Forbes Field, Pittsburgh - Oct 2, 1966
Yesterday the Pirates hosted the Giants for a doubleheader in Forbes Field. The Pirates entered the day 1.5 games behind the 1st place Dodgers with 3 games left to play. They were still very much in contention for the pennant.
The Giants were in a near hopeless situation, 3 games out with 3, although possibly 4 to play (they had a makeup game if necessary).
The Dodgers were rained out in Philly. This created a great opportunity for the Pirates to put real pressure on the Dodgers. A doubleheader sweep would move the Pirates to just a half game out.
First things first, the Pirates had to face the 2nd best pitcher in baseball, Juan Marichal, in the opening game. Marichal was having a great season, having won 24 games and an ERA of 2.17. And he was pitching on 4 days rest.
Juan vs. Roberto
In the 2nd inning, Roberto Clemente led off against Juan Marichal and crushed his 29th homer of the year to give the Pirates the early 1 - 0 lead and break the ice against Marichal who had retired the side in order in the 1st. What a great first at bat on this big day for The Great One.
In the top of the 3rd, Pirates’ rookie starter Woodie Fryman struck out the side. Wow!
In the top of the 4th, Fryman continued to pitch strong. He got the leadoff batter, Jesus Alou, to ground out and then he got Willie Mays out on a pop foul.
But perhaps the rookie was too high after getting out Mays. He gave up a 2 out triple to the next batter Jim Ray Hart. Then he allowed a single to Jack Hiatt (who’s that?), scoring Hart. Hiatt had spent nearly the entire season in the Pacific Coast League and this was just his 20th at bat for San Francisco this year.
Next up was a rookie, Ollie Brown. Brown had entered game hitting just .227. Brown took Fryman deep for a 2-run homer.
In the 5th, Fryman opened the inning shaky with a single and a walk and that prompted Harry Walker to replace him with Steve Blass who retired the next 3 baltters.
Woodie Fryman had only given up 1 hit to the Giants first 4 batters, but gave up 3 runs as he was hurt by players who unexpectedly stepped up.
Giants 3 - Pirates 1 - middle of the 5th
Now the Pirates were getting close to desperation time. The bottom of the 5th would have a pinch hitter for Blass and then the top of the order. The pinch hitter struck out.
With one out, the leading batter in the major leagues, Matty Alou, stepped in. He laid down a bunt and reached 1st safely. Next Gene Alley flew out.
Next up was Manny Mota. Mota would be the 2nd highest hitter in the majors if he had enough at bats to qualify. He singled to center sending Matty Alou to 3rd base.
Clemente At the Plate
Now came the Great One. And he came through again. Roberto Clemente’s double scored Alou and sent Mota to 3rd base.
Next up would normally have been Willie Stargell. But Stargell had been injured in the last series in Philadelphia. So the next batter was Donn Clendenon. Donn singled driving in 2 runs. Late Afternoon Lightning had done it again. The Pirates took the lead.
Pirates 4 - Giants 3 - end of 5th
The score remained the same through 7 innings.
In the top of the 8th the Pirates had Pete Mikkelsen pitching. Pete had been pretty reliable out of the bullpen. In his last 6 appearances he had only allowed 2 earned runs over a span of 13 innings.
He opened the inning by walking Jim Ray Hart. Len Gabrielson moved Hart to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt. Next up was Ollie Brown. Brown doubled scoring Hart to tie the game. Ollie Brown now had a home run and a double, marking the first time all year he had 2 extra base hits in a game.
With 1st base open an intentional walk was issued to the catcher Tom Haller. And that brought up the number 8 hitter, 2nd baseman Jim Davenport. He singled to drive the go ahead run. The Pirates were now down 5 - 4. And that was all for Pete Mikkelsen.
Harry Walker brought in a starter, Vern Law, to close out the top of the 8th inning. But the damage had been done.
Time to Pull Out the Stops
Now getting to crunch time, Donn Clendenon opened the bottom of the 8th with a single. In stepped Bill Mazeroski. Over the past month, Maz has hit multiple go ahead hits. Against Marichal he flew out to 2nd.
At this point, Harry Walker opted to use Willie Stargell as a pinch hitter. But Stargell grounded out.
With 2 outs, Jesse Gonder came up. Gonder hit the ball sharply toward the mound. The ball bounced off Marichal’s glove. He picked it up, but his hasty throw to 1st base was in the dirt and Gonder was safe with a single. When Willie McCovey fumbled the ball, Donn Clendenon decided it was time for a bold move. He dashed around 3rd base, and without being waved in, he headed for home with the tying run. McCovey after recovering with the ball, fired home to Haller. And they nailed Clendenon for the 3rd out. Oh, how that hurt!
Manager Harry Walker supported Donn’s decision to go for the tying run, “In his mind, he could make it. We encourage every baserunner to think for himself.”
Clendenon said after the game, “If McCovey throws high, I’m safe.” The play was that close.
The picture below confirms Clendenon’s assertion.
In the top of the 9th, Vern Law got McCovey and Mays out and then let up 2 singles but no scoring.
So the Pirates entered the last of the 9th against Marichal needing a run to tie.
Jerry Lynch pinch hit for Vern Law and flew out.
Matty Alou also flew out.
With 2 outs, Gene Alley was the batter.
Manny Mota was on deck and Roberto Clemente would be up next if they could both keep the inning going.
Alley hit a deep drive to right field. Ollie Brown leaped for the ball. And it fell into his glove. The game was over. The Giants had defeated the Pirates in a heartbreaker 5 - 4.
The Hero of the Game
The hero of the game was not Giants’ starter Juan Marichal. Despite winning his 25th game against just 6 losses, Juan had allowed 13 Pirates hits, and that was the most hits Marichal allowed in any game in 1966, and the most he had allowed in any game since 1961.
The hero of the game was not the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays, last year’s MVP, and the generally regarded as the greatest player in the game today. Mays had gone 0 for 4 in this enormous contest for both clubs.
The hero of the game was not The Great One, Roberto Clemente, even though he had reached base every time he was up going 3 for 3 with a walk, a home run, a double, 2 runs scored and 2 runs driven in. Through no fault of his own, he simply did not have another chance at the plate after the 7th inning.
No, the hero of the game was rookie Ollie Brown with 3 of the 5 runs batted in for the Giants and the sensational, perhaps season saving catch for the Giants in the bottom of the 9th.
Second place in the hero poll had to go to Jack Hiatt, the AAA player, who went 2 for 3, drove in a run and scored a run.
The Pirates had not been beaten by the Giants’ superstars, Mays, Marichal or McCovey. They had been beaten by Ollie Brown and Jack Hiatt. Go figure.
The loss put the Pirates in a perilous position. They were now 2 games behind the Dodgers with 2 left to play. They would have to win both remaining games against the Giants and pray for the Phillies to sweep the Dodgers in their doubleheader to take place today.
But before that Dodgers doubleheader, there would be a 2nd game at Forbes Field.
However there was a rain delay for 40 minutes. When the rain had cleared, so had most of the 18,000 fans.
It left a deflated feeling in Forbes Field.
The Second Game
The nightcap pitted two 10 game winners, Bobby Bolin for the Giants and Tommie Sisk for the Pirates. Bolin was the Giants 3rd best starter behind Marichal and Gaylord Perry. Sisk was the Pirates 5th best starter. The problem the Pirates had was manager Harry Walker had just used 3 of his 4 top 4 starters trying to win the first game. And his ace, Bob Veale, had just 2 days rest.
But Tommie Sisk got off to a great start taking down the Giants first 6 batters, and not allowing a hit until a Len Gabrielson single in the 5th inning.
But Bolin was just as good, getting through 5 innings with just 1 Pirate hit.
Pirates 0 - Giants 0 after 5 innings
In the 6th and 7th this unlikely duel continued. Bolin still had allowed just 1 hit, Sisk just 3 singles.
In the top of the 8th, the 1st batter, Hal Lanier hit high bouncer to Sisk. Lester J. Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press, wrote that, “Sisk had no chance for a play. He threw anyhow. The off-balance throw sailed into the first base box seats for a hit and an error.
Then Bolin, the pitcher came up. He was batting .167 coming into the game. The Pirates infielders came in expecting a bunt. Even center fielder Matty Alou was playing in. Giants’ manager Herman Franks described the moment in the Pittsburgh Press, “We have it set up. Any time they change that infield, we hit.”
So Bolin swung hard and drilled a double to center field that went over Matty Alou’s head, driving in Lanier with the game’s 1st run. It was the first double Bolin had hit this season.
Next up, Tito Fuentes then beat out a bunt, and moved Bolin to 3rd. And then Tom Haller hit a fly to short left-center that Alou caught. But his throw to the plate was not in time, and Bobby Bolin scored the Giants’ 2nd run.
Tommie Sisk was taken out of the game. He had pitched brilliantly for 7 innings, but now the Giants led 2 - 0.
Luke Walker and Steve Blass got the Pirates out of the inning without any further damage. But now the best hitting team in baseball desperately needed some offense.
In the bottom of the 8th, Bolin set the Pirates down in order again.
In the bottom of the 9th, the Pirates had the 8, 9 and 1 batters due up. Bolin was still on the mound throwing his best game of the season. Jim Pagliaroni struck out. George Spriggs, pinch hitting for Steve Blass, grounded out.
Now the top of the order and Matty Alou, who sported the best batting average in baseball at .338. He hit a fly to Ollie Brown in right. And the Giants had swept the Pirates.
The hero of this game was Giants’ starter Bobby Bolin. He had just completed a 1-hitter against the best hitting team in baseball, facing only 28 batters, while also being responsible for both runs the Giants scored. The game was the crown jewel of his career.
It was 6:52pm ET on October 1, 1966, and it marked the end of the 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates pennant hopes. They were now 2.5 games out with 2 to play. It was over. This team that had been dubbed Late Night Lightning for their offensive heroics was done.
The Pittsburgh Press noted in today’s paper that holders of 1966 World Series tickets would be able to get a refund at all Mellon National Bank offices on Monday morning. The dream of playing the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series had come to and end.
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