BUSCH STADIUM, ST. LOUIS - September 30, 1966
We’re coming down to the finish of the 1966 season. The Dodgers came into last night’s game in St. Louis with a 1.5 game lead over the Pirates with 4 games to play.
The prior night, the Dodgers were shutout for a shocking 5th straight time by same pitcher, and a rookie nonetheless by the name of Larry Jaster. Even Jaster can’t explain his mastery over the defending World Champions. But it made last night’s game critical for the Dodgers pennant hopes. With the Pirates idle, a loss would bring the Pirates to just a single game behind.
Koufax on the Mound
Fortunately the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax lined up to pitch on his usual 3 days rest. Koufax has been sharp down the stretch, only giving up 3 earned runs in his last 4 starts while completing every game. But perhaps his arm is tiring. He hasn’t had a more than 6 strikeouts in a game in over a month.
Last night he dialed it up. After 3 innings he already had 4 K’s and then in the bottom of the 4th he struck out the side including 2 of the Cardinals’ toughest hitters Curt Flood and Orland Cepeda.
A Record is Set
When Koufax struck out Flood he reached 300 K’s for the season. It was the 3rd time in his career he had reached the 300 mark, and that set a new major league record.
Another Record is Set
Two innings later in the 6th, he struck out the side again, including the Cardinals’ 2nd leading hitter, Lou Brock. With the last strikeout of the inning, Koufax reached 10 K’s for the game while he had only allowed 2 hits. It was the 96th time he had thrown 10 or more strikeouts in a game. And that extended his major league record.
Meanwhile the Dodgers hitters had managed 2 runs and after 6 innings it was 2 - 0 Dodgers.
Leading off the top of the 7th Koufax had to face Curt Flood followed by Orlando Cepeda. Koufax told Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times, “I made a mistake on Flood… I was thinking about the next hitter, Cepeda, and I laid one right down the pipe to Curt.”
Flood crushed it over the wall in left-center for the Cardinals’ 1st run. But Sandy didn’t let the homer rattle him. He went right back to work. He got Cepeda out on a pop foul and retired the next 2 Cardinals’ batters on fly outs. The Dodgers still led 2 - 1 after 7.
Koufax set down the Cardinals in order in the 8th, striking out the last batter.
The Dodgers still hadn’t scored any more runs, so when Koufax came out to the mound to begin the 9th inning the score remained 2 - 1 Dodgers in this crucial contest.
Closing Time
Now Sandy had the opportunity to close out the game. The 1st batter was Lou Brock. He struck him out for K number 11. Next was Jerry Buchek. Buchek had struck out in all 3 previous at bats. Buchek had also struck out in the last at bat of the prior game he had faced Koufax, making it 4 straight strikeouts. Koufax made it 5 straight as he got Buchek looking.
Now Koufax needed just 1 more out.
The next batter was Curt Flood. Flood tagged Koufax for a double, and that meant Orlando Cepeda was coming up with the potential go ahead run.
Walter Alston came to the mound and decided to have Sandy walk Cepeda. Alston told Finch after the game, “Mike Shannon was the next hitter and I figured Cepeda was more likely to beat us than Shannon.”
Koufax concurred with his manager, telling Finch, “Cepeda can kill you with one pitch. Shannon can too, but he’s not as dangerous as Cepeda.”
But Shannon was no pushover. He was a tough hitter, batting .285 on the season.
Now with Cardinals on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Mike Shannon stepped in. He worked the count to 2 and 1. Koufax told Finch, “I just kept the ball away from Mike and hoped whatever he would hit would stay in the ballpark.”
On the next pitch Shannon connected, but the ball stayed in the park, and Willie Davis caught it for the final out.
Who needs a closer when you have Koufax.
Sandy Koufax had come up with a sensational 4-hit, 13 strikeout gem, in one of the biggest games of his career. It was also his 26th win of the season. It will be his last game of the regular season unless he is needed in the finale on Sunday which is 2 days from now.
The Magic Number is 2
The victory gave the Dodgers a 2 game lead with just 3 games remaining in the season.
After the game in St. Louis the Dodgers flew to Philadelphia where they close our the regular season with 3 games.
The only way the Dodgers can lose the pennant now is to lose all 3 games to the Phillies, while Pittsburgh or San Francisco win all their remaining games. And with the Pirates hosting the Giants for 3 games it will be very difficult for either team to sweep.
Imagine How Great Koufax Could Be if He Wasn’t Hurting
Frank Finch wrote about Koufax, “If this kid didn’t have arthritis in his left elbow, there’s no telling how good he might be.”
But the kid is 30 years old and in his 12th season in the majors, and is suffering through agonizing pain in every game.
This 4 sequence photo of Koufax pitching is something to behold. It appeared today (9/30/1966) in the South Bay Daily Breeze, a Southern California paper:
The Sports Time Traveler will continue following the 1966 pennant race.
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