On This Date in Sports October 15, 1964: Cardinals in Seven
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
It is a classic World Series with the two teams that have won the fall classic more than any other as the New York Yankees in the twilight of their dynast faced the St. Louis Cardinals. The series would need seven games, with the Cardinals winning the decisive game 7-5 as Bob Gibson on two days’ rest earned his second win of the series, getting MVP honors with a record 31 strikeouts in three appearances.
The St. Louis Cardinals had already decided to fire Manager Johnny Keane with Red Schoendienst already lined up to take over in 1965. Owner Gussie Busch had been frustrated all season and began cleaning house with the dismissal of General Manager Bing Devine. However, a funny thing happened in September, as the Philadelphia Phillies, who were in first place all season, lost 10 of their last 12 games. The Cardinals who were six and a half games out with 12 games left benefited from the “Phillies Phold,” reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946 with a record of 93-69.
In the 18 years since the Cardinals were last in the World Series, the New York Yankees had the dynasty to end all dynasties as they won the American League Pennant 15 times, winning the World Series ten times. The 1964 Yankees also had their doubts about Manager Yogi Berra, as management began to think he was too close to the players that used to be his teammates to be an effective manager. Despite these doubts, the Yankees returned to the World Series with a record of 99-63.
The 1964 World Series was the fifth meeting between the Cardinals and Yankees. The two had split the other four meetings, with the Yankees winning in 1928 and 1943, while the Cardinals won it in 1926 and 1942. Also, of note, the World Series would be a matchup of brothers as Ken Boyer was the National League MVP, while Clete Boyer had been a longtime stalwart at third for the Yankees.
In Game 1 at Busch Stadium, formerly known as Sportsman’s Park, the Cardinals had Ray Sadecki on the mound, while Whitey Ford made the start for New York. Neither pitcher was especially effective, as the Yankees scored three runs in the second, centered around a two-run shot by Tom Tresh, the Cardinals meanwhile got single runs in the first two innings. After Tresh doubled home Mickey Mantle in the fifth, the Yankees had a 4-2 that Ford was unable to hold, as Mike Shannon tied the game with a two-run shot in the sixth. The Cardinals added two more runs, taking a 6-4 lead. After the Yankees got a run back in the eighth, the Cardinals made sure to put the game away scoring three times in the bottom of the inning to win the game 9-5. The game would be notable as it was White Ford’s final World Series appearance as he was unable to pitch the rest of the way with a sore shoulder, after setting a record with his 22nd career appearance in the Fall Classic.
Mel Stottlemyre was matched up against Bob Gibson in Game 2. Both teams managed just one run in the five innings before Tom Tresh singled in Mantle in the sixth inning. The Yankees scratched two more runs in the seventh, while St. Louis answered with one in the eighth. The Cardinals would get no closer, as the Yankees scored four in the ninth with Phil Linz homering in an 8-3 triumph.
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Jim Bouton of the Yankees and Curt Simmons of the Cardinals were embroiled in a pitcher’s duel in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees got a double by Clete Boyer, in the second, while Simmons aided his own cause in the fifth. Simmons was removed for Barney Schultz in the ninth. Schultz threw only three pitches as Mickey Mantle won the game by hitting his 16th career home run in the World Series, breaking the record he shared with Babe Ruth.
Following the Yankees 2-1, the Cardinals face desperation as Ray Sadecki again started in Game 4, while Al Downing started for New York. Sadecki would not even make it out of the first inning as Roger Craig came in after the Yankees scored three runs in the first. Craig had lost 46 games in two seasons with the New York Mets before joining the Cardinals in 1964 and delivered his biggest outing of the season as he kept the score 3-0 while allowing just two hits in four and two-thirds innings. In the sixth inning, the game took a dramatic turn in the Cardinals’ favor as Ken Boyer hit a grand slam. Ron Taylor came on and pitched four hitless innings to preserve the 4-3 win for St. Louis.
Game 5 would match Mel Stottlemyre against Bob Gibson again. Both pitchers were on top of the game, as the Cardinals scored twice in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead. Nearing a complete game shutout, Gibson and the Cardinals were stunned when Tom Tresh hit a game-tying home run with two outs. The Cardinals, though quickly recovered as Tim McCarver hit a three-run shot off Pete Mikkelsen. That would be the deciding factor as Gibson came back out for the tenth to finish off the 5-2 win.
Bouton and Simmons would have a rematch in Game 6 at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals seeking their seventh World Championship scored a first-inning run, while Bouton aided his own cause in the fifth to even the score 1-1. The Yankees would take the lead one inning later, as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit back-to-back home runs. The Yankees would then blow the game open in the eighth as Elston Howard had an RBI single and Joe Pepitone had a grand slam on the way to an 8-3 victory.
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In Game 7, Bob Gibson and Mel Stottlemyre each took the mound on two-days’ rest. Both pitchers were sharp for the first three innings, but Stottlemyre appeared to run out of gas in the fourth as the Cardinals scored three times to take the lead. The Cardinals added three more in the fifth off reliever Al Downing. The Yankees attempted to get back in the game, as Mantle hit the 18th and final World Series home run on his career to slice the deficit in the half in the sixth inning. However, Ken Boyer answered to make it 7-3 with a home run in the seventh. Gibson would go the distance in Game 7, striking out nine, while giving up home runs to Clete Boyer and Phil Linz as the Cardinals won the game 7-5 to celebrate the World Series championship.
In a strange twist following the World Series, Johnny Keane, who was not retained by the Cardinals ended up managing the Yankees in 1965, as Yogi Berra ended up as a player-coach with the New York Mets. Berra would later serve as a coach with the 1969 Mets, before getting a second chance to manage in 1972 following the death of Gil Hodges. Keane meanwhile captained a sinking ship as the Yankees suffered their first losing season in 40 years in 1965.