Wyatt: The ultimate Seventh Game in 1960
From Daniel Wyatt at The National Pastime Museum on October 23, 2014:
The 1960 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates was an exciting and controversial affair before the seventh game had even been played.
Right off, Yankees skipper Casey Stengel caused a buzz by starting sinkerball pitcher Art Ditmar in the first game and not his ace, Whitey Ford, who was subsequently held until the third game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankee players wanted to kill Stengel. In his book, The Mick, Mickey Mantle said, “I have always said this and I never second-guessed Casey in my life, but I believe the whole Series revolved around that decision.” Pirates Manager Danny Murtaugh, however, had started his own ace, Vernon Law, in the first, fourth, and now the deciding seventh game.
The Pirates were low-ball hitters, familiar with low strikes in their league. Ditmar got rocked in the first game and was pulled in the first inning, as the Pirates eventually won 6–4. After that, the Yankees went on to win their three games by lopsided scores of 10–0, 12–0, and 16–3, with Ford getting both shutouts, including his 12–0 Game 6 masterpiece at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. In addition to the first game, the Pirates also won 3–2 and 5–2, setting the stage for Game 7 in Pittsburgh on a warm Thursday October 13 afternoon in front of 36,000 fans.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/ultimate-seventh-game
Originally published: October 23, 2014. Last Updated: October 23, 2014.