2 victory. Having won Monday's series opener 5-3 and Tuesday's game 11-3 the Bronx Bombers produced their best effort of the three yesterday, Willie McCovey's 1st inning grand slam home run off Herb Score the catalyst for a big win. Minnie Minoso responded for the Blues with a homer in the bottom of the frame and after his shaky start Score kept New York to just three hits through the next five innings before Gil McDougald led off the 7th with a solo shot to make it 5-1.

Blues manager Joe Gordon kept Score in the game into the 8th where it all unravelled as he gave up consecutive hits to Tony Kubek (a double) and Jerry Lumpe (a single). Whitey Ford then advanced Lumpe to 2nd with a sacrifice bunt before Score was relieved by Diomedes Olivo. He was unable to salvage the mess that Score created and New York scored three runs on singles from McDougald and Hank Bauer and a Andy Carey sac fly. They added three more in the 9th to blow out the final victory margin and get a measure of revenge for the sweep the Blues had achieved against them in the Bronx last July.

A number of players besides McCovey contributed to the Yankee win, as the stats below show:

Gil McDougald (2B): 3-for-4, 2 BB, 1 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
Hank Bauer (RF): 2-for-5, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Willie McCovey (1B): 2-for-3, 2 BB, 1 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
Tony Kubek (CF): 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 R

Yankees starter Whitey Ford enjoyed the challenge of going up against Score and was happy to have outduelled him. Ford went the full nine innings, giving up eight hits and two earned runs while striking out three batters on 117 pitches. He's now 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 3.67 in five starts. By comparison Score has struggled out of the gates. This was his fifth start also and he is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.60. The win improves the Yankees' record to an MLB-best 12-4, keeping them one win ahead of the surprising Washington Senators (11-5). The Blues lost for the fifth time in six games and are now 8-8.

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THE ST. LOUIS STAR

Thursday 22 April 1960

CARDS CLUB CUBS AT BUSCH

Story by Leon Fletcher

The St. Louis Cardinals produced their best performance of the season yesterday to score an 11-1 victory over World Series Champions and arch-rivals the Chicago Cubs. The Illinois ballclub had opened the season's first series between the two teams with victories on Monday and Tuesday but the Cards bounced back to take the final matchup of the three-game set. As the score indicates their offense was on fire but it was the work of starting pitcher Joe Gibbon that allowed them to achieve such an impressive win. The 25 year-old gave up just five hits in nine outstanding innings of work, walking two and striking out one. He induced the Cubs lineup into sixteen groundball outs and needed just 113 pitches to get through the game. Gibbon is now 4-1 with an ERA of 2.18 in five starts, being named Player of the Game in three of those outings (including yesterday's).

At the plate the Cardinals were just as outstanding, leadoff hitter Don Blasingame continuing his remarkable opening to the year with a 3-for-4 afternoon. He doubled, tripled, scored three runs and drove in one and is batting .441, recording at least two hits in eleven of the sixteen games he's appeared in. Blasingame is currently on a ten-game hitting streak and he was joined in yesterday's dominant win by Willie Davis (2-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI), the ageless Stan Musial (2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI) and rightfielder Gene Woodling (2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI). Even Gibbon got in on the act when he stood in the batter's box, collecting three hits and scoring one run to compliment his fantastic pitching.

It simply wasn't Chicago's day with Gibbon keeping their biggest stars quiet. Ernie Banks, Dale Long and Harry Anderson were all 0-for-4 while Booby Adams was 0-for-3 with a walk. Lee Walls managed to record two hits from four at-bats and Bobby Thomson was 1-for-4, driving in Chicago's solitary run. Cy Young Award winner Bob Conley struggled once again, allowing thirteen hits and eight earned runs in seven innings of work. On the season he's 1-3 with an ERA of 3.49 in five appearances. Despite the loss the 9-7 Cubs are still two games ahead of St. Louis (7-9). They're right in the middle of a fourteen-game road trip that started in Philadelphia and will now see them move on to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh before returning to Wrigley on the final day of the month. The Cardinals will remain at Busch, hosting the Giants and Dodgers during the coming week.