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1969-Professional-Baseball-The-First-100-Years · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons
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.com for more sports history. It begins in the
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spring. Every spring for a hundred springs. Before
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the last of the last snow disappears. Hey, Ma!
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Come on, the kids are playing baseball. Where's
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my catcher's mitt? Is there a home where children
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live? One home that doesn't echo with that sound?
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Or a ball field that doesn't echo with this one?
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I ain't getting behind no batter. You're catching.
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Nobody else wants to catch. They throw the ball
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100 miles an hour. I'm not getting behind the
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ball. It's your turn. You're catching or you
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don't play. For the professional baseball player,
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it begins in the spring. Every spring for 100
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springs. Down south at spring training, 800 men
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scramble out of the clubhouse, into the dugouts,
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out onto the field. And eight months later, 500
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at -bats later, thousands of pitches later, one
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team, 25 men. will come off the field and into
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the clubhouse. A winner. Champagne over each
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other's heads. But if you think they're acting
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like a bunch of kids, that's exactly what they're
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doing. A winner. What a winner baseball began
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with 100 years ago. The year was 1869, and the
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team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. They took
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on all comers and piled up a record of 65 wins
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and no defeats. As some of the crustiest old
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-timers would have remarked, let's see some of
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the modern boys match that for percentage. And
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most important of all, those early red legs racked
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up most of those 65 wins on the road. I was playing
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in Des Moines, Iowa, and you'd get on a train,
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and you'd carry your bats in your own bag, your
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own uniform, roll it up and carry a uniform.
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Get on a train with your old wicker seats, and
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they were burning coal. And you'd get in the
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car in July and August and go from Des Moines
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to Wichita, Kansas, all night, part of the next
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day. And if you opened up the window, you'd be
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eating soot and cinders all night. And if you
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closed the window, you'd roast to death. They
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traveled 12 ,000 miles and showed 200 ,000 Americans
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just what this great game was all about. Americans
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who lived in places like St. Louis and Chicago,
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Hartford, Louisville, and other cities that joined
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together in 1876 to form the National League.
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Lee Allen, Hall of Fame historian, recalls those
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early days. In 1876, the National League, of
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course, was formed, and it was discovered early
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that some of the cities were not large enough
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to support Major League Ball. So there were various
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shifts of franchises. Then in 1882, a rival league
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was formed, the American Association. It lasted
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10 years and provided the National League with
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a great deal of rivalry. Finally, the National
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League absorbed four of the clubs from the American
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Association and became a 12 -club league. Eventually,
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the ranks were reduced to 1 ,900 to eight clubs.
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That gave the American League a chance. And by
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1901, the National and American Leagues were
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at war. raiding each other's rosters and engaged
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in a salary battle, and one league would offer
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more than the other did, and so on, with the
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result that peace was made in 1903. In those
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early 1900s, while the world turned to century,
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baseball turned a corner. From the first stumbling
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footsteps of a newborn game, baseball became
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bold and confident and exciting. The game was
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exciting because the players were excited. Big
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Ed Walsh. You talk about spitballs. I think that
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ball disintegrated and came back together when
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the catcher got a hold of it. So they're screaming
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now about the beanball. If I was pitching it
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there, I'd see if I could skip him off the head.
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When I came back to the bench, he called me,
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Dad, SB, what are you doing out there? And he
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was standing on the top step, and when I hit
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him, he fell over in there. On the bench. You
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hit him? I did. You hit McGraw? I did. You socked
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him? Uh -huh. And didn't knock him out. Knocked
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him back into the bench. What a tough battling
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bunch they were. With colorful nicknames like
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the Big Train and Iron Joe and the Gray Eagle.
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Flying Dutchman. I got Cy from Cyclone. They
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shortened it up. And since that, I have gone
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by the name of Cy Young, and my name is Denton
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Young. What is it that baseball has always had
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that Americans have always wanted? To make a
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game your national pastime, it's got to have
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a little more than just hits, runs, and errors.
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A philosopher once wrote, whoever wants to know
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the heart and mind of America... had better learn
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baseball. No other sport, only baseball, could
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have captured our hearts and our minds for the
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springs and the summers of a hundred seasons.
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Our every emotion is touched by it, like laughter.
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Think of the times baseball has lifted our spirits
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with laughter. Well, let's see. We have on the
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bags. We have who's on first, what's on second.
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I don't know who's on third. That's what I want
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to find out. I say who's on first, what's on
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second. I don't know who's on third. Are you
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the manager? Yes. You're going to be the coach,
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too? Yes. And you know the fellow's name? Well,
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I should. Well, then who's on first? Yes. I mean
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the fellow's name. Who? The guy on first. Who?
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The first baseman. Who? The guy playing first.
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Who is on first? I'm asking you who's on first.
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That's the man's name. That's whose name? Yes.
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Well, go ahead and tell me. That's it. That's
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who? Yes. Hello, Olympic Games. What can I do
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for you, Mr. Double A? You've got a game. How
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many couples? Eighteen people? That's a hell
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of a lot of people. Well, the ideal game is,
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I mean, two, three couples, you know, come over
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to the house, they get a little smashed, and,
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you know... Oh, somewhere in this favored land
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The sun is shining bright Somewhere bands are
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playing And somewhere hearts are light Somewhere
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men are laughing and somewhere children shout.
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But there is no joy in Mudville. Mighty Casey
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has struck out. This is Casey Stengel. And I
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would have to say the first time that the New
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York Yankees win the pennant in 1949 when we
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played the Boston Red Sox. the last two games
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of the playing season. And a ball was hit naturally
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out to right field, and we caught a man going
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into the home plate, and we ended up as the victors,
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and I believe I was more excited because of my
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first World Series that I had been accustomed
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to get into to see if I couldn't go on and make
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a record. A fan yelled that Satch was still jangling
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his juices, and I asked him if it was true. Yes,
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there's two things I'm doing. I'm jangling my
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juices and keeping my age because a lot of people
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want to find out how old I am. What's the smallest
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target you've ever thrown over? The smallest
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target I ever thrown over was a top off of a
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Coca -Cola bottle. And I think that I'll ask
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this first gentleman here who has been watching
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the ballgame how he's enjoying the game. Sir,
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how'd you like the first game today? Well, of
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course, being a Washington fan, I thought it
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was great. Are you originally from Washington,
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sir? No, I'm a Californian. What sort of work
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do you do, sir? I work for the government. Oh,
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for the government. Yes, yes, I work for the
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government. What sort of work do you do, sir?
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Well, I'm the vice president. Of course, baseball
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isn't all fun. It often fills our hearts with
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sympathy for those in pain. Well, I think man
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will tolerate more pain than any ballplayer that
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I know of or any athlete, I'd say. He would rap
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nine foot by... six -inch wide conco bandage
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gauze on them. We always rub them with anointment,
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what we call a liniment, hot liniment, before
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you put the bandages on. And we feel special
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sympathy for those who will never play again,
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like Roy Campanella. Or for those who courageously
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try a comeback, like Tony Canigliaro. And I don't
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think there's anybody in the game that was closer
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to death than I was and that I got hit. And I
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just said a couple of prayers just to stay alive.
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I wasn't even thinking about my future in baseball.
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I was just thinking about being alive. It's the
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drama of baseball that demands we worship our
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heroes. And, of course, its drama demands that
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we despise its villains. It's baseball that can
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make us happy enough to burst into song. It's
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baseball that can make us sad enough to burst
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into tears, like the day Lou Gehrig said goodbye.
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Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on
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the face of the earth. What a great feeling it
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is to get hungry out there. ballpark along about
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sixth inning. And it's baseball that often makes
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us proud. The only American sport that gets the
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President of the United States to officially
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open its season. Mr. President, have you had
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an opportunity to do any warming up for this,
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sir? Well, we've just been getting ready here
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today. He's throwing nothing but strikes. Very
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good. I feel it important that we get a, not
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be a nation just of spectators, even though that's
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what we are today, but also a nation of participants,
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particularly to make it possible for young men
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and women to participate actively in physical
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effort. Yes, in all the world, there's no other
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game like our game of baseball. To the old timer.
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Baseball is that marvelous mixture of stories
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and men and memories of a bygone era. We're going
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back in time and hear the actual voices of the
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grand old men of baseball as they tell it like
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it was. Listen. The question about the greatest
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player is Ty Cobb. I thought I could do anything.
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You'd have Detroit beat one runner in the ninth
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inning. You'd get two men out and that Cobb and
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Verity would come up. You could bet your life
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that he'd get his fourth or third beat before
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you could get that next man out. Ty would cut
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you down. There's no doubt about that. He'd cut
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you down. If you didn't give him a spot to go
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into that bag, if you didn't give him a spot,
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he told many and many. I heard him tell them.
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But if you don't give me room, I'll cut you out
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to get in there. Cobb could have been an awfully
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popular fellow. But, boy, everybody despised
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him. His personality was dropping. You know,
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they talked to me about Cobb. Being the greatest
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ball player ever lived, I always say that one
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of the greatest ball players ever lived, I said
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in my book, Honest Wagner is the greatest ball
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player ever lived, in my book. I've seen him
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in his prime. He could do everything. Cobb could
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only play the outfield. Honest could play outfield,
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infield, anywhere, and do everything. Wonderful
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arm, could run, you know, a big bow -legged guy
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could run like a scared rabbit. It was fun to
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play for McGraw. McGraw never got on you for
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a mechanical error. But any mental error, he
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was all over you. And he had the most vicious
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tongue of any man that ever lived, I think. Finest
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and the grandest man in the world to work for.
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He loved his players. The players loved him.
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He was wonderful. Although the newspaper men,
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they called him Muggsy. And that was the only
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thing. He despised anybody calling. He didn't
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care who it was. He'd take a pop at them, and
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he couldn't make a stand. You know, we used to
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hit a squash. We didn't have a baseball in our
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day. Sounded about like hitting a squash. They
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threw every pitch they saw today and more. They
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used to use licorice and make the ball as black
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as your hat. Imagine Ty Cobb hitting the emery
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ball, the spit ball, the coffee ball. They used
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to put coffee, chew coffee, and put it in the
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seams. See? Make that ball skip. Imagine Cobb
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hitting .367 lifetime for more than 20 years.
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The old global Cleveland Alexander, boy, he had
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stuff. Don't think he didn't. Perhaps Alec was
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the greatest of them all because of the conditions
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under which he pitched. He's pitched 16 shutouts
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in 1916, didn't he? In Baker Bowl, where he could
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spit over the right field fence. He would never
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relieve Matheson. He always pitched a full game.
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Greatest pitcher that ever lived, in my opinion.
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Vance was the roughest man I ever faced. You
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couldn't have him on a Monday. He'd come directly
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overhand, and this would be going like this,
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and then he'd be pitching out of diapers and
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bedsheets in the buildings back in Washington
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on Monday. Between those diapers and bedsheets
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and the white thing here, you lost it entirely.
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You never saw it. He threw balls by me, and I
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never saw him. I hit again Walter Johnson in
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the exhibition game, but I'm telling you, that
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Walter could buzz him by you. The first time
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I went up, I thought it was a beehive. I heard
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three buzzes, and the umpire said, you're out,
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just like three bees flying by. Buzz, buzz, buzz,
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yeah. So I went to Andrew Merrill, and I said
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to him, why don't you put Babe in the outfield
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when Needy's hitting? Oh, he says, he's the best
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left -handed pitcher in the league. He says,
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I'd be the laughingstock of the league if I put
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my best pitcher out there. I argued with him.
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I said, well, Babe pitches, you've got a big
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crowd out here. Why are they out here? They're
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out here to see him hit. He says, I'll put him
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out there, and you mark my word. He says the
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first slump he gets into, he'll be down on his
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knees begging me to pitch. Baseball is that marvelous
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mixture of stories and men and memories of a
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bygone era. It's also the thrilling play -by
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-play memories of this era, the era of broadcast.
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Well, folks, it's time for me to be saying, this
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is Graham McNamee speaking. Good afternoon, all.
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Those years from the early 30s to the late 60s.
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when radio and later television brought all the
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excitement of the diamond right into our homes.
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From among the hundreds of broadcasters that
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ever called a ball game, we picked one of the
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very best, Kurt Gowdy. And he's going to take
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it from here. The 30s began as if they were jealous
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of the 20s. If it's slugging the long ball they
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want to hear on their radio, said Hack Wilson,
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that's what we'll give them. And with that...
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The stubby fireplug of the Chicago Cubs belted
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56 home runs and drove in the all -time high
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of 190 RBI. And for good measure, Bill Terry
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batted 401. It was during the 30s that we listened
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to our first All -Star game and our first night
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game. And if you listen closely, you'll hear
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not the first, but the last World Series game
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those long -suffering Washington Senators ever
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won. produced a new kind of baseball folk hero,
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the raw bone scrappers from the dirt farm, like
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Pepper Martin and a couple of brothers named
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Dean. Well, Des, the pennant race will soon be
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on again. What do you think of our chances for
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the pennants next season? Well, Def, I think
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the St. Louis Cardinals will win the pennant
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again in 1935, and I'm hoping they do. And if
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you come through and I do, I think we'll be sure
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to win. Hey, Daph, how's that old soup bone of
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yours feel this year? It feels fine, Dears. I
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hope that I can win 20, 25 games next year. How's
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that ham hock of yours feel? Well, I hope that
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I can win 30 or 25 or 30 more games this year
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with that baby, and I think that I can squeeze
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30 more games out of it this year. The Gas House
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Gang. When they weren't running wild in the base
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paths, they were playing some pretty wild music,
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as their manager Frankie Frisch explains. I had
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the good fortune to manage a terrific ball club.
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They manage themselves, if you know what I mean.
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I am possibly the only manager that carried an
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orchestra. We traveled with more instruments
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than we did shirts or anything else. And there
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is the placard as we got off the train. The Guesthouse
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Gang plays here today. A tremendous picture of
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the Mudcap Band. Down in the corner is a little
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picture of Medwick. Over there is a picture of
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Mize. I walked in the ballpark, and here is a
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microphone and seven seats for my orchestra.
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From 1929 through 31, the Yankees' murderer's
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row couldn't kill off Connie Mack's athletics.
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Simmons, Cochran, Fox. Dykes, Earnshaw, and Grove.
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Nor could they knock off Greenberg, Gerringer,
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Goose Gosling, and the Tigers of 34 and 35. But
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by 1936, manager Joe McCarthy had blended veterans
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and rookies to form another dynasty. A ground
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ball to Gehrig. He scoops it up. Touches the
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bag. For the third out and the 19. 36th World
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Series is over. The final score, Yankees, 13
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runs, 17 hits, 2 errors. The Giants, 5 runs,
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9 hits, 1 error. There's the stretch. The count
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is strike 2 and ball 1. There's a mighty smash
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into right center field. It's a base hit again.
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DiMaggio goes over, and his speed is to his advantage,
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and he holds that mighty blow to a single. Picks
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the ball up on the first hop. He went across
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after that ball. Boy, how he went across. That
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DiMaggio is a star in three very, very important
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ways. He can run like the devil. He can throw
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and he can bat. And he's just a kid. There's
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the pitch. A hard hit fly ball going far out
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in the left field. Reynolds goes near it and
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the ball is over the fence. Crosetti hitting
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a home run over the left center field fence,
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driving in Hogue ahead of him and putting the
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Yankees out in front by a score of 4 -3. The
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first home run of the series. It's hit by Frankie
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Crosetti in the first half of the eighth inning.
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He drives in two runs and the Yankees are out
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in front by a score of 4 -3 as the complexion
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of the game has been completely changed. First
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to the ninth, leading off for New York, Tommy
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Hendrick batting left -handed. Dizzy Dean on
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the mound for Chicago. First pitch and it's a
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hard hit ball for a base hit going into right
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field, good for a single. Hendrick lines the
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single into right field to open the ninth inning
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for New York. It was hit number five off Dizzy
21:59
Dean. Correction, hit number six. Hendrick on
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first base, nobody is out, DiMaggio up. Score
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4 -3 New York. DiMaggio batting right -handed,
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one hit and three times up. The pitch hitting
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straight away, a long high fly ball going far
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out into left field. The ball is over the fence
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for a home run. A tremendous smash far over the
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left field fence for a home run by Joe DiMaggio
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driving in Henrik ahead of him and making the
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score now 6 -3 New York over Chicago. Pre -pitching
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performances highlighted the 1930s. King Carl
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Hubble struck out in succession five of baseball's
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greatest sluggers in the 1934 All -Star Game.
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Johnny Vandermeer pitched back -to -back no -hitters
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in 38, and that same year, a 20 -year -old fireballer
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from the Iowa Farms threw this beauty. And down
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goes Chet Labs for the third strike. That makes
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it 18 for Bob Fowler, a new Major League record.
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The 30s closed with an opening. Baseball Hall
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of Fame at Cooperstown, New York, held dedication
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ceremonies in 1939, presided over by Commissioner
23:18
Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Ladies and gentlemen,
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I now declare the National Baseball Museum and
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the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New
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York, the birthplace of baseball, open. May it
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forever stand as a symbol of clean play and good
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sportsmanship. We now pay honor to the members
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of the Baseball Hall of Fame, great players and
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great sportsmen of the past and present. Cornelius
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A. McGillicuddy! Connie Mack! I feel greatly
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honored in being here today where, uh... Our
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first national game was started by Major Abner
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Doubleday. And now, Hannes Wagner, the Flying
24:14
Dutchman, the greatest shortstop in the game's
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history. Ladies and gentlemen, I was born in
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1874. This organization started in 1876. And
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when I was just a kid, I said, I hope someday
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I'll be up there playing in this league. And
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by chance, I did. Now, Connie Mack, the gentleman
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that preceded me here at the mic, I remember
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walking 14 miles just to see him play ball for
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Pittsburgh. Now, the next memorial to come before
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the mic is Trish Speaker, greatest defensive
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player of all time and a great hitter. I'm very
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happy indeed to have been chosen by the sports
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writers as a member of this great hall of fame.
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Napoleon Larry Ligeway. Ladies and gentlemen.
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I'm very glad to be here today and to meet all
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the old -timers that you probably, a lot of you,
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have watched playing baseball and some of the
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greatest men that ever walked on the ball field.
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Grover, Cleveland, Alexander. I'm proud to be
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a member of these gentlemen who have been here
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before me and will follow me up here. And in
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my dreams, I often think what I could do today
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with a team like they were if they could be now
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what they were then. Babe Ruth the Bambino! You
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know, to me, this is just like an anniversary
25:32
myself. Because 25 years ago yesterday, I pitched
25:36
my first baseball game in Boston for the Boston
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Red Sox. This Hall of Fame ceremony marked the
25:45
end of the 30s. Yet even as these first immortals
25:48
were being enshrined, hundreds of young ballplayers
25:51
were out sliding, out hustling, out hitting each
25:54
other, so that someday they too... might be elected
25:57
to Cooperstown. These were the players of the
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1940s, 50s, and 60s, and their stardom was just
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beginning. Ray Mack is on the ground on one knee,
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scoops it up with his gloved hand, flips it over
26:13
to Trotsky, a close decision, and he's out. The
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ball game is over. Bob Fuller has his first no
26:21
-hit game. Boy, listen to that crowd. The 40s
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began the way the 30s ended. Everybody was still
26:29
swinging and missing at Feller's Fastball. The
26:32
Yankee Clipper had his sail set and was out racing
26:35
a record book and the Brooklyn Dodgers. 67 ,000
26:40
fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland watching
26:43
to see if Joe DiMaggio can keep his 56 -game
26:46
hitting streak alive. Jim Bagby on the mound,
26:49
works the count to one and one, runner on first
26:51
base. Here's the pitch. It's the first half of
27:10
the ninth inning. The Dodgers are leading by
27:11
a score of 4 -3. They're two out, nobody on base.
27:15
Tommy Hendrick is up, and the count is three
27:17
balls and two strikes. Reliever Hugh Casey is
27:21
on the mound. He's walking around behind the
27:24
hill now, getting set for the payoff pitch. This
27:27
is a big one. Now he turns around. He looks in
27:30
toward the plate to catcher Mickey Owen to get
27:32
the sign for the next pitch. He shakes it off.
27:36
Owen gives him another sign. Casey okays this
27:40
one. Steps on the rubber. He's all set to go.
27:43
Three and two to count on Henry. Joe DiMaggio
27:46
on deck. Casey goes into the windup. Around comes
27:48
the right arm. In comes the pitch. It's way inside.
27:51
Henry swings. He misses. Strike three. But the
27:54
ball gets away from Mickey Owen. It's rolling
27:56
back to the... Tommy Henrik racing down toward
27:59
first base. He reaches it safely, and the Yankees
28:02
are still alive with Joe DiMaggio coming up to
28:05
bat. Nobody knew it in those early 40s, but the
28:08
call they'd soon be answering wasn't play ball.
28:11
It was the draft call. Off to war went the established
28:15
stars and the promising rookies. Hugh Mulcahy
28:18
of the Phillies was the first of the regulars
28:20
to be drafted, and soon, rapid Robert Feller
28:23
was in navy blue. And Ted Williams. A 406 hitter
28:27
in 1941 was flying for the Marines. Baseball
28:33
had barely settled down after the war when the
28:36
Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson. Jack,
28:38
when Ricky brought you up, what was your chief
28:40
ambition? To become a major league ball player,
28:42
to become the first Negro to play in organized
28:44
baseball? Well, I don't think either one of them
28:46
was that. I think my main ambition was to get
28:51
along. well enough with whoever I was playing
28:53
with so that they would realize that there wasn't
28:56
any friction because I was color and they were
28:58
white. I mean, we could play together. I think
29:00
that was my main ambition was to break down that
29:01
barrier, not so much for me to go to the major
29:04
leagues. I just wanted somebody to go. I didn't
29:05
care who it was. Rip Sewell of the Pirates was
29:09
lobbing his blooper pitch over the plate and
29:11
nobody could hit it out of the ballpark until
29:14
Ted Williams did it in the 1946 All -Star Game.
29:18
I grunted and groaned at that one because I saw
29:20
it coming, and I kind of half -hitched, and then,
29:22
boy, I waltzed up on it and swung as hard as
29:24
I could swing it just right. And I had a prevailing
29:26
win, meaning everything, and out it went. Next
29:29
came three of the most exciting plays in all
29:31
World Series history. Enos Slaughter is on first
29:34
base with two away. Harry Walker at bat. Bob
29:37
Tlinger on the mound. He takes the stretch. Here's
29:40
the pitch. There goes Slaughter. The ball is
29:42
swung on. There's a line drive going to the left
29:44
center field. It's in there for a base hit. Culverson
29:47
fumbles the ball. momentarily, and Slaughter
29:49
charges around second, heads to third. Hestey
29:51
goes out into short left to take the relay from
29:53
Culberson, and here comes Dina Slaughter rounding
29:56
back on the track for home. Here comes the throw,
29:59
and it is not in time. Slaughter scores. Two
30:05
out last of the night, 2 -1 New York. Well, Eddie
30:07
Stanky is stepping in. You know, your block will
30:10
have pitched one no -hitter. And was on the verge
30:14
of pitching a second successive one against the
30:16
Dodgers. He had gone eight and a third innings.
30:19
And Stanky broke up Blackwood's bid for two straight
30:23
no -hitters. So Stanky's up with the idea of
30:26
trying to... Wait a minute. Stanky is being called
30:28
back from the plate and Labagetto goes up to
30:30
hit. Gianfrido walks off second. Makes himself
30:35
first. They're both ready to go on anything.
30:37
Two men out last of the night. The pitch. Swung
30:39
on. There's a drive. Head out toward the right
30:41
field corner. Henrik is going back. He can't
30:43
get it. It's off the wall for a base hit. Here
30:45
comes the tying run. And here comes the winning
30:48
run. Joe DiMaggio up. Holding at a club down
30:53
at the end. Big fella sets. Hat and pitches.
30:55
A curveball high outside for ball one. So the
31:00
Dodgers are ahead 8 -5. And the crowd well knows
31:04
that one swing of this bat, this fella's capable
31:05
of making it a brand new game again. Joe leans
31:09
in. He has one for three today. Six hits so far
31:14
in the series. Outfield deep. Round toward left.
31:17
The infield overshifted. Here's the pitch. Swung
31:19
on. Belted. It's a long one. Deep into left center.
31:22
Back goes Gianfito. Back, back, back, back, back,
31:24
back. He makes a one -handed catch against the
31:27
bullpen. Oh, doctor. When somebody you love goes
31:32
away, you gather to say goodbye. And nobody before
31:37
or since. was loved the way this man was. Ladies
31:41
and gentlemen, the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat,
31:44
Babe Ruth! Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
31:50
You know how bad my voice sounds. Well, it feels
31:54
just as bad. In Pittsburgh one day, pirate owner
31:58
Bing Crosby dropped by to broadcast a couple
32:01
of innings when suddenly he lost the microphone
32:03
to pirate broadcaster Rosie Rosewell. Listen.
32:06
Well, I'd like to see Ralph improve a little
32:08
off his showing so far this afternoon against
32:11
Rush. He couldn't do much, although he hit a
32:13
hard smash to left field, which was taken by
32:16
Averson. He's facing Doyle late now. Maybe he'd
32:19
do a little better. And he does. You don't need
32:21
to raise the wind and mini. Doyle goes clear
32:24
out over the scoreboard. Over into Shedley Park,
32:28
a round triple for Ralph Connery's first of the
32:30
1948 season. Let's hope that it's the first of
32:34
61. Cleveland never saw anybody like Bill Vett,
32:38
who came to town and in 1948 yelled pennant.
32:43
Here's the pitch and Tebbets swings and there's
32:44
a hot shot down the third baseline. Keltner moves
32:47
in, knocks it down, picks it up, finds the handle.
32:49
Here's the throw to Robinson at first and Tebbets
32:51
is out. The ball game is over. The final score,
32:55
Cleveland 8, Boston 3. Yes, the Cleveland Indians
32:58
win their first American League pennant in 28
33:01
years. And man, oh man. I'd like to be down on
33:05
Euclid Avenue right now. Expansion. That was
33:08
the mood of the 1950s. Baseball was busting out
33:12
all over. To Milwaukee, to Baltimore, to Kansas
33:15
City, and then to the West Coast. Along with
33:18
new places, baseball got some new faces in the
33:21
50s, like the fuzzy -cheeked youngsters the Phillies
33:24
fans called the Whiz Kids. Setting the Phillies
33:27
defensively, putting Ed Joneses at third, Granny
33:29
Hamner short, Mike Goliad at second. Eddie Waitkus
33:32
at first, and in the outfield, Del Ennis, Richie
33:36
Ashburn, and Dick Sisler. Dick Sisler, the man
33:39
who's unbelievable, 10th inning homer against
33:41
the Dodgers, got the team into this 1950 World
33:45
Series. If you were a fan of 1951, you listened
33:49
to this game. And if you were listening, you'll
33:52
never forget where you were when you heard the
33:55
shot heard round the world. Bobby Thompson up
33:58
there swinging. He's got two out of three, a
34:00
single and a double, and Billy Cox is playing
34:02
him right on the third baseline. One out, last
34:05
of the night. Blacker pitches. Bobby Thompson
34:06
takes a strike call on the inside corner. Bobby
34:12
hitting at 292. He's had a single and a double,
34:17
and he drove in the Giants' first run with a
34:19
long fly to center. Brooklyn leads at 4 -2. High
34:22
turn, down the line at third, not taking any
34:24
chances. Lockton without too big of a lead at
34:26
second. Believe he run and locked the window.
34:28
Thompson hits one. Back to throw. There's a long
34:30
shot. The 1953 season was just four days old
35:30
when Washington fans watched what may be the
35:33
longest home run ever hit. Yogi Berra on first
35:36
base. Mickey Mantle at bat with a count of one
35:39
ball, no strikes. Left -handed pitcher Chuck
35:41
Stobbs on the mound. Mickey Mantle, a switch
35:43
hitter, batting right -handed. Digs in at the
35:46
plate. Here's the pitch. Mantle swings. There's
35:48
a tremendous drive going into... houses across
35:59
the street. It's got to be one of the longest
36:01
home runs I've ever seen hit. How about that?
36:07
We just learned that Yankee publicity director
36:09
Red Patterson has gotten hold of a tape measure,
36:11
and he's going to go out there to see how far
36:13
that ball actually did go. Man, that's got to
36:16
be one of the longest wallops I've ever seen
36:18
hit. All that year, Mantle and his mates kept
36:22
pounding the ball, except for one memorable day
36:26
in the fall. They want to see him beat it now.
36:33
You don't get this guy on strike very often,
36:36
but you never can tell. The big cat is one of
36:39
the best free swingers in the business. The 0
36:41
-2 pitch to Myers from Erskine. He struck him
36:44
out! Tom Erskine has set a new all -time World
36:54
Series record. He has struck out four men and
36:57
women in charge. The 1954 Indians won 111 games,
37:06
an all -time American League record, but they
37:08
couldn't win one game in the World Series against
37:11
the Giants, mostly because of Dusty Rhodes' pinch
37:14
hitting and this catch -off thick words by the
37:17
Say Hey Kid. There's a long... It certainly did,
38:03
and I don't see how Willie did it when he's been
38:05
doing it all year. The all -star game of 55 went
38:08
12 innings before somebody broke it up. Once
38:11
again, Stan was the man. In the last half of
38:15
the 12th inning, the National League sends up
38:18
Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Ted Kluszewski
38:20
facing the big right -hander Frank Sullivan.
38:24
Nobody on base and nobody out. Sullivan's first
38:26
pitch to Stan is swung onto the drive back into
38:28
right field. A long one. The ball game is...
38:38
In 1955, the Dodgers stopped waiting until next
38:41
year and won the world championship. Johnny Padres
38:44
on the mound. Dodgers leading 2 -0. Billy Martin
38:47
leads off second base. Gil McDougal off first.
38:50
Yogi Berra the batter. The outfield swung way
38:53
around toward right. Sandy Amoros is playing
38:55
way into left center. Berra is basically a pulled
38:59
hitter. Here's the pitch. First to serenade them
39:25
bums, as usual, was the greatest of the Flatbush
39:28
faithful, the Dodgers symphony. It was the Yanks
39:36
and Dodgers again in 56, but this time, Don Larson
39:39
pitched with no windup, and the bums wound up
39:42
with no hits. That is one and one. And this plow
39:46
just straining forward at every pitch. Here it
39:50
comes. He's swinging on this. See that nobody,
40:00
but nobody has left this ballpark. And if somebody
40:05
did manage to leave early, man, he's missing
40:08
the greatest. Two strikes and the ball. Mitchell
40:14
waiting. Stands deep. Feet close together. Larson
40:17
is ready. Gets the sign. Two strikes, ball one.
40:21
Here comes the pitch. Strike three. A no -hitter
40:24
of perfect game for John Larson. One pitch. one
40:28
hit, and the end of future greatness. Now Herb
40:33
Scorer is ready to go again, looking in, taking
40:35
his time, takes his cap off, wipes the perspiration
40:38
from his brow, looking in now to Jim Hegan, got
40:41
the sign, here's the wind -up, and the fastball
40:44
comes down. There's a swing and a line drive,
40:46
right back at Scorer, it hits him, and he's down!
40:48
In 1957, it was the Braves that made Milwaukee
40:51
famous. The pitch to Henry Aaron, a swing and
40:54
a drive back into center field, going back towards
40:56
the wall! It's back at that fence. And is it
41:00
caught or not? It's a home run. The Braves are
41:03
the champions of the National League. Henry Aaron
41:06
just hit his 43rd home run of the year. The outfield
41:13
around to the left. McDougal is on at third.
41:15
Coleman is on at second. Tommy Byrne, the base
41:17
runner at first. Hank Aaron is pulled around
41:19
in left center field. The breeze is blowing across
41:21
from left to right. Burdette's pitch swung on.
41:23
Line grabbed by Matthews. Whoever heard of pitching
41:33
a perfect game for nine innings and losing? Harvey
41:36
Haddix did. For the final out of the ninth inning,
41:40
was a strikeout on Luberdeck. It was the eighth
41:44
turned in by Haddix, and at that moment, he became
41:46
the eighth pitcher in all the history of baseball
41:49
to pitch a perfect no -hit, no -run game. He
41:53
then went on to get him in the 10th and the 11th
41:56
and the 12th, retiring 36 in a row and counting
41:59
the final two outs he had against the Cardinals
42:01
in his last... victory at Forbes Field. He retired
42:04
38 men in order before a man got aboard and then
42:06
only on an error. One out, batter Adcock. There's
42:11
the pitch. There's a fly ball deep right center.
42:13
That ball may be on through and over everything.
42:15
It is gone or not. Absolutely fantastic. In 1959,
42:24
the Go -Go White Sox, long the American League
42:27
doormat, pulled themselves out from under those
42:29
damn Yankees, and toppled them for the pennant.
42:32
Jim Landis, right -hand batter now, steps in
42:35
here at Comiskey Park, Chicago, to face Milt
42:37
Pappas, the Baltimore right -hander. Game tied,
42:40
1 -1. It's the last half of the sixth inning.
42:42
The White Sox at bat. Aparicio on second base.
42:46
Nellie Fox getting a pretty good -sized lead
42:49
off first. Pappas looking in for the sign from
42:52
his catcher, Triandos. Here's the set. Here's
42:55
the pitch. There goes Aparicio to third. The
42:58
throw by Triandos is not in time to Brooke Robinson.
43:01
Fox takes second, and it's a double steal for
43:04
the running White Sox. The 60s, everybody can
43:08
remember the 60s. A dramatic last time at bat
43:11
by Ted Williams. That's what I'll always remember,
43:14
because I was there. I count one and one to Williams.
43:18
Everybody quiet now here at Fenway Park after
43:21
they gave him a standing ovation of two minutes.
43:24
knowing that this is probably his last time at
43:26
bat. One out, nobody on, last of the eighth inning.
43:29
Jack Fisher into his windup. Here's the pitch.
43:32
Williams swings, and there's a long drive to
43:34
deep right. That ball is gone, and it is gone.
43:37
A home run for Ted Williams in his last time
43:41
at bat in a major league. Yes, everyone can remember
43:46
the 60s because they were highlighted with heroics
43:49
like this unforgettable, unbelievable World Series
43:52
finish. Well, a little while ago when we mentioned
43:56
that this one, in typical fashion, was going
43:58
right to the wire, little did we know. Mark Ditmar
44:06
throws. Here's a swing and a high -five ball
44:07
going deep to left. This may do it. Back to the
44:10
wall goes Barra. It is over the back home run.
44:13
The Pirates win. Ladies and gentlemen, Mazeroski
44:18
has hit a 1 -0 pitch over the left field fence
44:20
at Forbes Field to win the 1960 World Series.
44:23
for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 60s may go down
44:26
in baseball history as a decade of smashed records.
44:29
In 1961 alone, two of Babe Ruth's mightiest records
44:33
fell. Whitey Ford beat his mark a World Series
44:37
scoreless inning. And of course, the record they
44:40
said would stand forever. Here comes Roger Marris.
44:44
They're standing up, waiting to see if Marris
44:47
is going to hit number 61. Here's the wind -up.
44:51
The pitch to Roger, way outside ball line. And
44:55
the fans are starting to go. Low ball to that
44:59
one was in the dirt. And the boos get louder.
45:04
Two balls no strikes on Roger Mara. Here's the
45:07
windup. Fastball hit. Nobody will ever out -steal
45:43
Ty Cobb. That's what they said until 1962 when
45:47
Maury Wills swiped 104. There's one modern -day
45:54
pitcher even the old -timers put on their all
45:57
-time list. It is 9 .46 p .m. 2 -2 to Harvey
46:06
Keene. One strike away. Sandy into his windup.
46:11
Here's the pitch. Swung on and missed. A perfect
46:14
game. On the scoreboard in right field, it is
46:22
9 .46 p .m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles,
46:27
California. And a crowd of 29 ,139 just sitting
46:35
in to see the only pitcher in baseball history.
46:38
to hurl four no hit no run games. He has done
46:42
it four straight years. And now he capped it
46:46
on his fourth no hitter. He made it a perfect
46:49
game. And Sandy Kovacs, whose name will always
46:53
remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flourish.
46:56
He struck out the last six consecutive batters.
47:01
Four years, four different American League champs.
47:06
Everybody but Yankee fans figured it was great
47:08
for baseball. The Twins have won 98 games. Number
47:17
99 means the pennant. Here's the wind -up and
47:21
the pitch. It was the Orioles' turn, and they
47:39
took it all in 66. The outfield around to the
47:44
left to Frank Robinson, the right -hand batter.
47:46
Long drive to left field. Way back, way back.
47:48
Kiss it goodbye. Long run. 1967 marked the closest
47:57
race in American League history as the Red Sox
48:00
came from 9th in 66 to finish 1st in 67. And
48:05
an impossible dream. became possible. Here's
48:09
Kyle Yastrzemski, and there's a long drive toward
48:12
right field, back near the bullpen, and it is
48:14
going to be gone! A home run! Lonborg is within
48:19
one out of his biggest victory ever, his 22nd
48:25
of the year, and his first over the Twins. The
48:28
pitch is looped toward shortstop. Petroselli's
48:31
back. He's got it! The Red Sox win! Finally,
48:45
the Tigers, who had gone hungry for 23 years,
48:48
ate him up alive in 68. Three men on, two men
48:51
out. Game tied, 1 -1 in the ninth inning. McDaniel
48:56
checking his time with Jake Gibbs. The tall right
49:00
-hander, ready to go to work again. And the wind
49:05
-up and the pitch. He swings, a line shot, base
49:08
hit, right field, the Tigers win. The Tigers
49:15
mobbed on. K -line is scored. The fans are steaming
49:18
on the field. And the Tigers have won their first
49:21
pennant since 1945. Let's listen to the bedlam
49:26
here at Tigers Stadium. 1968. Sports writers
49:30
called it the year of the pitcher. 15 strikeouts
50:08
in a single World Series game. Trying for number
50:12
16 right now against Cash to break the record.
50:15
He takes his set position. He delivers. Here's
50:18
the pitch. Swing and a miss! He did it! Lulich
50:26
fires. Ball is hit high in the air. This should
50:28
be the series. Freehand waving everybody away
50:30
in foul territory. Detroit wins. Lulich is being
50:34
mobbed at home plate. The Detroit Tigers, down
50:38
three games to one, came back and have won it,
50:41
something only two other teams have ever done.
50:44
Pittsburgh over Washington in 1925 and the Yankees
50:47
over the Braves in 1958. And now the Tigers have
50:50
done it over the defending world champion St.
50:53
Louis Cardinals. Down three games to one. They
50:55
have taken three in a row with Lulich today winning
50:57
his third. Denny McLean won the fourth game yesterday.
51:00
There is no ending for what began 100 years ago.
51:03
This great game stays great. Because for every
51:07
veteran that calls it quits, there's a rookie
51:09
that breaks in. Or a Mickey Mantle retires, a
51:13
Ted Williams returns. I haven't had a good year
51:15
since about 1962 or 63, and I've been thinking
51:20
about retiring. And I got into Fort Lauderdale
51:23
last night, and I talked to Ralph for about an
51:25
hour on the phone. Then I met and had breakfast
51:27
with Mike Burt this morning, and we all three
51:30
got together and just decided it was about time
51:32
that we gave somebody else a chance to try to
51:34
help the ball club. I felt that if I was ever
51:37
going to get back in baseball, this was the time.
51:39
I knew my position was reasonably secure, and
51:43
I felt that there was no other way to go but
51:45
up. And I guess that probably I wanted to get
51:49
back in it more than I might have indicated.
51:54
There you have it. 1869 to 1969. It's stories
51:59
and it's sound. From one ball club in Cincinnati,
52:03
Ohio, to over 150 teams from coast to coast in
52:07
Canada. 100 years of baseball. And yet, it's
52:11
only the first 100 years.