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06-24-2006, 04:04 PM
June 24, 1960
Crosley Field
Cincinnati, OH
The Giants were in a bit of disarray as they pulled into Cincinnati to begin a 3-game set with the Reds that evening. Just six days earlier, with the team 33-25 and in second place behind Pittsburgh, San Francisco owner Horace Stoneham fired manager Bill Rigney and replaced him with Tom Sheehan in hopes of shaking his club up.
The Giants were favorites in the NL entering 1960, and had gotten off to a decent start as had Pittsburgh. The move by Stoneham did shake the team up a bit, but not like he was hoping. Under Sheehan, who was managing a major league team for the first time, the Giants had gone 1-5, with four of the five losses a sweep at the hands of the Braves in Milwaukee leading into this series. Tied for second with Milwaukee when that series started, the Giants were now 6½-games behind the Pirates in third.
The Reds got off to a slow start in 1960, sitting 4-11 on May 1st. They rebounded a bit and currently sat 30-32 in fourth, 9½-games behind Pittsburgh. Fred Hutchinson, who had been managing big league clubs since 1952, was in his first full season as the Cincy manager after taking over for Mayo Smith midway in 1959, had some good young power hitters in his lineup with the likes of 24-yr-old Frank Robinson and 21-yr-old Vada Pinson.
His pitcher for this game would be young right-hander Jay Hook who stood 6-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts so far.
Sheehan also had a lineup built around power. Three Willie’s --- Mays, McCovey and Kirkland --- and Orlando Cepeda provided the pop for the San Fran offense, and Sheehan would be sending 21-yr-old southpaw Mike McCormick to the mound. McCormick was 8-3 with a superb 1.81 ERA entering the game.
The Giants quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first. Don Blasingame bunted his way on and moved to second on Jim Davenport’s infield grounder. Mays followed with an RBI single, moved to third on Kirkland’s single and stole home as part of a double steal.
But Cincinnati came right back in their half of the first frame with a pair of runs. Eddie Kasko led off with a single, but was forced at second by Pinson’s groundout. McCormick had Pinson picked off right after that, but through wildly to Dale Long who was playing first, and Pinson moved to third. Gus Bell then poked McCormick’s next offering into the left field bleachers to knot the game, 2-2. Reds catcher Dutch Dotterer flew out to center three batters later to end the inning.
Dotterer’s fly out to Mays in center that brought the first frame to a close would be the first of 10 putouts for Mays in the game. Kasko and Wally Post ended the second and third innings with flies to Mays, and Mays would handle all three putouts for the Giants in the fourth to give him six putouts among the first 12 outs Cincinnati made. Post would fly out to end the fifth as well, meaning Mays had fielded the last out in five consecutive innings. Frank Robinson was Mays’ eighth victim leading off the sixth, Kasko flew out to Mays to end the seventh, and Pinson led off the eighth with a fly to Mays and give him the 10 putouts.
For ordinary mortal baseball players, stealing home and recording 10 putouts in the outfield would be enough for one game. But Mays was anything but mortal, and he still had more to give the Giants in this contest.
The game was still 2-2 heading into the sixth as McCormick and Hook settled down. But it would all come unraveled for Hook with the first two batters he faced in the top of the sixth as Mays and Kirkland went back-to-back with long balls to give San Francisco a 4-2 lead.
Mays still wasn’t finished. Bob Grim replaced Hook after the seventh and Mays greeted Grim with his second homer of the game leading off the eighth to increase the Giants’ lead to 5-2.
The score was still 5-2 when McCormick came out to start the bottom of the ninth. He walked Dotterer, who was replaced by pinch-runner Whitey Lockman. Cincinnati shortstop Roy McMillan followed with a single that scooted Lockman over to third, and Sheehan had seen enough of McCormick. The Giants manager made the call to the bullpen and brought on veteran left-hander Johnny Antonelli. Ignoring the lefty-righty rule, Hutchinson countered by sending Jerry Lynch, a lefty swinger, up to bat for his second baseman, Elio Chacon. Lynch grounded into 4-6-3 doubleplay, with Lockman scoring on the twin killing.
Pinch hitter Ed Bailey was next, and Antonelli got him on a grounder to shortstop Eddie Bressoud. Behind the power, speed and defense of the great Willie Mays, San Francisco enjoyed a 5-3 win to snap their 5-game losing streak.
Crosley Field
Cincinnati, OH
The Giants were in a bit of disarray as they pulled into Cincinnati to begin a 3-game set with the Reds that evening. Just six days earlier, with the team 33-25 and in second place behind Pittsburgh, San Francisco owner Horace Stoneham fired manager Bill Rigney and replaced him with Tom Sheehan in hopes of shaking his club up.
The Giants were favorites in the NL entering 1960, and had gotten off to a decent start as had Pittsburgh. The move by Stoneham did shake the team up a bit, but not like he was hoping. Under Sheehan, who was managing a major league team for the first time, the Giants had gone 1-5, with four of the five losses a sweep at the hands of the Braves in Milwaukee leading into this series. Tied for second with Milwaukee when that series started, the Giants were now 6½-games behind the Pirates in third.
The Reds got off to a slow start in 1960, sitting 4-11 on May 1st. They rebounded a bit and currently sat 30-32 in fourth, 9½-games behind Pittsburgh. Fred Hutchinson, who had been managing big league clubs since 1952, was in his first full season as the Cincy manager after taking over for Mayo Smith midway in 1959, had some good young power hitters in his lineup with the likes of 24-yr-old Frank Robinson and 21-yr-old Vada Pinson.
His pitcher for this game would be young right-hander Jay Hook who stood 6-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts so far.
Sheehan also had a lineup built around power. Three Willie’s --- Mays, McCovey and Kirkland --- and Orlando Cepeda provided the pop for the San Fran offense, and Sheehan would be sending 21-yr-old southpaw Mike McCormick to the mound. McCormick was 8-3 with a superb 1.81 ERA entering the game.
The Giants quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first. Don Blasingame bunted his way on and moved to second on Jim Davenport’s infield grounder. Mays followed with an RBI single, moved to third on Kirkland’s single and stole home as part of a double steal.
But Cincinnati came right back in their half of the first frame with a pair of runs. Eddie Kasko led off with a single, but was forced at second by Pinson’s groundout. McCormick had Pinson picked off right after that, but through wildly to Dale Long who was playing first, and Pinson moved to third. Gus Bell then poked McCormick’s next offering into the left field bleachers to knot the game, 2-2. Reds catcher Dutch Dotterer flew out to center three batters later to end the inning.
Dotterer’s fly out to Mays in center that brought the first frame to a close would be the first of 10 putouts for Mays in the game. Kasko and Wally Post ended the second and third innings with flies to Mays, and Mays would handle all three putouts for the Giants in the fourth to give him six putouts among the first 12 outs Cincinnati made. Post would fly out to end the fifth as well, meaning Mays had fielded the last out in five consecutive innings. Frank Robinson was Mays’ eighth victim leading off the sixth, Kasko flew out to Mays to end the seventh, and Pinson led off the eighth with a fly to Mays and give him the 10 putouts.
For ordinary mortal baseball players, stealing home and recording 10 putouts in the outfield would be enough for one game. But Mays was anything but mortal, and he still had more to give the Giants in this contest.
The game was still 2-2 heading into the sixth as McCormick and Hook settled down. But it would all come unraveled for Hook with the first two batters he faced in the top of the sixth as Mays and Kirkland went back-to-back with long balls to give San Francisco a 4-2 lead.
Mays still wasn’t finished. Bob Grim replaced Hook after the seventh and Mays greeted Grim with his second homer of the game leading off the eighth to increase the Giants’ lead to 5-2.
The score was still 5-2 when McCormick came out to start the bottom of the ninth. He walked Dotterer, who was replaced by pinch-runner Whitey Lockman. Cincinnati shortstop Roy McMillan followed with a single that scooted Lockman over to third, and Sheehan had seen enough of McCormick. The Giants manager made the call to the bullpen and brought on veteran left-hander Johnny Antonelli. Ignoring the lefty-righty rule, Hutchinson countered by sending Jerry Lynch, a lefty swinger, up to bat for his second baseman, Elio Chacon. Lynch grounded into 4-6-3 doubleplay, with Lockman scoring on the twin killing.
Pinch hitter Ed Bailey was next, and Antonelli got him on a grounder to shortstop Eddie Bressoud. Behind the power, speed and defense of the great Willie Mays, San Francisco enjoyed a 5-3 win to snap their 5-game losing streak.