October 13th, 1960
World Series, Game 7
New York Yankees at Pittsburgh
Pirates
Forbes Field, Pittsburgh
This
game will forever be remembered as the first time that the World Series ended
on a walk-off home run. The game-winning shot was delivered by Bill Mazeroski.
But what is sometimes overlooked is the fact that the Pirates had no business
winning this Series as they were outscored in the seven-game series, 55-27.
They were outhit, 91-60. However, whereas the Yankees won in blowouts in their
three victories, the Pirates were able to win the close games and that ended up
being the difference.
In
the first game, Pittsburgh scored three runs in the first en route to a 6-4
victory. The Yankees countered with a 16-3 laugher in Game 2. Back in the
Bronx, the Yankees demolished Pittsburgh again in Game 3 by a score of 10-0,
but couldn’t scratch enough runs in the fourth game when the Pirates prevailed,
3-2.
A
5-2 victory in the fifth game gave Pittsburgh the series lead and they headed
back to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh needing only one victory to win the World
Series. But the Yankees quickly deflated their balloon with another thrashing,
this time by a 12-0 score.
That
set up the deciding Game 7 with Bob Turley starting on the mound for the Yanks
while the Bucs answered with Vern Law. And the way the game started, it looked
like it might be the Pirates turn to be on the positive side of a blow out.
They
struck quickly for two runs off of Turley in the bottom of the first. A two-run
home run by first baseman Rocky Nelson gave Pittsburgh the 2-0 lead. They
doubled the lead in the second on a two-run single by centre fielder Bill
Virdon.
The
Yankees finally got on the board in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by
Bill Skowron. The Yankee bats really got going in the sixth when they erupted
for four runs. An RBI single by Mickey Mantle was followed by a three-run homer
by Yogi Berra and the New Yorkers had a 5-4 lead.
The
Yanks stretched their lead to 7-4 in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by
Johnny Blanchard and a run-scoring double by Clete Boyer. But the Pirates
decided that they would wait until the final game to slug it out with New York,
and put up five runs in their half of the eighth. RBI singles by Dick Groat and
Roberto Clemente were followed by a three-run home run by Hal Smith and the
Pirates suddenly led 9-7, needing only three outs to win the World Series.
But
the Yankee bats would not go quietly. An RBI single by Mantle closed the gap to
9-8 and a groundout by Berra produced the tying run. The game was tied going to
the bottom of the ninth.
And,
of course, we all know that Mazeroski deposited Ralph Terry’s second pitch over
the left-centre field wall for the dramatic finish. The Pirates had won the
bizarre World Series. It was their third championship, but first since 1925. It
would be the last time a World Series ended on a home run until 1993, when Joe
Carter provided the dramatics for the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 against the
Philadelphia Phillies.
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