1962 National League tie-breaker series
1962 National League tie-breaker series | ||||||||||
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Dates | October 1–3, 1962 | |||||||||
Venue |
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Umpires | Al Barlick (Games 2–3), Augie Donatelli, Dusty Boggess, Jocko Conlan, Stan Landes (Game 1) | |||||||||
Hall of Famers | Giants: Dodgers: |
The 1962 National League tie-breaker series was a
The Giants won the first game in an 8–0 shutout by starting pitcher Billy Pierce over Sandy Koufax. The Dodgers evened the series with an 8–7 victory in Game 2, breaking their 35-inning scoreless streak in what was then the longest nine-inning game in MLB history. However, the Giants closed out the series in Game 3 with a 6–4 victory to clinch the NL pennant. This victory advanced the Giants to the 1962 World Series in which the defending champion New York Yankees defeated them in seven games. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker series counted as the 163rd, 164th, and 165th regular season games for both teams, with all events in the series added to regular season statistics.
The 1962 series was the fourth tie-breaker playoff in the National League's 87 years of operation, with the previous ones having taken place in 1946, 1951 and 1959. Moreover, all four involved the Dodgers' franchise, which won one of those series (1959) and lost the other three. This was also the last MLB tie-breaker to use a best-of-three games format, as the NL subsequently adopted the single-game format used in the American League (AL).
Background
The Dodgers and Giants finished the 1961 season second and third respectively in the NL, with records of 89–65 and 85–69.[2] In an offseason trade with the Chicago White Sox the Giants acquired Billy Pierce and Don Larsen for Bob Farley, Eddie Fisher, Dom Zanni, and Verle Tiefenthaler.[3][4] The Dodgers moved to a new home field, Dodger Stadium, for the 1962 season.[5]
The Giants opened the 1962 season by establishing an early lead and, though they fell back by mid-April, held at least a share of that lead continuously from April 28 to June 7.
The Dodgers lost 10 of their final 13 games from September 16 to 30, while the Giants lost just 6 over the same span.
Game 1 summary
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
San Francisco Giants | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | X | 8 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Billy Pierce (16–6) LP: Sandy Koufax (14–7) Home runs: LAD: None SF: Orlando Cepeda (35), Jim Davenport (14), Willie Mays 2 (49) |
Roebuck recorded three straight outs to end the inning without further scoring. The Dodgers and the Giants each managed a single in their halves of the third inning. Neither Pierce nor Roebuck allowed a
The game continued without scoring until the eighth inning. The Dodgers managed to get their second runner in
Game 2 summary
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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San Francisco Giants | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Bobby Bolin (7–3)
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The Giants scored first for the second consecutive game, as
Jack Sanford had allowed just four baserunners through his first five innings, only one of whom reached
Walls' double continued his success as a pinch hitter, making him 13-for-26 with 12 runs batted in in such situations for the season.[17] Don Larsen entered to relieve O'Dell, who had not recorded an out but had earned a blown save for his performance. Maury Wills hit a ground ball to the first baseman, who threw home in an attempt to put out Walls who slid hard into the Giants' catcher Haller. The slide, which cut Haller's arm deep enough to later require six stitches, caused him to drop the ball, leaving Walls safe on Haller's error and extending the Dodgers' lead to 7–5. John Orsino entered as the new catcher to replace the injured Haller. Wills then stole second, his 101st stolen base of the season, before the batter Gilliam saw a single pitch. Orsino's throw to try to catch Wills went past second base and into center field. Wills attempted to advance to third, but was thrown out by Willie Mays.[17] Larsen then induced a flyball out by Gilliam and the inning was over. Between the two halves of the sixth the two teams had scored a combined 11 runs and used six pitchers, three pinch hitters, two defensive replacements, and a pinch runner.[16]
Ron Perranoski entered as the new pitcher for the seventh, Camilli took his place as the new catcher, and Ron Fairly replaced Wally Moon at first base. Burright became the new second baseman, replacing Gilliam who moved to third base while the previous third baseman, Tommy Davis, moved to center field. Perranoski allowed singles to Orsino and Pagán after a ground out by Felipe Alou. The Giants pinch hit Harvey Kuenn for Matty Alou and Bob Nieman for Hiller, but both recorded outs to end the top of the seventh. Ernie Bowman replaced Nieman at second base for the Giants in the bottom of the inning and no runs scored in the frame. The Giants continued to hit Perranoski in the top of the eighth, with singles by Davenport and Mays to open the inning. Jack Smith entered in relief but allowed a single to Ed Bailey pinch hitting for Larsen which scored Davenport to cut the Dodgers' lead to 7–6. Mays attempted to advance to third on the play but was called out. The play drew arguments from Mays, Alvin Dark, and third base coach Whitey Lockman as third base umpire Jocko Conlan appeared to call Mays safe before changing it to out.[18] Carl Boles pinch ran for Bailey, and Cepeda reached on an error on his fly ball which allowed Boles to move to third. Stan Williams relieved Smith and walked Felipe Alou to load the bases. Orsino hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at seven runs apiece and Pagán grounded out to end the inning.[16]
Game 3 summary
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
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San Francisco Giants | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
WP: Don Larsen (5–4) LP: Ed Roebuck (10–2) Sv: Billy Pierce (1) Home runs: SF: None LAD: Tommy Davis (27) |
Game 3 matched the Giants'
The Dodgers cut into the lead in the fourth, as Snider doubled to lead off, advanced to third on a
The Giants took the decisive lead in the top of the ninth inning. Matty Alou pinch hit for Larsen and singled to lead off the inning and Kuenn grounded into a force out at second base. Willie McCovey pinch hit for Hiller and walked to advance Kuenn. Ernie Bowman pinch ran for McCovey and Felipe Alou walked to load the bases. Mays hit a line drive single scoring Kuenn. Roebuck barely managed to knock the ball down to hold Mays to a single and Mays said he was "still mad" after the game because he had expected more from the hit.[21] Stan Williams relieved Roebuck and Cepeda hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 4 and advance Alou to third. Mays moved to second on a wild pitch to Bailey and Williams intentionally walked him to reload the bases. Williams walked Davenport to give the Giants a 5–4 lead, and they added to it as Pagán reached on an error by second baseman Larry Burright allowing Mays to score and extend the lead to 6–4. Billy Pierce pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to end the game, earning his only save of the season.[22] Had the Dodgers not yielded the lead in the final inning they instead would have earned a postseason berth, their first since winning the pennant via a tie-breaker in 1959.[23][24]
Aftermath
The Giants' win earned the franchise its 17th playoff berth, the first since moving to San Francisco from New York City in 1958.[25] They faced the New York Yankees in the 1962 World Series, which they lost in seven games.[6] They returned to the playoffs in 1971 and the World Series in 1989 and 2002. In 2010, the Giants won their first World Series since moving to San Francisco.[25] The Dodgers returned to the World Series in 1963 and swept the Yankees.[23] The Dodgers set a new attendance record in 1962, topping the previous mark of 2,641,845 set by the Cleveland Indians in 1948 with a total of 2,755,184 fans.[26][27] Game 2 was the longest nine-inning game in MLB history with a time of 4 hours and 18 minutes, a record which stood until April 30, 1996, when a game between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles lasted 4 hours and 21 minutes.[28][29] The record was again broken on August 18, 2006, during a game in which the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 14–11 in 4 hours and 45 minutes.[30][31][32]
In
See also
- Dodgers-Giants rivalry
- List of Major League Baseball tie-breakers
References
- ^ Miller, Tony (August 6, 2015). "When Two Announcers Were Too Many (Or Three Were Not Enough)". SABR Baseball and the Media Research Committee.
- ^ "1961 National League Season Summary". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ "Billy Pierce Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ "Don Larsen Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ "AL retains World Series advantage". losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "1962 San Francisco Giants Schedule, Box Scores, and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "1962 Los Angeles Dodgers Schedule, Box Scores, and Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ Finch, Frank (October 1, 1962). "Dodgers Ran Gamut of Sublime to Ridiculous in Pennant Quest". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Giants Win on Mays' Homer to Force Play-off Today". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 1, 1962.
- ^ a b c Finch, Frank (September 28, 1962). "Dodgers-Giants Playoff—if Necessary—to Start Monday". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "Sandy Koufax 1962 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ Finch, Frank (September 27, 1962). "Desperate Alston to Gamble With Koufax in Colts' Finale". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Sandy Koufax; Ed Linn (1966). Koufax. New York: Viking Press. pp. 176–177.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7432-8491-2.
- ^ a b c "October 1, 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "October 2, 1962 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Birtwell, Roger (October 3, 1962). "Something's Gotta Give". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b c d e Prell, Edward (October 3, 1962). "Dodgers Win in Ninth, 8 to 7". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ United Press International staff (October 3, 1962). "Winning Run 30th Birthday Gift for Wills". The Boston Globe.
- ^ United Press International staff (October 3, 1962). "Marichal vs. Podres or Sherry". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b c d Birtwell, Roger (October 4, 1962). "Dodgers Droop – Giants Win". The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b c "October 3, 1962 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "Los Angeles Dodgers Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "Tiebreaker Playoff Games". Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Giants Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ Finch, Frank (September 30, 1962). "Dodgers Boot Chance to Wrap It Up". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "1962 National League Attendance & Miscellaneous". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "Yankees outlast Orioles in longest game ever". Austin American-Statesman. May 1, 1996.
- ^ "April 30, 1996 New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Yanks' offense full speed in marathon sweep of BoSox". ESPN Internet Ventures. Associated Press. August 18, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "August 18, 2006 New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ Feinsand, Mark (August 19, 2006). "Time will tell: Yanks, Sox set record". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ a b "1962 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Stolen Bases". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "1962 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "1962 National League Awards, All-Stars, & More Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ "MLB Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
Further reading
- Plaut, David (1994). Chasing October: The Dodgers-Giants Pennant Race of 1962. Diamond Communications. ISBN 978-0912083698.
External links
Baseball Reference box scores
- October 1, 1962: Game 1, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants
- October 2, 1962: Game 2, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers
- October 3, 1962: Game 3, San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers