September 10, 1965: Ferguson Jenkins wins major-league debut as Phillies defeat Cardinals in 12 innings

Minor-league pitcher Ferguson Jenkins started preparing for the offseason as the 1965 Arkansas Travelers season wound down. The 22-year-old right-hander was wrapping up his fourth season in the Philadelphia Phillies system. “I sent my things home from Little Rock,” he said. “I thought the season was over.”1

So when Travelers manager Frank Lucchesi informed Jenkins that the Phillies wanted to add him to the major-league roster for the stretch drive, he was surprised, but thrilled to receive the call.2

Jenkins was signed by Phillies area scout Gene Dziadura in 1962 and spent his first three seasons in the lower minors. In 1965 he was assigned to Triple-A Arkansas, where he worked to improve his pitching skills. “I picked up a slider and I learned to move the ball around,” he said.3 The Phillies took notice, and Jenkins joined the big-league club in Philadelphia for the start of a weekend series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The teams had waged a memorable pennant race a season earlier, but both had fallen off the pace of the league-leading San Francisco Giants and the close-trailing Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

The Philadelphia Daily News was unimpressed with the Phillies’ new arrival. “Jenkins is a Canadian righthander who was exposed to the draft after the first year and slipped through, which isn’t easy when you’re six-foot-five,” wrote Stan Hochman in an article lamenting the club’s September call-ups.4

On a warm Friday evening, 16,333 fans filed into Connie Mack Stadium to witness a marquee pitching matchup featuring two of baseball’s best pitchers. Jim Bunning, in his second season with Philadelphia, was seeking his 17th win of 1965. Bunning had started against the Milwaukee Braves a night earlier; when it was rained out, manager Gene Mauch returned him to the mound against the Cardinals.5 Originally a Detroit Tiger, Bunning was an eight-time All-Star (including two games in 1961 and 1962) and the author of two no-hitters, one in each league.

Bob Gibson had developed into the ace of the Cardinals in his seventh year with the team. Named MVP of the 1964 World Series, Gibson won two Series games, including the decisive Game Seven, to lead St. Louis to its first Series championship since 1946. Selected to his second All-Star team in 1965, Gibson was pitching for his 18th win.

Each team was retired in order in the first inning. In the second, St. Louis scored on Bill White’s home run to right. It was Bunning’s only blemish through the first four innings as he set down the next nine batters in order.

Gibson dispatched the Phillies in the second and third, extending his scoreless-inning streak to 22⅓. The streak ended in the fourth when Philadelphia scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Johnny Callison was hit by a pitch with one out. Wes Covington, who had doubled off Gibson in the second, singled to right. Callison reached third on the single and scored on catcher Tim McCarver’s passed ball. Covington advanced to second on the miscue and scored on Dick Stuart’s single to center.

St. Louis rallied in the fifth to even the score. Ken Boyer singled and scored on Dick Groat’s double to left. Bunning dispatched the next three batters and Groat was stranded at second. Both teams were held scoreless in their next at-bat and the score remained 2-2 entering the bottom of the sixth.

After Gibson retired the first two batters in the Phillies’ sixth on fly balls to center, Tony González singled to right. Stuart, who had driven in the go-ahead run in fourth, again unknotted the score with a home run to left field. The two-run blast increased Stuart’s home-run total to 26 and RBI tally to 85.

St. Louis came right back with a run in the seventh. White struck out, Boyer flied to right, and Groat reached on a single. McCarver was hit by a pitch and, with two runners on, Bob Skinner pinch-hit for second baseman Jerry Buchek. Skinner delivered with a single to center, driving in Groat.

Hoping to capitalize further, Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst pulled Gibson for pinch-hitter Tito Francona. The move failed as Francona struck out swinging. Gibson left the game having surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits. He issued no walks and struck out four.

Cardinals rookie Don Dennis pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of Gibson, then the Phillies’ Bunning returned for the eighth. Bobby Tolan, a 19-year-old September call-up starting in right field in his seventh major-league game, singled to center and was sacrificed to second. Lou Brock stroked a single up the middle and Tolan raced home with the tying run.

Mauch walked to the mound to check on Bunning. “He asked me how I felt,” Bunning said, “and I told him ‘fine.’”6 Bunning retired White on a fly to left, but when Boyer singled, Mauch returned to the mound and summoned Jenkins from the bullpen to face Groat.

Jenkins threw a pitch that nearly hit Groat but, fortunately for Jenkins, it hit his bat.7 “I was nervous but it only lasted until that first strike to Groat,” he said.8 Three pitches later Groat was out on strikes.

The game headed to bottom of the eighth with the score tied, 4-4. Dennis continued his hitless and scoreless streak into the 10th inning. Cookie Rojas singled with two outs to end Dennis’s streak at 11, but Dick Allen popped up to end the inning.

Jenkins was almost as effective as Dennis through the 11th. He surrendered a one-out double to Curt Flood in the 10th and a single to Groat in the 11th but both players were stranded.

Hal Woodeshick replaced Dennis in the bottom of the 11th and tossed a scoreless frame. In the 12th, Jenkins retired the Cardinals in order and the Phillies came to bat facing Woodeshick for a second inning. Stuart and Bobby Wine both grounded out, then Pat Corrales rapped a double off the right-field wall. He wrenched his left ankle sliding into second9 and John Herrnstein ran for him.

Herrnstein advanced to third on a wild pitch and Tony Taylor walked on four pitches. Rojas rapped a hard grounder up the middle. Groat was not able to make the play and Herrnstein scooted home with the winning run. “I almost got it,” Groat said. “That’s the story of our year.”10

Woodeshick was charged with the loss, his 10th straight against Philadelphia counting back to his time playing for Houston. “I knew something would happen to me,” he said. “That Mauch must love to see me.”11 The loss dropped St. Louis further behind in the standings, and the Cardinals never recovered, finishing seventh in the 10-team league.

Jenkins outpitched the two aces who started, and registered a win in his major-league debut. “He didn’t throw real hard, but we didn’t hit him,” said Schoendienst. “… He got us out, and that’s what counts.”12

Jenkins pitched seven additional games for Philadelphia, all in relief, then was traded to the Chicago Cubs on April 21, 1966. He recorded 282 wins with three different teams over the next 18 seasons and, seven years after retirement, became the first Canadian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Carl Riechers and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Ferguson Jenkins, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for information including the box score and play-by-play.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196509100.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1965/B09100PHI1965.htm

Notes

1 Stan Hochman, “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards,” Philadelphia Daily News, September 11, 1965: 27.

2 Kevin Glew, “September 10, 1965 – Fergie Jenkins Made His Major-League Debut 59 Years Ago Today,” Cooperstowners in Canada, September 10, 2024, https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2024/09/10/september-10-1965-fergie-jenkins-made-his-major-league-debut-59-years-ago-today/.

3 Stan Hochman, “Jenkins (Who?) Shows Mauch ‘New’ Face,” Philadelphia Daily News, September 11, 1965: 27.

4 Stan Hochman, “If This Is Cream of Crop … Oi Vey,” Philadelphia Daily News, September 8, 1965: 61.

5 “Phillies Fall-Guys Fell Cardinals in 12th: Rojas Hit Drives in Clincher,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 11, 1965: 6A. 

6 Hochman, “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards.”

7 Glew, “September 10, 1965 – Fergie Jenkins Made His Major-League Debut 59 Years Ago Today.”

8 “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards.”

9 “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards.”

10 “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards.”

11 Associated Press, “Stuart Drives in 3 as Phillies Nip Cards in 12th, 5-4,” Delaware County Daily Times (Chester, Pennsylvania), September 11, 1965: 13.

12 Hochman, “Cookie Crumbles Ankle on Base After Hit in 12th Beats Cards.”