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1960 • Baseball Clip • Pittsburgh Pirates History Documentary · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
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Hi there everybody, I'm Bob Brents, the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and we're turning
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back the years so that you can recapture the most exciting moments in Pittsburgh baseball
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just as they happen.
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It's the seventh and deciding game of the 1925 World Series. Darkness, rain, and tension
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by the turn at Forbes Field. Last of the eighth, the bases are loaded with Bucks and Kai Kai
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Kyders at bat. Two out, Kyders hits the drive down the right field line. Two runs score,
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and the Pirates win nine-seven. Oh, how sweet it was.
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1925 Pirates, only team in baseball ever to win the series after being down three games
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to one. Impossible? Sure, they're the impossible Pirates, and they played it that way for 60
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incredible years. They won four National League pennants in nine years from 1901 to 1909 under
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Barney Dreyfus, led by a manager Fred Clark, sparked by Honus Wagner, everybody's all-time
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shortstop, Babe Adams, and other greats. They played Boston in the very first World Series
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in 1903, dropping that one five games to three. Then they won the series in 1909, beating
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Detroit four games to three. And this is how J. Honus Wagner in the twilight of his career
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as a pirate coach compared baseball as it was played in those days to the game of today.
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Well, it's quite a difference now than seeing the players right now. They've got a great
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system. Everybody knows his unions. In other words, team works down, put it back. And
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the players today, I think, in the minor leagues, one thing is you don't get what they used to
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get in the minor leagues. All the minor league managers now want players to hit home runs,
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and the fans want a home run hitter. So they decided, the managers in the minor leagues
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decided that they'd pick up young fellows who could hit a long ball. In the old days,
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they had speed, and they'd done it a whole lot, and they sacrificed a whole lot. And being
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a dead ball, of course, the outfielders didn't place a deal. And they could throw you out
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the place, and they should have got a good start. And the base run, of course, is a lot
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of starts. There are a few good base runners now. They run a card as long as a hit ball.
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And the manager figured, well, we won't send them down here. We've got two long ball hitters
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at the back of them coming up and so forth.
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It was a long time as baseball was measured before the pirates were to win another pennant
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after their World Series triumph over Ty Cobb and the Tigers in 1909.
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Sixteen years, to be exact. Meanwhile, the cries were,
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loki, loki, loki, can't get them over, and put in yellow horse.
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Yes, Paul Long, old buddy, and we weren't old enough to worry about it. But the first
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long dry spell entered in 1925 under manager Bill McKechnie.
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The Dean of Sports, Editors Chet Smith, covered that 1925 series, and this is how he saw it.
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Walter Johnson, the big train they called him, threw a five-hitter at the Pirates, and Washington
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won the first game 4-1. Vic Aldridge then evened it 3-2. Washington took the third game 4-3,
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and when Johnson came back with a six-hit shutout to win 4-0, it looked like the Pirates were
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dead. They were down three games to one, and no team had ever gone on to win the series
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under those odds. But the Bucks did the impossible. Vic Aldridge won the fifth game 6-4, and Ray
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Kramer chucked a six-hitter in the sixth for a tight 3-2 decision to tie the series at
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three apiece. The seventh game was played in horrible weather, rained by the buckets
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full. Aldridge, Johnny Morrison, Kramer, and Ru Goldin pitching for the Bucks, Johnson for
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Washington. The Pirates tied it up at 5-5 with two runs in the seventh. Roger Peckenpah,
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the most valuable player in the American League that year, dropped Eddie Moore's pop
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fly. Moore then scored on Max Carey's third double of the game. Carey, the Pirate captain,
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batted a thumping 4-5-8 for the series. Pi trained her triple to right to score Carey
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with the equalizer, and Pi was thrown out at home. Washington scored a run in the top
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of the eighth. It was Peckenpah's home run to go ahead 7-6. Now it was right up to the
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Pirates. In the last of the eighth, Glenn Wright, a foul to Joe Judge. With stuffy
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Guinness up and the rain still coming down, Johnson asked for sawdust on the mound. He
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got it. McGinnis flied to Sam Rice with two downs, Smith doubled to right. Amel Eady ran
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for him and then Carson Bigby batting for Kramer, doubled to left, scoring Edie with
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the tying run. Moore walked. Carey grounded to Peckenpah, who committed his eighth error,
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a World Series record, which prompted the famous baseball writer to select Peckenpah
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as the National League's most valuable player. With the bases loaded, Kyler came up. The
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game was delayed until more sawdust could be brought out. After falling off three pitches,
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Kyler, with a full count, sliced a drive to right. Three runners came across, but the
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ball had lodged in a canvas that was used to cover the infield as it had been rolled
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across the right field line. So it was a ground rule two-base hit and Carey had to go back
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to third. Pooch Barnhart flied to Harris and the inning was over. Then Oldham came in to
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pitch for the Pirates in the ninth. He struck out Rice, got Bucky Harris, the Washington
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manager to line out to Moore, and Goose Gosling was called out on strikes. Five thousand fans
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waited outside for Kyler, crowded him on their shoulders to his home half a mile from the
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ballpark. John Heidler, the National League president, summed it up this way.
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The Pirates are the greatest club I've seen in all of my years of baseball, the game-est
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of all clubs. Just too bad, Old John wasn't around to see the 1960s.
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Yes, the impossible 1925 Pirates, down three games to one and the first team to come on
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to win the series after being that far out of it. Comedian, sportsman Joe E. Brown later
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told an inside story about that sensational but soggy finish in the rain. He had been criticized
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by a good friend, J.G. Taylor Spink, in the sporting news for his part in the movie, Elmer
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the Great. Spink claimed it was just too fantastic to imagine a baseball game being played in
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a driving rain. This was Joe Brown's explanation and story. He told baseball commissioner,
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Ford Frick, some years later. We got the idea for the game and for the conditions in that
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game from a game played in the 1925 World Series between Pittsburgh and Washington in
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Pittsburgh. Very interesting part about that Ford was that I was talking to the trainer
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of the Pittsburgh club, a man who was a trainer at that time or rather the groundkeeper out
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here, and a few when they were up at San Bernardino a few years ago. And I said, I remember the
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game so very well. And I remember that in the game there was so much water on the infield.
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As a matter of fact, they had to turn the lights on under the sand to get the crowd
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out. You know, it was late. You remember, I know you covered.
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That's right. That's what I'm just going to speak about. I told him, I said, I remember
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when Walter Johnson was out there for five times during the ball game, they came out
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with a wheelbarrow full of sawdust and put it on the mound so he could stand up. The
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water was around the mound. And he said, yes, and I might call your attention, it's something
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you don't know, that every time before I took that wheelbarrow full of sawdust out to the
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mound, I run the hose on it good.
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I didn't know that.
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Yeah.
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Well, you could ask your trainer on that one Joe too. You know, funny part of it is if
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we hadn't played that game in the rain, that final game of the World Series in 25, had
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we not played it in the rain that day, they couldn't have played again for 17 days.
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We wouldn't have played. I remember it very well. Yes, sir.
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On top of the world, in the third, the next year, torn manager Bill McKechnie walked
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the plank when the team failed to repeat.
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Donnie Bush took over as manager and the Pirates climbed back to the top of the
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National League again in 1927.
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That was the year Charles A. Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight across the ocean.
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And the United States sent the Marines to Nicaragua and China. Pirate fans wished the
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New York Yankees had been sent there too because that's who the Pirates had to play in the
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27th series.
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As the Pirate hopes were high before that series, the Wainer Act, baseball's greatest
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brother act, was rolling in high gear. Paul Wainer, big poison, led the league with 380.
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And brother Lloyd, little poison, hit 355.
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Pitcher Carl Hubbell, the giant meal ticket, later moaned, every time you pitch to the
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Pirates, you got one Wainer on base and another at bat.
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Chet Smith, you covered that 1927 series. What happened there?
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Well, the Yankees that year had a team that was known as Murderers Row.
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Ruth, Gary, Musel, and Tony Lozare.
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They set a league record with 110 victories.
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The Babe hit 3-5-6 and set the all-time record for home runs, 60.
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In my book, it was the greatest baseball team of all time.
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But actually, it was Yankee pitching that won the series.
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The Yankees swept the first three games, and the fourth game has been replayed over and over.
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With the score tied 3-3 in the last of the ninth, Combs walked.
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Mark Koenig butted safely down the third base line.
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With Ruth up, John Milges let loose a wild pitch, advancing the runners.
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Then Ruth was passed intentionally filling the bases.
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Blue Gary examined and so did Musel.
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The crowd cheered Milges.
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But then with Lozare up, another wild pitch by Milges, and it was all over.
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But Johnny Gooch, the catcher that day, always said that it wasn't a wild pitch.
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It was a passed ball that lost the series for the Pirates.
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The Pirates were murdered four straight.
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And then it was 33 long and sometimes tortuous years before the Pirates were to get back on top of the National League again.
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They managed to hang in there in the First Division for 12 straight years and were mighty respectable,
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finishing in the money 23 of 28 years until the roof caved in after World War II.
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But before the Pirates hit bottom, there was a moment of near gold and glory in 1938
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when Pye Trainer pulled a near miracle as player manager.
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This is the way Chet Smith saw it.
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We didn't have a good Pirate team in 1938, just a bunch of try guys who fought their way into first place on July 12th,
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held a five-game lead as late as September 8th, and almost stole the pennant.
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The winner act was fading. We had no outstandingly farman Mace Brown,
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one of the first presidents, Bill Benzwenger, felt so confident we would win the pennant
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and invested almost $40,000 in a new press box.
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Then came that fateful afternoon of September 29th, and I'll never forget it.
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With first place at stake and the score tied 5-5 with the Cubs in Wrigley Field in Chicago,
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Gabby Hartnett came to bat in the last of the night.
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Brown was pitching. There were two out, none off.
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The count was two strikes, no balls.
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Brown delivered the third pitch, a letter high ball that didn't break down in the way as Brown wanted it to do.
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Gabby swung the ball, sailed out of Wrigley Field like a trophy looking for a museum.
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You just felt it rather than saw it.
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The Cubs won the game 6-5 and then went on to win the pennant by two games.
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[♪music playing on guitar and guitar playing on guitar with a
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soft, soft horn playing on the piano.
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Suffering catfish, that was a heartbreaker.
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And then some years later, Joey Brown and baseball commissioner Ford C. Frick
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were discussing the 1938 season and talking about the great batting stars.
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Those two little fellows that were with this ball club, the Wainers were great ball,
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greater ball players and a lot of people appreciate they were ball players, ball players.
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They could do everything and seem, seemingly, I see those two fellows up at the plate,
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both of them had habits of one who put that bat almost down his back.
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Now standing up there and he looked as though he'd be the, but he was ready for that ball when it was pitched.
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They lost a pretty tough chance to get into a World Series when that big guy came up there
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and he told me himself he never saw that ball as it crossed the plate.
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He started across the plate, never did get across, but he hit that ball actually blind.
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You know the funny part of it was, Joe, that if Hartnett doesn't hit that ball,
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we've got to call that ball game that day.
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I was out there and I thought the umpires carried a little too long anyhow
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and another hitter couldn't possibly have come up.
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They'd had to call that ball game.
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Fritz Berg hates to hear you say you thought they carried a little too long.
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We had that Forbes field all set for that World Series.
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Yeah, I know.
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Pickups were printed, weren't they?
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Oh, yeah.
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You're still looking for a World Series button from that, Joe?
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That's right, that's right.
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Well, I had them when you had one and now, well, I was going to send one,
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but I can't get it away from Roswell.
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Oh, my aching back was a familiar sound.
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And things got so tough for the bucks of Rosie Roswell,
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then the voice of the Pirates, that he even talked about some other ball clubs.
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This was one of Rosie's favorite stories, told as only he, Rosie, could tell it.
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Thanks a lot, Mr. Hello, you good friends of the air.
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One of the wise pages of another day one time said,
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there's a reason for everything, but everything is not reason.
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How right, how right.
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Let's get to an odd baseball story.
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You baseball fans who have patiently listened to my ramblings for so many years
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may have wondered why I keep constantly playing the hunches.
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As the Piggins come and hover around my broadcasting booth out of Forbes field,
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well, there's a story behind it.
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And I have to roll the curtain back about 14 years to pick up the connecting link
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between the Piggins and my good luck omen.
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The World Series in 1933 was played between the Washington Senators and the New York Giants.
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The Giants caught the first two games at the Polar Grounds and then moved over to Washington.
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The Senators took the first game in the National Capital,
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but the Giants took the next two and became world champions.
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Now let me get back to the Piggins.
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It was a chilly October day when they played that first game in Washington,
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but pecking away at the saw directly back of shortstop was a slate-colored Piggins that they came to move,
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despite the appeals of Joe Cronin, the Senator shortstop, and Bronte Ryan, the Giants shortstop.
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At the beginning of each inning, one or the other of those two defensive players would give the bird the bum's rice.
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But just as soon as the pitcher would kill the rubber again,
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back would come Mr. Pigeon and start grubbing for work.
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The first day, the second day, the third day, that Pigeon was there.
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Finally, the umpire and the ball players all gave up and refused to even try to chase our young feathered friends.
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But I'll say this, outside of watching the ball strike, hit, and error,
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there never was as much competition in the World Series game as that Pigeon furnished for three days in Washington.
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A changing time at every inning, the fans would fasten their attention upon the Pigeon playing in the back of the position at shortstop.
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And the only time that bird would move a wing would be when a ground ball would hit past it,
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or when the shortstop would back up to take a little blooper.
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Then and then only would it lift itself along, only to return again as soon as play had resumed.
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The Seekers? Yes, of course there's a Seeker.
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Let me run over her needed players of the scoring in the final game.
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Al Schumacher had started for the Giants and Crowder was throwing in for the Senators.
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In the second inning, the Giants picked up two tallies when Schumacher drove out a single to send Travis Jackson and Gus Mantiso over to Happy Gum.
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They picked up another one in the sixth on a pair of doubles, but the Senators went to work in the last half of the sixth and tied it up.
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The game moved into the pinning.
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When the three men away, Little Maloc came up, got ahold of a fast pitch,
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and drove it out of the lap to win the ball game in the World Championship for the Giants.
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Oh yes, what about the Pidges?
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Well, when the last put out was made, Blondie Ryan, the Giant shortstop, reached beneath the pocket,
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threw it out a handful of corn and dropped it on the ground.
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The Pidges came in a little closer to the infield. Blondie peeked over, picked it up, and carried it into the Giants' clubhouse as a good luck starter at the 1933
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Playoffs. There, he held out a super-duper clock, and so I come baseball broadcast.
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This is Rosie Roswell saying goodbye and wishing you well all along the way.
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In 1948, the Pirates made a spasmodic lurch into the First Division, finishing fourth, eight and one half lengths back.
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Billy Meyer was named manager of the year and richly deserved it.
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And that was the year the most famous play-by-play announcer in the history of baseball made his debut.
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Bing Crosby, Pirate stockholder, did it this way under the tutelage of Rosie Roswell in April of 1948.
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Now Ralph Kiner standing by down there waiting for Doyle Laid, who's just taking over the pitching choice for the Chicago Club.
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He's a right-hander, and Ralph Kiner will be the first man to face him.
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Laid last year was in there with an 11 and 10 record, 11 wins and 10 losses.
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Billy, but doing a grand job, I don't dare trust myself for this from right back in there.
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Don't you think this is out of my monotony?
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No, I'm never going to get a left-hander. I know that.
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Well, I'd like to see Ralph improve a little off his showing so far this afternoon against Rush.
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He couldn't do much, although he hit a hard smash to the left field with his second by Faberson, facing Doyle Laid.
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Now maybe do a little better.
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And he does. He's got a little bit of a raise going there.
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Over the scoreboard.
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Over in the Chidley Park, a roundtripper for Ralph Kiner, he's first of the 1928 teams.
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Let's hope that it's the first of 61.
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And that'll bring a gallon of field test ice cream in a month to some shut-in here in Pittsburgh.
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Ralph is deaning.
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We'll be sending a card along for that, his first home run of the 1948 team. Put the buckos in there.
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Three to 11. I just had to take that and bring because we got a little corner on here.
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He's home run.
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Ralph is really deaning. The first pitch that Doyle laid through to him, he hit it right over the fence, the scoreboard,
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the clock, about 20 foot to the right of the clock, and about the same height as the top of the clock.
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I said the fastball hit a hard smash here yesterday for the home run.
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May I tell you something? It was a swinging bunch.
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And had to let Ralph just hit.
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The wind is blowing against us this afternoon when you hit the left field.
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The hardest smash I've seen in this park.
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I guess he hit a few last year just as hard as some of the others.
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When he hit that, I know it was a home run. No question.
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That was what they call a first.
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A real hard hit ball.
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First pitch Doyle laid through to him. He combed right over the left field, over the clock, over others.
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And that was the only time anyone ever took a mic away from Bing Crosby.
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By the way, there was a second baseman in that game, and this is what Bing had to say about him.
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The ground ball to Danny Murtaugh. He takes it on the big hop.
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That's all. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for putting up with my announcing.
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I know it's not much good.
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Let's run out to grab Riddle and give him a big hug and a kiss.
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It's a beautifully two-hits, two-hit game.
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Rip Tool gets up out of the dugout and goes over to Elmer Riddle and puts his arms around him and gives him a big hug.
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Wonderful pitch game. Lots of control. Lots of stuff on the ball.
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Confident all the time. Handled beautifully by Clutson.
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Some wonderful plays in back of him, particularly by Roe Jack and Gus Keene.
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And Danny Murtaugh, who drove in the first run.
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Friends, it's been a real pleasure to appear here on this broadcast with Rosie and Bob Prince.
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Going east, I hope to get back to some of their home games, which start the 1st of May.
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I hope to be able to see you then and talk to you over this microphone.
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I know you'll excuse my deficiencies as a radio broadcaster for baseball, but Rosie seems to think I bring them luck out there.
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And if I do, I'm only too willing to appear and contribute whatever I can to the fellow out here at Ford's Field.
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In 1949, the Pirates fell back into the 2nd Division and finished 6.
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There were some changes made in the five-year program.
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The rookie tryout camp was launched in 1950.
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Here's how Frank McKinney explained the changes.
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Well, as we indicated when we first took over the Pittsburgh ball club three years ago,
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we launched into what we thought would be a five-year program.
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At that time, as you recall, Pittsburgh had little or no farm system.
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This is a game whereby you've got to develop your own talent.
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Certainly you can't buy star ball players.
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Nobody will sell you their stars.
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All you can hope to get is, shall I say, cast-offs.
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We immediately launched into the development of a farm system, which under normal circumstances would take four or five years.
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This year, we took the cream of our crop, so to speak, from our 13 farm clubs and had them out here
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in the hopes that by schooling them, they could advance for perhaps one classification in their development program.
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There were about 70 ball players in camp, and I was agreeably surprised to learn to see that most of them
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had grown at least two or three inches in height since a year ago.
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In my opinion, there are about at least six or seven that will be ready for Pittsburgh within the next year to 18 months.
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Well, now, Frank, of course, everybody in Pittsburgh has been tremendously interested in this bonus pitcher, young lefty Pettit.
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When you met him, I presume you shook hands with him gingerly for fear you would damage him in some way,
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and I heard a remark that you said that if he didn't look good to you when you got there, you probably would shoot a couple of Scots.
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At least I thought you might have been quoted that way, whether that was correct or not, I don't know.
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I bet it impressed you, Frank. Pettit has all the earmarks of being a major league pitcher.
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He has the poise, he has the physical ability, he has the stamina.
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In my opinion, the only thing he lacks is experience.
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I saw him pitch three innings Sunday, and with the possible exception of being a little stage fright,
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he had all the earmarks of being a left-handed feller, in my opinion.
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I think we're in for one of the most interesting years that we've had thus far.
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By that I don't mean, and I'm not claiming to win any pennants, but I think definitely we're a first division ball club.
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I still will stand by my statement of asking the fans of Pittsburgh to bear with us for five years.
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At the end of five years or within the next two years, I'm definitely sure that we will have a one, two, three ball club.
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By that I don't mean this coming year, but again, at the end of our five-year probationary period, so to speak,
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I think we will be able to give a good accounting of ourselves.
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But the luck of the Pirates was running all bad at that point.
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Paul Pettit came up with a sore arm and $100,000 went down the drain.
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The Pirates finished last that year, for the first time since the First World War.
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Late in 1950, John Galbraith took over and brought in Branch Rickey Sr., the creator of the farm system, as general manager.
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But for eight agonizing years, the Bucks finished last or next to last.
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They tried everything from the youth movement to midget short stops and even left-handed catchers.
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Ralph Keiner's home runs weren't enough to stem the tide of losses, even though he led the National League seven times,
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hit a pirate high of 54 in 1949, and racked up an all-time pirate career total of 301.
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Joey Brown provided some comic relief during the dark days with this advice to the home run champion.
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I've got to help that boy. That boy needs help.
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Come here, Mr. Keiner, if you don't mind, old boy, come here. I've got to, I want to help you. I want to help you with your hitting.
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You've got to pay more attention to Brown from now on. You've got to watch that first ball.
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Don't stare at the pitcher a little bit more. You're not staring him enough.
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Now, do you see what the St. Louis Browns are doing? You've got to do that too. I could do that with you.
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Do you mind if I mesmerize you slightly? Are you going to, are you going to go in today?
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I will if you can give me that.
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Are you going? No, I could give you.
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I can't play today.
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Well, never mind the swollen wrist. Let's get a swollen batting average. I mean something, forget about this kind of thing.
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I can do it to you, you see, if you just pay attention. Look me right in the eye.
23:42
Yes, you see, now we've got it. No, no, no, no, don't laugh. No, no, no. Let's go back again. This time don't laugh.
23:47
Look me right in the eye. Good. I've got you. I've got you. It's 61 this year. Really it is.
23:53
No, no, if you just pay attention, keep your mind on it. We'll do it. Don't just relax all the time, completely.
23:58
I'm letting you ladies and gentlemen listening to this. You're very lucky. They're fortunate people, you know.
24:02
Yes, they are.
24:03
Here's a, I'm taking this boy now and you pay attention to me, Ralph.
24:06
Oh, let's not fiddle around. Look me smack dabba. You've got it.
24:36
And along about the same time during this period of fitful transition, there was a fellow whose career was to take a different turn.
24:51
Danny Murtaugh, second baseman, double play and double talk artist and manager to be.
24:56
Here's Murtaugh doing a play by play of a pirate game in the twilight of his playing career.
25:01
Here comes Ralph Keiner up to the plate. Needless to tell you folks that he's our home run hitter.
25:06
Here comes the first pitch and as usual it's high and wide where Ralph can't get to it.
25:10
You put it again, Dan.
25:12
Marty's just sticking his nose in again. Go ahead, Dan.
25:15
My guy, Ralph, was telling me yesterday he felt a little nervous walking up to that plate and I asked him how do you think that pitcher felt.
25:22
There's another pitch coming down there and Ralph's out of behind the plate.
25:26
I might say that Ralph's been hitting that ball real good this spring. He's hit about two dozen over that left field wall and it's 350.
25:33
I just assumed he'd not hit too many in spring training. Remember every time he does and he has a good season with home runs?
25:38
Here comes the next pitch up, Bob, and it's a curve ball on the outside corner of the plate.
25:42
But it was too low I believe and he called it a ball.
25:45
Lon's a pretty good umpire. You know that?
25:47
Mornin' came behind that plate.
25:48
Gee, if he doesn't know balls and strikes after all those years of pitching, nobody will, huh?
25:52
My guy, he should know. There's another pitch high and inside. It's three and one. I don't think the fans like it.
25:57
No, it doesn't sound like they like it in that background, does it?
26:00
Hear him yelling? My guy. I'll tell you one thing. Here's the only man in baseball hitting and he's got seven outfielders.
26:06
Look at that infield, how they play him. They're all back in the grass.
26:10
Uh-oh. He fouled that one off for strike two. His count is now three balls and two strikes and the pitcher's still sweating pretty good out there.
26:18
Well, he won't give him anything good to hitch. He can bet that.
26:22
Here comes the pitch right now. Let's see what he's going to do. Uh-oh.
26:25
Now, face hit, line drive, pass short, stop. Left fielder, center fielder come up for the ball and they had him as single.
26:32
Well, now that's a masterful bit of description, Daniel.
26:35
I thought so.
26:36
Danny Murtaugh was a mighty, versatile man as time was to prove.
26:41
One day in the dark days we asked Mr. Branchwicky Sr. what he looked for in a young ball player and this was his reply.
26:47
That's a whale of a question. I might tell you that I have a very competent scout, a boy I've known for many years.
26:55
He is not versed at all in the technique of positions or instruction to players on the skillful little pleasing plays.
27:02
Not at all, but he is a productive scout and he asks himself three questions.
27:07
Can they prospect? The chap here in front of him. Can he throw hard, he calls it.
27:14
And can he run fast? And third, can he hit the ball off for a piece, he calls it.
27:19
Now, if a boy can do those things, if he can run fast and throw hard and has great power at the plate, whether he strikes out or not,
27:28
those three things it seems to him to qualify him and he's produced some very great players over a period of many years.
27:34
Sometimes he adds another one in conversation and that is he asks himself, does he like to play?
27:41
And that is a significant addition. It is the incomparable thing of wanting to win.
27:47
It makes men devote themselves to their weaknesses and it makes men do more than they can consciously.
27:57
They are completely obsessed by a desire to excel and when you get 25 men like that, when nothing matters except victory,
28:05
they sacrifice whatever it takes in the way of diversions and indulgences of themselves.
28:12
Everything is subordinated, made secondary to the whole objective course, namely to win, to have a great winning team.
28:19
Those men are not satisfied with mediocrity. They are not having their eyes glued upon fourth place or third or second.
28:28
It's a whole lot better to have a youngster who is coming along with the direction of his play that leads to a pennant,
28:33
although this year he may be only able to put us in fourth place or fifth or what have you,
28:39
than it is to have players of greater ability just now who will not crystallize into a final club that can win a pennant.
28:46
They will always keep you in a lower position.
28:49
Our objective in Pittsburgh is to get boys who are going to come at one time into a pennant winning aggregation.
28:56
During those painful rebuilding years, there was one event that propelled Pittsburgh into the national spotlight.
29:01
First baseman Dale Long hit home runs in eight consecutive games for an all-time record,
29:21
a feat that Ruth, Gary, Greenberg, and the other greats never accomplished.
29:25
The year was 1956 and the dates May 19th through May 28th. That will be remembered for a long time.
29:33
Almost forgotten is Ralph Keiner's feat of hitting eight home runs in four consecutive games from September 10th through September 12th, 1947.
29:41
In 1958, the Pirates jumped from eighth to second, made a good run at the Milwaukee Pennant Express in September.
29:48
Some experts picked the Pirates to win the pennant in 1959,
29:51
but that was the year of disappointment, injuries, slumps, and temporary decline and fall to fourth place.
29:56
Little Roy Face gave the fans their biggest moments, hanging up all-time pitching records of 17 consecutive games won
30:02
and the highest winning percentage of 947 with 18 wins and one loss, all in relief to stamp him as the greatest all-time reliever.
30:10
And here is the matter-of-fact way L. Roy Face explained his phenomenal success.
30:15
Well, Bob, I don't think that every pitcher can pitch the guy the same.
30:19
I mean, each guy has to learn to pitch his own way to each hitter because Verne Law might throw a fastball
30:24
or Bob Friend might get a guy out on a fastball.
30:26
And if I throw the fastball, he might hit it out of the ballpark because my delivery is different than theirs.
30:31
The fastball might not be the same as theirs and you can't go by that. You have to go learn your own way.
30:36
Another Pirate who gave the fans a tremendous moment in that otherwise unhappy 1959 campaign was small-statured Harvey Hattick.
30:44
All he did was pitch 12 perfect innings of baseball, something no other pitcher ever accomplished.
30:49
He did it against the champion Milwaukee Braves and once again with the impossible Pirate ending.
30:55
Anything that Jim and I have witnessed in this season absolutely at this moment pales into insignificance.
31:03
And we've had some thumpers. Here's the windup and the one-two pitch to Berdette.
31:08
Foul off to the right out of play and Berdette has shortened up the grip on that bat and is trying to really hang in there.
31:15
And don't forget he also is quite a threat at the long ball.
31:19
Two men down. Last half of the ninth inning, no score. I can't repeat it enough.
31:28
The one-two pitch. Stuck him out swinging. Hattick's pitch is a perfect nine inning, no hit, no run game.
31:35
Outstanding ovation.
31:50
Ladies and gentlemen, Harvey Hattick has just become the seventh pitcher in the history of all baseball to pitch a perfect, no hit, no run, nine inning ball game.
32:00
Going into the last of the 13th, Bob Prince summed up what happened to that point.
32:05
For the final out of the ninth inning was a strikeout on Luberdette. It was the eighth turned in by Hattick and at that moment he became the eighth pitcher in all the history of baseball to pitch a perfect, no hit, no run game.
32:19
He then went on to get him in the tenth and the eleventh and the twelfth, retiring 36 in a row and counting the final two outs he had against the Cardinals in his last victory at Forbes Field.
32:28
He retired 38 men in order before a man got aboard and then only on an arrow.
32:33
One out, batter Adcock takes high ball run.
32:46
One ball, no strikes.
32:48
There isn't anybody right now sicker at this moment than Don Hook, I guarantee you that. He's crushed over this.
32:52
Here's the pitch, there's a flat ball deep right center. That ball may be on through and over everything. It is, no, no runs.
33:03
Absolutely fantastic.
33:04
Pandemonium rain. Here's what the umpires eventually decided. Adcock hit the ball over the fence in right center. Mantia scored.
33:12
After passing second, Aaron took the shortcut across the pitcher's mound and Adcock passed him on the base pass.
33:17
Umpire Dascoli ruled that Adcock was out for passing Aaron between second and third.
33:22
Adcock was given a double, Aaron was returned to second, and Mantia's run was the only one needed to make the score one to nothing and end the game.
33:30
If you tried to write the pirate story of 1960 before it happened, nobody would have believed it.
33:34
And it would have been rejected by any Hollywood producer as too fantastic.
33:38
Utterly impossible. All the hopes and dreams of 35 years and considerably more came true to a degree that defied description and analysis.
33:47
The only way I know how to say it is how sweet it is, and we had them all away.
33:52
You could single out the trades by General Manager Joe L. Brown or the perfect handling of players in judgment of Manager Danny Murtaugh,
33:59
or the dedicated performance of many players to surpass anything they had ever done before.
34:04
Dick Groat, the captain, beating far more formidable hitters for the National League batting title.
34:08
Vernon Law, winning 20 games for the first time in his career.
34:12
Don Hope, the Tiger, and his driving will to win.
34:15
Bob Clemente's fielding and running. Bob Skinner's bombing. Bill Maszorowski's wizardry at second base.
34:20
Bob Frim's comeback. Elroy Faces' coldly calculated relief pitching.
34:25
The ability of almost anyone to climb off the bench and win a game.
34:29
Every game produced a different hero. And how about the fans?
34:33
Well, they plastered beat-em-bucks stickers on their cars, stores everywhere. And then there was a song.
34:40
Yes sir, Mr. Prince, there was a song. And I know you're not Bob Hope, and I'm certainly not Bing Crosby,
34:45
but I think we may be able to give the folks a brief idea. It went like this.
34:49
Oh, the Bucks are going all the way, all the way, all the way. The Bucks are going all the way, all the way this year.
34:58
Beat-em-bucks! Beat-em-bucks!
35:01
Beat-em-bucks is right. Well, the fans never gave up and neither did those pirates.
35:06
The later the inning, the more likely they were to bomb you.
35:09
They seesawed in and out of first place until July 25th.
35:12
Then Bob Frim pitched them into the lead to stay, a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals in St. Louis.
35:17
Finally on September the 25th, ironically in a losing game in Milwaukee,
35:21
their first pennant in 33 years as the Cubs knocked off the runner-up cards 5-0.
35:26
This was the way Paul Long described the clincher.
35:29
1-0, the Pirates lead on the strength of a home run by Bill Masurowski back in the fifth inning.
35:37
Otherwise, it's been a real pitching duel between the great left-hander Warren Spahn
35:43
and the great left-hander also Harvey Haddix.
35:48
Right now, it's 1-0, the Pirates lead.
35:52
It's just light. It's all over. They've got the report down there, Paul. The Pirates win it.
35:55
The Pirates have won the National League pennant on the basis of the Cardinals
36:02
losing to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. It's all over.
36:06
And this crowd here knows it. A lot of transistor radios here.
36:09
The applause has gone up. Clemente has just singled into center field. He's on first.
36:15
The come-out, this 35,000 crowd, now they're making the announcement on the loudspeaker.
36:21
The Cubs have beaten the Cardinals, and the Pirates have won the National League pennant.
36:26
A deeply relieved fellow was President John Galbraith.
36:29
Well, it has been a long time, and it's been a rough road, but I feel a little bit that we've paid back
36:36
a little of the debt for the tremendous, tremendous support we've had for 14 years.
36:41
And that's not now. That's back when we had a very ordinary ball game.
36:45
They've been great, and I hope they're as happy about tonight as we are.
36:48
It was clear Vice President Tom Johnson will always remember.
36:52
It's been great. It's the greatest year I've ever had in baseball, as you can well imagine,
36:56
and it's just a real thrill, and I know the whole city's thrill.
36:59
And Captain Dick Groth, sidelined with a broken wrist, was worried that he might miss the series.
37:04
Something I've always wanted to do is play on a pennant winner, and I've said all winter,
37:08
and I've said over and over again, I want to play on a pennant winner in Pittsburgh.
37:11
I only hope I can play in the World Series.
37:12
The city of Pittsburgh celebrated the Pirates' pennant victory with a gigantic torchlight parade
37:16
through the Golden Triangle at midnight, sponsored by KDKA-TV and radio and the Chamber of Commerce.
37:22
The World Series should have been anticlimactic, but it wasn't.
37:25
Meanwhile, at a Gus Van Club luncheon in the Pittsburgh Press Club,
37:28
manager Danny Murtaugh received the first of many awards.
37:31
He was inducted into their Hall of Fame.
37:33
Murtaugh, in accepting the award, told this story.
37:36
It's got to be one of these knockdown battles.
37:39
So finally, I'm talking to one of my pitchers who had me pitching at the ball game that day.
37:44
I said, look son, when this other pitcher comes up here, I want you to knock him right out.
37:49
I want you to knock him down.
37:52
And this pitcher might have been one of these fellows that is quite well versed in the Bible,
38:03
and he turned around and he said, remember Skip, turn the other cheek.
38:08
So I looked at him and I said, all right, me.
38:10
I said, I'll turn the other cheek.
38:11
I said, but if this guy don't get down, is it going to cost you a hundred bucks?
38:16
So he looked at me and he says, if they don't live by the sword, they'll perish by the sword.
38:26
And gentlemen, you know I don't fabricate, and that's a true story.
38:30
And general manager Joe L. Brown paid this tribute to the pirates and Murtaugh.
38:34
The 1960 pirates have not been successful because we have the greatest collection of all-stars ever assembled.
38:40
I think that there are a number of reasons that have been made public on certainly more than one occasion by many people
38:50
that have made this club a successful team to this date, and I know they will continue to be successful.
38:57
Chet mentioned that I've been on tender hooks, that I'm an ulcer case.
39:02
Well, I don't have ulcers, but I have a few hooks sticking in me around.
39:06
But of course I think that that's easily understandable.
39:11
The winning of a pennant has been my lifetime dream, if you don't mind a personal touch here.
39:17
And of course to see a dream come almost to its fruition is something that believe that it just can't happen.
39:24
But these various qualities that have been attributed to our ballpark have been team spirit, desire, ambition, aggressiveness, intelligence.
39:35
Those of you who have seen Dan, who saw Danny as a player and who have seen him as a manager,
39:41
I think will recognize that those very same qualities are inherent in him.
39:46
And I think those things in a ball club, while perhaps they are somewhat innate in the individual player,
39:55
are instilled more than anything else by the manager.
40:02
I think Danny Murtaugh is not only one of the game's outstanding managers, if not the best, but the most underrated.
40:09
One loyal fan, the most loyal of them all, who deserved to see the great day when the pennant arrived was the late Rosie Rosewell.
40:16
He, in a sense, represented the spirit that carried the Pirates through.
40:19
And this is how he expressed it one day, back in 1950, when he was honored at Forbes Field.
40:25
The only thing I can say is that my love for Pittsburgh will always be an abiding thing in my heart.
40:36
And my Buccos will always be my ballpark, whether they're up in Perth or Lamp.
40:48
They'll be talking about the World Series of 1960 until Doomsday, the most impossible pirate team of all.
40:54
Three times the Pirates won the World Series in 1909, 1925, and 1960, each time in seven games,
41:01
but never in such fashion as the 1960 crew.
41:04
Newsweek magazine ran pictures of Danny Murtaugh with the heading, Wanted for Piracy.
41:09
The New York Times' Arthur Daly termed the Pirates, Destinies' darlings.
41:13
The New York World Telegram and Sun said, If ever a World Series was stolen, this was the one.
41:19
The 1960 Yankees hit more home runs than any previous American League team, more than the Yankees' famed Murderers Row,
41:25
who clobbered the Pirates four straight in the 27th Series.
41:28
They humiliated the Pirates 16 to 3, 10 to nothing, and 12 nothing, worse in dignities than any team ever suffered in the Series.
41:35
The Yankees set new series records with 55 runs scored to the Pirates' 27, 91 hits to the Buccos' 60,
41:42
but the Pirates had them even at the end of 6, and finally whipped the Yankees with their favorite weapon, the home run.
41:48
And here's what happened in the seventh and payoff game.
41:55
The Pirates got off to a quick two-run lead on Rocky Nelson's Homer in the first inning.
41:59
They grabbed two more in the second inning. The Yankees came to life in the fifth with Moose Gowron's home run.
42:04
Then they piled up four runs in the sixth to lead 5 to 4.
42:07
Yogi Berra's home run off the Baron of the Bullpen, Roy Face, was the big blast, scoring three runs.
42:12
The Yankees teed off on Face for two more in the eighth, and it seemed to be all over.
42:16
But in the last of the eighth, pinch-hitter Gino Somoli singled.
42:19
Verdon got an infield hit. The ball took a bad hop and struck shortstop Tony Kubek on the Adam's apple.
42:25
He clutched his throat and collapsed.
42:27
Then Grote singled a left, scoring Somoli and making the score 7 to 5.
42:30
Skinner was thrown out on an attempted sacrifice bunt.
42:33
Now listen to Chuck Thompson, NBC's radio voice during the Series, who described it this way.
42:38
In typical World Series fashion, this one appears to be going right down to the wire.
42:44
Now Blanchard pumping out the sign to Coates, who wigwags with that glove just a little bit.
42:48
He wants to see that sign again.
42:50
Now Coates is into the move, the one-two to Clannetti.
42:53
He swings the ground ball, slowly hit off the first base side, charging at Skowron.
42:56
He makes the pick up, there'll be no play on the right side.
42:58
Clannetti hit a full roller down first base way, wide of the bag at first, about 10 or 12 feet to the right or to the second base side.
43:14
Skowron came charging in, made the pick up on the ball, had no chance of a play at the plate because Verdon broke with the crack of the bat.
43:21
And then realized that he couldn't get over there in time to get Clannetti at first base,
43:24
so the infield hit by Clannetti has driven in the sixth Pirate run.
43:29
Down to third base goes Grove, two out, hits the Yankee, seven, the Pirate, six, and the batter will be catcher Hal Smith.
43:36
Smith steps in with two down, a Pirate run at the first and third, and this ballpark is going crazy.
43:42
Coates into the set, he throws, Smith takes a strike right down the pipe, and Smith was giving it a good look.
43:49
One strike, the right hand batting Hal Smith.
43:52
Clannetti hit a little dribbler off the first base side, right of the bag at first, and legged out into a base hit.
43:57
And of course, Verdon was able to score the sixth run.
44:02
Down to one strike, this coming to Smith.
44:04
It's high and a ball, one ball, one strike.
44:13
Now the Pirate opportunity in this inning came about on a ban hop that hit Kubek and McCote and knocked him out of the ballgame.
44:21
Now the one-one pitch coming down to Hal Smith.
44:23
There it is, swing and a miss, right to, and he really pulled the trigger.
44:28
One ball, two strikes to Hal Smith, who gave it the big ripple, the Sunday punch.
44:32
I couldn't find it.
44:36
The tying run is that third base and the person of Dick Grove.
44:39
The go-ahead run is out there at first and the person of Roberto Clannetti.
44:42
And now the set, the one-two pitch coming to Hal Smith.
44:44
Coates throws, he started a swing and held back, and it's taken high for a ball.
44:48
A check swing and a ball, too. Two and two now.
44:52
And for just a split second, every move in the Pirate dugout came to a stop on that call up there at the plate.
44:59
But it was a high pitch and Smith held back on the swing.
45:02
So the count is two and two.
45:05
And Coates into the stretch.
45:07
He sets, down the two-two to Smith.
45:09
He swings a long drive ball, he's to let's see if, I don't know, it might go out of here.
45:12
It is going, going, going.
45:22
Hortfield is at this moment an outdoor insane asylum.
45:27
We have seen and shared in one of baseball's great moments.
45:31
In the top of the ninth, the Yanks tied it up at nine-nine.
45:33
They had scored two runs, KOing Bob Friend, the hard luck pitcher of the series, in a hurry.
45:38
And Harvey Haddix had trouble putting out the fire.
45:40
And then, the last of the night. And again, Chuck Thompson.
45:47
The last half of the ninth inning.
45:50
Changes made by the Yankees. McGoogle goes to third base.
45:54
Cletus Boyer moves over to play shortstop.
46:02
And Ralph Terry, of course, on the mound, will be facing Masurowski.
46:06
And to go over that, Barra play once again. It was a hard hit drive down the first base side.
46:11
The Nelson fielded on the first hop and tagged the bag. At first, that eliminated Barra.
46:15
He was out. And then, Mantle could have been in a run down, but it was not the case.
46:18
He dove back safely to first base.
46:20
Here's a ball on, too high down to Masurowski.
46:24
And the Yankees have tied the game.
46:29
In the top of the ninth inning.
46:33
Well, a little while ago, when we mentioned that this one, in typical fashion, was going right to the wire, little did we know.
46:43
Mark Ditbar throws. Here's a swing and a high five.
46:45
Barra going deep to let the state do it.
46:48
Back to the wall goes Barra. It is.
46:50
And that's home run, the final spin.
47:20
Ladies and gentlemen, Masurowski has hit a one-nothing pitch over the left field fence at Ford Field to win the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 10 to nothing.
47:35
Once again, that final score.
47:38
The Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1960 World Champions, defeat the New York Yankees, the Pirates 10, and the Yankees 9.
47:45
In the Pirate Clubhouse, Bob Prince conducted the locker room interviews.
47:48
Beat the Bucs. Can't beat the Bucs. Can they? No, sir. Can't beat the bad Bucs. I'll tell you that.
47:53
That's for sure.
47:54
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
47:55
We got them. We got them. They broke all the records and we won the game. I'll tell you that.
47:59
There's a going. They broke all the records and we won the game.
48:01
We won the game. Right here.
48:02
Yeah, that's it. Here's the president of the ball club, Mr. John Galbraith. And, Mr. Galbraith.
48:07
I just want to ask you one question. You ask me. Have we paid our debt to the city, the people of Pittsburgh?
48:13
I think you have it. You've given your voice to it, too, haven't you?
48:16
Because everything got gone. You wouldn't trade a Kentucky Derby victory for this, John.
48:20
You're trying to get me when I'm vulnerable.
48:22
And the commissioner of baseball, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Ford Frick.
48:25
Commissioner, without question, one of the most exciting World Series in all time.
48:28
This is my 39th, and I never saw a finish like that one, Bob. Never.
48:32
Here's Danny Mertai. You Irishman, you did it.
48:35
By golly, Bob, what a finish. But we've been doing that all year, and I think the fans are looking forward to it.
48:41
Well, thank you very much, Dan, John Galbraith. And I'll just say thank you to everybody.
48:46
I hope you fans have enjoyed hearing from the very happy world champion, Pittsburgh Pirates.
48:51
The headline in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette read, We had them all the way.
48:55
And the Pittsburgh press told it this way. City of champs flips lid.
49:00
There was never anything like the all-night celebration staged in the streets of Pittsburgh.
49:04
It was VE and VJ Day. The Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve all rolled into one.
49:09
The celebrations extended to Addis Ababa and Timbuktu.
49:12
Those crazy 1960 pirates were indeed the most impossible pirates of them all.
49:18
The Mardi Gras and New Year's Eve all rolled into one.
49:48
You