The 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates have been battling with the big boys, the Giants and the Dodgers, all summer. And the Bucs’ (as they’re affectionately referred to) have been battling well.

For a long stretch from August 4 - September 10, the Pirates held 1st place over the defending World Series champion Dodgers who are led by Sandy Koufax, the 1963 MVP. They’ve also fended off the perennially contending Giants, with their superstar, Willie Mays, the MVP last year in 1965.

But now as we come down the stretch with just 5 games to go, the Pirates have fallen 3 back and the Giants are 4 behind the Dodgers.

Here were the standings coming into the games of September 28th:

The Pirates Tough Draw

The schedule in September has not been kind to the Pirates. Prior to arriving here in Philadelphia they had to play 4 games vs. the Braves in Atlanta as part of a 15 game road trip. Atlanta is led by the NL’s leading home run hitter, Hank Aaron.

Prior to the Pirates’ arrival in Atlanta, the Braves, who have been long out of contention, ran off greatest September stretch by a sub .500 team in baseball history. They had just won 18 of their past 20 games, and then they walloped the Pirates 14 - 1 in the first of the 4 meetings to make it 19 - 2 in their past 21 games.

The Braves had been 63 - 69 on September 1st, and improved their record to 82 - 71. No team has ever had a run like that from under .500 this late in the season.

And yet the Pirates still managed to beat the Braves in 2 of the next 3 games.

This Pirates’ team has such great spirit, it’s hard not to fall prisoner to these Pirates and get hooked on following them every day.

After the sojourn south, the Pirates trekked north to Philly where they had to face the new hottest team in baseball. The Phillies had won 4 straight games and squeaked past the Pirates in 11 innings in the first match up of the series to make it 5 in a row, the present longest winning streak in the majors.

It also didn’t help the Pirates that Bob Gibson, one of the top 5 starters in baseball, lost to the Dodgers 3 nights ago, and then 2 nights ago Don Drysdale continued his late season resurgence by throwing his 2nd consecutive shutout 2 nights ago.

Add it all up and the Pirates were suddenly 3 back going into last night’s twilight doubleheader in Philly.

The First Gamble

Desperate times call for desperate measures so Pirates’ manager Harry Walker decided to gamble.

While the Phillies’ were starting another top 5 starter in baseball, Jim Bunning, Harry Walker decided not to send out his ace Bob Veale. Instead he would save Veale for the nightcap against a weaker Phillies’ pitcher. And then in an even bolder move, Walker decided to go with Billy O’Dell as the starter for the opener against Bunning after learning that his intended starter, Vern Law, had shoulder stiffness and an upset stomach.

The 33-year-old O’Dell had been a starter earlier in his career but had been a reliever the past 3 years, and a good one. Last year, in 1965, he had an ERA of 2.18, pitching 61 relief appearances for the Braves. His average stint on the mound was less than 2 innings. This year, he’s been nearly as good with a team low ERA of 2.69 coming into last night’s contests.

Harry Walker told Lester J. Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press, “I just wanted to get a few good innings out of O’Dell and maybe we could get lucky and get a run and or two from Bunning.”

The start of the game was delayed by rain. When play began, Walker got more than just a few good innings from O’Dell, he got 4 of the best innings of O’Dell’s career. O’Dell took a no-hitter into the 5th inning.

And the Bucs’ batters also got the 2 runs off Bunning that Walker had hoped for. One of those runs coming from Donn Clendenon’s 28th homer of the season. So the Pirates led 2 - 0 going into the 5th.

At this point, O’Dell’s arm tired, he had been pitching on just 2 days rest after putting in relief stints 3 days in a row. In the top of the 5th, he gave up 3 singles and a run before Walker replaced him with Steve Blass.

The Second Gamble

This was another gamble by Walker. Blass, who had been a starter most of the season, had been demoted to the bullpen after a poor start on September 5th. And that marked his 24th straight start in which he failed to go the distance. This was to be the 4th game in 6 days that Blass would be appearing in relief.

Blass proved to be the right pitcher to bring in. He was brilliant in putting down 10 straight Phillies.

The game entered the bottom of the 9th with the Pirates still clinging to the 2 - 1 lead over Jim Bunning.

The Third Gamble

At this point, Harry Walker made another gamble. He took our the hard hitting 3rd baseman Bob Bailey for defensive purposes and replaced him with Jose Pagan.

Steve Blass came back out to the mound in the 9th and got the first 2 batters out. He had now retired 13 of the 14 batters he had faced. But the next batter was one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball in 1966, Richie Allen. Allen came into the game 2nd in the NL with 40 HRs, 3rd in the NL with 110 RBIs, and 6th in the NL with a .316 batting average.

Allen blasted Blass’s 2nd pitch. It hit the wall and Allen wound up on 3rd with a triple. Now with 2 outs but the tying run on 3rd, Harry Walker made some traditional managerial decisions. He took out the righty Blass, and inserted the lefty Luke Walker to pitch to Bill White. Luke promptly hit White, putting the potential winning run on 1st base.

Now Harry Walker made another traditional move. He replaced the lefty Luke, with a righty, Tommie Sisk, another starter, to face the Phillie’s right handed batter due up next.

But this was no normal Phillies’ batter coming up. This was a man who was a former Pirate, and a former Pirate legend at that. He was the man who won the 1960 MVP and batting crown while leading the Pirates to their last World Series victory. He was Dick Groat.

24-year-old Tommie Sisk had never pitched in a game this consequential. He now had one of the biggest moments of his career. One out is all he needed. One out and the game is over, and the Pirates are still breathing in this pennant race. But if he allows an extra base hit, the Pirates lose and their pennant hopes are shot.

The veteran Dick Groat turned on Tommie Sisk’s 2nd pitch and drilled it down the 3rd base line.

Now Jose Pagan was the one who gambled. Lester J. Biederman wrote, “Pagan leaped on the ball, then set himself on the slippery turf for the long throw that brought gasps of amazement from the 7213 fans.”

Donn Clendenon snagged the throw and Dick Groat was out. The Pirates had won. They had beaten Bunning without using up Veale. The Bucs were still alive. The gambles had paid off.

The Nightcap

But there was still another game to play last night.

In the top of the 2nd inning, Bill Mazeroski hit a triple off Phillies’ starter Larry Jackson. That drove in a run and then Maz turned it into a little league homer when Dick Groat’s relay throw was wild. How many times has Maz had big hits down the stretch here in September? The Pirates led 2 - 0.

Bob Veale held the Phillies scoreless through 4 innings, but the Phillies managed 2 runs, 1 of them unearned, in the 5th to tie the game.

The game remained tied through 7 innings.

Now it became desperation time for the Pirates again. This was a game they just had to win, especially with it being the likely last start of the season for their ace Bob Veale.

In the top of the 8th, the Pirates had the top of their order. This was the Pirates’ big chance. Late Night Lightning had to come through.

Matty Alou, the leading hitter in the majors at .342 did his job and singled to right field. Gene Alley, batting .300, then bunted Alou over to 2nd. With 1 out, Manny Mota, batting .335, hit a grounder that moved Matty to 3rd base.

But now there were 2 outs.

The Great One

The next batter was the man they’re starting to call The Great One in Pittsburgh - Roberto Clemente. He’s an MVP candidate here in 1966. He started the day 5th in batting in the NL at .318 and 2nd in RBIs at 116. In addition, he just might be the greatest right fielder in history. Possessing a devastating arm, he’s won the gold glove every year since 1961, and he’s on his way to leading all right fielders in assists for the 5th time.

Clemente swung at the 1st pitch from Larry Jackson. He told Biederman, “I wasn’t going to give him a chance to walk me.” Clemente connected and hit a long drive to left-center that put him on 2nd base with a double and drove home Matty Alou with the go ahead run. Moments later Clemente scored when Donn Clendenon’s infield hit was mishandled by Dick Groat.

Roberto Clemente had put the Pirates ahead 4 - 2.

Now Bob Veale had the chance to close out the win. Veale told Biederman he had to stick with his fast ball most of the game because he didn’t have much of a slider. He got the Phillies out in order in the 8th with none of the batters hitting a ball out of the infield. In the 9th, he gave up a leadoff single. Then he got Bob Uecker to fly out. The 2nd batter Jimmie Schaffer struck out.

Pirates catcher Jesse Gonder told Biederman, “When he had to, Veale was able to reach back and get a little more steam.”

With one more out to go, the batter was Cookie Rojas. He hit a shot down the 3rd base line. Just as in the 1st game, Harry Walker had inserted Jose Pagan for defense at 3rd base. Just as he did in the opener it was Pagan, “spearing Cookie Rojas’ drive and throwing him out.” Game over. Veale had won it in a complete game with 1 earned run. It was his biggest victory of the season. And the Pirates had swept the hot Phillies.

Pirates’ pitchers had yielded just 2 earned runs in the 18 innings of doubleheader play.

The Dodger Killer

Halfway across the nation in St. Louis, history was being made. Second year pitcher Larry Jaster, age 22, recorded his 5th shutout of the season in defeating the Dodgers 2 - 0.

What made this truly remarkable is that all 5 shutouts were against the Dodgers.

And Larry Jaster made major league baseball history by becoming the only pitcher to ever shutout the defending World Series champions 5 times in the following season.

And Jaster went 5 for 5 in shutting out an opponent, thus making him the only pitcher in history to shutout a team 5 times in a row. Jaster shutout the Dodgers every time he faced them in 1966. It’s quite astonishing.

It gets even more remarkable when you dig deeper into those 5 shutouts. Jaster never gave up an extra base hit. He allowed just 22 singles in the 5 games.

St. Louis Cardinals’ teammate Phil Gagliano created a nickname for Larry Jaster. He calls him “The Creeper” because he’s so silent by nature.

Jaster did talk to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his good fortune against the Dodgers. “I don’t feel I throw any differently against the Dodgers… I just try not to walk anybody and keep the lead off man off base.”

After last night’s game, Jaster has now earned a new nickname, one a little more flattering and well deserved, “The Dodger Killer.”

You know you’ve earned that nickname when even Sandy Koufax heaps praise on you. When asked by Post-Dispatch reporter Neal Russo if Jaster was impressive, Koufax responded, “He’s better than impressive. I don’t know what the next adjective is.”

The Dodgers loss combined with the Phillies double win tightened up the pennant race. Here’s the standings with 3 games left for the Pirates:

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To open the twilight doubleheader last night against the Phillies

Last night in 1966 it was the best hitters in baseball against the best pitcher in baseball in a game of huge importance to the National League pennant race.

What a classic confrontation!

The Pirates were in L.A. for the 2nd of a 3 game set. Bucs’ (that’s Pittsburgh’s informal nickname) manager Harry Walker said it was essential for his team to win 2 of the 3 contests.

But after the Bucs lost to Don Drysdale’s magnificent 98 pitch performance 2 nights ago (70 of his 98 pitches were strikes), they had fallen 2.5 games behind, and the only way the Pirates could win 2 of 3 was to beat Sandy Koufax.

The Left Arm of God

Since 1962, winning against Koufax has been a rarity. Sandy has piled up a record of 107 - 33 since the start of the ‘62 season. In addition, Koufax has led the National League in ERA every year from 1962 - 1965, and he’s leading again here in 1966.

It’s no wonder that Sandy Koufax has earned the nickname, “The Left Arm of God.”

But coming into last night’s contest, the Bucs had to think that Koufax was perhaps beatable. The big story in mid-August was that Koufax’s arm was so sore that he was contemplating retirement.

On August 30th, he had his worst outing of the year, giving up 5 earned runs in just 2 innings against the lowly Mets. And Sandy followed that with another un-Koufax like 3 earned runs in 6 innings 4 days later.

Tempering any notion that Sandy’s arm was out of commission, Koufax has pitched scoreless ball in his last 15 innings, including a shutout of the Astros in his most recent outing 6 days ago (which gave him an extra day’s rest going into yesterday’s game).

Late Night Lightning

The Bucs meanwhile have been hitting at a torrid pace all season. As of last Sunday they enjoyed an enormous lead in hitting over all teams in the majors as they were batting .285 as a team.

In comparison, the Baltimore Orioles, in the American League. who boast the best record in baseball were batting just .259.

Moreover, the Bucs starters were batting .303 collectively!

Five of the Bucs were hitting over .300. In all the rest of the majors only 7 other players were hitting over .300, including just 3 in the entire American League.

This nearly unprecedented level of hitting vs. the rest of the majors was a prime reason the Bucs batters had earned the nickname, “Late Night Lightning.”

And their leader is a man they have started calling “The Great One” in Pittsburgh and in Puerto Rico - Roberto Clemente.

Clemente is having his best season. Coming into last night’s game he had a line that made him perhaps the leading candidate for MVP:

25 HRs
110 RBIs
.327 average.

The Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Sandy Koufax in a battle of the 2nd and 1st place teams - a classic at Dodger Stadium.

Pirates’ shortstop Gene Alley was the game’s 1st batter and he drilled a Koufax pitch into center field to the dismay of a capacity crowd of 54,510 fans. Next up, Manny Mota bunted Alley over to 2nd. But then Roberto Clemente and Donn Clendenon both grounded out. Koufax had his 16th consecutive scoreless inning.

Note that batting 4th was not the usual clean up hitter, Willie Stargell, who has 31 homers and is the 7th leading batter in the majors at .318. Harry Walker did not start Stargell against the lefty Koufax because Stargell is just 2 for 23 lifetime against Koufax with 10 strikeouts.

The Pirates sent Bob Veale, their best starter, to the mound in the bottom of the 1st, and he allowed only a walk to Maury Wills who was promptly thrown out stealing.

Both pitchers had an easy time in the 2nd inning.

Dodgers 0 - Pirates 0 - end of 2 innings

There was no scoring until the bottom of the 3rd when the Dodgers mounted a 2 out rally and put up 3 runs on a Lou Johnson homer.

Ahead 3 - 0, Koufax went into lockdown mode. After giving up 2 solid singles in the 1st and 3rd innings, he didn’t give up another bonafide hit in the 4th through 7th innings. He allowed 3 more singles, but all of them were infield hits.

The Pirates did manufacture 1 run in the 7th on a walk, bunt single, another walk and a sacrifice fly. That spoiled the 21 consecutive scoreless innings streak for Koufax. But the Dodgers had already added 2 additional runs.

Dodgers 5 - Pirates 1 - end of 7 innings

No lead is safe with the Pirates penchant for Late Night Lightning. Buc’s fans have witnessed countless spirited comebacks this season. Just the night before the Pirates had threatened in the 9th inning when Clemente and Stargell hit back to back homers off Drysdale.

In the 8th inning, Koufax faced the heart of the order, but he managed to get Clemente, Clendenon and Bill Mazeroski to all fly out.

In the 9th inning, got the 5 - 6 - 7 batters out 1 - 2 - 3, and the game was in the books.

Koufax had retired the last 8 batters in a row.

There was no Late Night Lightning last night.

Most impressively, Sandy Koufax held the Pirates first 4 batters, all of whom are in the top 11 in the majors in hitting, to just 2 for 14 for the game.

And Sandy Koufax notched his 24th victory of the 1966 season.

It was a big one, it knocked the Bucs back to 3.5 games out. That’s the farthest out of 1st the Pirates have been since early in the summer on June 28th.

Echoing his frustration after the game, Roberto Clemente provide his assessment of Sandy Koufax to the Los Angeles Herald Examiner’s Mitch Chortkoff, “Don’t you believe there’s anything wrong with his arm. There’s no man alive who can stand on the mound and do what he does if he has a bad arm. He’s never thrown harder.”

There is still hope for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have 15 more games to play, and they won’t have to face The Left Arm of God again.

The Sports Time Traveler will continue following the 1966 pennant race day by day.

Below is a picture of Roberto Clemente that appeared today, September 17, 1966, on the front page of the Los Angeles Times sports section.

Sandy Koufax didn’t yield a hit to The Great One and struck him out twice. Perhaps Koufax deserves the MVP.

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The Dodgers, Giants and Pirates have been embroiled in a 3-way battle at the top of the National League all summer in 1966.

The defending World Series champion Dodgers, led by Sandy Koufax, are no surprise contender. Winners of 2 of the last 3 Fall Classics, they were expected to be here.

So were the Giants, led by Willie Mays, who nearly won the World Series in 1962, and have won an average of 94 games a year across the past 4 seasons.

But here in mid-September, it was wholly unexpected that the Giants and Dodgers would be looking up to the Bucs (the Pirates nickname), a team that had finished in 8th place in 1963 and has not seriously contended since their surprising 1960 season World Championship season.

Yet the Pittsburgh Pirates have held sole possession of 1st place since September 2nd.

This Pirates team has had almost complete turnover since 1960. Only one pitcher, Vern Law, remains from the pitching rotation, and only two players are still in the starting lineup. One is 2nd baseman Bill Mazeroski, whose home run famously won the 1960 World Series in game 7. The other is a right fielder from Puerto Rico, who had emerged in 1960 as a star, and now they have begun to call “The Great One” in Pittsburgh - Roberto Clemente.

The 1966 Pirates play their games in the 2nd oldest baseball stadium in use in the majors, Forbes Field. Three years older than Fenway Park, and only 2 months younger than Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia, Forbes Field feature distant outfield fences and poor parking.

Now let’s go back to a thriller during the thick of the 1966 pennant race in Pittsburgh.

FORBES FIELD, PITTSBURGH - September 10, 1966

“Last night” in 1966 the Pirates desperately needed a win. After losing 3 straight games to the Braves, the Bucs were at Forbes Field to open a 3 game set against the Cardinals. It will be the Pirates last home games prior to a 15 game road trip.

Pittsburgh entered the day clinging to a half game lead in the National League over the Giants and 1.5 games over the defending champion Dodgers.

In the top of the 1st, rookie starter Woody Fryman gave up a 2 out double to Orlando Cepada that put the Bucs in a 1 - 0 hole.

In the bottom of the 1st, they got it back. Roberto Clemente moved Matty Alou to 3rd on a single and Willie Stargell lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

Fryman locked down the Cards until the 6th inning when Orlando Cepeda provided the big hit again and put the Cards in front 2 - 1.

But yet again Lumber Company founders, Clemente and Stargell rapped hits and the Pirates tied it back up at 2.

NOTE: It will not be until 1971 that the Pirates will be called “The Lumber Company.” But it is the consistent power hitting of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell that will lend itself to that unique nickname. And in 1966, the pair are already the backbone of the Bucs’ lineup.

The game remained tied at 2 all the way into the bottom of the 12th inning. After Fryman had been lifted for a pinch hitter in the 7th, relievers Pete Mikkelsen and Roy Face held the Cardinals to 1 hit in the 8th through 12th innings.

The Pirates came to the plate in the bottom of the 12th with the top of the order. And that meant most of the best batters in baseball in 1966.

The Pirates had 4 of the top 5 batters across the major leagues if you looked at the complete list of players in the weekly listings in the newspapers last Sunday. It was stunning to see that.

And the only one of the 5 who was not a Pirates player was Felipe Alou of the Braves, who is the brother of the Pirates’ leadoff batter, Matty Alou.

Matty Alou (batting .347) led off the last of the 12th with a single.

Gene Alley (batting .297) bunted him over to 2nd.

The Great One, Roberto Clemente, came to the plate next. He was 4 for 5 on the night, which increased his average to .329. It was his 2nd 4 hit game in less than 2 weeks. The Cardinals elected to walk Clemente.

Willie Stargell was up next. Stargell was 1 for 3 in the game to raise his average to .313. Stargell had already driven in both of the Pirates runs to reach 90 for the season. But Bucs’ manager Harry Walker decided to pinch hit Manny Mota for lefty hitting Willie Stargell because the Cardinals had brought in a lefty pitcher.

Manny Mota had come into the game tied for the best batting average in baseball with his teammate Matty Alou at .347, although Mota with just under 300 at bats was not technically eligible for the hitting crown. Mota had actually led all batters in the majors for most of the summer.

It’s really something when you have the leading batter in all of baseball on the bench for such situations.

Mota walked.

The bases were now loaded with 1 out for Bill Mazeroski, the man who hit one of the most famous home runs in World Series history to beat the Yankees in game 7 in 1960.

Charley Feeney of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, “Mazeroski then sent a fly to Curt Flood in medium center. Alou the speedster, raced home.”

Matty Alou was tagging up at 3rd base with the potential winning run. If Matty were to be out it would be an inning ending double play.

Cardinals’ center fielder Curt Flood made the throw to catcher Tim McCarver.

That’s all-star to all-star.

Feeney wrote, “Flood fired on one hop” to McCarver.

Tim McCarver had lined himself a few steps up the 3rd base side to block Alou’s path to home. That forced Matty Alou to run wide right around McCarver. Alou got some help. Neal Russo of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, “Alou was elbowed off the plate,” by McCarver as he ran past.

After racing past McCarver, Matty Alou was slightly behind home plate as McCarver grabbed the ball. And McCarver, now ball in hand, was a little in front of home plate.

Both men dove for home.

The picture below shows the play.

Matty Alou reached home plate 1st with the winning run. The Pirates were 3 - 2 victors.

This is as thrilling as it gets in pennant races.

With the win, The Bucs increased their lead in the National League to 1.5 games.

But there’s a new 2nd place team.

The Giants had sent Juan Marichal to the mound at Candlestick. Marichal entered the game with a 21 - 5 record. He is widely considered the 2nd best pitcher in baseball after Sandy Koufax, here in 1966. But Marichal lost 6 - 0 to the Cubs, who wisely walked Willie Mays 3 times.

In L.A., 8 year veteran pitcher Claude Osteen, who had missed his last start with a groin pull, pitched one of the best games of his career. Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Three dinky infield singles were all that stood between Claude Osteen and a perfect game.” The Dodgers beat the Astros 7 - 0.

The Dodgers win combined with the Giants loss put the Dodgers percentage points ahead of the Giants for 2nd place. Both teams are 1.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

My gosh, this is a great pennant race!

The Sports Time Traveler will continue following the thrilling 1966 National League pennant race.

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Before Babe Ruth became a full time hitter, he was the best left-handed pitcher in the American League.

Walter Johnson was the best right-handed pitcher in the American League and arguably the greatest pitcher of all time.

Two decades later, these 2 men later were among the 5 inaugural players selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

On August 15, 1916, Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson faced off against each other in Fenway Park.

Looking back from 110 years later, it was a real life fantasy pitching duel - The Bambino vs. The Big Train.

And it was a thriller. T.H. Murnane, of the Boston Globe, began his story the next day with this, “By all odds the most interesting baseball game played at Fenway Park this year.”

I have just returned from my virtual trip to Boston in August, 1916 to experience it. Here’s my story.

FENWAY PARK, BOSTON - Wednesday, August 16, 1916

The attendance was listed at just 5,467 here at Fenway Park for yesterday afternoon’s game. What a shame so few fans were on hand. The weather was excellent, with a high of 77 degrees and no rain. And pitching were two of the best in baseball.

21-year-old Babe Ruth was on the mound for the Boston Red Sox.

And he was facing 28-year-old Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators (their official name is the Nationals).

Describing the competitors, in the Washington Post, Stanley Milliken wrote, “The great Walter Johnson, goliath of American League pitchers, faced his David in big Babe Ruth.”

Milliken referred to Ruth as “David” not just because Ruth was the younger pitcher facing the giant of his time, but because Ruth had already faced Johnson 3 times in his short career, and won all 3!

That’s astonishing when you consider that coming into yesterday’s game, Walter Johnson had a career record of 252 - 156 with 61 shutouts. While Ruth had a career record of just 35 - 18 with 6 shutouts.

Ruth, in his 3rd year, had not yet won 20 games in a season.

Johnson, in his 10th season, had already put up mind boggling numbers as a hurler:

- 55 scoreless innings in 1913.

- 7 consecutive seasons with an ERA under 2.00

- 36 wins in a single season

But Walter Johnson had never defeated Babe Ruth in 3 tries.

When he laced up his shoes yesterday afternoon, The Big Train must have been ready to put the Babe in his place. But it’s certain he was not out for vengeance. Johnson is considered to be the gentlest man in baseball. And he’s the ultimate role model. Yesterday’s Quincy Patriot newspaper outside of Boston, put this headline in the sports section, “Walter Johnson’s Only Vice Is That of Chewing Gum.”

Play Ball!

Game time was 3pm yesterday, and the Bambino sent the first pitch humming to the Senators’ 2nd baseman Ray Morgan. Ruth got Morgan and the next two batters to fly out, retiring the side in order the top of the 1st.

The first real scoring threat in the game came in the top of the 2nd, when Ruth had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. Shortstop George McBride came to the plate, a .218 hitter with just 1 home run on the season. He drove a ball to deep right field, but it was caught on the run by Harry Hooper for the final out.

In the bottom of the 3rd with 1 out, Johnson allowed a long hit by Ruth to right field that Sam Rice lost in the sun according to Paul H. Shannon of the Boston Post. Ruth wound up on 2nd as Rice was charged with an error. Ruth managed to reach 3rd base before Johnson got the final out.

Senators 0 - Red Sox 0 after 3 innings

Ruth was off to a good start and the Red Sox needed it. The defending World Series Champions were clinging to a 1.5 game lead in the American League pennant race. While the Washington Senators were mired in 7th place and going nowhere.

In the top of the 5th, Ruth got into trouble again when he gave up a leadoff double to Eddie Ainsmith, who entered the game batting .163. Milliken wrote, “Ainsmith almost knocked the ball over the left field fence.” He had to settle for a two-bagger. Ainsmith then took 3rd base on a sacrifice. But Ruth got 2 easy outs to retire the side.

Ruth had another dangerous moment in the 6th. With Sam Rice on 1st and 2 outs, Howie Shanks singled to short right-center. Rice tried to take 3rd base. T.H. Murnane described the play as Red Sox right fielder Harry Hooper tried to throw Rice out at 3rd, “Hooper’s throw got by (3rd baseman) Gardner and Rice kept on for home. On a quick recovery by Gardner, a perfect throw to (catcher) Thomas, Rice was nailed at the plate.”

Later in the same Boston Globe article, Murnane noted about the play, “When Hooper’s throw went by Gardner, Ruth made no attempt to back up. The ball bounded back from the fence.” It rebounded right back to Gardner who made the peg to the plate.

Ruth had survived the frame unscathed.

Senators 0 - Red Sox 0 after 6 innings

Ruth had faced trouble again and gotten out of it. And both pitchers proceeded to the 7th with a shutout intact.

The Babe was one of 5 strong starters for the Red Sox. 3 days ago the New York Tribune had celebrated the Red Sox starting corps with this composite picture of the quintet:

Meanwhile The Big Train was pitching superb with a stretch of 21 Red Sox batters faced without allowing a hit. The streak was broken in the top of the 7th when Larry Gardner singled and was stranded at 1st.

Ruth got through the 7th, 8th and 9th without allowing a runner past 1st base.

So, now came the bottom of the 9th, and an opportunity for the Red Sox and Ruth to win the game which was still tied at 0 - 0.

Johnson got 2 outs and then up came Larry Gardner. He whacked a triple and now the winning run was 90 feet from the plate. Chick Shorten was sent in to pinch hit for the shortstop, Everett Scott. He hit a weak grounder straight back to Johnson, and the game headed to extra innings tied a 0.

Ruth got into quick jam in the top of the 10th with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out. Walter Johnson stepped up to face Ruth. He hit a grounder to the shortstop Janvrin for an easy force out at 2nd. But the lead runner Ainsmith decided to make a daring dash for home. Again, a Senators player was out at the plate.

In the bottom of the 10th, Johnson made quick work of the Red Sox and the game moved on to the 11th tied at 0 - 0.

Senators 0 - Red Sox 0 after 11 innings

In the top half of the 11th, the 2nd batter, Clyde Milan singled and stole 2nd. But he got no further.

In the bottom of the 11th, it was The Big Train who got into trouble. A single, passed ball and a walk, put Red Sox runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Then Tillie Walker grounded to 2nd and the runners moved up. Once again, the Red Sox had the winning run standing on 3rd base. But Johnson got Larry Gardner on a grounder and the game entered the 12th inning.

Ruth had an easy time in the top of the 12th.

Johnson gave up a walk to Janvrin to start the bottom of the 12th. Janvrin moved to 2nd on Pinch Thomas’s bunt.

Now Babe Ruth came to the plate. A single could win the game for the Red Sox. Apparently Ruth was not thinking small ball. The Bambino blasted a Johnson pitch, “very deep,” to center field according to Milliken. Shannon in the Boston Post wrote, “Ruth’s fly went almost into the centre field seats.” Murnane in the Boston Globe described the play, “Ruth hit a long high fly within a few feet of the fence in front of the center field bleachers, but (the Senator’s center fielder) Milan, after a long sprint, pulled it down. It was one of the longest drives ever seen at the park.”

After that Harry Hooper hit a pop fly for out number 3.

Oh, how sweet, how poetic, would it have been for the Babe to win the game himself and defeat the Big Train for a 4th time in 4 tries.

The Boston Post was so enamored with Ruth’s near game winner, and the catch by Milan, that they ran this cartoon of the play at the top of the sports section on August 16th:

Senators 0 - Red Sox 0 after 12 innings

NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler

I interrupt this article to inform you that in 1916, the center field fence in Fenway Park stood at 488 feet from home plate. This was a truly Ruthian blast. And in any contemporary ball park the ball game would have ended right there with Ruth beating Johnson on a walk off homer like a Hollywood movie finish.

In 1934, the walls in Fenway were reconstructed and the maximum distance to center field was reduced to it’s present 420 feet, and the “Green Monster” in left field took on the form in which you see it today.

Now back to 1916.

Ruth had demonstrated his adeptness at the plate in this game. And it was no surprise. The Babe was batting .302 through the games of August 10th, and that was good enough for the Red Sox hurler to be among the top 10 batters in the American League:

Ruth came out to the mound for the top of the 13th in what was now the longest game he had ever pitched. The first batter was Walter Johnson, and Ruth got him to hit a pop fly for the 1st out.

Janvrin then made his 2nd error at shortstop and Ray Morgan was safe at 1st. At this point, the Babe balked. Murnane wrote about the balk, “The Boston players made a vigorous protest for Ruth was not on the rubber at the time.” It didn’t help, and now there was a Senator’s runner at 2nd with only 1 out.

Next Clyde Milan smashed a line drive to the right side. It was caught by Red Sox 1st baseman Clyde Hoblitzell. He then alertly whipped the ball to 2nd base and doubled up Morgan.

Ruth was out of another jam courtesy of yet one more defensive gem by a teammate.

In the bottom of the 13th, Jack Barry led off for the Red Sox and hit a bounding ball that went over the head of the Big Train. Johnson tried to snag the ball, but all he did was slow it down. Milliken wrote, “Had Johnson not interfered it would have given Foster an easy chance.” Instead the leadoff man was on base with an infield hit.

Johnson then struck out Duffly Lewis and got Hoblitzell to fly out to center. Next up was Tillie Walker who was 0 for 5 in the game. But he banged out a single and Jack Barry made it to 3rd base. Once again, the Red Sox had the winning run on 3rd base.

Next up was Larry Gardner, who already had 2 hits off Johnson. Murnane wrote, “The crowd gave the Vermonter a rousing cheer as he walked to the plate.”

On the 1st pitch, Gardner smacked the ball to center for his 3rd hit off Walter Johnson, and a Red Sox runner finally made it to home.

The game was over and Babe Ruth had defeated Walter Johnson for the 4th straight time as the Red Sox won it 1 - 0 in 13 innings.

Here was the cartoon depiction in today’s Boston Post of Gardner’s game winning hit:

Paul H. Shannon’s story was put on the front page of the Boston Post:

The top of the sports page in the Boston Post featured this cartoon overview of the the great pitcher’ duel:

Below is the box score of the game as it appeared in the New York Tribune.

Johnson had allowed just 7 hits in the 13 innings to Ruth’s 8.

But Ruth and the Red Sox defense had not yielded a single run, despite numerous scares.

The 13 inning 1 - 0 pitching duel between The Bambino and The Big Train has to rank among the greatest of all-time.

A DISCOVERY from The Sports Time Traveler

As I researched this game, I noticed something fascinating.

In Ruth’s game just prior to the 13 inning duel with Johnson, he had no earned runs in the last 3 and 1/3 innings he pitched.

That began a streak of 41 consecutive innings in which Babe Ruth did not allow an earned run, a streak which lasted until the end of August.

Ruth’s 41 consecutive innings without an earned run is not a record. But it does make Ruth one of the 23 pitchers in history to have recorded a streak of 40 or more consecutive innings with no earned runs.

Here are the details of Ruth’s streak:

Aug 12 1916 - no earned runs in last 3 and 1/3 innings pitched

Aug 15 1916 - no earned runs in 13 innings

Aug 19 1916 - no earned runs in 6 innings

Aug 23 1916 - no earned runs in 2 innings (relief)

Aug 24 1916 - no earned runs in 9 innings

Aug 29 1916 - no earned runs in 5 innings (relief - replaced Dutch Leonard with 1 out in the 1st)

Aug 31 1916 - no earned runs until 2 outs in the 3rd inning

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The Sports Time Traveler is following the 1966 baseball season exactly 60 years ago each day.

This week I experienced something special - one of the greatest displays of home run heroism ever. And it was by a name you might not expect. It wasn’t Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron or the other famous home run hitters of this era.

It was by Art Shamsky.

Here’s a picture of 24-year-oldArt Shamsky that appeared in the August 16, 1966 Cincinnati Post:

I now take you back now to 4 games that I followed this week in the newspaper archives in 1966.

As always, the dates in the bylines are when I read about the games in the newspaper archives. The actual games took place the prior day.

GAME 1 - Crosley Field, Cincinnati - August 13, 1966

Last night here in Crosley Field, the 1st place Pirates brought their Late Night Lightning show to Cincinnati. The Pirates are the best hitting team in baseball by a wide margin, and that’s why they came here in 1st place in the National League, 2 games ahead of the Giants and 3 in front of the defending World Series Champion Dodgers.

Going into the bottom of the 8th inning the Reds were down 8 - 7 to the powerful Pirates.

Reds’ manager Dave Bristol had inserted Art Shamsky into the game in left field in the top of the 8th. Shamsky took the pitcher’s spot in the batting order, so that he could come to the plate as the 3rd batter in the bottom of the 8th.

Art Shamsky is in his 2nd season. Even though Art came into the game hitting just .224, he has power. Art hit 92 homers in 5 seasons in the minors, including 25 for the old San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League in 1964.

And playing part-time this season, Art already has 12 home runs in just 151 at bats. But he hasn’t launched one out in nearly month, since he homered in both ends of a doubleheader back on July 14th.

With 1 man on and 1 out, Art Shamsky stepped in against Al McBean in a crucial situation with Reds down a run. McBean was one of the top relief pitchers in baseball the prior two seasons with an ERA just a shade over 2, and 40 saves across 1964 and 1965.

Shamsky slugged an Al McBean pitch over the right field wall for a 2-run homer to put the Reds up 8 - 7.

But the Pirates tied the game in the top of the 9th on a Jerry Lynch homer.

At 8 - 8, the game went to extra innings.

Willie Stargell homered in the top of the 10th to put the Bucs up 9 - 8.

The Pirates had Roy Face pitching at this point. Face was a great reliever. He had led the National League in saves in 1958, 1961 and 1962, and was having another strong season in 1966. He entered the game with a 2.54 ERA and 16 saves. He was primed for save number 17 after he had struck out the side in the 9th inning and struck out the Reds’ leadoff batter, Johnny Edwards to start the 10th.

Now 2 outs away from saving the game, and having struck out the last 4 Reds’ batters, Art Shamsky stepped in against Roy Face. Shamsky blasted his 2nd homer of the game to tie it up at 9, and the game continued on to the 11th inning.

The Pirates scored twice in the top of the 11th, and were in a strong position to wrap up the victory with Face still pitching.

In the bottom of the 11th, Face got 2 outs and then issued a walk.

The next batter was Art Shamsky.

Pirates’ manager Harry Walker decided to take Face out and have Billy O’Dell, a lefty, pitch to the lefty hitting Art Shamsky.

The strategy didn’t work. Shamsky smashed another homer, his 3rd of the game, and it tied the game at 11 in the 11th inning.

Now it was up to the Reds’ pitchers to stop the Pirates late night lightning. That was too tall a task. The Pirates scored 3 times in the top of the 13th.

Art Shamsky never had a chance to come up again.

The final score was Pittsburgh 14 - Cincinnati 11.

Even though the Pirates were the victors, Art Shamsky’s 3 home run performance for the Reds was so majestic that the Pittsburgh Press, adorned the top of the sports section with this photo of Art being greeted at home plate by his teammates after one of the 3 homers:

Pete Rose was so impressed by Art Shamsky’s performance at the plate that he told this to Earl Lawson in this morning’s Cincinnati Post (8/13/1966):

Three times Art Shamsky had come up, late in the game, in the 8th, in the 10th and 11th, and all three times he either put the Reds ahead or tied the game, when it was absolutely needed.

Yet, because the Reds lost, Art Shamsky didn’t think of himself as a hero.

Lester J. Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote this:

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

I’ve come back to the present to inform you of two records which no newspaper mentioned at the time in 1966.

Art Shamsky became the only player in major league baseball history to hit 3 home runs in a game he didn’t start. That record has never been matched.

In addition, there were 11 home runs in the game, which set a new National League record and tied the major league record. That record has since been broken and stands at 13.

The Pirates won the “home run derby” 6 - 5. And in winning the game, the Pirates remained 2 games up on the Giants, but pulled 4 ahead of the defending World Series Champion Dodgers.

Now back to 1966.

GAME 2 - Crosley Field, Cincinnati - August 14, 1966

A day after Art Shamsky hit 3 dramatic home runs, each of which either put the Reds ahead or tied the game, he found himself sitting in the dugout for the entire game. With the Pirates starting rookie left-hander Woody Fryman, righty Deron Johnson got the start in left field.

It turns out there is someone who can shut down the Pirates late night lightning. Jim Maloney is one of the top starters in baseball here in 1966. Last year, in 1965, he pitched more no-hitters than Sandy Koufax (2 to 1). He came into last night’s game with a 12 - 4 record and a 2.71 ERA.

Maloney only allowed 2 hits in shutting out the Pirates 11 - 0.

GAME 3 - Crosley Field, Cincinnati - August 15, 1966

Last night the Pirates started righty pitcher Vern Law. And yet Reds’ manager Dave Bristol still started Deron Johnson in left field over Art Shamsky.

The game was scoreless until Manny Mota doubled in the top of the 7th to drive in a run and put the Pirates ahead 1 - 0.

In the bottom of the 7th, with a runner on base and 2 outs, and the catcher Johnny Edwards coming up, Bristol decided to have Art Shamsky pinch hit.

Bill Ford in the Cincinnati Enquirer described Art’s at bat:

Art Shamsky’s home run put the Reds up 2 - 1.

It was also a historic homer.

In 4 consecutive plate appearances, Art Shamsky had hit 4 home runs.

But once again, Reds’ pitchers couldn’t contain the Bucs hitting.

Manny Mota hit a 2-run homer in the 9th to put Pittsburgh ahead 4 - 2. And once again Art Shamsky never got another turn at bat.

Here was the headline of the sports section today in the August 15, 1966 Cincinnati Enquirer:

After the game, Art Shamsky told Earl Lawson of the Cincinnati post:

GAME 4 - DODGER STADIUM, LOS ANGELES - August 16, 1966

Last night the Cincinnati Reds visited Dodger Stadium to play the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers started lefty pitcher Claude Osteen. And that meant that Dave Bristol did not put Art Shamsky in the lineup again, even though Art had hit 4 home runs in his last 4 plate appearances.

In the top of the 8th inning, with the Reds down 4 - 2, Art was sent in as a pinch hitter to lead off.

Here’s how Earl Lawson described it in the Cincinnati Post:

Art had come through again, albeit with a single. And then Tommy Helms hit into a double play.

The home run streak was over. And the Reds lost the game 4 - 3.

But history had already been made by Art Shamsky.

Earl Lawson also reported in today’s Cincinnati Post that the Baseball Hall of Fame asked earlier in the day for Art Shamsky’s bat that he used to hit the 4th home run the day before.

Art Shamsky’s bat was to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

And after last night’s game Earl Lawson posted this quote from Art’s teammate, pitcher Sammy Ellis:

Art Shamsky may not have thought of himself as a hero, but he was recognized as one by teammates, sportswriters, and the Hall of Fame, for his home run heroics.

SPECIAL NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

I’ve come back to the present to inform you that sportswriters of the time in 1966, without access to the internet, were at a loss to properly assess the historic nature of Art Shamsky’s 4 home runs in 4 plate appearances.

Prior to Art Shamsky in 1966, only 7 players had ever hit 4 home runs in 4 consecutive plate appearances, and that list didn’t the #1 all-time HR leader Babe Ruth, #2 all-time Jimmie Foxx, or #3 all-time Willie Mays.

Here in 2026, the feat of 4 homers in 4 consecutive plate appearances has now been achieved 26 times.

But Art did something none of the other 25 did. Something totally unique. Something that qualifies for hero status.

The Hero Factor

Art Shamsky is the only player in major league baseball history to have 4 consecutive plate appearances in which he hit a home run to put his team in the lead or tie the game.

And even more astonishing is that all 4 of Art’s homers were late in the game (7th inning or later), meaning they were all in “hero time,” when the team truly needed those home runs.

Players to hit 4 home runs in 4 consecutive plate appearances:

Bobby Lowe - May 30, 1894

Lou Gehrig - June 3, 1932

Jimmie Foxx - June 7–8, 1933

Ralph Kiner - September 11 - 13, 1949

Rocky Colavito - June 10, 1959

Johnny Blanchard - July 21, 22 & 26, 1961

Mickey Mantle - July 4 - 6, 1962

Art Shamsky - August 12 & 14, 1966

Mike Epstein - June 15–16, 1971

Deron Johnson - July 10–11, 1971

Mike Schmidt - April 17, 1976

Mike Schmidt - July 6–7, 1979

Larry Herndon - May 16 & 18, 1982

Bo Jackson - July 17 & August 26, 1990

Manny Ramirez - September 15–16, 1998

Mike Cameron - May 2, 2002

Shawn Green - June 14–15, 2002

Troy Glaus - September 15–16, 2002

Carlos Delgado - September 25, 2003

Albert Pujols - April 16–17, 2006

Carlos González - May 30–31, 2012

Scooter Gennett - June 6, 2017

J.D. Martinez - September 4, 2017

José Abreu - August 22–23, 2020

José Altuve - September 4–5, 2023

Eugenio Suárez - April 26, 2025

Players to come to the plate 4 consecutive times and hit a home run to tie the game or put their team in the lead:

Art Shamsky - August 12 & 14, 1966

There is only one player in major league baseball history on that last list.

That qualifies as perhaps the greatest display of home run heroics.

QUOTE FROM ART SHAMSKY

Following the publication of this article last week, I was honored to receive this quote from Art Shamsky himself:

“Being part of ‘69 Miracle Mets and the home run record in Cincinnati in 1966 are two of the biggest highlights of my baseball career. Today fans still want to talk with me about both of those feats.”

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If you go to the Pasadena, California City Hall building you will find the two imposing 9 foot statues pictured below.

The one on the left bears the image of Jackie Robinson and is facing toward the northeast in the direction of Brooklyn where he became world famous for breaking the color barrier in baseball in 1947, and leading the Dodgers to 6 pennants, and a World Series championship in 1955.

The one on the right faces the city hall building and honors Jackie’s older brother, Mack Robinson.

Wait! Mack Robinson? Who’s that?

In this article you will find out.

BERLIN OLYMPIC STADIUM - August 6, 1936

I’m here virtually in Berlin 90 years ago to experience the track & field events at the 1936 Olympics.

NOTE From the Present:

It’s a strange thing taking a virtual trip to Nazi Germany.

I feel compelled to note that on this virtual trip I’m covering the sports that took place in the Berlin Olympics, and not commenting on the atrocities that occurred in Nazi Germany in the coming years. But I will address that in the postscript.

Now back to 1936.

"Yesterday” was the big day in Mack Robinson’s life.

But before we get to yesterday, I need to share a little background.

Here in 1936, Jackie Robinson, at age 17, is a superstar multi-sport high school athlete.

Jackie lettered this year in baseball, basketball, football and track, and outside of school he was a champion junior tennis player too!

In April, 1936, Jackie stole home twice during the Pomona baseball tournament and was selected for the all-tournament team along with Ted Williams.

But despite all that, here in 1936, Jackie is NOT the biggest star athlete in his family. He is a distant 2nd to his older brother Mack.

Mack Robinson, who turned 22 a few weeks ago, is the most famous athlete in the Robinson household in Pasadena, California. And newspapers haven’t been shy about letting readers know it, as you can see in the clipping below from the Pasadena Star-News on April 18, 1936, which reported on Jackie Robinson winning the broad jump in the Southern California high school championship:

Meet Mack Robinson

Mack Robinson rose to fame by winning the California High School 100 yard dash championship in 1934. And this spring, in 1936, he was a star on the Pasadena Junior College track team.

But it wasn’t until the end of June, that Mack Robinson rose to national prominence for the first time. He did so with a bang by breaking the unofficial world record in the 200 meters on a curve with a time 21.1 seconds in the Far Western Olympic Trials Qualifying Track Meet in the Los Angeles Coliseum. His time was 0.1 seconds faster than Eddie Tolan’s gold medal winning performance in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics on the very same track.

Here is how it was reported in the June 28, 1936, New York Times:

NOTE From The Present: It was an unofficial world record because prior to 1951 there were no official records for the 200 meters on a curve (half a lap on a 400 meter track). This was in spite of the fact that the 200 meters on a curve was a standard event in the Olympics since 1900.

Now back again to 1936.

While Mack Robinson was now a world record holder (albeit unofficial), one other track star had run the same time of 21.1 seconds for the nearly identical distance, the 220 yard dash on a curve. That man was the world’s most famous track athlete - Jesse Owens.

Jesse Owens had catapulted to celebrity status the year prior when in a 45 minute stretch on May 25, 1935, running for Ohio State University in the Big 10 Championship Track Meet, he had set 3 world records and tied a 4th in just 45 minutes.

Now in 1936, just a month before Mack’s 21.1 in the 200 meters, Owens clocked his 21.1 in the 220 yard dash at the 1936 Big 10 Championship.

And this set up a showdown at the United States Olympic Trials in New York City on July 12th.

In the 200 meter final at the Olympic Trials, The New York Times reported that, “as the field hit the straightaway (Ralph) Metcalfe was ahead. Then… Mack Robinson… galloped past him. But in the last forty yards a vivid streak of scarlet came bounding out of the field to win by two feet.”

Jesse Owens was wearing the scarlet and gray uniform of Ohio State. He won the 200 meter trial in a new unofficial world record of 21.0. Mack Robinson took 2nd in a time of 21.2.

The Pasadena Post ran this photo of the finish showing just how close it was. Mack is on the far left with the “P” for Pasadena Junior College. While Owens on the far right is in the Ohio tank top.

Mack Robinson had made the Olympic team! And he had nearly beaten Jesse Owens. Together they would be headed out of New York City on an ocean liner with the rest of the USA team headed to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics

A very happy Mack Robinson was pictured with Jesse Owens after the race in the Afro-American, a Baltimore newspaper on July 18th.

Mack’s Shoes Aren’t Fit

When Mack arrived in Berlin he had a problem. He couldn’t afford to buy a new pair of spikes. His spikes were old and worn out. They were the same spikes he had worn during the 1935 track season. And none of the coaches helped Mack Robinson get a new pair of spikes.

NOTE From the Sports Time Traveler

I have once again come back to the present to share with you an article I found in The New York Daily News on February 23, 1997, in which an 83 year old Mack Robinson recalled the 1936 Olympics, “I had to run in the same old shoes I’d worn in JC meets (Pasadena Junior College) The spikes were barely nubs.”

Jesse Shoes are State of the Art

Meanwhile, Jesse Owens, who experienced the type of fanfare in Berlin consistent with his worldwide celebrity status, received a gift of a prototype pair of ultra lightweight spikes from the future founder of Adidas, Adi Dassler, shortly after his arrival in Berlin. Although there is no newspaper accounts of the gift at the time it was made in 1936, there is plenty of evidence to support the story’s truth. One of the shoes is actually on display at the Olympics Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland:

Jesse Owens's shoe worn in the 1936 Olympics

Further corroboration of the story comes directly from Adidas. This article about Adi Dassler appeared in the May 26, 1973 Cincinnati Enquirer:

Jesse Owens had a substantial advantage over Mack Robinson regarding footwear. And on the old style cinder track used in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, this was a major benefit for Owens.

Now back again to 1936.

The Heats and Quarterfinals on August 4th

Jesse Owens won heat number 3 in the 1st round by nearly 5 meters, and in doing so broke the Olympic record and tied Robinson’s unofficial world record with a time of 21.1 seconds.

Mack Robinson, running in the 8th and final 1st round heat, won by nearly 5.5 meters in a 21.6 seconds.

In the quarter-finals, Owens again drew the 3rd heat, and he won it with another 21.1 seconds, again tying the unofficial world record first set by Robinson in Los Angeles in June, and winning by over 6 meters, an extraordinary gap.

In the 4th and last quarter-final heat, Mack Robinson ran 21.2 to tie the old Olympic record set by Eddie Tolan in the 1932 Olympics. Robinson just barely beat Martinus Osendarp of the Netherlands. Osendarp had won the bronze medal in the 100 meter dash the prior day.

The Semi-Finals - 3pm on August 5th

Running in the 1st of the 2 semi-final races, Mack Robinson won his 3rd consecutive race in Berlin, by 2 meters over Lee Orr of Canada. Robinson’s time equaled his world record of 21.1, and matching what Owens had run the prior day.

In the 2nd semi-final, Owens also won by 2 meters, over Martinus Osendarp, but in a slower time of 21.3.

This set up a fascinating final.

The Final - 6pm on August 5th

You can watch the final on YouTube starting at the 2:22 mark on the tape at this link:

Jesse Owens was in lane 3. Mack Robinson is just to Owens’s right in lane 4.

Charles Paddock, a resident of Pasadena, and the greatest American sprinter of the 1920s, was in the Olympic stadium covering track and field events. He wrote in the Pasadena Star News the day after the race, on August 6, “Robinson was off to a wretched start and almost stumbled as he went into the turn. The Pasadena boy did not find himself until he hit the straightaway.”

Paddock also authored an article in the August 6, 1936, Long Beach Sun, in which he wrote this about the start of the 200 meter final, “As the six got away, Robinson’s back hole broke, ruining his start. In spite of that handicap, he still had a fighting chance, and was just coming into his own in the middle of the turn. Then his spiked shoe caught a soft spot in the track, snapping his head back and breaking his form. Precious seconds passed before Robinson was hitting his stride perfectly again.”

Robinson race gamely to the finish line, but he trailed Jesse Owens by about 3 meters.

Jesse Owens took the gold medal in a new Olympic record and unofficial world record time of 20.7 seconds. It was the first time anyone had ever broken 21 seconds for the 200 meters on a curve.

Mack Robinson took the silver medal in 21.1 seconds, equaling his old unofficial world record time for the 2nd time in the day.

Martinus Osendarp won bronze in 21.3 seconds.

And thus, in their only two head-to-head races, in the finals of the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games themselves, Jesse Owens had defeated Mack Robinson. And it took a world record by Owens both times to do it.

Charles Paddock summarized what happened to Mack Robinson, “A soft spot in the track… cost him the race and his name in the Olympics becomes for all time to come forgotten… If he had gotten off to a good start and run the turn in his accustomed manner, Owens in all probability would not have garnered his third Olympic crown.”

Charles Paddock was highly regarded in the world of track and field, and once considered the world’s fastest human. He was an American hero, winner of the gold medal in the 100 meters in the 1920 Olympics, and winner of the silver medal in the 200 meters in both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. And he was a first hand witness to the race. I have to trust Paddock’s account of the race.

On the tape, the start for Mack Robinson looks clean to me, but the tape is fuzzy. And there are several seconds on the turn where we can’t see Robinson at all.

As a result, I can’t dispute Charles Paddock’s account of the race.

And the known facts are that Robinson was running in old shoes, with worn out spikes, while Owens was wearing possibly the most advanced track shoes ever created up to that time.

The headlines in America’s newspapers on August 6 all belonged to Jesse Owens, for in capturing the 200 meters he had not only set a new world record, and blasted the 20 second barrier, he had also taken home his 3rd individual gold medal of the 1936 Olympics, solidifying his legacy for all-time.

Here was how the great New York Daily News sportswriter Paul Gallico started his article:

The front page article in the New York Times celebrated Jesse Owens and made no mention of Mack Robinson:

Even the Los Angeles Daily News, in the same metropolitan area as Robinson’s home town of Pasadena, didn’t include the name Mack Robinson, now the 2nd fastest man ever in the 200 meters, in the opening paragraphs of their front page article:

POSTSCRIPT 1 - Homecoming and Record Setting

Mack Robinson returned home to Pasadena on September 7, 1936 to some fanfare.

Below is his picture on the front page of the September 8, 1936 Pasadena Star-News.

The first paragraph of the article notes that the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to him at their Fellowship Luncheon. Mack sat next to his coach at Pasadena Junior College during the luncheon.

But there was little else after that in terms of homecoming celebration.

The next spring he resumed his track career at Pasadena Junior College and set national set national junior college records in 3 events:

• 9.6 seconds for the 100 yard dash

• 20.9 seconds for the 220 yard dash

• 25 feet 5.5 inches in the long jump

In the Fall of 1937, Mack went to the University of Oregon on a scholarship. Running for Oregon, he won the NCAA and the AAU National 220 yard championships in 1938.

Hard Times for Mack

After 1938, Mack never ran at a high level again. He married in 1938, and had children in 1939 and 1940. Needing to support his family, he had to take odd jobs involving heavy manual labor.

And the name Mack Robinson as an athlete began to fade into oblivion.

Mack’s Track Legacy

His national junior college 100 yard dash record stood for 15 years until 1953.

His 200 yard dash record stood for 20 years until 1958.

But his long jump record lasted only a single year.

In 1938, Mack’s younger brother, Jackie Robinson, now 19 years old, and attending Pasadena Junior College, jumped 25 feet and 6.5 inches, 1 inch farther than Mack, to set the new national junior college record.

Jackie’s record stood for 18 years until 1956, the year he retired from baseball.

It is a little known fact, that Jackie Robinson’s leap of 25 feet 6.5 inches was the longest jump in the world in 1938.

The Rise of Jackie Robinson

The same month in 1938 that Jackie had his world best long jump leap, he was named the baseball MVP for all Southern California Junior Colleges.

The baseball accolade, not the record long jump, inspired sports columnist, Bob Foote of the Pasadena Star-News on May 2, 1938, to write this in his column titled, Foote Loose:

And so this was the beginning of Jackie surpassing his brother Mack as the star athlete of the Robinson family.

Later in that same Foote Loose article is one of the most incredible passages I’ve ever come across in terms of historical ironies:

“Now here is one of the tragedies of sports - if Jackie Robinson… were outstanding in almost any game except baseball, he could achieve national and perhaps world honors, but baseball bars members of his race. He is doomed in that sport to be more or less unheard of. Jackie is just about as good in football and may be the next Jesse Owens of the broad jump. So he need not despair.”

Isn’t that astonishing?

Jackie’s March to Fame

Unlike Mack, who had to support his own family, and thanks to the tireless work of his mother Mollie, who single handedly supported the family in Pasadena, Jackie Robinson was able to continue pursuing athletics in college.

In 1939, Jackie transferred to UCLA on an athletic scholarship. While at UCLA Jackie was a four sport star athlete playing baseball, basketball, football and track and field.

His greatest athletic achievement at UCLA was winning the NCAA championship in the long jump in 1940.

In 1942, Jackie was drafted and served until 1944.

In 1945, the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues offered Jackie the opportunity to play professional baseball. He hit .376 in 47 games and drew interest from major league executives interested in testing the color barrier in baseball.

The rest is history.

Jackie was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and started his celebrated career in the major leagues in 1947.

Mack Forever Second to Jesse and Jack

For the rest of his life Mack Robinson had to live with the knowledge that he was second to Jesse Owens in the Olympics and second to Jackie Robinson in athletic achievement in his own family.

I hope he took consolation in the fact that those were two of the biggest names in sports history. In ESPN’s rankings of the top North American athletes of the 20th century, Jesse Owens was #6 and Jackie Robinson was #15.

POSTSCRIPT 2 - My Trip to the Berlin Olympic Stadium

As a lifelong track athlete and Olympics history fan, I was intrigued at a young age about Jesse Owens, Mack Robinson and the other sprinters on the American team at the 1936 Olympics. So when I was backpacking through Europe in 1983, I convinced the group of friends I was with to visit the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

At the time, the stadium looked almost exactly as it did in the videos I had seen of the 1936 Olympics.

We were there on a cold day in December, and we were the only ones there.

It was surreal. We were able to just walk anywhere we wanted and explore the massive stadium. In the picture below, I pretend to be lighting the Olympic flame.

It was an eerie visit. And the fact that it was deserted made it even stranger.

The athletes in 1936 could not conceive of the dark times and atrocities to come in Nazi Germany. But my group of friends were painfully aware, and had already visited a concentration camp.

This trip to the Berlin Olympic Stadium was our way of paying tribute to the American athletes from 1936. Although America did not enter the war until 1941, the American track athletes in essence struck the first victory for America in WWII by destroying the Nazi myth of Aryan supremacy.

FINAL NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

In the beginning of this article I mentioned that Jackie Robinson was named to a high school all star baseball team when he stole home twice in a tournament in 1936.

Stealing home is one of the most unique, daring and dramatic occurrences in baseball.

19 years later, in game 1 of the 1955 World Series, Jackie stole home in one of the most thrilling moments of that series.

It’s the only time in the last 105 years that a player stole home in the World Series (that was not part of a double steal).

In another little known fact, Jackie Robinson is the baseball leader in total steals of home over the past 100 years with 19.

I tell the story about Jackie Robinson’s steal of home in the 1955 World Series in my new book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM.

You can find THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM on Amazon or get a personalized, autographed copy on ETSY at these links:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07JCC1Q7H/allbooks

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SportsTimeTravelerUS

Please share feedback on this article. I try to respond to all comments.

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• HONOR - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown has accepted my book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM, into the Museum Library Collection.
  

• DISCOVERY - I have “discovered” a record set by Sandy Koufax in his rookie season, in 1955, that no one else has reported on since the day it happened.

HONOR - THE HALL OF FAME ASKS FOR MY BOOK

Three weeks ago, on July 15th at 3:33pm, an email came into my inbox from Cassidy Lent, the Museum Library Director for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

The email referenced my new book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM, in the subject line.

The body of the email contained this line, “We’d love a copy for the Library collection.”

Wow! I got chills reading that.

The timing was amazing. I had a friend who had recently informed me that he was headed to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies taking place on July 26th.

My friend is Dr. Ron Elinoff, the biggest Dodgers fan I know, and one of the few people I know personally, besides my dad, who actually attended games in Ebbets Field. He also attended World Series games last year in Dodgers stadium, sitting within shouting distance of Sandy Koufax.

Dr. Elinoff was a contributor to my book. He reviewed many of the chapters as I was writing the manuscript. And his enthusiasm for the project provided important inspiration to me as I wrote the majority of the book while I was recovering from open heart surgery. I wrote the book as a tribute to my dad. But I was also constantly thinking about Dr. Elinoff as I penned many lines. And I often emailed him to share a discovery (like the one coming later in this post).

I couldn’t think of a better way to do something special for Dr. Elinoff than to ask him to personally present the book to the Baseball Hall of Fame while he was in Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

I was able to arrange for this special presentation to take place the day after induction ceremonies.

In the picture below, the book is being presented to the Museum Library Director, Cassidy Lent (wearing green jacket). The presenter is Dr. Ron Elinoff (in Brooklyn Dodgers outfit).

When Dr. Elinoff sent me the picture I was far more thrilled for him than I was for myself.

And now I’d like to share with you one of the many fascinating “discoveries” I made about the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers during my research on the book.

“DISCOVERY” - IN A KOUFAX 1955 ROOKIE YEAR GAME

I put “Discovery” in quotes because I didn’t actually discover it, rather I uncovered it. It’s been sitting in the newspaper archives of the New York Daily News for 71 years. But no one else has ever reported on it.

Last year, on August 26, 2025, as I was conducting my daily archive searches to read about the Brooklyn Dodgers game against the Cincinnati Reds that took place the night before, 70 years earlier, on August 25, 1955, I came across something astonishing.

Sandy Koufax was called into the game by Walter Alston for mop up duty in the top of the 9th after the Reds had taken an 8 - 3 lead. There were runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs.

Koufax was a 19-year-old rookie. He had not pitched in more than a month. And he had only appeared in 5 games for a total of less than 11 innings all season.

Now he had to face one of the most dangerous hitters in the National League, Gus Bell, who had 23 HRs / 80 RBI’s / .306 Average.

Koufax got Bell to swing and miss 3 straight times.

Next up was Matt Batts. Although never a star player, Batts was having one of the best batting stretches of his 10 year career, batting .300 for the past month.

Koufax got Batts to swing and miss 3 straight times.

With 2 outs, Rocky Bridges came to the plate. Bridges was having the best season of his career and entered the game hitting .315 on the year.

Koufax got Bridges to swing and miss at the first 2 pitches. Then Bridges managed a short fly to the 1st baseman for the final out of the inning.

Only one sportswriter who covered the game bothered to mention the next day that Sandy Koufax had thrown 8 consecutives swinging strikes. Dick Young mentioned it in his article on the New York Daily News on August 26, 1955.

8 Consecutive Swinging Strikes

I have done quite a bit of research on this and I have found only one other instance that is documented of a pitcher throwing 8 consecutive swinging strikes. That occurred June 12, 2002, when Brian Lawrence of the Padres did it.

It is possible that it may have been done prior to Koufax, in the dead ball era, perhaps by Walter Johnson, Cy Young or Christy Mathewson. But as far as what I have found documented, Sandy Koufax is the 1st pitcher in MLB history to throw 8 consecutive swinging strikes.

What makes this even more shocking is that Koufax did it in an era when strikeouts, and therefore swinging strikes, were far harder for a pitcher to get.

In 1955, across the major leagues, there was 1 strikeout for every 7.75 at bats.

In 2025, there was 1 strikeout for every 4.03 bats.

So it was approximately twice as hard in 1955 to achieve what Koufax did than it is today.

In addition, Koufax didn’t achieve the 8 consecutive swinging strikes against poor hitters. Collectively, the 3 batters Koufax faced averaged 1 strikeout for every 9.80 at bats. And Gus Bell only struck out 1 time for every 10.75 at bats in 1955.

In contrast, Brian Lawrence in 2002, faced 3 poor hitters when he ran off 8 consecutive swinging strikes. None of the 3 batters Lawrence faced were hitting over .250 and one was batting under .200.

MORE ABOUT KOUFAX’S ROOKIE YEAR

You can read much more about Sandy Koufax’s rookie year, including a sensational start he had just 2 days later, in my new book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM.

You can find THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM on Amazon or get a personalized, autographed copy on ETSY at these links:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07JCC1Q7H/allbooks

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SportsTimeTravelerUS

Please share feedback on this article. I try to respond to all comments.

Leave a comment

The Sports Time Traveler is back from a trip to Southport England in the summer of ‘76 to experience the 105th playing of the British Open.

This is the 5th time the British Open has been played here in 22 years.

Every time the winner has been one of the biggest names in the game:

1954 Peter Thomson (first of his 5 British Opens)
1961 Arnold Palmer
1965 Peter Thomson (last of his 5 British Opens)
1971 Lee Trevino

ROUNDS 1 & 2

Midway through the second day, 29-year-old Johnny Miller, the hottest player on the planet since he won the 1973 U.S. Open in spectacular fashion with a major final round record of 63, was in 1st place in the 1976 British Open with a 4 under 140.

But still out on the course was a youngster, a babe of just 19 years and 3 months of age, playing in his first major. His name - Seve Ballesteros.

Seve qualified for the 1976 British Open by winning the Continental Order of Merit as the top pro golfer in continental Europe in 1975 (that’s all of Europe except the UK).

That sounds like a big deal until you find out that yesterday Ballesteros was the only Continental European to make the cut!

Seve won the Continental Order of Merit even though he didn’t actually win a single European PGA TOUR event in 1975.

In fact, Seve has never won a pro tournament outside of his native Spain.

And yet, here at Royal Birkdale, on one of the grandest stages of golf, where only the big names have ever won, a teenager, Seve Ballesteros, finished the day on top of a stellar leaderboard by 2 shots midway through the British Open.

Seve did it in spectacular fashion. On the back 9, which contains all four of the par 5 holes on the course, Seve reached the green in 2 strokes on 3 of them, and he birdied all 4. He narrowly missed eagle putts on 2 of them. And that helped him to a 69 for the 2nd straight day to reach halfway at -6.

The Western Daily Press in Bristol, England published this picture of Seve holding up 6 fingers to denote his -6 score after 36 holes under the headline “Teenaged Super Star”:

Was Seve feeling the pressure of leading a major after 2 rounds?

John S. Radosta in the New York Times wrote:

Here were the scores for the Babe, Seve, and the big name players in the field after 2 rounds:

-6 Seve Ballesteros
-4 Johnny Miller
-2 Hubie Green (NOTE: the future 1977 U.S. Open winner)
-1 Ray Floyd
E Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Jerry Pate (1976 U.S. Open winner)
+1 Tom Weiskopf
+3 Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson

Another Babe

The Daily Telegraph’s John Campbell reported on another even younger babe out on the course in the 2nd round. 18 year old Nick Faldo, who qualified to be here based on his victory in the 1975 English Amateur Championship, shot a 78 on the first day and seemed destined for an early exit. But Faldo caught fire in round 2.

Faldo shot a 71, better than all but 14 other players in the 2nd round, to give him a 2 day score of +5 149.

18 year old Nick Faldo was just 2 shots behind The King, Arnold Palmer.

And that was good enough for Nick Faldo to make the cut in his very first major championship!

ROUND 3

Wind and rain made for miserable conditions in the 3rd round. So it was no surprise to anyone that the 19-year-old Babe, Seve Ballesteros, playing in the final group with Johnny Miller, got off to a horrid start bogeying 4 of the 1st 7 holes.

But then Seve steadied his game, made many par saving putts, and an eagle on 17, that propelled him to a 1 over par 73. And that equaled Johnny Miller’s score for the day.

Miller after 18 playing holes with Seve, told Radosta, “He can win it. I’m telling you, he takes a cut at the ball and just rips it.”

But Jack Nicklaus had a better round than both Ballesteros and Miller, shooting a 72 and the Golden Bear could smell his 15th major win as he told Radosta, “I’m not far back and there aren’t many players in front of me.”

No Foldo for Faldo

The other babe in the British Open, 18 year old Nick Faldo, managed a 76 in the poor playing conditions in the 3rd round action. And that was good enough to make the 3rd round cut that they have here at the British Open. In fact, Faldo’s 3 round score put him tied with British golfing legend Tony Jacklin.

Notably missing the 3rd round cut was last year’s champion, Tom Watson.

Imagine that, Nick Faldo, age 18, in his 1st major made the 3rd round cut while the defending British Open Champion, Tom Watson, did not.

Here were the scores for the Babes and the big name players after 3 rounds:

-5 Seve Ballesteros
-3 Johnny Miller
E Jack Nicklaus and Ray Floyd
+4 Hubert Green
+5 Tom Weiskopf
+7 Arnold Palmer and Gary Player
+10 Nick Faldo and Tony Jacklin

The Final Round

You can experience the highlights of the final round of the 1976 British Open as I did by watching this YouTube video:

1976 British Open Highlights

I have noted the time stamps on the tape for the key moments:

23:30 - The preview for the final round, asking “Can Ballesteros possibly make it?”

24:56 - After a wild hooked shot on the 1st tee, Seve has a 20 footer for par. He cans it! Then Miller misses a 4-footer and takes bogey.

Seve suddenly leads by 3 shots!

26:20 - Nicklaus, after a birdie at 3, hits his tee shot on the 206 yard par 3 4th to within 10 feet.

27:15 - Nicklaus putts for birdie, and it rolls in!

Jack pulls even with Johnny at - 2, just 3 shots back of Seve.

28:25 - Miller’s 2nd shot on the par 4 2nd hole lands inside 10 feet from the pin.

29:20 - Seve misses his par putt at 2, while Miller makes the bird.

It’s a 2 stroke swing and now Seve’s lead is down to 1 shot over Miller and just 2 over Nicklaus and Floyd.

29:52 - We see the leaderboard:

30:58 - Nicklaus is in deep trouble on the 6th hole and takes a double bogey

33:27 - With Seve and Johnny thru 4 holes in the final round we see the leaderboard again following Jack’s double:

34:00 - Seve has an impossible shot from inside a bush on the 6th hole. He makes a double bogey, while Miller pars and the lead changes hands.

37:50 - Ray Floyd makes a long birdie putt on 9 and then we see the leaderboard again:

Stay with the tape now as we next see Seve in trouble at the 8th, while Johnny Miller has hit his approach shot to inside 2 feet.

Miller is looking like he does when he plays in Phoenix, drilling irons dead on the pin.

It’s another 2 shot swing as Seve bogeys and Miller birdies.

Johnny Miller now leads by 3 shots over Seve and Ray Floyd, and 4 shots over Nicklaus, with 10 holes remaining.

42:15 - Miller chips from off the green after coming up just shy of the green in 2 on the par 5 13th.

Miller chips it in for an eagle!

43:33 - We see the leaderboard after Miller and Ballesteros have finished 16 holes. Johnny is now in front by 5 shots. Seve is 7 back.

46:22 - Seve is on the par 5 17th in 2, and makes the 25 foot eagle putt!

48:05 - Miller hits his approach into the 18th hole high and raises his arms in the air. His iron shot clinic is now complete. Victory is assured.

49:30 - With the tournament already decided, Seve hits a gem of a chip on the last hole and receives a huge ovation.

50:00 - Miller has an eagle putt to set the course record of 65. He misses but has wrapped up the British Open. His 66 is the lowest ever final round score by the winner of a British Open up to this time.

Johnny Miller now holds the lowest final round scores for the winner in both the U.S. Open and the British Open.

50:50 - Seve has a putt to tie Jack Nicklaus for 2nd place. He makes it. It is a historic finish. Seve becomes the youngest player ever to finish in 2nd place in the British Open.

NOTE: There was a teenager who won the British Open, but never came in 2nd. Young Tom Morris, won the British Opens in 1868 - 1870 as a 17, 18 and 19-year-old.

Miller Time!

Donald Steel of the London Daily Telegraph captured the essence of what took place in the early parts of the final round, after the 1st hole, as best as anyone who covered the tournament, when he wrote, “Miller wore down Ballesteros on the first six holes like some teasing matador.”

In winning, Johnny Miller went from 3 shots down after the 1st hole to 6 shots up at the end of the round, an astounding 9 shots gained over the last 17 holes.

John Radosta wrote in the New York Times, “Once Miller took the lead after the sixth hole there was no way anyone could catch him - he just took off.”

“I’m a heck of a front runner. If you put me in the lead, I play way over my head,” Miller told Radosta after the round.

Hugh McIlvanney of the London Observer wrote about Miller’s performance, “Miller attacked Birkdale and the hopes of his rivals as uncompromisingly as a flame-thrower.”

McIlvanney was also complimentary of the young Ballesteros’s spirited play in the face of his self imposed adversity, “The boy did not disintegrate entirely. Disasters were followed by brief, defiant surges… but there was no possibility that he could ever recapture the marvellous exuberance of those first three days of the championship when he led.”

The Babe, Ballesteros, had gone from a high point after the 1st hole of -5, all the way down to +2 after 11 holes, only to recover to -3.

Down the stretch Seve had gone 5 under on the final 7 holes, a truly magnificent finish.

The Other Babe

The only account of 18-year-old Nick Faldo’s final round that I could find was in the Liverpool Echo:

Faldo’s 69 was the 5th best score of the final round, equal to the final round score of Jack Nicklaus!

Faldo’s 3 under par performance on the last day enabled him to finish the tournament tied with Big 3 member Gary Player at +6 in 28th place. Player was the 1974 British Open Champion.

Not bad for a babe!

John Campbell of the London Daily Telegraph predicted future success for Faldo. Here are excerpts of the article he wrote:

Final Scores:

-9 Johnny Miller
-3 Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus
-2 Ray Floyd

No other players were under par. Here were some of the other big name players:

E Hubert Green
+4 Tom Weiskopf
+6 Nick Faldo and Gary Player
+10 Tony Jacklin
+12 Arnold Palmer

POSTSCRIPT

Seve Ballesteros went on to win 5 major championships, including 3 British Opens.

Ballesteros is the only Continental European ever to win more than 2 major championships.

Nick Faldo won 6 major championships in his career, including 3 British Opens.

Johnny Miller never won a major after the 1976 British Open.

While Miller won 25 times on the PGA TOUR, he finished his career with only 2 majors.

Miller’s amazing run between the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 British Open, came to an abrupt halt after his victory at Royal Birkdale. Not only did he not win another major. but he didn’t win another PGA Tournament until 1980, a dry spell of nearly 4 years, after he had won 16 times in that amazing 3 year stretch from 1973 - 1976. It is reported that Johnny Miller suffered from the “yips” and was unable to putt at the level required to win tournaments.

Johnny Miller himself had once been a “babe” like Ballesteros and Faldo were at the 1976 British Open. In the 1966 U.S. Open, 19-year-old Johnny Miller came in 8th place. You can read about that in a couple of articles I posted last month:

Look Who's At the 1966 U.S. Open

The 1966 U.S. Open - FINAL ROUND

FINAL NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

Back here in 2026, I watched this year’s final round coverage of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale last week.

NBC aired a segment about Arnold Palmer’s British Open victory at Royal Birkdale in 1961 early in the final round coverage. That whet my appetite for the type of in-depth 3 minute package that CBS aired last year to pay tribute to the 50 year anniversary of the “Shootout” at Augusta on the 50th anniversary of the historic 1975 Masters in which Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf and Jack Nicklaus had a three-way dual down the stretch.

Since Johnny Miller was a long time announcer on NBC, I just assumed that NBC would serve up a similarly delicious 3 minute trip to the past to re-live Johnny Miller’s great victory in the 1976 British Open. And show us this early glimpse of the brilliance of Seve Ballesteros.

But it never came!

I was shocked that NBC did not have a final round segment showcasing Johnny Miller’s victory precisely 50 years ago on this very same golf course.

It was a real miss.

And while I was delighted to see Ryan Fox add his name to the claret jug, my time watching the 2026 Open Championship felt incomplete without any reference to the 50th anniversary of that great tournament, at the same golf club, in 1976.

MORE GOLF STORIES

If you enjoyed this article you will love my book, GREAT GOLF TOURNAMENTS - VOLUME 1.

You can find the book on Amazon or get a personalized, autographed copy on ETSY at these links:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07JCC1Q7H/allbooks

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SportsTimeTravelerUS

Please share your feedback!

Leave a comment

The Sports Time Traveler is covering the 1966 baseball season day-by-day. And last night I was in Dodger Stadium virtually to experience the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I initially came back here to 1966 to follow Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays. But in the past couple of weeks some magical news has gripped me by teams and players I did not expect.

As I reported a couple of weeks ago, there was some incredible news about a stretch of games by Mickey Mantle at the beginning of July.

I “broke the news” (since it has never been previously reported) that Mickey Mantle set a home run record (that still stands in 2026) in which the Mick hit 3 homers in 3 consecutive plate appearances, TWICE, inside of one week. And this is Mantle in one of his final years in which he is a fraction of his superstar self from his heyday in 1952 - 1964.

Then I started noticing what the Pittsburgh Pirates are doing and I’ve become totally enchanted with them.

Here in 1966, no one calls them “The Lumber Company” yet. That’s coming with their 1971 World Series Championship team.

Here in 1966, there were modest expectations for the Pirates coming into the season. While they had won 90 games in 1965, the National League was dominated by the Giants and the Dodgers.

The Giants behind Willie Mays’s MVP season had won 95 games in 1965 and finished 2nd in the NL.

The Dodgers behind Sandy Koufax’s Cy Young award, won 97 games in ‘65, and captured the NL pennant and won the World Series.

At the outset of the 1966 season, the Pirates shot out to an 8 - 1 record, but then they slid badly, winning just 10 of their next 26 games to fall 6 games back at 18 - 17.

Then they exploded, going on a long stretch of 34 wins in 50 games (that’s 110 win pace) over the next 2 months. As the All-Star break began, after the games of July 10th, the Pirates were just 1 game behind the 1st place Giants, and 4 games in front of the defending World Champion Dodgers.

And they were doing it with hitting.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the top hitting team in baseball at the All-Star break by a wide margin.

Here were the leading hitting major league teams as of July 10, 1966:

.281 Pirates (NL)
.262 Orioles (AL)
.257 Phillies (NL)
.257 Dodgers (NL)
.254 Tigers (AL)
.253 Astros (NL)

No other teams were batting over .250.

This was the beginnings of THE LUMBER COMPANY, the dominance of the Pittsburg Pirates at the plate.

But even more astounding than the team batting averages, were the averages of their star players.

Take a look at this chart from July 10, 1966 of the leading hitters in each league:

Pirates players hold the top 4 spots in the National League.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

I interrupt this story to inform you that in my research, I have not found any other instance of a single team in modern major league history that had their players holding the top 4 spots in league batting after July 1st.

This story gets even better.

PIRATES WITH AN UNCONFIRMED MLB RECORD

My research also indicates that the 1966 Pirates are the only team to ever have all 3 starting outfielders after July 1, in any season, to have the 3 best batting averages in ALL major league baseball.

On July 14, 1966, all 3 Pirates starting outfielders, Willie Stargell (LF), Matty Alou (CF) and Roberto Clemente (RF), held the top 3 spots in batting average for all of major league baseball.

I think this is worth taking a moment to celebrate.

Here it is documented on July 14, 1966:

Now back to 1966.

Battle for First

On July 17, 1966, the 1st place Giants visited Forbes Field in Pittsburgh for a doubleheader. The Pirates took both games and moved into sole possession of 1st place, for the first time since May 4th.

On July 18, the Giants beat the Pirates to move the teams back into a 1st place tie.

Then the Pirates had a day off to fly to L.A. to face the Dodgers and Don Drysdale on July 20th.

I just had to travel virtually to Dodgers stadium for this one.

Pirates vs. Dodgers

Don Drysdale, one of the great pitchers of this era, had started the season poorly and came into the game on July 20 with a 4.14 ERA and a record unbecoming of the legend at just 6 - 11.

But in each of his prior 3 starts, Drysdale had not allowed more than 2 earned runs.

The game started poorly for the Pirates. Starter Vern Law was knocked out in the 2nd inning, and Don Drysdale held a 5 - 2 lead with 2 outs in the top of the 7th.

Drysdale was 7 outs away from winning the game.

Drysdale then nicked Matty Alou on the left foot. Gene Michael followed with a single to right. Roberto Clemente followed with another single, scoring Alou and pulling the Pirates to within 2 runs at 5 - 3.

And that was all for Don Drysdale.

Next up, Manny Mota drew a wild pitch and a walk from Jim Brewer to load the bases.

And that was all for Jim Brewer.

Next up was Jose Pagan, who was facing the Dodgers 3rd pitcher of the inning, Phil Regan. The count then went to 0 and 2 on Pagan. Regan’s next pitch could have gotten the Dodgers out of the inning relatively unscathed, but Pagan blooped a ball over the 2nd baseman’s head that fell in scoring both Michael and Clemente.

GAME TIED!

Now Don Clendenon came up.

Clendenon has been on a rampage. He’s 42 for 115 (.365) over the past month raising his average from a dismal .251 to an even .300.

Clendenon went to 0 and 2 on the count. Then he drilled a 3-run shot, and the Pirates were out in front 8 - 5! It was Don’s 16th homer of the season.

That’s the Lumber Company at work! a 2 out, 6 run rally!

The rally finally ended when Jim Pagliaroni flew out to left.

The Pirates then brought in reliever Al McBean. In 1964 and 1965, McBean was among the top relievers in the National League. And on this night he proved it. He shut out the Dodgers in the final 3 innings.

The Pirates won the game 8 - 5.

Meanwhile in Candlestick Park…

Juan Marichal, who is having possibly his best season, entered the game against the hapless New York Mets with a 15 - 4 record and a 1.99 ERA.

Marichal pitched 6 scoreless innings to open the game with the Mets and the Giants led 1 - 0.

By the way, Marichal started this season with the best first 100 innings of any pitcher in major league baseball history. He began the season 10 - 0 with a 0.79 ERA in 101 innings. And he was batting .325 at the time as well!

But in this game, on July 20th, Marichal allowed a homer to Al Luplow in the 7th inning to tie the game at 1.

Al who?

In the 8th, Marichal yielded another homer to the shortstop, Roy McMillan to put the Mets ahead 2 - 1.

That was Roy’s 1st homer of the season! (NOTE: that was the ONLY home run McMillan hit in 1966, and the last home run he ever hit).

In the bottom of the 9th, Willie Mays walked, went to 2nd base on a wild pitch, and scored on a Jim Ray Hart single to tie the game.

Tied at 2, the game went into extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Ron Swoboda homered for the Mets.

And the Mets beat the Giants 3 - 2!

The Pirates now hold a 1 game lead over the Giants and are 4 games ahead of the defending World Series Champion Dodgers.

I will keep following the 1966 Pirates one day at a time. This is too much fun!

FINAL NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

In my book, THE 1973 METS - YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE, I have several chapters devoted to The Lumber Company, celebrating their incredible hitting prowess in the early 70s.

There is also a chapter celebrating Roberto Clemente who perished tragically at the end of 1972, on a humanitarian aid mission to earthquake ravaged Nicaragua. Clemente is perhaps the greatest right fielder in history, and possibly the greatest man in baseball history.

You can find the book on Amazon or get a personalized, autographed copy on ETSY at these links:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07JCC1Q7H/allbooks

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SportsTimeTravelerUS

Please share your feedback!

Leave a comment

It’s a personal story about my recent open heart surgery.

It starts with a brief overview, THE SHORT STORY, which you can see below.

For anyone who would like to read the inspirational in-depth story, I have included the link at the bottom of this short post to access THE FULL STORY.

THE SHORT STORY:

In 2005, I learned I had a defective heart valve that would require open heart surgery in about 20 years. It was discovered that I had mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation.

My cardiologist nailed the timing. In mid-2025, my annual echocardiogram revealed that the valve problem had progressed to the point where surgery was necessary.

After 19 years of the intimidating specter of open heart surgery gnawing at me, I now had to prepare myself for the biggest challenge of my life.

I leveraged everything I had learned over 40 years of athletic competition to mentally prepare myself. In addition, I drew inspiration from a chance meeting I had, back in 2005, with one of the greatest Olympic athletes in history, Mark Spitz.

Leveraging Mark Spitz’s race advice, I developed a mantra to prepare me for the surgery that I told myself repeatedly.

The Mantra:

1. I am not going to be afraid

2. I am going to visualize myself having successful surgery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

3. I am going to visualize myself having a full recovery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

4. I am going to enjoy the experience

In the couple of months before the surgery, I said this mantra to myself multiple times each day, and also when I went to sleep.

And it worked!

On October 30, 2025, I had a mitral valve repair via a sternotomy (the medical term for cracking open your chest).

I tolerated the surgery incredibly well and recovered remarkably fast.

And most of all, I faced the surgery and recovery with no fear.

I’m writing this article as a way to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who helped me through this, most of all my beautiful and talented wife, Heather, who was with me every minute, and was my constant inspiration. She also bore the weight for 20 years of the impending surgery.

I wish to share the details of my story so that I may help others who are facing this daunting surgery and pay forward the advice I received that was most helpful.

My quick message for everyone facing open heart surgery for a mitral valve repair is a positive one - don’t be afraid, you’re going to be fine, it’s easier to get through than you are likely imagining. The surgery has a near 100% success rate.

THE FULL STORY

You can read the full story at this link:

My Open Heart Warming Story - THE FULL STORY

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In 2005, I learned I had a defective heart valve that would require open heart surgery in about 20 years. It was discovered that I had mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation.

My cardiologist nailed the timing. In mid-2025, my annual echocardiogram revealed that the valve problem had progressed to the point where surgery was necessary.

After 19 years of the intimidating specter of open heart surgery gnawing at me, I now had to prepare myself for the biggest challenge of my life.

I leveraged everything I had learned over 40 years of athletic competition to mentally prepare myself. In addition, I drew inspiration from a chance meeting I had, back in 2005, with one of the greatest Olympic athletes in history, Mark Spitz.

Leveraging Mark Spitz’s race advice, I developed a mantra to prepare me for the surgery that I told myself repeatedly.

The Mantra:

1. I am not going to be afraid

2. I am going to visualize myself having successful surgery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

3. I am going to visualize myself having a full recovery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

4. I am going to enjoy the experience

In the couple of months before the surgery, I said this mantra to myself multiple times each day, and also when I went to sleep.

And it worked!

On October 30, 2025, I had a mitral valve repair via a sternotomy (the medical term for cracking open your chest).

I tolerated the surgery incredibly well and recovered remarkably fast.

And most of all, I faced the surgery and recovery with no fear.

I’m writing this article as a way to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who helped me through this, most of all my beautiful and talented wife, Heather, who was with me every minute, and was my constant inspiration. She also bore the weight for 20 years of the impending surgery.

I wish to share the details of my story so that I may help others who are facing this daunting surgery and pay forward the advice I received that was most helpful.

My quick message for everyone facing open heart surgery for a mitral valve repair is a positive one - don’t be afraid, you’re going to be fine, it’s easier to get through than you are likely imagining. The surgery has a near 100% success rate.

THE FULL STORY

In 2005, I qualified to be a member of the United States Open team to the Maccabiah Games, an international Olympic style competition that takes place every 4 years in Israel. I would be running the metric mile, the 1500 meters. Because I was 41 years old, the organizers of the Games required that I pass an EKG test to ensure proper heart functioning.

I thought nothing of the EKG. After all, I was incredibly fit. At age 41, I could run a mile in 4:40 and a half mile in just a little over 2 minutes. As a competitive runner for over a quarter-century, I was certain that my heart was stronger than 99.99% of the population.

But then came the rude awakening when my when my primary care physician essentially told me that I had flunked the EKG. There was a problem that he didn’t understand in the output, and he told me I needed to see a cardiologist.

I Flunked the EKG

This was alarming, but I still remained confident that there couldn’t be much of an issue since I felt absolutely perfect and I regularly passed informal stress tests with my daily workouts, which often were filled with gut wrenching intervals (a track term for sprints) that took my heart rate right to the max.

I was additionally comforted that my wife’s cousin, who I was very friendly with, was a top cardiologist. Naturally, I immediately made an appointment to see him, and he sent me to have an echocardiogram.

The Day That Changed My Life

The follow up appointment to review the results of the echocardiogram literally changed my life. I learned that the indefatigable, 100% fit heart I thought I had from 25 years of hard daily training was in fact seriously flawed. Even though I felt perfect, I had mitral valve prolapse with mild regurgitation.

In layman’s terms, my mitral valve did not close after each heartbeat as it is supposed to, and blood flowed backwards into the left atrium, causing it to enlarge and some blood was even leaking into the lungs. It was a condition I was almost certainly born with. One of the telltale signs for the cardiologist is a murmur. And I recalled when I was 9 years old a doctor telling my mother that he heard a murmur in my heart.

Okay for Now, But in 20 Years…

My cousin-in-law, the cardiologist, told me that I’m okay now. I should keep doing what I’m doing to stay in good shape. He even cleared me to run in the international competition. The only restriction he gave me was not to lift something so heavy that I had to “bear down.” This was the good news.

He also told me something that made me shudder. He informed me that the regurgitation, the backwards flow of blood, would progress from mild to moderate to severe, and there was nothing that I, nor he, could do to stop it.

When it reached severe, I would require surgery. And that surgery would be open heart surgery. That was the bad news.

But he tempered that by predicting that I would not reach the severe stage for 20 years, and that by that time a non-invasive clip, that was in trials in 2005, might be perfected to solve the problem. That was more good news.

So there was good news and bad news. I didn’t have an acute problem. I could go about my life as I had been. I could even compete in the international competition. But I now had the prospect of potentially requiring open heart surgery unless this mitral clip technology could advance in time for me, in 20 years.

Coming to Grips With Open Heart Surgery

It’s a difficult thing at any age to have to face your mortality. Of course, we all do at some point. But when you’re 41, physically fit, have 3 little kids, and feel like you’re still in your 20s, it is a rude awakening to find out that you have an existential problem, even if it’s 20 years in the future.

As much as I tried to simply forget about the mitral valve prolapse (MVP), I couldn’t completely eradicate this gnawing thought in the back of my mind that there was now a time limit on my heart. There was now a barrier I must cross, like a tollbooth, or a right of passage, before I could have the privilege of entering old age. I could not simply age gracefully like most people. I would need my heart fixed if I wanted to live a long life.

Sharing the News

I came home from the cardiologist and shared the news with my wife Heather. Since before we were married, we felt bonded together, as partners for life, with no secrets between us. Whatever was happening to one of us was happening to both of us. This would be our problem to face together. And I knew that somehow we would deal with it when the time came. It wouldn’t be pleasant, in fact it might be torturous, but we would get through it.

I also discussed with Heather that I preferred not tell anyone else, not my parents, not my kids, no one. I simply didn’t want anyone to worry and feel stressed, especially because there was every expectation that I would not have to deal with this problem for 20 years. And by that time, it might in fact be a simple fix with the non-invasive mitral clip.

Back to the Present

Now my focus went back to the present, to the international competition. In July, 2005, I went to the Maccabiah Games with the United States team. I was the oldest athlete on the USA track & field open team by at least 12 years, but I had qualified to be here. I knew I wasn’t going to be winning any medals. But I would have the honor of being a team member and proudly wearing the American uniform. It was a great feeling.

A few days after arriving in Israel, I experienced the wondrous grandeur of the opening ceremonies. Marching into the stadium with the USA team, wearing our USA sweatsuits was awesome. After we took our places on the infield of the giant soccer stadium, the athletes were allowed to mill around while the other national teams marched into the stadium.

Meeting Mark Spitz

It was at this time that I noticed a gathering of USA athletes around a stately looking man wearing a USA polo shirt instead of our uniform sweatsuits.

It was 55-year-old Mark Spitz.

It had been 33 years since Spitz had reached the pinnacle of his fame when he won a record 7 gold medals in swimming at the 1972 Olympics. Spitz was here as a guest of the Maccabiah organizing committee.

In the summer of 1972, at age 9. I remember being glued to the TV watching Mark Spitz win the 7 gold medals, and setting a world record in each of those 7 races. He had been one of my main inspirations to pursue athletics, even though I gravitated towards running over swimming.

I went over to the group and introduced myself to Mark Spitz and posed for the picture with him below.

Mark Spitz’s Advice

Then I had the opportunity to speak with him as part of the group that surrounded him. He was friendly and soft spoken. But when I asked him about racing strategy, he suddenly took on a different air. It was as if he transformed instantly back into the competitive athlete mindset. His whole demeanor, and in particular his eyes, took on a look of seriousness.

And then he said something that I and several people around me stopped to take in. It was a straight forward and powerful bit of advice.

He said, “When you wake up on the morning of a race, you have to visualize yourself winning, and you can’t think about anything else.”

When he said those words, you could see the competitive fire in his eyes. It was so powerful that the advice has been burned into my brain ever since. The combination of words and the way he said them left an immediate and indelible impression on me. And I sensed the others around me felt the same way. Coming from Mark Spitz it was captivating.

The 1,500 Meter Race

The next day was the 1500 meter race. I knew I had no chance to actually win the race. The leading competitors were world class milers. My goal was to perform well. So all day I kept telling myself, “I’m going to visualize myself having a successful performance, and I’m not going to think about anything else.”

That evening at the track, I felt better in my pre-race warm-up than I had for any race going back to when I was on the junior high school track team at age 14. I felt incredible. It was also highly motivating to have my wife Heather, and my mom and dad, and a large group of cousins there in the track stadium to watch me run.

The race was won in the equivalent of 4 minutes flat for a mile. I was about 38 seconds behind. But I was elated. I had run 4:21 for 1,500 meters. It was my masters (over age 40) personal record, and a time that qualified me as an All-American for masters track & field in the United States. It remains to this day the fastest 1,500 meters or mile that I ever ran over the age of 23.

It’s a precious memory for me to have run my fastest race over age 23 in the Maccabiah Games, and to have Heather and my parents and many of our cousins there to see it.

And I felt that I owed that magical performance to the advice from Mark Spitz.

Back to Work

I came home from this incredible trip and returned to my day job as a strategy manager at Bank of America. I frequently had to deliver presentations in front of large groups and facilitate day long meetings. I always found these to be daunting tasks.

One day, about 6 months later, as I prepped for another presentation in front of a large gathering of bank managers, I had an epiphany. The advice that Mark Spitz had shared could be adapted for virtually any challenge I faced, not just racing.

Before the meeting, I said to myself over and over, “I’m going to have a successful presentation, and I’m not going to think about anything else.”

Eradicating Negative Thoughts

It was in the preparation for this meeting, that I had the additional epiphany that the most powerful part of Spitz’s advice was the second half in which he said, “You can’t think about anything else.”

I realized that no matter how much I visualized having a good presentation, if I let negative thoughts creep into my mind (“what if this happens”, “what if that happens”), then it would make me fearful and detract from my performance.

I realized that to live by those words that Mark Spitz had shared required developing powerful control over your mind, to singularly focus on what you are attempting to achieve. If you could do that. If you could shut down all the doubts, all the little voices in your head posing every possible thing that could go wrong, if you could eliminate all negative thinking, then the first part, visualizing success, could become easy, because you would no longer have that gripping, and often debilitating fear of failure.

That was a game changer.

Using the Mantra for Every Challenge

I started using the Mark Spitz Mantra for every challenge in life - business meetings, airplane rides, and anything else that had me concerned about the outcome.

And it worked!

But the hard part always was controlling those negative thoughts. I could clearly visualize success, but stopping that little voice that tells you the million things that could go wrong is difficult work.

Annual Heart Checkups

Meanwhile, every year, I had an echocardiogram and an annual check up with my cardiologist (my cousin-in-law) to check on the progression of the MVP.

From 2005 to 2016, I did a pretty good job of keeping the MVP out of my daily thoughts. But every once in a while, it would creep into my mind and scare me, especially as years went by and it started becoming apparent that the mitral clip technology did not seem to be progressing. The notion that by the time I need to have surgery it will be non-invasive was slipping away.

During this time I also tried to comfort myself with fantasies that I won’t ever need the surgery, that MVP won’t be a problem for me. Or that all my cardio fitness was holding off the progression. That was fantasy because no medical journal literature on MVP supported that notion. No level of fitness could stave off the progression of the regurgitation.

The Bombshell Moments

Then came the bombshell. In 2017, my echocardiogram showed that I had crossed into moderate regurgitation.

Now I was just one step away from requiring surgery. At this point, my cardiologist told me I needed to stop any sprinting. That essentially meant I had to retire from competitive track. I was actually okay with that. I had been competing on and off for nearly 40 years. I had enough. It was time to move on to other things.

But that transition wasn’t overnight. Part of me enjoyed racing. It had been part of my identity since I was a kid.

I had a friend in the running community who was one of the top runners in his age group (65 - 69) in the entire country. And he was also a cardiologist. For the first time, I decided to get a second opinion.

Part of me, perhaps irrationally, perhaps in a bit of wishful thinking, imagined that the runner cardiologist might say to me, “Len, you have nothing to be concerned about with this MVP. They don’t understand a runner’s heart. You will never need the surgery.”

He didn’t say that.

Instead, the runner cardiologist had a heart-to-heart talk with me. He said “Len, everyone knows you’re a great runner. You have nothing left to prove. You need to stop running.”

He also told me I will need the surgery when I’m around 65 - 70.

That was a real wake up call.

My cousin-in-law cardiologist had not told me I needed to stop running, he just didn’t want me sprinting.

End of My Track Racing Career

I did continue running, but I stopped all fast running, and I stopped long distance running. I just ran just enough to stay in shape.

I started to realize that at age 53, it’s time to start developing an exercise routine designed to enable me to age well, rather than singularly focusing on running races. The extreme focus I had on running was not healthy anymore at my age. It over focused on some muscle groups and neglected others, in addition to taxing my heart.

I took the adage that I’m going workout all my muscle groups and keep them in balance. I also began to think about getting my body into the best shape possible to tolerate open heart surgery.

Contemplating Open Heart Surgery

Now that I had moderate regurgitation the prospect of the surgery was more top of mind. It was not debilitating in anyway, but it was just there in my mind. I couldn’t get out of my head that the two close family members of mine who had open heart surgery in the 1980s and early 1990s had both said they felt like they were going to die when they woke up in the recovery room. I also read that actor Robby Benson, who required four open heart surgeries for a congenital aortic valve condition, suffered tremendous post-surgery trauma. Since Robby was also a runner, and was young and in outstanding shape when he needed his first surgery, this was unsettling. If Robby had such a horrific experience at age 28, what would my experience be like?

Despite these negative thoughts, I stayed generally positive and happy. I deluded myself thinking that the timeline might be 30 years, not 20 years, meaning I might still have another 20 years until I needed surgery, long enough that I didn’t have to think about it.

Heather’s Medical Crisis

In 2022, I stopped thinking about my own health when my wife Heather had a medical crisis. An accumulation of jaw injuries had left her with a degenerating right TMJ joint. Testing revealed that the bones were actually shattered and she would need a TMJ joint replacement. The surgery was performed in 2023, but the prosthetic became infected. In 2024, the prosthetic had to be removed and Heather needed to go on IV antibiotics to eradicate the infection. Then a new prosthetic was inserted in early 2025.

Around this time, and perhaps because I had to think more responsibly during Heather’s crisis, I had the thought one day in early 2025 that maybe I should stop wishing that I won’t need the heart surgery for another 10 years. By that time I would be in my early 70s and perhaps not in the great physical shape that I was presently in. I started to think maybe I should just get this thing over, while I’m in great shape, rather than have it nagging me for another 10 years. But that was just a thought one day. My default mode was to hope that I wouldn’t need the surgery for many more years.

As Heather recovered from the last surgery, this multi-year nightmare seemed to be over in mid-2025, at about the time that I was due for my annual echocardiogram.

The 2025 Echo

I remember on the drive to the hospital to have the echocardiogram I felt so good that I thought, maybe they’ll find the regurgitation is getting better. It wasn’t a rational thought. But on the other hand, I really did feel that good.

Later that day I got the portal message that the echocardiogram results were available. I opened it up and read the report. By this time, I knew enough about what I was reading to get a sense of what it generally meant.

And my takeaway in a minute was bad news. The regurgitation had become severe. But even worse, now both the tricuspid valve and the aortic value had significant regurgitation. I instantly knew that this was the year. And after all, it was precisely 20 years, just as my cardiologist had predicted.

The Call From the Cardiologist

Later that day, I got a call from my cousin-in-law cardiologist. He told me what I already knew. He broke it to me gently. He said we will need to have a surgery conversation when I have the office visit.

I was 61 years old. I didn’t panic. Surgery was not happening next week. I had time to get myself ready. I rationally knew that I had to have the surgery in the next few months. But part of me still held out hope that maybe the cardiologist would tell me I didn’t need it for another year or two.

AFib

Prior to the office visit, I had an incident as I went to bed one night. After a relaxing evening watching a movie on television, I noticed my heart was beating funny. I took my pulse and it was racing, as if I had just sprinted a quarter mile. And not only was it racing, it was erratic. And yet I felt perfectly fine.

I didn’t panic because I’d actually had these episodes several times before and they’d always just gone away. I’d never mentioned them to my cardiologist because I was afraid he would tell me I needed the surgery, and in the years before 2025, I just wasn’t ready to hear that. And since I never actually felt bad during the episodes, it was easy and maybe convenient for me to just dismiss them.

The erratic, racing heartbeat did go away, but it took a few hours.

Start Researching Surgeons Now

When I had the office visit, I told the cardiologist about the heart racing incident. He told me that was almost certainly AFib, and that I should have gone to the ER. The AFib was indeed a sign that I needed the surgery.

The cardiologist was very clear. I needed the surgery before the end of the year.

I was at risk of a stroke if I had another AFib incident. There was also tiny chance of a catastrophic event if the mitral valve became completely stuck open. He told me that one of the leaflets was, “hanging on by a thread.” This would be an emergency situation which could be fatal. In fact, he’d lost a fellow colleague to this exact circumstance the year before. I put that thought in the back of my head and didn’t let it concern me.

Most important, the cardiologist told me to start researching surgeons. He was perfectly comfortable if I wanted to go to one of the surgeons right here in Jacksonville, and he recommended one. He also said if I want to go to one of the high volume cardiac centers, I had time to look into that. He specifically mentioned Dr. Adams at Mount Sinai in New York as a possibility. Other out of town alternatives would be high volume cardiac centers like Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland.

The main criteria was get the surgery done before the end of 2025.

Get the Surgery Done Before the End of 2025

I went home and started researching and contacting surgeons’ offices that same afternoon.

I liked the idea of Dr. Adams, because he specialized in the so called minimally invasive open heart surgery technique. Minimally invasive was somewhat of a misleading name, perhaps designed to make people feel more comfortable with the idea of open heart surgery. It was still open heart surgery. It just meant they didn’t need to do a sternotomy, in which the breast bone is cracked open exposing the heart. In the minimally invasive approach they reach the heart from the side.

Cracking open my chest just sounded too intimidating. So minimally invasive seemed like the way to go.

Researching Surgeons

I immediately started researching surgeons and setting up consultations. I planned to first meet a local cardiac surgeon where I lived in Jacksonville, FL. I also made a telehealth consultation with Dr. Adams. In addition, I looked into Penn Medicine in Philadelphia because it was near family, and Heather and I had good experiences there for her second TMJ joint replacement surgery and three precursor surgeries to prepare for the joint replacement.

One of the cardiac surgeons at Penn Medicine was Dr. Michael Acker. I was impressed that he had performed 9,000 open heart surgeries, including 3,000 MVP repairs. I also liked the fact that he had authored many medical journal articles on MVP surgery. One of his articles found a clear inflection point in the success rates for MVP surgery if the surgeon was performing more than 35 MVP surgeries per year.

Dr. Michael Acker of Penn Medicine

What most impressed me about Dr. Acker was a video on the Penn Medicine website that showed Dr. Acker’s incredible talent for playing the acoustic guitar, and hearing him discuss his passion for both the acoustic guitar and open heart surgery. He also discussed the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master playing the acoustic guitar.

I felt an immediate connection to Dr. Acker. Not because I play acoustic guitar, but because I have a deep appreciation for the 10,000 hour rule, and anyone who attempts to master a skill that way.

I had taken up juggling when I turned 40, and jugglers frequently talked about the 10,000 hour rule. I myself, was approaching 10,000 hours of juggling practice.

I figured anyone who thinks like that, who has that dedication, I could trust. In addition, I thought Dr. Acker must have incredible dexterity in his fingers, as an acoustic guitar player, and that had to benefit him in working on the heart.

Between his vast experience performing open heart surgeries, his prolific authorship of medical journal articles on MVP surgery, and his skill at acoustic guitar, I could feel comfortable putting my life in Dr. Acker’s hands.

The Leap to a Sternotomy

I called Penn Medicine to make a consultation appointment with Dr. Acker. They informed me that he won’t see me for a consultation unless I agree to have a sternotomy. That meant open heart surgery by cracking open the breast bone - the scenario I had hoped to avoid for 20 years.

The scheduler explained that Dr. Acker does not perform the minimally invasive open heart surgery technique because he feels he needs to be able to see the heart.

I thought about this for a minute and decided I should not let this rule out Dr. Acker. I would agree that if I selected Dr. Acker, I would have open heart surgery via a sternotomy.

That was a real leap for me.

Revealing the 20 Year Secret

After I spent time researching surgeons, I then began a long series of phone calls to family. It was kind of surreal, like I was in a movie. After 20 years, this dark secret was to be revealed. I first called my parents. Then I called my 3 children, who are all grown up and married. Then I called extended family and my best friends.

Every conversation was the same. I started out with this, “Do you have a few minutes, I have something to tell you. Twenty years ago I found out that I have a heart valve problem that I was born with…”

I ended the conversations the same way with everyone as well, “… The success rate for the surgery is near 100%. I’m in great shape. I’m going to be fine. I’m not concerned, and you shouldn’t be either.”

It was important to me that I not alarm or panic anyone for two reasons. First, I didn’t want anyone to be stressed. Second, I knew if anyone was stressed that it might stress me.

I didn’t sugar coat anything. What I told them was the truth. I was in great shape. I was still working out 2 - 3 hours every morning. And the medical literature indicated that success rates for MVP repair were near 100%, and you can’t say that about many other surgeries. So, there really was no rational reason to be concerned.

Consultations

About a week later I had the first consultation with the local cardiac surgeon. I thought if I could have the surgery done locally then I could convalesce at home, and that would be easier on me, and substantially easier on Heather. However, when we asked the local cardiac surgeon the key question from the medical journal article, “how many mitral valve surgeries do you perform a year,” he informed us that he doesn’t do many. Most of his surgeries are emergency surgeries.

He also said he would perform a valve replacement. And the medical journal literature I had read was clear on this point. You want a surgeon who can perform a repair if at all possible.

Meeting Dr. Acker

Next, I met with Dr. Acker in Philadelphia. I was immediately impressed with Dr. Acker. He discussed the different surgical options and he was emphatic that you want go with “repair, repair, repair.” He said it three times, forcefully.

He did say that there was a small possibility that once he saw the heart, he might find that he could not do a repair, and so we then discussed the two types of replacements. I knew the medical literature favored an animal valve over an artificial valve. And sure enough, Dr. Acker said he would have a cow valve ready for use, if needed, during the surgery. He strongly preferred the cow valve over the artificial valve.

Heather and I felt so good about Penn Medicine and Dr. Acker, that we immediately made the decision that we would have the surgery here. It was scheduled for approximately 8 weeks later, to take place on October 30, 2025.

I then canceled my telehealth consultation with Dr. Adams in New York. Dr. Adams couldn’t even see me for the consultation until early October. And an important consideration as well was that Heather was going to feel much more comfortable in a hotel for 5+ days in Philadelphia near Penn Medicine, where we unfortunately had spent quite a bit of time for her TMJ ordeal, than in New York, where she would be completely unfamiliar with the area.

Reality Sets In

Now reality really set in. I had a surgery date.

This was when I began my mental preparation. This was going to happen. I had to get ready.

Fortunately, I felt like I had spent most of my life, since I was 14, getting ready for supreme physical challenges, since I had been competing in middle distance track races on and off since 1978.

Middle distance races like the mile are perhaps the most grueling events on the track. The athlete is in a constant state of oxygen deprivation, which means you’re in pain during the entire race, as the body is grasping for air, screaming at you to stop. The mind has to push through this primal urge to slow down for you to perform well in the race.

Mental preparation for the mile is critically important to success. I’m convinced the truly great milers are those who have total command over their mind.

And now, I was going to leverage everything I had learned in 40 years of racing, including that incredible advice from Mark Spitz, to get ready for the upcoming challenge of open heart surgery.

Repeating The Mantra

I developed a mantra. I repeated it to myself several times a day. I said it to myself as I went to sleep at night. And I didn’t just say it. I did my best to internalize it and believe it.

I worked diligently at this.

Here was the mantra:

1. I am not going to be afraid

2. I am going to visualize myself having successful surgery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

3. I am going to visualize myself having a full recovery, and I’m not going to think about anything else

4. I am going to enjoy the experience

Preparing for Surgery

In addition to getting myself mentally prepared, there was quite a bit to keep me busy.

I had to go back to Jacksonville and have an external heart monitor placed on me for 2 weeks to capture necessary data for the surgeon.

I had to have a physical from my primary care physician to clear me for surgery.

I also had to visit the dentist for a dental clearance.

At work, I had to make plans to train someone to take on my project work while I was out. I had learned on a couple of Facebook forums for mitral valve patients that I might be able to go back to desk work in 2 weeks after the surgery.

These forums also proved to be incredibly helpful for getting answers to little questions like what to bring to the hospital, and anything else you were concerned about.

I also teach business innovation at the University of North Florida. I had to make plans for my graduate assistant to teach the class for at least 2 weeks and handle all grading and student matters.

In addition, I had to pull together documents required for the hospital including items such as a living will and power of attorney. And I had to ensure that our bank accounts were set up so that Heather had access to them in a worst case scenario.

All of this I approached in a detached, professional manner, telling myself I’m going to do the responsible thing, and not think about why I have to attend to these matters.

There were also lots of logistical preparations needed for the trip. I had to plan to be in the Philadelphia area for at least 3 weeks. We had to line up a hotel walking distance from the hospital for at least 8 days, including pre-surgery tests and a place for Heather to stay while I was in the hospital post-surgery.

For the post-hospital recovery, Heather and I would be staying with family, but I still had to ensure I had a proper set up.

All of this took quite a bit of time and planning. I really needed the whole 8 weeks.

Preparing for Recovery

I also made time to prepare myself for the hospital stay and recovery period in terms of things to keep my mind busy. I assumed that I might be in a high state of discomfort. And from prior minor surgeries, I knew that if I had things I enjoy, like books, music, videos, etc., that collectively, those things could keep my mind off the discomfort, and I would be fine.

I lined up a 60 song playlist of my favorite songs. And I stopped listening to those songs in that 8 weeks before the surgery. That way I had myself almost looking forward to the recovery so I could listen to all those songs.

Similarly I had books I couldn’t wait to read, and YouTube videos I desperately wanted to watch, all queued up.

The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Book

In my spare time, I’m a sports history writer. I write The Sports Time Traveler newsletter on Substack. And I had just started working on a book about the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers as a tribute to my dad when I found out about the need for the surgery.

A critical part of my research was to listen to the tapes of the 1955 World Series games, which are available on YouTube. I held off on listening to those games until I was recovering in the hospital. This was yet another thing that had me almost looking forward to being in the hospital so that I would have nothing to do but listen to those World Series baseball games and take my mind back somewhere else, back in time to 1955.

A Conversation with a Three-Time World Series Champion

Prior to working on the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers book, I had published a book titled, THE 1973 METS - YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE. The foreword for that book was written by my friend Ted Kubiak. I had a conversation with Ted a few weeks before the surgery that was very helpful, in fact it was a watershed moment for me.

You may not know the name Ted Kubiak, but his baseball resume is very long. The highlights are:

• Key reserve infielder on all 3 Oakland A’s consecutive World Series Championship teams in 1972, 1973 and 1974

• Scored the winning run in the 11th inning of game 3 of the 1973 World Series vs. the Mets

• Considered by some sportswriters of the early 1970s to be the best infielder in the American League

• Played 16 years in professional baseball, including 10 in the major leagues

• Author of 2 great books on baseball (you can find them in Amazon by searching for “Ted Kubiak”

Ted knew my athletic background. When we talked, he explained to me that his ex-wife had gone through open heart surgery, and based on that experience he said I’m going to be fine. He was forceful about this. He spoke as if this was a fact and that I must accept it.

Here was a professional athlete, with multiple World Series rings, telling me I’ve got this. And I realized this is how winners think and I need to listen to him. I also remembered Ted telling me how in 1973, when the A’s came back to Oakland for games 6 and 7 of the World Series, down 3 games to 2 to the Mets, the entire A’s team just knew they were going to win those last 2 games at home, as if it had already happened.

Ted imploring me to think positive was a strong reinforcement of the Mark Spitz mantra that I was telling myself every day.

I’m very grateful to Ted Kubiak for that conversation.

Family Stories

There was one more thing I prepared that turned out to be golden for me.

15 years earlier, I had written down family stories, mostly little anecdotes that would trigger great memories of Heather and I going back to when we first met, and also our life when our 3 kids were little. I now printed out those stories, which I had not read in 15 or more years, and put them in a folder for Heather to bring to the hospital. I knew that reading those stories would be incredibly helpful if I felt uncomfortable post-surgery.

The Journey Begins

Five days before the surgery we traveled up to the Philadelphia area. I still needed two visits to Penn Medicine before the day of the surgery. I first had to have a heart catheterization so they could get a clearer view of the heart than they can see with the echocardiogram. And I had to have pre-surgery tests run.

The night before the surgery I had to bathe in Hibiclens to remove bacteria from my skin. Years before, this kind of simple pre-surgery routine might have raised my anxiety, but now I was ready for the surgery.

I was as ready for this as anything I’d ever done in my life.

The Surgery as a Mission

In the weeks before the surgery, all the pre-surgery preparations that had to be conducted reminded me of the many books I had read about the astronauts of the lunar landing era in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was an era I had lived through as a child.

I was fascinated by the enormous team that had to plan for every detail of the missions to land men on the moon and return them safely to the Earth. And I was captivated by many of the astronauts’ autobiographies, in which they described the long chain of steps in their missions.

It occurred to me one day as I was preparing for the surgery, that I will likely never go to the Moon or even into space and experience that great marvel of human progress. But I would now get to experience another miracle of modern man - open heart surgery.

I began to view the upcoming surgery as a mission.

And my role as the patient was akin to the role of the astronaut.

Just like the brave men getting into the space capsule, I would have an enormous team helping me, including the surgeon, other doctors, nurses, support staff and most of all my wife Heather. She would be like the capcom, the person in mission control who talks to the astronauts in their language and relays information from the rest of the team.

Everyone would be playing a role. My role was to be the calm and cooperative patient.

The Calm and Cooperative Patient

Success would depend on me being that calm and cooperative patient. That was my role on the team.

And I was confident that I had a world class team.

Finally came the day of the surgery. I was ready. For 19 of the past 20 years I had dreaded this day. But now I was as locked in mentally as I have ever been.

There was no fear, none.

Surgery Day

We were instructed to arrive at hospital admissions at 7:50am for surgery prep to start at 8am and surgery at 9am. We were there early.

I was calm and cool.

In minutes, they brought me in and told Heather she would be able to come back after they had prepped me.

About 8:30am I was prepped, and Heather was brought in to the prep room. Now we were waiting any minute for the orderlies to come take me to the OR. But after about another half an hour we were still waiting.

It was around 9am when a nurse came in and told us that Dr. Acker has an emergency case that just came in and my surgery was going to be delayed at least 3 hours.

The Delay

Now this is where the family stories I had Heather pack in a folder for the hospital became golden for me.

I had prepared them to pass the time in recovery. But suddenly I realized we needed them right now. Heather had the folder with her, and we read through all the stories I had collected of our first 25 years together.

At around 12pm, the nurses told us the emergency case is not going well and it’s going to be another couple of hours. This was a little alarming, as Dr. Acker is about 65 years old, and I began to wonder if he would have the energy to perform my surgery right after another long surgery.

I told the nurse to please tell Dr. Acker to take his time after the emergency case, I’m in no rush. I wanted him to know he could get something to eat and take a break. The nurse almost laughed and said he knows how to get himself ready. I also knew that he often performs two open heart surgeries in a single day.

Heather and I went back to sharing the stories for another 2 hours.

I will always look back on those few hours that we shared those stories as one of the best times of our lives together as a couple. We had such a good time. I was so completely immersed in the stories that I often forgot where I was and what was about to take place.

It was magical.

2pm came and went and we were still waiting. But I was as calm as could be.

Finally at 3:30pm, seven-and-half hours after they took me in to get prepped, the orderlies came to get me, and I said goodbye, and I love you to Heather.

I was as calm as could be.

I was so ready for the surgery that nothing could bring me down.

Music Time!

As they wheeled me to the Operating Room (O.R.), they asked me what genre of music I would like to listen to before I drift off to sleep.

I instantly said, “Classic 70s Rock.”

They said, “We can do that!”

As I arrived in the O.R., it was all abuzz with activity. My surgeon wasn’t there yet. But there must have been 6 people all in their 20s to 40s busily preparing for the surgery. None of them old enough to remember Classic 70s Rock the way I do.

When they put on the music, in the first split second I knew what song it was.

It was a true Classic 70s Rock song with one of the greatest opening guitar rifts that I’ve ever heard.

It was a tune I loved.

And it was readily apparent to me that none of the people busy getting ready for the surgery either knew what it was or how inappropriate it was.

And I mean it was completely inappropriate for this moment. So much so that I had to hold myself back from laughing out loud lest they think I’m absolutely nuts since I’m about to have open heart surgery.

The song was Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

In case you’re not familiar with the song, you can find it on YouTube at the link below. It has 111 million views:

Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

The song is so famous that in 1997, Saturday Night Live performed a skit about the song that included Christopher Walken, Will Ferrell, and Jimmy Fallon:

SNL Skit - Don't Fear the Reaper

After the surgery, I told everyone of the hospital staff I came into contact with this story, and that someone needs to tell the O.R. team not to do that again. I thought it was funny that they played, Don’t Fear the Reaper. But somebody else might be traumatized by it.

I knew the O.R. team didn’t know what the song was about, or they would have never played it.

If you’re not familiar with the song, it’s about a guy who is trying to convince his girlfriend to commit suicide, and he’s telling her how 40,000 people are dying every day and how Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.

A few weeks after the surgery, after I had told this story several dozen times, to great amounts of laughter, I did more research on why Blue Oyster Cult wrote the song, and my story got even more absurd. It turns out that one of the band members was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and was afraid of dying. And that’s what he was writing about.

And this is what they played for me in the O.R.!

Before the song was over I was asleep, or at least I can’t remember anything past that point.

Recovery Room

The next thing I knew, I woke up and I had that feeling like you’ve just had a great dream but it has slipped away and you can’t remember the details.

I instantly noticed that I felt alright.

I had a breathing tube in, but it was far thinner than I had imagined it would be. It didn’t bother me at all.

I was in a bed in the recovery room, and I was facing a TV screen that had lots of information. I could see that it was about 11:30pm.

My memory from the next several hours is a little fuzzy. The main thing I remember is that I felt okay. I didn’t feel like I could get up and walk. But I didn’t feel bad at all. Before the surgery, I had prepared myself in case I felt miserably uncomfortable at this point. But I was okay.

The other distinct memory is that the night felt incredibly long. I tried to sleep. But I struggled to sleep more than 3 minutes at a time. I believe I must have had dozens of 3 minute naps. Without being able to communicate or change the TV channel there was nothing to do but wait for Heather to arrive. And the recovery room was filled with annoying lights and noises.

I kept telling myself everything is going to be great when Heather gets here. That thought of Heather arriving as she planned to at 8am inspired me to get through this period.

A Perfect Repair

At 5:50am, I remember seeing Dr. Acker. I was absolutely amazed. I didn’t know it at the time, but my surgery had not finished until 9:30pm, and here was Dr. Acker already back in the hospital making rounds. What a dedicated surgeon I thought. He only said a few brief words to me, but they were the most comforting words I could have possibly heard, “You have a perfect repair.”

Wow! A perfect repair. What great news.

At about 7am they took the breathing tube out. I was still tethered to what seemed like more things than I could count, but none of them bothered me.

At 8am Heather arrived, right on time, and that was an amazing boost for me because the recovery room was just a dreary, noisy place and I had nothing to keep my mind occupied. Heather inspires me, and now her presence was magical.

Heather told me what Dr. Acker had told her right after the surgery. The surgery repair was perfect, like he had told me. But now I learned he actually had to do it twice!

After he did the repair initially, and took me off the heart lung machine and warmed my body back up from 32 degrees, he checked the functioning of the valve, and it was still regurgitating.

He had to do the repair again! That meant putting me back on the heart lung machine, cooling my body back down to 32 degrees, and performing another procedure. The second time was the charm.

The Benefit of a Sternotomy

And that’s when I realized that it’s a good thing I opted for the sternotomy. If Dr. Acker had not been able to visually see the heart, he might not have known that the repair was not working. For this reason, I would urge anyone who is researching surgical options to talk to their surgeon about this case.

The Cardiac Ward

At 12pm, they moved me to the cardiac ward where it was planned I would stay for 4 - 5 days. Once I was in the room things were a lot better. I could control the TV and I could get access to my phone and my books. I was all set.

I got on the phone and talked to my parents and my kids. Everyone was surprised that I sounded so strong. And I felt as good as I sounded on the phone.

It was quite remarkable.

In the afternoon, I went for my first walk. Getting out of bed was an adventure. I was tethered to what seemed like more lines than I could count. There were the IVs, the catheter, the external pacemaker, and I didn’t know it yet, but 4 thick drainage tubes were coming out of my stomach. And I needed assistance and direction just to get out of bed. I didn’t seem to have the use of my stomach muscles, so turning wasn’t easy. And my body, and particularly my legs were bloated from all the fluid they had pumped into me during surgery.

My First Steps

As soon as I stood up I noticed that the bloating made my legs feel weird. I remember telling people that it feels like I got new legs in this surgery, because they just didn’t feel anything like my legs. This was of course due to the bloating. And that feeling went away in about 3 days.

The first walk was very short. I had to go slow. And I had to hold on to the nurse, because with my “new legs” I was very unsure of my steps. But I felt strong, and I could have walked more. However, I was playing my role, being a good patient and making sure I didn’t over do it.

No Pain

The first evening in the hospital room, I realized I essentially had not slept in 2 days, and I figured it was essential for healing that I get a good night’s sleep. So when they offered me oxycontin, I thought, “I don’t feel at all like I need it, but it might be important to take it to help assure I sleep better.” And that’s the only time I took it.

In fact, the pain in my chest was so minimal that I remember telling people, if I didn’t know what had happened, I would say, “I think I may have scratched my chest.”

Middle of the Night Madness

I got to sleep alright at about 11pm. What I didn’t realize was that about 3:30am is the staff’s favorite time to come wake you up and do the early morning battery of tests and bloodwork. Once they did all that had to be done there was no getting back to sleep. I then found out this would be a daily middle of the night ritual.

So a big lesson is get to sleep early while you’re in the hospital!

I later found out there was a good reason for the 3:30am work up madness. When the doctors come in early in the morning for their rounds, they need to see fresh data on the patients. That made sense.

Daily Milestones

The days in the hospital were marked by big milestones as each of the tethered items came out one at a time.

The most difficult was the catheter. I drew on my track & field experience to help me with that one. I used the shot putter’s yell to lessen the pain. It really works! You just have to tell the nurses ahead of time what you’re going to do.

Next was the first of the drainage tubes. These were thick tubes that were coming straight out of my stomach. They took one out on day 2, and they tried to warn me it would hurt. As they were getting ready to pull it out, they said to bear down. It hurt like heck. But I only felt it for literally just 1 second. By the time I could think about it, it was out and there was zero lingering pain. So that wasn’t really bad.

On day 3, they took out the other 3 drainage tubes all at once. Similarly, it hurt a lot, but for just 1 second. It was not something to sweat out. But it was unexpected.

No Rhythm

Now I ran into a problem. On day 3, they also tried to take off the external pacemaker. They turned off the pacemaker. As soon as they did, my energy level plummeted instantly. My blood pressure had suddenly dropped, and they had to turn the pacemaker back on.

They told me that my heart had not clicked back into the proper rhythm and that until it did, I would continue to require the pacemaker. They tried it a couple of more times that day and evening. And they told me that since the heart rhythm wasn’t coming back they were scheduling an appointment the next day for the electrical cardiologist to discuss putting a permanent pacemaker in me. That didn’t bother me. I knew lots of people who had pacemakers under the skin on their chest. Of course, I would prefer not to have one, but it wasn’t an issue.

I simply wasn’t letting anything bother me during recovery.

At 3:30am on day 4, during the nightly testing time, the nurses tried one more time to turn off the external pacemaker, and they got the same result. My heart rhythm just wasn’t kicking in.

Then at 7am, a physician from Dr. Acker’s team came in for the morning rounds to see Dr. Acker’s patients. While 3 other nurses were in the room, she told them that she wanted to try turning off the pacemaker. They explained to her that they had just tried earlier this morning. And she insisted she wanted to see it herself.

About 3 seconds later, I mean literally 3 seconds, the nurses let out a cheer and one of them said to the doctor, “you’ve got the magic touch!”

Nobody however filled me in on what was going on, although I had an idea.

I asked what happened, and they said the heart rhythm had kicked in, and I would not need the pacemaker.

Now that was great news, but I was incredulous. At this point, they had about 30 seconds of data, and they were making a definitive decision that I don’t need a pacemaker.

But they explained that as soon as they see the heart rhythm is back, it is back for good.

They canceled the appointment with the electrical cardiologist.

Anemia

But just a moment later, I got news that tempered the excitement from the heart rhythm’s return. The bloodwork from 3:30am showed that my hemaglobin was 7.0. I had never heard of anyone’s hemaglobin dipping that low. And it was all the more hard to comprehend because I felt pretty good by now. I had gone for a long walk on day 3 around the cardiac ward. And I felt like I could go for a long walk at this moment.

Despite my slight alarm over the news, the doctor told me that I didn’t need a blood infusion. The super low hemaglobin was a normal part of recovery and I would simply need to take iron pills for at least 3 months. Again, I was fine with that.

Note, as of this writing, I’m 8 months post-surgery and while my hemaglobin is back to borderline normal, I still have some post surgery blood cell oddities that require me to stay on the iron a little longer and are being monitored. Yet, I feel perfectly normal.

The Last Connection

Now, I was down to just the IV in terms of the items tethered to me. And I was cleared to leave the hospital on day 5.

With all the activity of vital sign checks, testing, meals, removal of tethered items, and well wisher phone calls from friends and family, as well as a visit from some cousins, and of course Heather being by my side from morning till evening each day, I never had all the down time I thought I would to listen to my songs and all the Brooklyn Dodgers 1955 World Series games.

But I’m glad I had all those things prepared for the hospital stay, and I strongly suggest you bring things to the hospital that you know will keep your mind pleasantly occupied in case you need it. And remember, I really needed those family stories when I was in the prep room and the surgery was delayed 7 hours.

Discharge

I felt pretty good after getting discharged from the hospital. It was a nice feeling to no longer be tethered to anything. I felt like I had my full strength back in just 2 weeks, but then, I had several episodes where I did too much and my blood pressure dropped and I developed low grade fevers.

One of them was on day 14, when I delivered my first post-surgery lecture live via ZOOM. I was very excited to do this, and I felt like my energy level during the 75 minute lecture was at pre-surgery levels. But while I felt outstanding during the lecture, minutes afterwards, I could feel the onset of the blood pressure drop.

The telephone nurses told me this was nothing to be concerned about and was normal during this time if I over did it.

Focus on Recovery

What I learned from this and a couple of other similar episodes around this time, is that you need to respect the recovery period. And this is another big lesson. You have to accept no matter how good you feel, your body has been through trauma, and your heart has been directly impacted, and you have to give it time to heal.

This doesn’t mean you just rest. In fact, it is the opposite. One of the most important things you must do is your daily walking and any other activities your surgeon’s team tells you to do. I remember my cardiologist telling me, “walking is your best friend after the surgery.”

But you have to make sure you’re finding the right balance between the necessary physical therapy and rest.

Because I felt almost too good during the early recovery period, I made notes for myself and reminded myself to “focus on recovery.”

By day 20, I had no more “episodes.” But I also was being more careful. I was gradually increasing my walks and exercises within the guidelines provided to me. But I was also making sure I got ample rest. I was taking a nap each day, which I never used to do.

My First Post Surgery Show as The Sports Time Traveler

On Day 40, I had my first show planned at a large retirement community. This was a major milestone. I wasn’t 100% certain I was ready for it, so I arranged to sit during the presentation.

I shared with the audience a one minute story at the beginning. I told them how each of them have been my inspiration for the past 6 weeks because after my open heart surgery I visualized this moment when I would be looking out into the audience and seeing the faces of the people, and feeling the excitement of being back to deliver a speech on a topic that I love to discuss. And I explained that since I had to be careful of expending too much energy I would sit for the speech.

The speech went fabulously well. I received an ovation at the end. And I had no physical issues. It was yet another major milestone in the recovery.

At 3 months into recovery I started to feel close to perfect. I began light jogging for the first time. And I started to have days where I actually forgot I had open heart surgery.

The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Book

At 5 months into recovery, I hit another major milestone. I put the finishing touches on my book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’s TEAM.

I was very proud of the fact that nearly all the work on this book was done while I was recovering from the surgery. Who knew that you could get quality work done during recovery from open heart surgery.

The book launched on May 1st on Amazon and Etsy at these links:

Len Ferman's Books on Amazon

Len Ferman's Books on ETSY

Full Recovery

As of this writing, I’m now 8 months out and I continue to feel better and better. I’m still not working out at 100% of my pre-surgery intensity by design. I’m still focusing on recovery. But I am back to working out 2 - 3 hours per day, and I feel great. I can visualize 100% recovery and I’m pretty close to being there right now.

The Beneficiary of a Miracle of Modern Medicine

This has been a truly incredible experience. I now have a perfectly refurbished heart. I’m one of the relatively few to personally benefit from one of the truly great miracles of modern medicine – open heart surgery.

MVP repair is truly amazing. My cardiologist told me that when I’m fully 100% recovered, I will feel better than I ever have before. I’m already at the point where I notice I feel better than before the surgery. Most people will never have this “opportunity” to get a heart tune up, and have their heart perform better than ever before.

It’s a real gift.

Conclusion

I feel what I did to prepare for the surgery worked. I think the reason I tolerated the surgery so well, felt so little pain, and recovered so quickly had as much or more to do with my mental preparation than my physical conditioning.

The prospect of open-heart surgery sounds horrific to laypeople, and I myself dreaded the upcoming surgery for 19 of the 20 years I was in the watchful waiting period. But when it came time to actually get ready I leveraged all the tips I had ever learned about preparing for a major running competition. And those things worked.

The most important part was the advice I received from Mark Spitz. I have tried to contact Mark Spitz to thank him. But I haven’t been able to reach him. If anyone does know how to reach Mark Spitz, I would just like to tell him how grateful I am for his advice.

I want to close on one aspect of the advice I prepared for myself, in which I told myself I will enjoy the experience. That might sound crazy, but as I look back on it now, I really did enjoy the experience. I had such great care during my hospital stay. And I never had any significant pain.
And by overcoming the fear I had for 19 years, I feel proud of myself. I feel this was a greater achievement than any of my best performances on the track in 40 years of competition.

Finally, my relationship with my wife Heather, already rock solid before the surgery, is at an even higher level now. Over the past 3 years, as we each faced a medical crisis, we stepped up, to not only be there 100% for each other, but to also inspire each other to get through it.

Contact Me

If you or a loved one are facing MVP surgery, please feel free to contact me.

I wish to pay forward the pre-surgery advice I received. And I would like to help people with their mental preparation for the surgery.

You can reach me at Len@Fermaninnovation.com

Thank you for reading my story.

I would love to hear your feedback. I will try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment.

Leave a comment

My great friend of 40+ years, Mark, is a big Yankees fan.

Right now, Mark is at home recovering from a serious car accident sustained when another car ran a red light and crashed into him.

Mark, get well soon. This one is for you!

Now, I take you and Mark back to 1966 to experience a few Yankees games.

WASHINGTON D.C. - July 4, 1966

An American hero was in town yesterday. His name is Mickey Mantle.

This is the Mick’s 16th season serving as the Yankees’ heir apparent to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio.

Mantle has carried the mantle for the great players before him as well as anyone could have hoped.

Under Mantle’s guidance, the Yankees won 12 pennants in 14 years from 1951 - 1964.

But last year, in 1965, the Yankees dynasty collapsed. For the first time in 40 years, they failed to finish above .500.

A large part of the sudden drop off was due Mickey Mantle’s demise. In one year, he went from one of the top hitters in baseball to a marginal contributor. His .255 batting average was nearly 50 points lower than in 1964. Home run production dropped from 35 to 19. And his RBIs were more than halved from 111 to just 46.

In early 1966, there was talk that Mickey Mantle, at age 34, was finished.

Then, last week in Fenway Park on June 28th, Mantle hit 2 homers in a game for the first time since 1964.

The next day, in each of his first 2 trips to the plate, Mantle took 1 swing and homered. Combined with his 2nd home run of the previous game, which had come in his last trip to the plate, Mickey Mantle had hit home runs in 3 consecutive plate appearances.

In the 4th inning of the June 29th game, Mantle came to the plate again, this time with the chance to tie the major league record of 4 home runs in 4 consecutive plate appearances. He was facing Red Sox pitcher Dick Stigman.

Mickey described the at bat to Jim Ogle of the Jersey Journal, “Stigman has never started me off with a fastball, so I was looking for a curve. He came over with my pitch… a fast ball right down the middle, but I was so surprised that I couldn’t even swing the bat. I had a feeling that I had blown the chance… I sure wish I could have swung at that first pitch.”

After that, Stigman pitched curves to Mantle. With the count at 1 and 1, Stigman threw another curve. Mickey swung and punched the ball into right field for a single.

Asked by Ogle, why he swung at an outside curve, Mantle said, “I didn’t want him to get two strikes on me.”

Mantle knew the significance of the situation and followed up with this, “Don’t think I didn’t have that fourth homer on my mind. I wanted it so bad I could taste it.”

Still, Mickey had hit 3 home runs in 3 plate appearances.

And here’s something that none of the sportswriters in 1966 captured. For the first time in his illustrious career, Mickey Mantle hit 4 home runs across 2 consecutive days on June 28 - 29, 1966.

A Ghost of Greatness

Dick Young of the New York Daily News was so moved by Mantle’s 4 homers in 2 days that he started his June 30th article with this:

Cliff Keane of the Boston Globe was similarly stunned by Mantle’s powerful production in the prior 2 games. He penned this headline:

June 30

In the final game of the series in Boston, Mantle hit long fly balls for outs in his first 2 trips to the plate.

After that, the Red Sox wanted nothing to do with pitching to Mantle anymore. They walked him the next 3 straight times.

The AP article on the game featured this headline that appeared in the Bridgewater, NJ Courier News:

On to Washington

The Yankees traveled here to Washington for a game on July 1st against the Senators. In the top of the 1st inning, when Mantle came to bat, he was greeted with, “thunderous applause,” according to Ross White in the Washington Daily News. Mantle responded to the unusually warm reception from a visiting crowd by giving them something to cheer about. White reported, “there was a standing ovation when Mantle smoothly belted a home run to centerfield.”

He went 3 for 3, and drew another walk, reaching base in all 4 trips to the plate, and the Yankees beat the Senators 8 - 6.

July 2

The next day, Mantle grounded into a double play in the 1st inning. In the top of the 3rd, he drove a ball to the warning track in centerfield before it was caught by Senator’s center fielder Don Lock, who incidentally went 5 for 5 in the game, the only time he did that in his career.

Mickey came up for the 3rd time in the 6th inning. This time, he hit another shot to deep center field. But this one was even longer. Dick Young estimated it went 450 feet. It was a home run. The 6th for Mantle in 5 days.

Mantle came up one more time in the top of the 9th and blasted another homer to deep right field. That made it 7 HRs in 5 days. And his 3rd 2-homer game in those 5 days. Again, another first for Mantle in his long career.

Dick Young was once again moved to write a stirring piece about Mickey in the July 3rd New York Daily News:

July 3

Yesterday, the Yankees were still in D.C., where the temperatures hit 100 degrees. They were facing the Senators’ starter Pete Richert. Richert was one of the top starters in the American League in 1965, earning his first of two consecutive All-Star selections, winning 15 games and pitching to a 2.60 ERA.

Mantle stepped in against Richert with 2 out in the top of the 1st inning. On the 1st pitch, Mickey blasted it over the right field fence.

A Monumental Moment for Mantle

With the home run, Mantle had for the 2nd time inside of a week, crushed 3 home runs in 3 consecutive at bats.

And he had now hit 8 homers in 6 games over 6 days.

And no one in the American League has ever done that before!

In addition, Mickey Mantle had just hit his 3rd consecutive home run in 3 plate appearances for the 2nd time in just 5 days!

Special Note From The Sports Time Traveler

I just had to take you back to the present time to let you know that Mickey Mantle remains the only player in major league baseball history to hit 3 consecutive homers in 3 plate appearances TWICE inside of a week.

Now back to 1966.

The homer in the 1st inning turned out to be the only time Mantle reached base yesterday. But it did help the Yankees win the game 6 - 5.

With the 1st inning homer, Mantle had finished a stretch of 25 plate appearances in which he had reached base an incredible 16 times. He raised his batting average in just a week from .250 to .286.

It is arguably the best batting exhibition of Mantle’s storied career.

Joseph Durso in the New York Times began his article in today’s paper with this:

And Dick Young wrote this in the New York Daily News:

POSTSCRIPT

On July 4th, Mantle did not hit any more home runs.

But perhaps his magical run motivated Yankees’ rookie pitcher Fritz Peterson.

In the 2nd game of a doubleheader, Peterson started and retired the first 22 batters before allowing a single.

Peterson finished the game, and recorded his 2nd consecutive shutout, this one a 2-hitter.

It is noteworthy because Fritz Peterson became the only rookie in a 103 year period from 1922 to 2005, to retire the first 22 batters in a game.

With the doubleheader split on July 4, 1966, the Yankees record stood at 34 - 41. They were in 7th place in the 10 team American League. And they were 18 games behind the league leading Baltimore Orioles. Mickey’s resurgence had been fun but it did not portend to be the beginning of a new dynasty.

The Sports Time Traveler will continue following baseball in the 1966 season.

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But I’ve just returned from a virtual trip to 1966, where believe it or not, Woody and Buzz are also trending.

No, I don’t mean the beloved characters played by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. I’m telling you there’s a different Woody and Buzz that have gripped America this week in 1966.

Now I take you back to 1966 to learn about Woody and Buzz in two short stories I’ve just filed.

BUZZ

Dodgers Stadium - July 2, 1966

Buzz is the term. It’s the singular way to describe how the nation is enthralled with Sandy Koufax. Koufax finished the month of June with a 14 - 2 record and a 1.56 ERA, putting him a full week ahead of Dizzy Dean’s 30 win pace. And with at least 22 more starts this season (Koufax pitches ever 4th day) Sandy’s clearly on track for 30 wins. And that’s a number no pitcher in the majors has reached since Dizzy did it with Gas House Gang in 1934.

Accordingly, Koufax’s last 4 starts on the road have drawn capacity or near capacity crowds in New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Atlanta.

Needless to say I was incredibly excited to embark on my virtual trip this morning to read the accounts of Koufax’s latest start last night at Dodger Stadium against the Cardinals.

It was a perfect evening, with the 8pm PT game time temperature at about 70 degrees and the last two World Series champions facing off.

Koufax thrilled the 38,410 fans by striking out Lou Brock to open the game, and then getting the 2nd batter, Phil Gagliano looking for K number 2. Then Curt Flood flew out to Willie Davis in center for a 1-2-3 inning against the 1964 World Series champs.

Koufax pitched to the minimum number of batters through 4 innings, courtesy of double plays in the 2nd and 4th innings that were both started by Dodgers 2nd baseman John Kennedy (that’s really his name!).

Through 6 innings it was still a 0 - 0 game. Koufax had given up just 3 hits, and the Cardinal’s Al Jackson had nearly matched Koufax allowing just 4.

Then in the top of the 7th, Koufax gave up a 1 out single to Orlando Cepeda. Mike Shannon came to the plate next for the Cardinals. Shannon was hitting just .222. Koufax had walked Shannon in the 5th, and here in the 7th, when the count reached 3 and 1, Koufax didn’t want to walk Shannon again. So Koufax served Shannon a fastball right down the middle. It made sense because Shannon was hitless against Koufax since 1964.

Shannon told George Lederer of the Long Beach Press-Telegram that Koufax, “worked fast balls in and out to me all night and I finally got one I could hit.”

Hit it he did!

The ball landed in the left field pavilion for a 2-run homer.

Frank Finch in the Los Angeles Times quoted Koufax about the pitch to Shannon after the game, “Shannon hit a good pitch, a fast ball... I didn’t want to walk him and put a runner in scoring position, so I had to try and blow one by him.”

After the homer, Koufax went back to business and retired the next 2 Cardinals. And in the 8th, he had another 1-2-3 inning capped by his 3rd strikeout of Lou Brock.

But the Dodgers still hadn’t scored. And in the bottom of the 8th, manager Walt Alston had to take Sandy out for a pinch hitter, making this just the 5th time in 19 starts this year that Koufax didn’t pitch a complete game.

However, the Dodgers never did score and Al Jackson recorded a 6-hit shutout to beat Sandy Koufax.

Koufax’s record dropped to 14 - 3. Yet, he is still a week ahead of Dizzy Dean’s 30 win pace.

Koufax had pitched a great game. He had allowed 5 hits, yet only 2 of them were well struck balls, the home run by Shannon and the single to Cepeda. And Sandy had only walked one batter - Shannon, while striking out 10. If the Dodgers had provided decent run support this likely would have been another complete game win for Koufax.

In his 3 losses this season, the Dodgers have scored a grand total of just 1 run with game scores of 3 - 1, 3 - 0, and last night’s 2 - 0. With better run support, Koufax, could be 17 - 0, a start to the season only achieved by Rube Marquard, who won his first 19 games of the 1912 season for the Giants.

Koufax is slated to pitch again on July 5th at home against the Reds. The Sports Time Traveler will be there virtually and baseball fans across America will be eagerly awaiting their newspapers on July 6th to see if Koufax wins his 15th. There is definitely a buzz in the baseball world here in 1966.

WOODY

Shea Stadium - July 2, 1966

Woody is Woody Fryman, a promising rookie pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was not a household name coming into last night’s game at Shea Stadium against the Mets. In fact, many Pirates fans were likely still unfamiliar with him despite the fact that in his last outing he shutout the Phillies in Connie Mack Stadium on just 3 hits and zero walks, facing only 29 batters, as one baserunner was thrown out stealing.

Woody’s time in obscurity was about to come to an end.

Woody was pitching in New York City for the very first time.

In the top of the 1st inning, Mets’ starter Jack Fisher took down the Pirates in order. That was no small feat. This Pittsburgh team is the best hitting team in baseball here in 1966. Pirates’ batters quite incredibly hold the top 4 spots in the National League batting race at this time, including Matty Alou who grounded out leading off, and Roberto Clemente who Fisher struck out to retire the side.

These are not the hapless Mets of 1962. Now in the franchise’s 5th season they’re almost competitive. They have the same winning percentage so far this season as the 2026 Mets. And they’re not even in last place (their usual position the past 4 seasons), as they are 7 games ahead of the Cubs who are currently in the National League cellar.

In the bottom of the 1st, Woody Fryman took the mound at Shea for the 1st time. The very first batter he faced, Ron Hunt, hit a bouncer up the middle.

Lester J. Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that the shortstop, “Gene Alley took a few steps to his left and tried to scoop the ball behind second base but it took a bad hop and skidded off his glove.”

Second base umpire Augie Donatelli agreed. As the closest observer to the play, he told Biederman, “The ball took a bad hop.”

Alley told Biederman after the game that he didn’t get a good hold on the ball, adding, “If I could have come up with it cleanly, I would have had a chance to make the play.”

Ron Hunt had evaded a ground out and was safe at 1st base with an infield single.

But the Pirates quickly settled the account. Hunt was wiped off the bases when he tried to steal second and was cannoned down by Pirates’ catcher Jim Pagliaroni.

Fryman then proceeded to get Eddie Bressoud to strikeout looking and got Ken Boyer on a grounder to 3rd baseman Jose Pagan.

In the 2nd, the Pirates put up a run when Bill Mazeroski singled home Willie Stargell, while Fryman got the Mets in order.

In the 3rd, Pagan hit a 2-run homer for Pittsburgh, and Fryman again got the Mets in order again.

The 4th, and 5th innings were quiet for both clubs.

In the 6th, Fryman struck out the side. He now had 6Ks and only one hit allowed in 6 innings of work and the Pirates held a 3 - 0 lead.

The top of the 7th was a slugfest for the Pirates. They scored 6 runs capped by a 2-run homer for Maz. The Pirates now led 9 - 0.

In the bottom of the 7th, Fryman got the first 2 batters out on fly balls and then struck out Chuck Hiller for his 7th K.

The Pirates went deep 2 more times in the 8th with blasts by Willie Stargell and Donn Clendenon that extended the lead to a dozen at 12 - 0.

The Mets went down again in order in the 8th, with Fryman whiffing Cleon Jones to pick up his 8th strikeout.

Both sides went down quickly in the 9th without anyone reaching base, and the game was in the books.

Woody Fryman had pitched a 1-hit shutout in his first ever game in New York as the Pirates defeated the Mets 12 - 0.

Not Simply a 1-Hitter

But this was no ordinary 1-hitter. Woody had pitched to the minimum number of batters - 27.

After Hunt singled and was subsequently out at 2nd base on the steal attempt, Fryman retired the next 26 batters.

Biederman celebrated the game in the Pittsburgh Press with this headline:

And he noted in the article, “Fryman came as close to a perfect game as humanly possible.”

Woody also made the front page of the Pittsburgh Press as this mention appeared in middle of column 3:

Joe Trimble of the New York Daily News noted that across Woody’s last 2 starts, he has not only thrown consecutive shutouts, but he has only face 56 batters. Trimble made light of the fact that even Johnny Vander Meer, in his celebrated double no-hitters in 1938, pitched to more than 56 batters.

Trimble then wrote this about Woody to his New York readership, “Fryman now is 6 - 3 and could be for real.”

In Newsday, Bob Rubin quoted Mets’ manager Wes Westrum praising Woody, “Tonight he threw as hard as any left-hander I’ve seen in this league. And he threw strikes.” That’s a remarkable statement considering the National League includes a lefty pitcher named Sandy Koufax.

After the game, Woody Fryman, who perhaps never received national attention before, was suddenly a big name.

The next day, on July 3, 1966, the Nashville Tennesean’s leading sports columnist, Raymond Johnson, made Fryman the lead subject of his piece, opening with this, “One errant first-inning pitch Friday night prevented Woody Fryman was having a no-hitter and probably a perfect game.”

The Boston Globe ran a story on Fryman with a banner headline in an article by Bob Sales:

Bob Sales starts the article in comical fashion, “Woody Fryman can’t be for real. Ring Lardner must have made him up.”

The article makes light of Fryman’s roots as a tobacco farmer who had previously passed up pro baseball for life on the family farm.

Mike Rathet of the AP wrote, “It was a bad night for Sandy Koufax… Woody Fryman stole his thunder.”

And so, Woody and Buzz are the big terms this week in 1966, just as they are in 2026. It’s just not the same Woody and a very different Buzz.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

After returning to 2026, I learned that in 2019, Retrosheet published a paper in which they coined the term “IMPERFECT PERFECTO” to describe games like Woody Fryman’s July 1, 1966 masterpiece.

An Imperfect Perfecto is a game in which the pitcher only faces the minimum batters, but does not pitch a perfect game.

Retrosheet identified for 82 Imperfect Perfecto games through 2019, including Woody’s 1966 game.

But in my research it appears that there is only one other instance in which a pitcher did what Woody did on July 1, 1966, in allowing the first batter to get on base and promptly getting him off the basepaths before the next batter was out, and then retiring the next 26 consecutive batters.

That one other instance of this feat belongs to the immortal Cy Young. Yes, the man who the pitcher of the year award is named after.

On June 30, 1908 Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox gave up a walk to the 1st New York Highlanders batter he faced at Hilltop Park in New York. The batter, Harry Niles was thrown out trying to steal 2nd. And Young retired the next 26 Highlanders. It was a no-hitter for Young.

The only difference between Cy Young and Woody Fryman’s Imperfect Perfectos was that Young actually threw a no-hitter, whereas Fryman gave up the one infield hit.

As a result, Woody Fryman’s game is unique in baseball history. It is the only Imperfect Perfecto in which the 1st batter got on base with a single, was out stealing second, and the next 26 batters went down consecutively.

ANOTHER RECORD

I also researched the 56 batters faced across 2 consecutive shutouts. This was only reported on in 1966 by Joe Trimble of the New York Daily News. What Trimble did not know was that Woody Fryman had tied a major league record. Only one other pitcher in history, Don Newcombe in, May, 1949, ever recorded the same feat of facing 56 batters across 2 consecutive shutouts.

These historical points were not fully grasped back in 1966.

As The Sports Time Traveler it’s these “discoveries” that get me so excited about my virtual journeys back in time.

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After 3 rounds, only 3 men had a reasonable chance to win the U.S. Open.

Arnold Palmer held a 3 shot lead over Billy Casper. This pair, pictured below with Casper on the left and Palmer on the right, played head-to-head in the final group. One hole ahead of them, and 1 shot ahead behind Casper in 3rd place, was Jack Nicklaus.

Everyone else was at least 6 shots behind Palmer, and did not have the pedigree of these three greatest American golfers of this time. Only these 3 men remained in contention.

While the Big 3 of golf worldwide are Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. The giants of the PGA TOUR at this time are Palmer, Nicklaus and Billy Casper.

The Giants of the PGA

Arnold Palmer is already, at age 36, the #1 all-time PGA money leader and has won 47 events, the 4th most in history.

Jack Nicklaus, at just 26, is already #5 all-time in career money, and has won 18 times on tour.

And Billy Casper, turning 35 in a few days, is #2 all-time on the money list and has won 29 times, making him the 11th winningest player in PGA events.

And here they were in a battle for the most important golf tournament in the world in 1966.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

By the end of the year, this trio will be the #1, #2 and #3 all-time money winners in PGA history.

Now back to 1966.

The King Begins the Round with a Bang!

The King, Arnold Palmer, opened the final round in spectacular fashion, sending Arnie’s Army into a tizzy. Palmer blasted a driver from the deck on his 2nd shot from the 1st fairway that landed 20 feet from the pin on the 536 yard par 5 hole. He 2-putted for an opening birdie, immediately extending his lead to 4 strokes.

Lincoln A. Werden wrote in the New York Times about how Arnie’s signature performance on 1st hole had his army charged up:

After 2 holes, Palmer had a 5 shot lead.

And when Billy Casper bogeyed the 3rd hole, Arnold Palmer’s lead increased to 6 strokes.

Werden wrote that Palmer, “had the crowd constantly cheering” on the front 9.

It got even better for Palmer. He made a 15 foot birdie putt at 7. And when he rolled in a 30 footer for another bird on the 9th, it capped off a stunning 32 on the front 9 to Casper’s and Nicklaus’s 36’s.

The Back Nine

As we go to the back 9, I’d like to enable you to have the same experience I had watching the final holes of the 1966 U.S. Open on my virtual journey back in time.

At this link, you can view the ABC-TV coverage that kicked off when Palmer and Casper made the turn.

ABC TV Coverage of the Final Round of 1966 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club

The ABC announcers are Jim McKay, Chris Schenkel, Bill Fleming and the great Byron Nelson. It’s an all-star cast of announcers, and it’s wonderful to listen to them.

I provide timestamps below for the highlights from the video:

0:00 - As ABC comes on the air, the first thing they show you is Ben Hogan on the 18th hole standing over a 20 foot putt for a final round score of 69. Hogan comes up just short and taps in for a 70 and a total score of +11. At that point, Hogan was tied for the 2nd best round of the day, and it put Ben in position to possibly qualify for the 1967 U.S. Open next year, as the top 15 are automatic qualifiers. Hogan received a standing ovation as he finished.

3:35 - We see the leaderboard on TV for the first time:

-6 Palmer (through 9 holes)
+1 Casper (through 9 holes)
+3 Lema (through 11 holes)
+3 Nicklaus (through 10 holes)
+6 Rodgers (through 11 holes)

With 9 holes to go, Arnold Palmer leads Billy Casper by 7, he has a 9 shot cushion over Jack Nicklaus and Tony Lema.

At this point, everyone agreed the tournament was over. The best player in the world with a 7 shot lead and 9 holes to go is golden.

Art Rosenbaum, writing in the San Francisco, made note that at this moment in the round, the London newspapers started filing their stories, hotel operators began renting out the players’ rooms, and the PGA typed out “a full biography of the winner” (although to their credit it was with the caveat - if Palmer wins):

A Record for Arnie?

With the tournament effectively over, the big question now is whether or not Arnold Palmer can break Ben Hogan’s U.S. Open scoring record of 276. At this moment, Palmer simply needs to shoot a 37 (+2) on the back 9 to beat the record on this par 70 course.

Unfortunately, on ABC we can’t yet see Arnold because ABC only has cameras set up on the 14th to 18th holes.

If we could see, we would have watched Arnie hit a poor drive on 10 and make bogey. This left him 6 strokes ahead with 8 holes to play.

20:50 - Most golf fans watching ABC get their first ever glimpse of Johnny Miller as he tees off at the 17th hole. 19-year=old Miller, who just completed his sophomore year at Brigham Young University has played a remarkable tournament. He is presently at +8, just 2 shots out of 5th place.

25:10 - We see the leaderboard again. After dropping a shot with a bogey on 10, Palmer gained it back with a birdie on 12. Casper also birdied the 12th, to stay 6 shots back, but now with just 6 holes to go.

-6 Arnold Palmer
EVEN Billy Casper
+4 Tony Lema
+5 Jack Nicklaus
+6 Phil Rodgers

27:45 - Johnny Miller hits his 2nd shot on 17. He’s hitting a wood into a 443 yard par 4, and he comes up a little short. And he’s a long hitter, even at 19. My gosh, how the game is different back here in 1966.

29:40 - Miller is chipping to the 17th green and lands the ball 20 feet short of the pin. Byron Nelson says that Miller’s overall play in this year’s U.S. Open is the, “finest showing by an amateur since Jack Nicklaus.”

30:30 - Even more fascinating than seeing young Johnny Miller is the description of the “Continuous Putting Rule” that has been implemented by the USGA for the U.S. Open here in 1966. At this point on the tape, Byron Nelson explains the rule.

Very simply, once a player starts to putt on the green, he must continue to putt until he holes out. And he’s not allowed to mark the ball again. This rule has dramatically sped up play in this year’s U.S. Open, and many of the top players, including Jack Nicklaus, have praised the new rule.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

Although there were demonstrated advantages of dramatically faster play during the 1966 U.S. Open, the rule was ultimately rescinded in 1970 due to an array of problems with the rule, such as inability to clean a ball, stepping in the line of another player and added stress on the players.

The rule has never been reconsidered.

Now back again to 1966.

33:00 - ABC gives us another check on the leaderboard:

-5 Arnold Palmer (through 13)
EVEN Billy Casper (through 13)
+4 Tony Lema (through 15)
+4 Jack Nicklaus (through 13)
+6 Phil Rodgers (through 15)

Palmer bogeyed the 13th and his lead is now 5 shots over Casper.

35:00 - Half an hour into the broadcast we get our first glimpse of Jack Nicklaus. Watch him tee off at the par 3 15th hole. It’s a beautiful setting with Lake Merced behind the tee box.

36:25 - And now, at last, we see the final group. Watch Casper on the 14th fairway. And hear Jim McKay describe Casper’s “Great shot,” as it lands inside 10 feet.

Stay with the video to see The King for the first time on TV during the final round. As Palmer is standing in the middle of the fairway surveying the shot to come, Jim McKay describes how Palmer has been playing, “Palmer has been driving tremendously today, I saw him on the first hole when they started. He drove 270 yards, and to the cheers, the almost animal-like cheers of Arnie’s Army, he pulled out a driver for his second shot and blasted it onto the green.”

During McKay’s reminiscence of Palmer’s opening hole birdie, Arnie decides to change clubs.

As Palmer takes his time preparing to swing, McKay tells the audience, “If he pars in he will break Hogan’s record by one shot. So it’s Palmer against the record right now.”

As McKay finishes that thought, Palmer strikes the ball, and as it lands on the green, long and a little left, it’s clear that Arnie picked a club too much. He will have at least 40 feet for birdie.

41:15 - Palmer stands motionless over his 40 footer on 14 for nearly 20 seconds before stroking the putt. The crowd noise rises as the ball appears to have a chance to go in. It rims the cup on the right side, circles the back of the rim, and darts away left, as the crowd noise changes from rising “Oh’s” to deflating “Aw’s.”

With a tap in par for Palmer, McKay reminds the audience that he remains one shot ahead of Ben Hogan’s record score from 1948.

Stay with the tape to see Casper’s birdie putt.

Before Casper putts, McKay says, “Bill Casper has this for a bird, he could move within four shots of the lead, and stranger things have happened in the United States Open so stay with us.”

Casper misses the putt short.

The final pair now move to the 15th tee. Arnold Palmer holds a 5 shot lead with 4 holes remaining.

43:50 - On the 15th tee we see a classic shot of Palmer hitching his pants up both before and after as he grabs a club. McKay says, “He knows only one way to play golf, and that is to charge.” As Palmer prepares to swing, McKay describes Arnie’s Army, “An undisciplined army, more like a band of revolutionaries really. They shout and holler and scream and run. But now they’re silent because their leader is about to hit a 7 iron into the 15th green.”

Palmer goes directly for the flag, which is guarded by a bunker. His shot doesn’t make it over the bunker, and he’s in the sand. He has a good lie, but as McKay describes, it will be a difficult shot, as there is a very sharp bank and then the green runs down to the pin.

46:52 - Palmer hits a sensational shot out of the bunker. The ball rolls by the pin and stops 10 feet past. McKay indicated it was almost impossible to stop it any shorter.

48:00 - From 30 feet, Casper strokes his birdie putt. It goes right into the center of the cup. A brilliant 2 on the par 3. And now Casper has put Palmer under substantial pressure. Palmer still has a 10 footer for par to avoid a 2-stroke swing.

49:10 - Arnie stands over his par putt for 20 seconds before stroking the ball. He gives it a strong run, and it slides past the hole on the left.

Arnie bogeys and his lead is cut to 3 shots with 3 holes remaining.

The leaders now move on to the 604 yard par 5 16th hole.

51:48 - After Billy Casper’s drive lands safely on the right side of the fairway, Palmer has his ball already teed up by the time the camera pans back. But Arnie belts a vicious duck hook that hits a tree and bounces back into the left rough.

The Muffed Shot

53:45 - Watch as Palmer hits an iron out of the thick rough and back into the fairway. But what the announcers don’t know, and what ABC has missed entirely in their broadcast, is that this is Arnie’s second shot from almost the exact same spot. Moments earlier, with no ABC camera on him, Arnold Palmer “muffed” a shot from the rough that rolled about 8 feet. And thus Palmer, is now in the 16th fairway lying 3.

Hogan’s Spot

Meanwhile, as Billy Casper hits his 2nd shot from the fairway, ABC’s Bill Fleming tells the audience that Ben Hogan is now in 14th place and “nothing can dislodge him from that spot.” Ben Hogan has qualified to compete next year in the 1967 U.S. Open at age 54.

Advantage Casper

Casper’s 3rd shot lands safely in the right side of the fairway. He now has a stroke advantage on this hole due to Palmer’s “muff.” Casper is lying 2, while Palmer is lying 3 and from farther back.

57:20 - Palmer readies to hit his 4th shot. But ABC still doesn’t know this is his 4th shot. Bill Fleming tells the TV audience that Palmer is getting ready to hit his 3rd shot. Palmer is still far enough away from the green that he requires a wood for this shot. His shot lands in the trap to the right of the green.

Arnold Palmer has now taken 4 shots on this hole, and is still not on the green.

59:10 - Casper hits his approach shot. It’s a beauty, landing to the right of the hole and rolling towards the pin. It stops 12 - 14 feet away. He will have a birdie putt. While Palmer will be hitting for par out of the sand.

1:00:30 - Palmer hits from the trap. It’s a brilliant shot that stops 3 feet from the hole.

1:01:45 - Casper rolls in his birdie putt, his second in a row. And now Bill Fleming finally tells the TV audience about Palmer’s mishit in the rough on his 2nd shot, “The word on Arnold Palmer is that he muffed a shot in the rough, which we did not see, and he does lie 5. This is putting for a 6.”

Palmer now readies to putt for bogey.

Quite remarkably, Palmer needs to make the putt to retain a 1 shot lead.

1:02:48 - Palmer rolls the ball in, and after he picks it up out of the cup, he breathes a sigh of relief that is captured on the TV camera.

The Greatest Six

After the round, Palmer told Ted Blofsky of the Chico Enterprise Record, “It was the greatest six I’ve ever made.”

Now, the leaders headed to the 17th hole with Palmer ahead of Casper by just a single shot.

1:03:57 - Here’s a sight we never see in U.S. Open play in the present time. Watch as Arnie is lighting up a cigarette on the 17th tee, as we also see the leaderboard on the screen again:

-3 Arnold Palmer (through 16)
-2 Billy Casper (through 16)
+5 Jack Nicklaus (through 16)
+6 Tony Lema (finished)
+6 Phil Rodgers (through 18)

1:05:00 - After Casper has hit into the right rough, Palmer hits another hard hook into the left rough that scatters the crowd.

1:07:37 - Palmer addresses the ball. Byron Nelson says that it’s so deep down you can’t see the ball. Palmer hits the ball across the fairway into the right rough and 40 yards short of the green on this par 4.

1:08:43 - Casper has an excellent lie on the trampled grass in the right rough. He hits his shot short of the green and left.

1:10:40 - Palmer’s 3rd shot lands 10 feet from the hole. The crowd roars. Palmer will have a makeable putt for par.

1:11:50 - Casper has a tough shot. He has to pitch over a trap. He hits it perfect and it stops 3 feet from the cup.

1:13:13 - Palmer putts for par. If he makes it he will head to the final hole with at least a 1 shot lead. The uphill putt is on a perfect line, but it stops just short. And Palmer has bogeyed his 3rd consecutive hole.

1:14:10 - Casper rolls in his par.

The Championship is Tied

1:16:00 - ABC missed Casper’s tee shot on 18. He hits into the right fairway.

As Arnie gets ready to hit his drive on 18, Byron Nelson says, “A few holes ago, everyone thought that this championship was over. Golf is the strangest game in the world.”

Palmer then drives into the left rough.

1:18:20 - Palmer hits out of the rough, and the ball lands on the green, hole high, but rolls 30 feet past the pin.

1:19:10 - Casper hits his shot inside of Arnie’s and on the same line.

The ABC broadcast cuts off the final round here.

From the newspaper reports, on the 18th green, Palmer’s first putt ended 4 feet from the hole. With the continuous putting rule, he had to putt out, and he made the 4 footer to finish at -2 for the tournament.

Then Casper 2-putted and the pair finished tied.

It was an outcome no one anticipated an 2 hours earlier or even less than an hour earlier. There would be an 18 hole playoff the following day.

The Playoff

Palmer and Casper played very fast during the Monday playoff and they were already on the 16th hole by the time ABC came on the air.

The day had gone similar to Sunday. Palmer went out in 33 and built a 2 stroke lead after 9 holes. But on 10, Palmer took bogey, while Casper made birdie and the match was tied.

On 13, Casper made birdie to move ahead by 1 shot. And when Arnie bogeyed 14, Casper went in front by 2.

On 15, it was yet another bogey for Palmer and Casper was up by 3 with 3 holes to go.

1:21:40 - Palmer tees off on the long par 5 hole number 16. This was the hole on which Palmer completely unraveled on Sunday. He hits a tree on the right and the ball drops down into the gallery.

1:24:28 - Palmer hits his 2nd shot out of the heavy rough. And just like yesterday, Palmer can’t get off a shot. His balls rolls about 30 yards.

1:25:35 - Palmer is still 300 yards from the green when he hits his 3rd shot. It stops in the fairway 60 yards short of the green.

1:28:45 - Billy Casper is on the green in 3 and has a birdie putt. Palmer now is pitching from 60 yards. He must get it close to the pin. But he leaves it short, and it’s in the bunker.

1:29:28 - Palmer is in the bunker hitting his 5th shot. He lands it 6 feet from the pin. But he is now putting for bogey, while Casper is putting for birdie.

1:30:40 - Billy Casper’s birdie putt goes about 5 feet past the hole. Even though he’s inside the distance of Palmer’s ball to the cup, Casper must putt out and is not allowed to mark his ball. This is a great example of the new continuous putting rule.

The added pressure of the continuous putting rule may contribute as Casper misses the putt and bogeys the hole.

But Palmer misses his bogey putt. He shakes his head knowing that he’s hopelessly behind. Casper now leads by 4 shots with 2 holes to go.

On 17, Palmer makes par while Casper bogeys, but Palmer is still 3 shots down going into the final hole.

1:45:45 - Casper hits his approach shot on 18 from 100 yards to 3 feet from the hole. In doing so, it ends any final hopes among Arnie’s Army’s for a miracle finish. Casper makes the birdie putt to win by 4 shots.

Arnold Palmer went out in 33 and came home in 40, while Billy Casper shot 35 - 34 for a 69 and the U.S. Open Championship.

For the 3rd time in 4 years, Arnold Palmer has lost the U.S. Open in an 18 hole playoff.

The Sunday Collapse and The Greatest Comeback

After the tournament, the focus remains on Palmer’s Sunday collapse and the steady great play of Billy Casper in the same stretch of holes.

Bill Shirley in the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Bill took advantage of every Palmer mistake to make up seven strokes in eight holes, probably the greatest comeback in the 66 year history of the world’s most important tournament.”

Leonard Crawley of the London Daily Telegraph pointed out the Casper never missed a fairway in the last 12 holes, and was spectacular down the stretch going 2,4,4,4. In fact, Casper never had to write more than a 4 on his scorecard during the back 9, in which he shot a 32. It was the finish of a champion.

Crawley added this:

Art Rosenbaum, of the San Francisco Chronicle, asked Arnie what happened on Sunday:

Arnie was being himself, playing aggressive. He didn’t know how to play defensive golf and nurse a big lead down the stretch.

Jim Murray, the witty syndicated columnist from the Los Angeles Times may have summed it up better than anyone else regarding what happened when he wrote, “He plays the game like a guy playing blackjack who gets 19, and says, “hit me again.”

Bill Whittaker of the Sydney Morning Herald, spoke to Palmer about the par 3 15th which saw the 1st of the 2 consecutive 2 shot swings:

Dave Lewis, sports editor of the Long Beach Independent had this take: “Nobody present will deny that Arnold Palmer played some of the most sensational golf through 67 holes as any man in history. He would have breezed home the winner if he “just hadn’t been so bull-headed,” as one fellow pro summed up the situation. Losing the tournament will go down as the biggest blowup ever recorded in a major event.

Closer to Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, PA, Al Abrams, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette made this prescient statement about Palmer’s performance, “They will talk for years to come about the National Open that Arnold Palmer “blew” the past couple of days in San Francisco. Palmer had the crown beautifully wrapped Sunday and ready to be delivered to Latrobe to be placed alongside the hundreds of other trophies he has won. Then his game collapsed.”

Yes, Al you were right. It’s over 60 years later and we’re still talking about the National Open that Arnold Palmer “blew.”

And yet, in “blowing” the U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer may have inadvertently made himself even more popular than ever. At least that is theory put forth by Gene Ward in the San Francisco Chronicle on June 22nd:

FINAL NOTES

Johnny Miller and Ben Hogan

19-year-old Miller finished with a 74 on Sunday, and that was good for an 8th place tie and low amateur.

Miller finished 1 shot ahead of the legendary Ben Hogan, who ended up tied for 12th.

Both men are now automatic qualifiers for the 1967 U.S. Open.

In the Los Angeles Times, Shavenau Glick wrote, “When Hogan trudges up the final hole, he received a rare, standing ovation from the huge crowd ringing the 18th green.”

Glick also noted that Hogan’s,“Tee to green play was perhaps better than anyone else’s in the Open.”

Casper’s Prognostication

At the very end of the ABC broadcast, a humble winner, Billy Casper, predicts that Arnold Palmer will “win the open again I’m sure.”

But Arnie never again won the U.S. Open or even another major tournament.

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The Sports Time Traveler is here virtually at the Olympic Club in San Francisco to experience the 1966 U.S. Open. The final round begins today. But it’s already been an exhilarating experience following the big names (including the big names that people here in this time don’t know yet).

Let’s meet them.

Here’s Johnny!

The first thrill for me was seeing Johnny Miller’s name in the newspapers before the tournament began.

19-year-old Johnny Miller has just completed his freshman year of college at Brigham Young University. He grew up right here in San Francisco, and learned to play golf on this very course.

Miller had qualified for the U.S. Open qualifier on May 23rd by beating Chick Evans in a sudden death playoff in a local qualifier in Salt Lake City, as reported by the Deseret News.

WAIT! WHAT? Chick Evans?

Only hard core golf historians would recognize the name Chick Evans. The 75-year-old Evans was one of the greatest American golfers in the early 20th century, and remains paired with Bobby Jones as the only two players ever to win both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.

Evans had turned the trick in 1916, and now Johnny Miller had just spoiled Evans dream of competing in the U.S. Open 50 years after he had won it.

The Open Ride Continues for Miller

On June 8th, Johnny played in the U.S. Open qualifier right here at Olympic. As reported in the San Francisco Examiner, Miller scored a 143, good enough for 3rd place, and a ticket to tee it up with the biggest names in golf in the opening round of the U.S. Open in what would be Miller’s first ever professional golf tournament (he would be competing as an amateur).

Miller Encounters the Golden Bear

The fairy tale got even better for Johnny Miller before the U.S. Open even started. The next day after the qualifier, Miller played a practice round with Jack Nicklaus. Jack is one of the heavy favorites, and has already won 4 majors, including the 1962 U.S. Open in a playoff over Arnold Palmer.

Now here’s where it gets unreal. In his first time playing against Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller went on a hot streak and birdied the 8th, 9th, 10th and 12th holes, and wait for it… Miller beat Nicklaus!

Nelson Cullenward followed the pair and reported this in the June 10th San Francisco Examiner:

The tournament was still almost a week away from getting started, and already I was enthralled.

It got better yet!

Bantam Ben

At the other end of the age spectrum of the players in the field for the U.S. Open was the legendary Ben Hogan, age 53, and the oldest man in the tournament. Hogan also had the distinction of being the only man in the field who didn’t actually qualify for the tournament. As far as anyone knows, it’s the first time the USGA has ever extended a special exemption to a golfer to play in the U.S. Open.

Here in 1966, Ben Hogan is the only 4-time winner of the U.S. Open. Since 1962, he has declined to play in qualifiers for the U.S. Open because his damaged legs from a near fatal 1949 automobile accident severely limit his ability to play. And it can be assumed he also felt that a 4-time champion shouldn’t have to play in qualifiers.

For these reasons, Hogan has not played in the U.S. Open in 5 years. But this year, the USGA gave him a special exemption, the only one ever. Perhaps it was because they couldn’t resist the nostalgic return of Hogan to the Olympic Club, where he narrowly lost a 5th U.S. Open championship in a famous 18 hole playoff 11 years ago to Jack Fleck. Fleck is back as well, having qualified like everyone else.

Hogan however, is not here for a ceremonial walk along the fairways. He intends to win. He told Roger Williams in the June 10 San Francisco Examiner:

What about Slammin’ Sammy?

Hogan’s special exemption actually drew the ire of the King, Arnold Palmer. Leo H. Peterson in a UPI article on June 10th quoted Palmer:

The one major difference between the two giants, Hogan and Snead, is that Slammin’ Sammy, while winning 7 majors, has never won the U.S. Open, losing famously in several heartbreaking near misses.

Sam Snead did try, but failed to qualify for the 1966 U.S. Open, ending the longest streak of consecutive U.S. Open appearances (25) for any golfer up to this time. Sam Snead had played in every U.S. Open contested from 1938 to 1965. And at age 53, he had won a PGA tournament in 1965, the oldest player ever to do so.

It would have been nice to see both Sam Snead and Ben Hogan at Olympic, but it wasn’t to be.

Joe DiMaggio

Okay, here’s a name you weren’t expecting in this article. But Joltin’ Joe is a San Francisco native, and he was on hand to watch the practice rounds on Tuesday, June 14th. He was looking dapper as ever at age 51 as you can see in this photo that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Perhaps stimulated by seeing DiMaggio on the course, 1964 PGA Champion Bobby Nichols described the rough here at the Olympic Club to Art Rosenbaum of the San Francisco Chronicle in baseball terms, “It’s ridiculous. It’s like letting Yankee Stadium grow knee deep weeds in the outfield for the World Series.”

The Favorites

Of course, all the top players in the world are here.

The front page of the San Francisco Chronicle sports section shared the Las Vegas odds to win the U.S. Open:

4.5 to 1 - Jack Nicklaus
5 to 1 - Arnold Palmer
6 to 1 - Doug Sanders and Tony Lema
12 to 1 - Gene Littler
15 to 1 - Gary Player, Billy Casper, Dave Marr and Gay Brewer

It’s no surprise to find Jack and Arnie at the top of that list. They have dominated the majors so far in this decade.

Arnie has finished in the top 2 in 12 of the 25 majors since 1960. That’s a staggering stat. Just think about it for a moment.

And now for a statistic that will help explain why Arnie is known as The King here in 1966. In our time, Tiger Woods has never had a 25 major stretch like that.

Jack has finished in the top 2 in 9 of the last 17 majors played, going back to 1962, when he made his 1st appearance in a major.

By comparison, Gary Player, the 3rd member of what is commonly called, “The Big 3” here in 1966, has only finished in the top 2 in 5 majors since 1960. It’s a little surprising that Player is only 15 to 1 to win since he is the defending U.S. Open champion, but here in 1966, Player has started the year in a slump and in outside of the top 10 money leaders.

But Gary Player does have a distinction that neither Jack nor Arnie have. Player is the only member of “The Big 3” to have captured the career Grand Slam, which he completed when he won the U.S. Open last year at age 29, becoming just the third player with this honor after Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan.

With the Big 3 plus Hogan in the field, one reporter called this the greatest field in the history of the U.S. Open.

The Future Famous

Another group of players that have made the field of 151 golfers for the U.S. Open generate no excitement to almost anyone outside their own family and friends. These include future multiple U.S. Open winners - Lee Trevino and Hale Irwin.

Lee Trevino

26-year-old ex-Marine Lee Trevino is currently an assistant club pro at Horizon Hills in El Paso, TX, and plays the mini-tour golf in the southwest. On June 6th, the El Paso Post reported that Trevino had finished in 3rd place in the Conrad Hilton golf tournament in New Mexico, for which Lee pocketed $450.

Two days later the Fort-Worth Star Telegram reported on the results of the Texas sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. Four spots were up for grabs. On the very first hole, Trevino holed a 60 foot putt. And on the 15th hole of the 2nd and final round, he hit the flagstick on the par 3 15th hole and nearly had a hole-in-one. Those 2 shots helped Lee Trevino qualify by a single stroke.

In 1st place in the Texas sectional qualifier was long time tour pro Don January, a winner of 4 PGA events so far in his career. 2nd place went to Rives McBee. And tied for 3rd with Lee Trevino, and just 1 shot ahead of 5th place, was another amateur Ras Allen.

By a single stroke, Lee Trevino had earned a spot to play in his first major golf tournament.

Hale Irwin

20-year-old University of Colorado student Hale Irwin, who just completed his sophomore year, won the Colorado sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open by 3 shots as reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph on June 7th.

Hale Irwin was also an All Big 8 defensive back in the prior football season in 1965.

In qualifying to compete in the 1966 U.S. Open, Hale Irwin gained the distinction of being the only All Conference football player across any college sports conference to qualify for the U.S. Open in the prior year.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler
This feat by Hale Irwin was not mentioned in any of the newspapers in 1966 that I could find. In addition, Irwin went on the repeat as an All Big 8 defensive back in the 1966 season.

Now back to 1966.

The Opening Rounds

One of the big stories in the 1st round on June 16th was that Ben Hogan outplayed Jack Fleck soundly, besting him by 7 shots, and thereby getting a tiny bit of redemption for his playoff loss here to Fleck in 1955.

Also, by shooting a 72, Ben Hogan found himself high up on the leaderboard in a tie for 16th place. Hogan was just 1 shot back of Arnie and Jack.

Reporters were in awe of Hogan’s play from tee to green. Here’s how Glenn Dickey of the San Francisco Chronicle described his play on the tees and fairways:

But at nearly 54 years old, and with eyes that are damaged from his car accident, Ben Hogan can’t putt. Hogan only required 39 shots from tee to green, but he took 33 putts.

Here’s how Dickey described Hogan’s horrors on the green:

Hogan is also known for chain smoking and being a man few words. An AP article that ran in the the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted that Hogan smoked 21 cigarettes and spoke 41 words during his round of 72 strokes.

The AP also noted in reference to Ben’s shaky putting, “had he been a bit luckier, he could have had the lead.”

The first round lead belonged to a virtually unknown club pro from Tacoma, Al Mengert, who shot a 3 under par 67. Mengert who said he only plays 3 times a week, credited his mental buildup for the tournament for his success.

For San Francisco area golf fans, the big story of the day was the local boy, 19-year-old Johnny Miller. Johnny shot an even par 70 good for a tie for 5th place.

Nels Cullenward of the San Francisco Examiner wrote a touching story about Miller’s determination to be walking the course at the Olympic Club inside the ropes this year, “If Johnny hadn’t played, the San Francisco lad fully intended to caddy for someone who was.”

In fact, before he did qualify to play, Miller had a caddy position lined up.

He told Cullenward his goal for the week is to be low amateur. He’s off to a great start, as he’s 3 shots ahead of the nearest amateur Bob Murphy.

LEADERS AFTER ROUND 1:

67 - Al Mengert
68 - Gene Littler, Don Massengale
69 - Billy Casper
70 - Johnny Miller, Kel Nagle, Phil Rodgers, Doug Sanders
71 - Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Lema and 4 others
72 - Ben Hogan, Dave Hill and 7 others

Round 2

The King, Arnold Palmer, asserted his command in firing a 4 under 66 on Friday to move into a tie for the lead with Billy Casper at 3 under par 137 for 36 holes.

It could have been even better. Arnie could have broken the Olympic Club course record and equaled the U.S. Open record of 64 had he not missed 4-footers on both 17 and 18.

While Arnie missed out on a record round, another unknown player did not. Rives McBee shot a 64.

This is the same McBee who qualified for the U.S. Open in the Texas sectional finishing a shot ahead of Lee Trevino.

Rives McBee is now the co-holder of the lowest score ever posted in a single round at any U.S. Open up to this time.

McBee ended the day tied for 2nd place at even par 140.

First day leader Al Mengert ballooned to a 77 for a 2 day total of 144 putting him 7 shots off the lead.

Other Big Names Lurking

One of the biggest current names in 1966, and one of the biggest future names in golf, Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller will be paired together in Saturday’s 3rd round. That’s because they ended Friday tied at 2 over 142, good for 5th place.

Art Rosenbaum asked Jonny Miller about what it would be like playing with Jack Nicklaus on Saturday in the U.S. Open, “He won’t bother me. But the crowd will.”

Finally, Ben Hogan shot 73 on the 2nd day for a 2 day score of 5 over 145, keeping him still in the hunt, although 8 shots behind the leaders.

The Cut Line

The cut line was as 152 (+12).

The biggest name to miss the cut was the 1955 champion Jack Fleck.

But making the cut were two unexpected names - Lee Trevino and Hale Irwin. Trevino was safely in at 147. Irwin was 2 shots inside the cut at 150.

LEADERS AFTER ROUND 2:

-3 Arnold Palmer and Billy Casper
EVEN Rives McBee and Phil Rodgers
+2 Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller
+3 Julius Boros, Kel Nagle and Dave Hill
+4 Al Mengert and Bob Goalby
+5 Ben Hogan, Doug Sanders, Tony Lema, Dave Marr, Bob Murphy and 2 others

Round 3

On moving day, The King had an up and down round, but finished with a 3 shot lead on Saturday, carding an even par 70. His playing partner, Billy Casper, who started the day tied with Palmer, could only manage a 73.

Casper told Bill Shirley of the Los Angeles Times, “After the way I played today, I’m just happy to be playing tomorrow.”

Playing better than anyone else on Saturday was Dave Marr who had the low round of the day at 68 to put himself into a 4th place tie with Phil Rodgers, 6 shots back of Palmer.

Rives McBee shot 10 strokes worse than his record round of 64 on Friday, but is still just 7 shots off the lead and alone in 6th.

One of the big stories of the day was the USGA. Implementing new speed of play rules, the golfers averaged just 3 and a half hours for their rounds. The normally slow playing Nicklaus traversed the course in just 3 hours and 25 minutes.

The USGA calls it “The Continuous Putting Rule,” and it was partially explained by Dwayne Netland in the June 5th Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The rule requires the first player who putts, to continue putting, until their ball is in the cup, before the next player putts.

Benefitting from the new rule, Jack Nicklaus, with a speedy 69, kept himself in contention, moving into 3rd place and just 4 shots behind Arnold Palmer.

The New York Times’ Lincoln A. Werden noted that Jack’s playing partner, Johnny Miller, “proved a big favorite with the crowd.” as he played in front of “his first big gallery.” Miller told Werden, “I certainly enjoyed playing with Nicklaus. But I’d hit a good shot, then a bad one, and never could concentrate.”

Miller’s inability to concentrate may explain what turned out to be his worst round of the week so far. In his first head-to-head battle against Jack Nicklaus in tournament play, Jack beat Johnny 69 to 74.

Prescott Sullivan captured the moment that Nicklaus and Miller finished the round in his column in the June 19th San Francisco Examiner:

To finish his June 19th column, Prescott Sullivan wrote this:

NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler

What an incredibly prescient line from Prescott Sullivan predicting Johnny Miller “when he’s 26, could have made it, too.” Precisely 7 years later, at age 26, in 1973, Johnny Miller will fire his major final round record 63 to win the U.S. Open and begin one of the greatest runs in golf history over the next 2 years.

Now back to 1966.

Roger Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke to Nicklaus after the round and got this precious quote from the 26-year-old Jack:

Arthur Daley of the New York Times heard the story a little bit differently. He wrote about it in his June 20th column:

With a 74, Johnny Miller is now 9 shots back, but still 4 shots ahead of Bob Murphy and 5 shots ahead of Deane Beman in the race for low amateur.

Werden noted that the ovation Johnny Miller received on the 18th hole, “was equal that given to Ben Hogan.”

Ben Hogan ballooned to 76, dropping him to 14 shots back, and in a tie for 22nd place. Ben’s out of contention for the dream of a 5th U.S. Open title. Werden noted that Hogan’s goal now is to finish in the top 15, so he can receive an automatic invitation to the 1967 U.S. Open.

Arthur Daley, who writes the celebrated “Sports of the Times” column in The New York Times, was on the course on Saturday following Hogan and had this to say:

LEADERS AFTER ROUND 3:

-3 Arnold Palmer
EVEN Billy Casper
+1 Jack Nicklaus
+3 Dave Marr and Phil Rodgers
+4 Rives McBee
+5 Tony Lema, Al Mengert and Bob Goalby
+6 Johnny Miller
+7 Bobby Nichols and Mason Rudolph
+8 Walter Burkemo
+9 Doug Sanders, Frank Beard, Tommie Aaron, Rod Funseth
+10 Julius Boros, Bob Murphy, Bruce Devlin and 2 others
+11 Ben Hogan, Ken Venturi, Deane Beman and 3 others

The headline in the Santa Ana Register told the big story going into the final round:

The Sports Time Traveler is looking forward to the final round of the 1966 U.S. Open and will report back to you soon.

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After finishing with just the 6th best record in the NBA, and then losing 2 of the first 3 games in their opening round to the Hawks, the Knicks appeared to be going nowhere.

And then they went on a 13 game winning streak, the longest in Eastern Conference Playoff history.

The Knicks finished off the Spurs, having won 15 out of their last 16 games to capture the NBA title, the first for the Knicks since 1973.

We heard quite a bit about that last fact during this year’s finals - this was the Knicks first title since 1973.

What we didn’t hear much about was how magical that run was by the Knicks in ‘73.

In this post, I would like to reveal the magic of ‘73.

In 2023, I set my sports time travel machine back 50 years to 1973, so that I could experience the last time The New York Knickerbockers (yes, that’s still the real name of the team), won an NBA title. I had lived through it. But I didn’t remember all of it. I wrote several articles, and I was stunned by the incredible events that took place in the Knicks 1973 run to the title.

I’m now sharing those articles from my paid archives for FREE through the end of June, when they will return to my archives collection.

The links to the articles are provided near the end of this post.

First, I will share the highlights of these journeys.

Join me now as we go back in time to 1973.

1973 SEASON PREVIEW

There are 4 super teams in the NBA here in 1973.

In the past 4 seasons, each of these 4 teams has won an NBA title.

That makes this 1973 season the bubble year. The team that wins the title this 1973 season can claim the crown of best NBA team over the past 5 years.

Here are the 4 super teams in order of their most recent NBA titles:

1. The Boston Celtics - They won the 1969 NBA title in Bill Russell’s final season. Now re-stocked with 1973 MVP Dave Cowens at center, and John Havlicek emerging as one of the league’s top scorers, the Celtics are back as a contender. The Celtics won their first 11 games of the 1973 season.

2. The New York Knicks - Winners of the 1970 NBA championship, New York Fans are rabid for the team’s unselfish play and focus on defense. Chants of “Dee-fense, Dee-fense” frequently rock the garden. Their captain, 1970 MVP Willis Reed, has been subpar the last two years due to injuries. But the Knicks started the season hot, winning 10 of their first 11.

3. The Milwaukee Bucks - An expansion team in 1969, the Bucks had the good fortune to select 1st in the 1969 draft, and picked Lew Alcindor. In 1971, Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and changed the Bucks into NBA Champions. He also won both the 1971 and 1972 MVP awards. The Bucks got off to a hot start winning 11 of their first 13 games.

4. The Los Angeles Lakers - The defending 1972 NBA champions set an American major pro sports record last season with a 33 game winning streak. They also set the record for most wins in an NBA season in 1972 with 69. Led by two all-time greats, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the Lakers got off to a great start in the 1973 season, with a 20 - 1 stretch, to reach 25 - 4 in mid-December.

The Knicks Fairytale Comeback - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - November 18, 1972

In an early season game against the 1971 champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks were down 18 points with under 6 minutes remaining.

The Knicks scored the last 19 points of the game to win it by 1 point.

My favorite part of this experience was reading Tony Kornheiser’s description of the crowd noise on a Walt Frazier steal during the historic 19 - 0 run.

Frazier’s steal brought the crowd to the level of a frenzy, and they effectively became the Knicks invaluable 6th man. Kornheiser wrote that the crowd was yelling “dee-fense,” “at decibels bordering on the inhuman.”

“I give full credit to the crowd”, said Bill Bradley in The New York Times. In the New York Daily News, Bradley reiterated, “The game ball belongs to the crowd. They are the greatest.”

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

The Knicks miracle come from behind victory, scoring the final 19 points of the game, remains an NBA record. And they did it against one of the super teams of the era.

A Chiller and a Thriller - Playoff games from April 16, 1973

There were two Sunday playoff games on this day, and they were both must see television:

BOSTON GARDEN - Knicks at Celtics, Game 1 ECF

The Celtics were 68 - 14 during the 1973 season for tying the 2nd most victories for a single season in NBA history. And the Celtics came into game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals having won 28 of the last 32 games.

The Knicks had kept pace with the Celtics most of the season, reaching a high point of 43 - 12. But from that point on, the Knicks limped home with a 14 - 15 record as they entered the playoffs.

In game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics slaughtered the Knicks 134 - 108. It was the kind of thrashing that is hard to recover from.

It was the worst Knicks loss in 88 games played this season - a real chiller.

THE FORUM - Bulls at Lakers, Game 7 First Round

On this same day, the scrappy Chicago Bulls had the defending champion Lakers on the ropes. With 30 seconds to go, the Bulls had the ball and led 92 - 91. Their star point guard Norm Van Lier was having a career game with 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Van Lier controlled the ball and found some open space with 30 seconds in the game. He was 20 feet out preparing to shoot. Another basket would put the defending champion Lakers on the brink of exiting the playoffs. A Van Lier basket would put the Bulls up by 3 with less than 30 seconds to play (NOTE: there is no 3 point shot in 1973).

At this moment, Wilt Chamberlain decided to gamble. Chamberlain went out to contest Van Lier’s shot. Mal Florence of the Los Angeles Times described the play, “Wilt went out on Norman at the propitious time. Van Lier tried to fire from medium range, but Chamberlain not only blocked the shot, but got the ball and let fly with a long pass to Goodrich.”

In the Chicago Tribune, Bob Logan described Chamberlain’s pass, “(Chamberlain) fed a Johnny Unitas style bomb to the sprinting Gail Goodrich who put it in for the winning points.”

The Lakers survived a game 7 thriller and will meet the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

The Warriors knocked off the 1971 champion Bucks in the 1st round. Although the Bucks were a 60 game winner, they were gone from the playoffs.

You can see Chamberlain’s series saving block at the 1:47 time stamp on this video:

Chamberlain's Greatest Block

It just might be the greatest play of Chamberlain’s career.

The Celtics Never Lose

The Knicks recovered from the game 1 rout in Boston and turned the tables on the Celtics. A scheduling quirk gave the Knicks the home court for games 2 and 3, and the Knicks took advantage. They destroyed the Celtics in game 2 by 33. And then marched on to take game 3.

Back in Boston for game 4, it was a double OT marathon, in which Dave Cowens played all 55 minutes for the Celtics. But the Knicks prevailed to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead.

The Celtics won game 5 in Boston and game 6 in New York to set up a game 7 at the Boston Garden.

Here in 1973, it is a stunning fact that Boston has never lost a game 7. They are a 10 - 0 in game 7’s.

The Knicks Always Beat the Celtics - Boston Garden - April 29, 1973

CELTICS 22 KNICKS 19 - End of 1st Quarter

Red Holzman made a strategic move to start the 2nd quarter. He took out Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and put in back up guard Dean Meminger, a speedy 6 footer, to defend against Boston guard Jo-Jo White.

Meminger never came back out.

He played the final 36 minutes without a break after only playing 16 minutes in game 6.

Meminger not only played aggressive defense, he helped open up the offense.

Meminger had 9 points in the 1st 9 minutes of the 2nd quarter and the Knicks took the halftime lead.

KNICKS 45 CELTICS 40 - HALFTIME

Early in the 3rd quarter Knicks’ power forward DeBusschere got into foul trouble. Then Jerry Lucas got into foul trouble. The injured Willis Reed took over guarding Dave Cowens. Cowens, who had scored 15 in the first half, managed only 2 in the 3rd.

The Knicks widened their lead to 15.

KNICKS 72 CELTICS 57 - End of 3rd Quarter

The Knicks continued to expand the lead reaching a 20 point margin with 5 minutes to go at 86 - 66.

KNICKS 94 CELTICS 78 - FINAL SCORE

In 82 regular season and 12 playoff games, this was the Knicks best defensive performance and the only time all year they held an opponent to less than 80 points.

The Knicks had become the first team to ever beat the Celtics in a game 7. And they did it in a year in which the Celtics had won a franchise record 68 games.

NOTE From the Sports Time Traveler

I was 9 years old when the game took place. It was a great spring day in New Jersey and I was very happy playing outside in our backyard.

I was big Knicks fan, but I was also a 9 year old kid who had spent the long winter waiting for a weekend day like this.

In what must have been late in the game, my dad came outside and yelled to me, “Come inside the Knicks are going to beat the Celtics!”

Searching for an excuse to stay outside, I yelled back, “The Knicks always beat the Celtics.”

In my 9 year old view of the world, the Celtics dynasty was ancient history. What was top of mind for me was that the Knicks had beaten the Celtics 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals the prior year. So I expected another Knicks victory.

I didn’t listen to my dad.

And I missed this end of this epic game 7.

The DeBusschere Debacle

Dave DeBusschere of the Knicks played a key role in game 4 of the 1973 NBA Finals

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - May 9, 1973

The Lakers got out to a 20 point lead in game 1 and held on despite a ferocious Knicks 4th quarter rally.

In game 2, the Knicks fouled Chamberlain incessantly when he got the ball down low and Chamberlain responded going 1 for 9 from the free throw line.

The Knicks won it 99 - 95.

SERIES TIED 1 - 1

In game 3, Wilt seemed afraid to shoot. He attempted only 3 field goals.

In addition, Jerry West, already hampered by a left hamstring injury, suffered a pull in his right hamstring and missed the 4th quarter. Before leaving the game, West was ineffective going 5 for 13.

The Knicks won it 87 - 83.

The 83 points were the Lakers lowest point total in a playoff game since the advent of the 24 second clock.

KNICKS LEAD THE SERIES 2 - 1

With Jerry West hampered by his hamstrings, the Knicks raced out to a 21 point lead in the 2nd quarter of game 4. And they led 13 late in the game.

KNICKS 88 LAKERS 75 - 9 minutes to play in game 4

The sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden began chanting, “Goodbye Lakers.”

And then the game turned.

“Suddenly the Lakers led by an ailing Jerry West, came alive,” wrote Larry Fox, in the New York Daily News.

And then the Knicks went cold.

The Lakers held them scoreless for 4 minutes. In this stretch, Knicks guard Walt Frazier, who had played the entire game and controls the ball on offense, fouled out.

Without Frazier guarding him, Jerry West hit a clutch shot from the top of the key with 1:16 to go to pull the Lakers to within 2.

KNICKS 94 LAKERS 92 - 1:16 to play in game 4

Doug Ives, writing in the Long Beach Press-Telegram described the action as the Knicks had the ball entering the final minute, “New York hadn’t scored in 5 minutes and panic was about to set in. Defensed brilliantly, Bill Bradley was forced to take a long jumper with only 2 seconds left on the 24 second clock. The shot missed and was heading into the hands of Wilt Chamberlain.”

Chamberlain told Mal Florence after the game, “Yes, I had it for a moment, but I couldn’t quite control it.”

Larry Fox described why Chamberlain couldn’t secure the rebound, “But Willis Reed was there too, inspirational hero of the great Knick victory 3 years ago. Reed tipped the ball back up. Again Chamberlain was there to pick it off.”

But Chamberlain couldn’t get the ball the 2nd time either.

Wilt told Larry Fox, “Dave (DeBusschere) slipped in front of me.”

Knicks forward, Dave DeBusschere had managed to grab the ball.

Doug Ives described this part of the play, “DeBusschere, the 12 year veteran, giving away 8 inches, managed to wrest the ball from Chamberlain’s grasp and in the same motion push the ball toward the basket with Wilt draped all over him.”

DeBusschere made the basket.

Fox wrote, “DeBusschere leaped into the air in exultation when he scored on the rebound.”

But that’s not all. DeBusschere was also fouled on the play.

Doug Ives wrote, “The ball swished through. Chamberlain was called for a foul, and while 19,964 fans went beserk, DeBusschere sank the ensuing free throw that turned a 2 point game into a 5 point game.

It was a 3 point play at the most critical moment. The first Knicks points in nearly 5 minutes of action, and with Frazier out of the game.

It was a back breaking moment for the Lakers.

KNICKS 97 LAKERS 92 - 48 seconds to play in game 4

Jerry West told Mal Florence, “It was the biggest play of the series. If we had gotten the ball, the clock was in our favor.”

The game wasn’t quite over after DeBusschere’s 3 point play, but the Lakers never got closer than 3 points.

KNICKS 103 LAKERS 98 - FINAL SCORE

KNICKS LEAD THE SERIES 3 - 1

The Team With No MVP

THE FORUM - INGLEWOOD, CA - May 11, 1973

Although the Lakers had their backs to the wall, they had the benefit of 2 of the last 3 games at home if they could push the series to the limit.

LAKERS 41 KNICKS 39 - Halftime

In the 3rd quarter, the Knicks dug in with their trademark defense.

Leonard Koppett wrote in the New York Times, “Team defense; that’s the Knick’s religion. Calm professionalism; that’s the Knick’s style.”

The Knicks forced 12 Lakers turnovers in 12 minutes and that fueled a 32 - 18 quarter and put the Knicks up by 12 going into the final period.

KNICKS 71 LAKERS 59 - End of 3rd Quarter

Dave DeBusschere scored on a driving layup with 9 minutes to go, but he sprained his ankle badly and had to be carried off the court.

With DeBusschere out, the Lakers mounted a comeback and pulled to within 4 points at 84 - 80.

But as has been the case with the Knicks, several players stepped up at this critical time late in the game.

Bill Bradley scored on a pass from Willis Reed. Then Earl “the Pearl” Monroe made a 3 point play (the old fashioned way). And finally, the captain, Reed, hit a jumper and the Knicks pushed the lead back to 11 points with under 2 minutes to go.

KNICKS 93 LAKERS 82 - 1:52 left to play in the game

Reed’s jumper iced it. The Knicks won it 102 - 93.

Walt Frazier, who played all but 10 minutes across the entire 5 games, told the New York Daily News, “It was our poise and expertise, and the ability to not crack under pressure,” that won the series for the Knicks.

WORLD CHAMPIONS

The New York Knickerbockers were the World Champions for the 2nd time in 4 seasons. And they had done it by defeating Lakers, the team with the best record in the NBA over the past 2 seasons.

The Knicks had really done something astonishing. They had defeated the 68 win Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then beaten the Defending NBA Champion Lakers in the Finals, a team that had 69 games the prior year in the Finals. No team has ever beaten two such opponents in consecutive playoff series.

The Team is the MVP

Willis Reed was voted the MVP of the series. But Sport Magazine noted that they selected Reed for “leadership as captain of a total team effort.”

Reed himself was quick to agree with Sport Magazine’s assertion. He told Jeff Prugh of the Los Angeles Times, “We’ve got 5 guys who should be the most valuable player.”

On offense, this was exemplified by the fact that everyone in the Knicks starting 5 averaged between 15.6 to 18.6 points per game in the Finals. They all contributed nearly equally.

Mal Florence of the Los Angeles Times noted, “The Knicks started 5 accurate shooters, and if one was cold, another would pick up the slack.”

On defense they were a cohesive unit that shut down their opponents. In the playoffs, they held the Bullets and Celtics 10 points below their season average, and in the Finals they kept the Lakers 19 points below their season average in the last 4 games of the series. And for the entire series the Lakers committed 104 turnovers to just 74 for the Knicks.

“Their defense stormed our running game,” lamented Lakers coach Bill Sharman in the Los Angeles Times.

Leonard Koppett of the New York Times credited the Knicks coach and general manager Red Holzman (he holds both jobs) with molding the championship team, “Red Holzman… has succeeded brilliantly in both jobs by imposing his philosophy of team unity on the players to the point it has become part of them.”

Dave DeBusschere agreed with Koppett, saying about Holzman, “He may well be one of the best coaches in the game if not the best.”

Bill Bradley told the New York Times, “It’s immensely satisfying to play this way and win. It’s the actualization of the right ideas about the game.”

Larry Fox of the New York Daily News summed it up at the beginning of his article on game 5, “The Knicks are champions… and they did it their way, with another magnificent team effort on both ends of the floor, their trademark.”

LINKS TO FULL ARTICLES ON 1973 KNICKS:

Knicks Fairytale Comeback Stuns the Bucks

A Chiller and a Thriller - Knicks Game 1 ECF vs. Celtics and Lakers Game 7 1st round against the Bulls

The Celtics Never Lose

The Knicks Always Beat the Celtics

The DeBusschere Debacle

The Team With No MVP

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The The Sports Time Traveler™ was here yesterday for a big one. A game 7 between the New York Knickerbockers and the Boston Celtics. The winner to face the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

We’re here because the Knicks who led 3 games to 1, dropped games 5 and 6.

In addition to having home court advantage, the Celtics have three enormous factors on their side:

• A perfect record 10 - 0 in game 7’s in franchise history

• A home record of 33 - 6 this season

• Center Dave Cowens - the league MVP

Each team has one key player that is dealing with an injury that is likely to hamper their performance. Celtics star forward John Havlicek has a shoulder injury, although he was 9 for 15 shooting over the past 2 games. The Knicks guard Earl “The Pearl” Monroe is dealing with a hip injury, although he managed to shoot 11 for 19 in game 6.

Knicks coach, Red Holzman, made a key decision prior to the start of the game that he said was based on game film he watched that morning. He decided to have the more mobile Dave DeBusschere guard the Celtics leading scorer in the series, Dave Cowens, instead of his center Willis Reed. He then planned to have the defense sag in around Cowens, forcing the Celtics to either take outside shots or force risky passes into Cowens.

But the plan didn’t initially work as the Celtics managed to score on several fast breaks early in the game and led at the end of the quarter.

CELTICS 22 KNICKS 19 - End of 1st Quarter

Red Holzman made another move to start the 2nd quarter. He took out Earl Monroe and put in back up guard Dean “The Dream” Meminger, a speedy 6 footer, to defend against Boston guard Jo-Jo White.

Meminger never came back out.

He played the final 36 minutes without a break after only playing 16 minutes in game 6.

Meminger not only played aggressive defense, he helped open up the offense. Walt Frazier said in New York Daily News, “Dean really gets us moving. He makes Cowens commit himself on the drive and then kicks it back out to the open man. If Cowens doesn’t move then Deano goes all the way in.”

The Central Jersey Home News described the impact Meminger had, “2 plays best demonstrate what the Dream did to give the Celtics nightmares. First he took an outlet pass in full stride after a Boston miss and didn’t stop until he dropped in a layup… The second play was just as eye catching… he barreled full tilt between 2 Celtics to intercept a pass and streak half the length of the court for the easiest layup of the brutal contest.”

Meminger had 9 points in the 1st 9 minutes of the 2nd quarter and the Knicks took the halftime lead.

KNICKS 45 CELTICS 40 - HALFTIME

Then the Knicks opened the 3rd quarter with Jerry Lucas guarding Cowens as DeBusschere got into foul trouble. When Lucas got into foul trouble, Reed took over guarding Cowens. The MVP, who had scored 15 in the first half managed only 2 in the 3rd.

Meanwhile the Knicks scored 6 of the first 7 points to extend the lead to 51 - 41.

Moments later the Knicks went on a 17 - 7 run.

The Knicks shot 65% in the 3rd quarter, with at least 5 shots from deep outside.

The Celtics made just 6 baskets in the entire quarter, and by the time it was over the Knicks had a commanding 15 point lead.

KNICKS 72 CELTICS 57 - End of 3rd Quarter

The Knicks continued to expand the lead reaching a 20 point margin with 5 minutes to go at 86 - 66.

In the prior 31 minutes of basketball time, the Knicks had outscored the Celtics 67 - 44. Moreover, the Knicks in that stretch had hit 13 outside shots. The Celtics had hit none.

The game was essentially over. The Knicks eased up on defense to avoid fouling and won the game by 16 and took the series 4 games to 3.

Leonard Koppett, of the New York Times, wrote, “The Knicks pulled together all the elements of the team play that had become unraveled as they allowed a 3 - 1 lead in the 4 of 7 game competition to dissolve… they produced the big performance in the big game.”

KNICKS 94 CELTICS 78 - FINAL SCORE

In 82 regular season and 12 playoff games, this was the Knicks best defensive performance and the only time all year they held an opponent to less than 80 points.

The Knicks defense was stellar. The Celtics shot just 37% for the game.

Walt Frazier told Larry Fox of the New York Daily News, “We just played aggressive on defense. And that must be the secret, being aggressive. We forced them into bad shots. This game we had the poise and we controlled the tempo.”

The Knicks were also good on offense. They played team ball and found the open man. 27 of their 38 field goals came on assists compared to just 16 assists on 31 field goals for the Celtics. Frazier led the Knicks with 25 points and 7 assists.

Coach Red Holzman, who guided the Knicks to their only title in 1970, said to Leonard Koppett, “I’d say this was the most satisfying victory I’ve ever been connected with.”

Bounced from the playoffs after finishing the regular season with the best record in Celtics history, the Boston press searched for answers. The Boston Globe had a headline on the front page of the sports section that read:

The Leprechauns Weren’t in Their Garden

Leigh Montville of the Boston Globe summed up the game this way, “The New York Knicks were simply too good.”

Paul Silas told the Boston Globe, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you have to be ready in the playoffs.” Montville concluded, “The Celtics were not ready. That’s all there was to it… There wasn’t any mysticism or strategy involved. The Celtics were just flat.”

So it turns out the Celtics can lose a game 7.

POSTSCRIPT from The Sports Time Traveler™

There is no full game video that is publicly available. But there is a short 4 minute film that contains parts of the 2nd half, including the final buzzer:

That video is all I’ve ever seen of the game.

I was 9 years old when the game took place on the afternoon of Sunday, April 29, 1973. It was a great spring day in New Jersey and I was very happy playing outside in our backyard. Temperatures were close to 60 degrees.

I was big Knicks fan, but I was also a 9 year old kid who had spent the arduously long winter waiting for a weekend day like this. At 9, winter seemed like it had lasted forever. And I was enjoying this time out in the sun.

In what must have been late in the game, my dad came outside and yelled to me, “Come inside the Knicks are going to beat the Celtics!”

Searching for an excuse to stay outside, I yelled back, “The Knicks always beat the Celtics.”

In my 9 year old view of the world, the Celtics dynasty was ancient history. It might as well have happened in Roman times. What was top of mind for me was that the Knicks had beaten the Celtics 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals the prior year. So I expected another Knicks victory.

I didn’t listen to my dad.

And I missed this end of this epic game 7.

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The man in the blue circle is Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie is surrounded by 5 players from the opposing team.

Jackie Robinson will score on this play.

Wait, what! Jackie Robinson score on this play?

How is that even remotely possible?

In this article, you will find out what happened and the circumstances around this play.

My research on this play confirmed for me what I already thought - Jackie Robinson was perhaps the most disruptive baserunner in baseball history, and his greatness on the field is not nearly celebrated enough.

BACKGROUND

Last year, a subscriber to The Sports Time Traveler shared a book with me. The book was titled, “What I Learned From Jackie Robinson,” and was written by Carl Erskine, who like Jackie, was one of the Boys of Summer. Carl was a mainstay in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitching rotation in the 1950s.

It was a sensational book, filled with all sorts of anecdotes about Jackie Robinson and Carl Erskine’s other band of brothers as they contended for the National League pennant in every year of Jackie’s career from 1947 to 1956, and won a World Series title in 1955.

You can find Carl Erksine’s book on Amazon at this link:

What I Learned From Jackie Robinson - by Carl Erskine

There was one picture in the book that had me completely enthralled. When I first came across it, I just stared at it for a while, trying to get my head wrapped around the caption.

It’s the picture up above, in which Jackie Robinson caught in a hopeless rundown between 3rd base and home, surrounded by 5 players.

Looking at the picture, it seems like an impossible mission for Jackie. No one could get out of this jam. Yet, the caption at the bottom reads, “Jackie was so quick he nearly always got out of a rundown. He actually scored on this play against the Phillies.”

You can’t believe everything you read. Just because the picture was in the Carl Erskine book, I had to investigate this to verify it was real.

As The Sports Time Traveler, this is just the type of journey I love. I had to go back in time, virtually, to find this game and determine what happened.

Finding the game was not easy. Luckily, I had a few clues. The other caption in the picture listed the names of the players. Using that as a start, I determined this game took place on May 31, 1951 in Ebbets Field between the defending National League champion Phillies and the Dodgers.

In the writing style that I’ve adopted for The Sports Time Traveler, the datelines on my stories are when I read about the games in the newspapers, and so this story is dated June 1, 1951, or 75 years ago this week.

Now join me back in time for the story of my trip to experience “The Jackie Robinson Rundown.”

EBBETS FIELD - June 1, 1951

Last night I was in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (virtually) to find out exactly what happened in the picture I had seen in the Carl Erskine book. It’s a picture I’m calling, “The Jackie Robinson Rundown.”

The Dodgers were hosting the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies had won the 1950 pennant on the final day of the season over the Dodgers. It was another heartbreak for ‘dem Bums who’d previously lost the 1941, 1947 and 1949 World Series to the Yankees.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Dodgers lead 3 - 2. With 1 out, Jackie Robinson came to the plate. He hit a grounder to the Phillies’ shortstop, Granny Hamner, and he beat it out for an infield single.

Hamner is one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. But Jackie Robinson beat out the throw to 1st base.

Robinson Safe at 1st

The infield hit raised Jackie’s batting average to a major league leading .407, and nearly 30 points higher than anyone else.

With Jackie on 1st base and 1 out, Gil Hodges stepped up to the plate. Hodges has driven in 34 runs in just 39 games this season, putting him 3rd in the major leagues in that department behind Ted Williams and Hodges’ teammate Duke Snider.

But Jackie Robinson didn’t wait for Hodges to get a long hit that could drive him in. With the Dodgers in need of an insurance run in this tight game, Jackie took off for 2nd base. He was safe, and now in scoring position if Hodges could just drill a single.

Robinson Safe at 2nd

On the mound was Russ Meyer. He had been a 17 game winner for the Phillies in 1949, but had an off year during the Phillies’ pennant season last year in 1950. Here in 1951, however, Meyer was back in his 1949 form. He came into the game with a 2.83 ERA in his first 6 starts, which included a shutout. He also came into the game having only hit 6 batters in his career to date in over 100 games pitched.

But Meyer hit Gil Hodges.

Now with Robinson on 2nd, and Hodges on 1st, and 1 out, right fielder Carl Furillo stepped up to the plate. Furillo already had 26 RBIs on the season, even though he was off to a slow start batting under .260. And in this game, Russ Meyer had already retired “The Reading Rifle” (as he was called because of his explosive right arm in the outfield) 4 times, including 2 by swinging strikeouts.

Meyer was also having control problems in this contest, having already walked 8 Dodgers. And Meyer may have been on edge with Jackie having just stolen 2nd base. Jackie was always a threat on the basepaths, and he had scored the 4th most runs in the majors over the past 4 seasons.

Meyer threw a pitch that bounded before the plate, according to Dick Young in the Daily News. Andy Seminick, the catcher, smothered the ball, which did not get past him. But that moment was all Jackie Robinson needed. Robinson dashed for 3rd base. Seminick threw to Puddin’ Head Jones covering the bag. Jackie made it into 3rd safely.

Robinson safe at 3rd!

On the play, Gil Hodges moved up to 2nd.

Now with runners on 2nd and 3rd and still just 1 out, Dodgers’ manager Chuck Dressen, possibly sensing that “Skoonj” (Furillo’s other affectionate nickname) was having a tough game against Meyer, called for a suicide squeeze bunt in which Jackie would dash for home while Furillo would bunt.

However, it was truly an off game for Furillo. He missed the bunt attempt.

Jackie Robinson, who was gunning for home on the daring squeeze play, was now caught off 3rd base.

The Rundown Begins

A prolonged rundown ensued. Phillies’ catcher Andy Seminick initially threw back and forth to 3rd baseman Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones, according to Stan Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Brooklyn Eagle reported that in the drill that ensued, Seminick, Puddin’ Head Jones and Granny Hamner all handled the ball.

In addition, pitcher Russ Meyer and 1st baseman Jimmy Bloodworth lined up near home plate.

In the picture below, you see the following players from top to bottom:

Puddin’ Head Jones is closest to 3rd base, just next to the umpire

Jackie Robinson is in the blue circle. He is the only Brooklyn Dodgers players in the picture.

Andy Seminick, #21, is just below Robinson.

Granny Hamner, #2, is the first of 3 Phillies guarding the path to home plate

Russ Meyer, #34, is behind Hamner

Jimmy Bloodworth, #5, is standing with his foot on home plate.

Note that the picture caption indicates Eddy Waitkus is in the rundown, but Waitkus, the regular 1st baseman for the Phillies, did not play in the game. Bloodworth played for Waitkus at 1st.

The caption also indicates that Chuck Dressen is at the bottom of the picture, but Dressen is actually the man coaching at 3rd base. Dressen, the Dodgers’ manager, frequently coached at 3rd base during games.

What a sight! Five Phillies are chasing down 1 Dodger. But this Dodger, Jackie Robinson, was the ultimate dodger, one of the best, if not the very best ever at dodging a tag on the basepaths.

Joseph Sheehan in the New York Times reported the beginning of the play this way:

Dick Young in the Daily News wrote, “Jackie, however, was his old masterful self on the base lines. He jockeyed back and forth while Seminick and Jones, and Hamner flipped the ball over Jackie’s head five times. Jackie worked closer to the plate with each toss.”

Jackie’s Dash

Suddenly, while Jones was holding the ball, Jackie Robinson made a bold move.

Baumgartner reported, “Robinson broke past Seminick.”

Sheehan described it with more flair:

Puddin’ Head Jones then whipped the ball down to Russ Meyer, who was near home.

Harold C. Burr of the Brooklyn Eagle wrote that, “Meyer muffed the ball,” meaning he dropped it.

But the New York Daily News play-by-play of the game indicated that Meyer didn’t drop the ball when it was thrown to him, rather the ball popped out of his glove as he tried to tag Robinson:

Joseph Sheehan in the Times had a slightly different account:

The Play Gets Dirty

Russ Meyer either attempted to retrieve the ball and accidentally smashed into Jackie Robinson, or he intentionally tried to block Robinson from reaching home, or both.

Sheehan wrote that Meyer, “threw the baseball equivalent of a brush block at the Dodger star.”

But Dick Young, who wrote the full story of the game for the New York Daily News described it differently, “With the ball lying on the ground, Robinson rammed into Meyer like a guy trying to force his way into a subway car while another fellow is coming out.”

Either way, Meyer was not able to get to the ball. And, of course, Jackie Robinson, being a fierce competitor, was intent on reaching home plate for a much needed Dodgers’ insurance run.

Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Robinson pushed Meyer.”

The New York Daily News emphasized that Robinson, “pushed Meyer several times in order to get to the plate.”

Jackie Robinson was not going to be denied. He touched home plate and scored the insurance run the Dodgers needed to make the score 4 - 2 Dodgers in the bottom of the 8th.

Jackie Scores!

An AP photo ran in only a few newspapers that were outside of New York and Philadelphia. I found it in the News Tribune on the other side of the country in Tacoma, WA.

The picture below shows Jackie Robinson touching the plate as he is turned back towards Russ Meyer. The other Phillies’ players in the picture were listed in the caption as Jimmy Bloodworth (top left) and Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones (top right), but again the caption is wrong. Granny Hamner, who had been positioned closer to home than Jones the 3rd baseman was wearing an under shirt that extended beyond his uniform sleeves. Puddin’ Head was not. You can see that in the earlier picture of the rundown. Granny Hamner, not Puddin’ Head Jones, is the player on the right side of the picture staring down at the dropped baseball.

The Mission Impossible Was Completed

Jackie Robinson had done the impossible. He had scored despite being caught in a rundown against 5 Phillies’ players.

Jackie Robinson was already 32 at this time, yet he still possessed world class quickness. It’s not that surprising, given that his older brother, Mack Robinson had pure world class speed. Mack Robinson won the silver medal in the 200 meter dash at the 1936 Olympics, finishing in 2nd place to Jesse Owens.

NOTE From The Sports Time Traveler

The story of Jackie Robinson’s brother Mack Robinson is not well known. As a result, it’s one I will be researching and writing about next month when we reach the 90th anniversary of the 1936 Olympics.

Now back to 1951.

Jackie Robinson - Perhaps the Most Disruptive Baserunner

If Jackie Robinson could have played in the major leagues prior to age 28, which is when his color barrier breaking 1947 season took place, he could have provided fans with many more of these special moments.

Jimmy Powers, the famous sports columnist in the New York Daily News, was so moved by Robinson’s feat that he wrote on this day, “If Jackie Robinson had entered the pro game in his teens, he would have become one of the truly great second basemen of all time.”

But in the moment, last night, there was no opportunity to celebrate the breathtaking play.

Mayhem Was Getting Started

As soon as Robinson scored, Russ Meyer took exception to being pushed, and he “charged after Jackie,” according to Baumgartner.

Baumgartner wrote, “They stood chest-to-chest for about 15 seconds.”

The Daily News indicated Meyer was, “shouting at Jackie.”

All the players from each team came out onto the field.

Roy Campanella of the Dodgers restrained Jackie, while Jimmy Bloodworth did the same to Meyer.

For a few moments, all seemed fine. The game was set to proceed with Jim Konstanty relieving Russ Meyer.

But Meyer, instead of going to the clubhouse, remained on the Phillies’ bench and more heated words were exchanged.

A Brawl in Brooklyn

The New York Daily News wrote that Meyer, “gestured to Robinson to meet him under the stands.

Burr in the Brooklyn Eagle wrote that Meyer, “challenged Robinson to fight it out with him under the stands and Robinson immediately disappeared down the Dodger steps.”

Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer pinned the blame for the near brawl on Jackie, “A moment later, Robinson, incensed by the challenging remark made by Meyer as he moved off the field, left the bench and went down the runway apparently to intercept Meyer beneath the stands.”

The New York Daily News described what happened next, “Within a moment, players on both sides were rushing down their respective stairways. Many fans left their seats and rushed under the stands for a promised free for all.”

There was a chance that chaos and an out-of-control brawl could ensue.

Baumgartner wrote, “For a minute or two the excitement was intense, and thousands waited - not knowing what was going on beneath the stands.”

But the umpires were miraculously able to restore order in quick fashion. The Daily News reported that, “The umpires also ran off the field and succeeded in restoring order, and play was resumed.”

Dick Young had the scoop on how the umpires did it as he wrote, “Umpire Larry Goetz shouted to Robinson, ‘Get back up here and play.’ Robinson heeded Goetz. By the time Meyer reached the spot in the passageway that contacts the Dodgers dugout, Jackie was back on the playing field.”

So the two combatants never actually faced off underneath the stands.

Playing Baseball; Not Basebrawl

With the game back underway, Carl Furillo struck out swinging for the 3rd time in the game. And Roy Campanella popped up to the catcher to end the hard-fought inning.

With the Dodgers ahead 4 - 2, Carl Erskine came out to pitch the top of the 9th. Erskine had entered the game in relief in the 3rd inning, and had pitched marvelously allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk in 5 and a 1/3 innings. Erskine was in line to pick up his 4th win of the young season. Not only had Carl pitched nearly perfect ball according to Burr in the Brooklyn Eagle, but he’d also contributed with a double and two perfect bunts. Erskine was 3 for 3 at the plate.

Carl Erskine Tries to Close Out the Game

But now Carl had some tense moments. He gave up a lead off single to Seminick. And then 2nd baseman Mike Goliat hit an “unplayable trickler down the third base line,” according to Dick Young.

Now the tying run was on base and Bill Nicholson came up as a pinch hitter for the pitcher. Nicholson was nearing the end of his career, but he was still a dangerous sight at the plate. He had led the NL in home runs twice during the war years.

Jackie to the Rescue Again!

Erskine got Nicholson to hit a fly over Jackie Robinson’s head at 2nd base. Dick Young reported, “Robinson made a fine twisting grab.”

In the Philadelphia Inquirer, Baumgartner wrote that Jackie, “made a fine running catch. It was a game saver.”

That gave Erskine 1 out, but there were still 2 men on base.

Next up was Richie Ashburn. He came into the game batting .339, and he slashed a single through the middle to drive in a run and make the game 4 - 3 Dodgers.

Now with 1 out and men on 1st and 2nd, Erskine was in a tough situation with Granny Hamner coming up. Erskine got Hamner to hit a hard roller to Pee Wee Reese at shortstop. He flipped to Jackie Robinson at 2nd base for the force out, and Robinson threw to Gil Hodges at 1st base for a game-ending double play.

After 3 hours and 14 minutes, exceptionally long for games here in 1956, the contest was over. The Dodgers had won it 4 - 3. The Jackie Robinson Rundown had provided what turned out to be not just an insurance run, but the winning run in the game.

The Dodgers are in 1st place with a record of 24 - 15. The defending NL champion Phillies are now 8 games back.

Apologies After the Game

A United Press article, that appeared in the Staten Island Advance, reported that, “About an hour after the game, Meyer went into the Dodger dressing room and apologized. Both players then posed shaking hands.”

I was unable to find that picture in any newspaper.

Joseph Sheehan in the New York Times provided more details, “The Philadelphia pitcher, noted for his fiery temper, was under the mistaken impression that Jackie had veered from the baseline to jar the ball from his hands.”

Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer added another note, “Jackie shook hands with Meyer and not only accepted the apology but eased Russ’ feelings by assuming part of the blame. ‘It was as much my fault as his,’ said Robinson. ‘If I didn’t start down there to meet him there would have been no trouble.’”

FINAL NOTES From The Sports Time Traveler

Two years later, in 1953, Russ Meyer was traded to the Dodgers.

It has been reported that when Meyer first met Robinson during spring training in Dodgertown at Vero Beach that year, Jackie walked up to him and shook his hand and said, “We’ve been fighting one another. Now let’s fight them together.”

Together, Meyer and Robinson, and the other Boys of Summer, finally won a World Series Championship in 1955.

I would have never come across this incredible play, The Jackie Robinson Rundown, if I had not read Carl Erskine’s book about Jackie last year.

Near the end of the book, Carl wrote, “I believe Jackie single-handedly kicked off the civil rights movement, but it would have been nice if someone phrased it that way.”

In my recently published book, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM, I took heed of Carl’s statement about Jackie, and included that quote by Carl in my book.

As a result of researching and writing, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM, I have a great affinity for Carl Erskine, Jackie Robinson and all the other Boys of Summer.

The book makes for a great Father’s Day gift.

Here is a link that takes you directly to the listing for the book on Amazon:

Amazon Listing

If you’d like a personalized edition of the book with a custom inscription on the opening page, I have a limited number of books available on Etsy. The personalized edition makes for a sensational Father’s Day gift:

ETSY Personalized Edition

Please share your feedback on this article, and if you enjoyed it please click the “like” button.

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What I found was astonishing. Dale Long, a name that is long forgotten in our present time, was the most celebrated player in baseball in the final week of May, 1956.

Now join me on my sports time travel journey to learn about Dale Long’s achievements.

FORBES FIELD, PITTSBURGH - May 30, 1956

30-year-old Pirates’ 1st baseman Dale Long has waited a long, long time for this moment. The moment that he has definitively proved that he is among the best hitters in baseball.

Dale played over 1,200 games in the minors going back to 1944 when he was 18. He had some fantastic seasons in out of the way places like Lynn, MA, where he hit .302 and drove in 119 runs for the Red Sox class B team in 1948. And he hit 27 homers and drove in a 130 runs for the Yankees’ single A team in Binghamton in 1950. But major league teams were loathe to bring up because he was a poor fielding 1st baseman.

He had a few cups of coffee in the show back in 1951, but not enough to demonstrate his potential, although someone should have taken notice when crushed a ball into the upper deck in left field at the Polo Grounds playing for the Pirates in the only game they let him play in the field that year.

It was back to the minors in 1952, for 3 more years, during which he piled up more gaudy stats.

33 homers for AA New Orleans in ‘52

35 homers and 116 RBIs for Hollywood in the very competitive Pacific Coast League in ‘53

55 extra base hits for Hollywood in ‘54.

That earned Long another try with the Pirates in 1955, and this time he stuck. Playing everyday in the majors for the first time at age 29, he proved he belonged for his bat alone. While he led the National League in errors by a 1st baseman with 13, he also led the National League with 13 triples. And his .291 average was the best of any Pirates player with over 300 at bats.

But being the best hitter on the Pirates was not exactly a major league statement. You see, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been the worst team in all of baseball in this decade. From 1950 to 1955, the Pirates were historically bad, losing almost twice as many games as they won, including a dreadful season in 1952 when they lost 112. In the past 4 seasons, they’ve finished dead last every year.

So coming into 1956, no one expected the Pirates to do much. And Dale Long, who put up some nice batting stats, was not on anyone’s watch list for the MVP, especially not after the two spectacular seasons young Willie Mays has had. And a couple of Dodgers, Roy Campanella and Duke Snider, are perennial MVP candidates, finishing 1st and 2nd in 1955.

But here in 1956, something magical is happening in Pittsburgh, and it’s come to head in the past week.

The Pirates are playing above .500 ball! And the key has been Dale Long, who is on fire!

May 24

I arrived here on May 24th to find this article on PAGE 1 of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

That long, long home run, by Dale gave him 5 consecutive games with a long shot, and that puts him one shy of the record of homering in 6 consecutive games.

5 players have done it. The first was Ken Williams in 1922, and most recently, the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays, did it last year in 1955.

And Dale is not just hitting homers, as the article noted, he leads the major leagues with a .409 batting average!

Jack Hernon of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this about Dale in the May 24th paper regarding the length of his home run, quoting one of the greatest Pirates ever, Pie Traynor:

And more important than the homer, the Pirates, who have been perennial cellar dwellers are now just 1.5 games out of 1st place!

May 26

After a day off, the May 26th paper had the story of the Pirates game the night before in Philadelphia. Dale Long had hit another homer! This one off Curt Simmons of the Phillies in the 5th inning of another Pirates victory.

Long had tied the major league record of 6 homers in 6 consecutive games. And the Pirates had moved ahead of the World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in the standings and are just a half game out of 1st place with a record of 17 - 13!

The Pirates have not been this close to 1st place on the morning of May 26 or later since 1948.

By comparison, just 4 years ago, in 1952, the Pirates had started 6 - 30 and were already 20 games out on this date.

May 27

The next day, the Pirates were still in Philadelphia. Dale Long now had an opportunity to set a new major league record if he could hit yet another home run.

In the top of the 1st inning, Long faced the starter Stu Miller. Later in his career Miller would become one of the top closers of the mid-1960s, helping the Orioles win the 1966 World Series.

Long drove a ball deep into right field. The ball hit the wall about one foot shy of the top, and Dale had to settle for a double.

In his 2nd at bat in the 3rd inning, Long hit a ball that Lester J. Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press said traveled 380 feet to right center. But again it was caught.

In the 5th inning, Long sent another ball to the outfield. This one a line drive that was reeled in by the right fielder.

In the 8th inning Long came up again. With the Pirates ahead 4 - 2, Long faced Phillies’ relief pitcher Ben Flowers, a knuckle baller. This would likely be Long’s last chance. With a 2 - 2 count, Long swung and made contact. Here’s how Biederman described it:

It was a new major league record of 7 consecutive games with a home run.

The record was front page news in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph

The Pirates won the game 6 - 2 and moved into a 3rd place tie, just 1 game out of 1st place.

May 28 - Long Trip Home

After the record setting game, all the Pirates went home to Pittsburgh, except for Dale Long. He had to make a detour to New York, where he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show the day after the game as the Pirates had another off day.

Jack Hernon of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about the national TV appearance for Dale Long in the May 28th paper.

May 29 - Dale Long vs. The Boys of Summer

In the next game, the Pirates were hosting the Brooklyn Dodgers. And one of the original Boys of Summer was scheduled to be the starter. He was a player who had won 20 games in 1953, and had set a World Series strikeout record of 14 in the ‘53 World Series against the Yankees. He was the ace of the Dodgers’ staff in ‘52 and ‘53. He was Carl Erskine.

There was so much excitement for this game that it had the highest paid attendance for a night game in Pittsburgh in 6 years with over 32,000 fans.

Starting for the Pirates was their ace, 25-year-old Bob Friend, who had led the National League in ERA in 1955, and was off to a 7 - 2 start this year, and another reason for the Pirates’ resurgence.

Before the game, Dodgers’ slugger Duke Snider struck up a conversation with Dale Long. Al Abrams, sports editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about it:

Just 10 minutes later, in the top of the 1st inning, the Duke came to the plate. And wouldn’t you know it, he matched the feat by Dale Long as the Duke hit a ball over the 436 foot centerfield wall. It was a tremendous shot that at least one sportswriter indicated carried 500 feet. It gave Brooklyn the early lead at 2 - 0.

Long came up against Erskine in the bottom of the 1st and grounded out to Pee Wee Reese.

Long next faced Erskine in the 4th inning with the Dodgers still ahead 2 - 1. The count went to 1 and 2 with Long swinging and missing on the 2 strikes. Now Erskine came in with a low curve ball. Long swung again.

Lester J. Biederman in the Pittsburgh Press described what happened next:

There was pandemonium in Pittsburgh. The home town fans had just seen Dale Long extend his major league record of consecutive games with a home run to 8! This was a record they got to witness first-hand, unlike when Dale broke the record the first time in Philadelphia.

The applause would not stop after the home run. Biederman wrote:

Charles J. Doyle in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph also described the moment:

And sports columnist Harry Keck, also of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph had his take on the moment:

Branch Rickey, the chairman of the board for the Pirates, told Doyle:

The rest of the game was anti-climactic, but Bob Friend pitched beautifully. After allowing Snider’s mammoth homer in the 1st inning, he shut out the World Champions the rest of the way, allowing just one more hit (a single), and the Pirates won the game 3 - 2.

The victory put the Pirates 2 full games ahead of the Dodgers, and kept them in 3rd place, just 1 game out of 1st place.

After the game, Dale Long couldn’t have been more humble for a guy who is the toast of Pittsburgh. Biederman wrote that Long, who was beseiged by reporters, said, “I wish you fellows would give some credit to Bob Friend over there.”

Triple Crown?

Could Dale Long win the triple crown?

Newspapers today showed that in both leagues, there are legitimate triple crown threats, with Mickey Mantle in the American League and Dale Long in the National League leading their respective circuits in the three major offensive categories: home runs, RBIs, and batting average:

May 30 - Can a Newk Stop Long?

Yesterday, the Dodgers and Pirates battled again. This time the Dodgers had the ace of the 1955 team starting - Don Newcombe.

In the bottom of the 1st, Newk got Long swinging.

In the top of the 2nd, the Dodgers erupted for 4 runs, 3 of them scoring on a double by Newk. Don is not only an extraordinary pitcher, but he’s a great hitter. In 1955, he batted .359, which was the highest batting average for any National League player with more than 100 at bats.

In the 3rd inning, Dale Long came up again. This time he hit a tremendous blast all the way back to the monument in dead centerfield.

Charles J. Doyle in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph wrote this about it.

It was a long shot that would have been an upper deck home run in Ebbets Field, and would have left the ballpark in several other National League cities.

By the way, the monument in centerfield is for Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pirates during the first third of the century and is credited as being the “father of the World Series,” having played an instrumental role in putting together the first World Series in 1903.

In the bottom of the 6th, Long popped up to 3rd base.

Long came up in the bottom of the 8th, with the Pirates down 10 - 1. This time Long popped up to 2nd base.

And that was it. The Dodgers won the game.

It had taken a Newk, but Dale Long’s incredible home run streak of 8 consecutive games had been stopped.

Here was the streak:

Long had hit home runs off some darn good pitchers during the streak. In addition to Carl Erskine Curt Simmons (193 career wins) and Lindy McDaniel (141 career wins), was the legendary Warren Spahn, the winningest lefty pitcher in baseball history.

The Legacy of Dale Long’s Record

This morning, Chester L. Smith Pittsburgh Press wrote about the stature of Long’s 8 consecutive games with a home run:

It’s hard to overstate how captivating Long’s incredible 8 game stretch has been to not just Pittsburgh fans, but the American public. Doyle noted this:

A Class Act

In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today, columnist Al Abrams wrote this touching piece about how some Dodgers’ players went out of their way to celebrate Dale Long’s feat and how humble Dale Long was in his response:

I love reading this particular article by Abrams, as describes the class act that Brooklyn Dodgers were in the 1950s. I’m a little partial to the Brooklyn Dodgers since I just published a book titled, THE 1955 BROOKLYN DODGERS - MY DAD’S TEAM, and so I have a great affinity for Carl Erskine, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson and all the other Boys of Summer.

The book makes for a great Father’s Day gift.

Here is a link that takes you directly to the listing for the book on Amazon:

Amazon Listing

If you’d like a personalized edition of the book with a custom inscription on the opening page, I have a limited number of books available on Etsy. The personalized edition makes for a sensational Father’s Day gift:

ETSY Personalized Edition

Tied But Never Broken

I’m finally back in the present time now. And I’d like to inform you that as of 2026, Dale Long still holds the record for consecutive games with a home run at 8. His record has been tied twice, however. Don Mattingly in 1987 and Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1993, both equaled Dale Long’s magnificent run.

But no one has ever bettered it.

Please share your feedback on this article, and if you enjoyed it please click the “like” button.

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The Sports Time Traveler was a guest on Linked By Golf, one of the big golf podcasts in the UK.

They invited me on the show to share 3 stories from my book GREAT GOLF TOURNAMENTS.

Here’s the podcast link:

Linked By Golf - The Sports Time Traveler

The first few minutes of the podcast provide a brief explanation of what I do as The Sports Time Traveler and why it’s different than other sports history and golf writing.

The three stories I tell are:

• The 1975 Masters

• The 1922 British Open

• The 1972 British Open

These are three incredibly dramatic golf tournaments.

The 1975 Masters featured Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, the three hottest players in the world at that time, going head-to-head-to-head in an all-time classic “shootout,”

The 1972 British Open was notable because it’s one of only 5 times that a player entered the British Open with a chance to win the single season Grand Slam. Nicklaus had already won the 1972 Masters and 1972 US Open, and he openly discussed his desire to win the Grand Slam.

The 1922 British Open was the first time that a slew of foreign golfers, including American Walter Hagen, were favored to win this hallowed title. But an old British guard of winners, going all the way back to 1893, gave the foreigners a mighty challenge. It came down to a dramatic 18th hole in which one official asked the crowd around the green to get on their knees and pray!

Enjoy this exciting, drama-filled podcast.

And it you’re interested in the book, GREAT GOLF TOURNAMENTS, you can find it on both Amazon and Etsy.

GREAT GOLF TOURNAMENTS on Amazon

GREAT GOLF TOURNAMENTS on Etsy

On Etsy, you can get the book autographed with a personalized inscription

The book makes for a sensational Father’s Day Gift. It consists of 27 short stories of golf tournaments taking place 50 - 100 years ago. There is suspense right from the beginning of every story, and you don’t find out who won until the end of each chapter.

If you message me, I will send you a sample chapter.

I’d love your feedback on the podcast.

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