Felber: Dissecting the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1962 World Series
From SABR member Bill Felber at The National Pastime Museum on October 25, 2017:
If the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1962 World Series unfolded today, it would be the most widely second-guessed amalgam of decisions in sports history. The fascinating aspect of that decisive inning is that at the time it was played, it generated little public second-guessing at all.
Perhaps we were a more deferential, less opinionated fan base back then. Certainly our access to analytical data has improved. But this much was known then and remains true today: The ninth inning of Game 7 in 1962 is the only time in World Series history when the fates of both teams rose or fell directly on the outcome of the final play.
For retrospective second guessers, the inning is a veritable trove of choices, each of them carrying the additional gravity of being decisive in the outcome of the World Series. Pitching changes or non-changes, intentional walks, sacrifices, runner advances—all of these most sensitive issues that delight and vex armchair managers—coalesced into the New York Yankees’ 1–0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Read the full article here: https://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/second-guessers-paradise-dissecting-ninth-inning-seventh-game-1962-world-series
Originally published: October 25, 2017. Last Updated: October 25, 2017.