Maz's homer remains a thrill
PITTSBURGH — Years from now when they look back at the 1960 World Series, they won't believe it.
They'll look at the statistics and all the records that were smashed and they won't be able to understand how the Pittsburgh Pirates ever managed to defeat the New York Yankees, four games to three.
They'll thrill at the final game heroics, climaxed by Bill Mazeroski's home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that won the most dramatic finale in Series history, 10-9, and sent all Pittsburgh into one of the wildest and noisiest celebrations ever staged.
They'll admire the courageous comeback of the underdog "Beat 'em Bucs." But they'll also wonder how a team that was humiliated by such lopsided scores as 16-3, 10-0 and 12-0 could take the proud and mighty Yankees into the seventh game and then beat them with their own weapon — the home run.
They'll look with awe at the all-time record totals of 55 runs and 91 hits by the Yankees, and then note that the Pirates scored less than half as many runs and collected less than two-thirds as many hits, and were outhomered 10-4, yet were able to end 35 years of frustration with a world championship.
"It's not the number of runs you make," said winning manager Danny Murtaugh during a lull in the wild clubhouse celebration, complete with champagne, "it's the number of games you win. And we won more than they did."
"I've said all along that this is the fightingest ballclub I've ever seen," chimed in the captain, Dick Groat. "Our guys never know when they're licked. Nobody gave us a chance after the third game but us. I knew we'd do it because that's the way we've done it all year — coming from behind to win after everybody counted us out."
That's the way it was Thursday. Pittsburgh had staked Vernon Law, two-time conqueror of the Yankees, to an early 4-0 lead against Bob Turley and Bill Stafford but the American League champs bounced back with a run on Bill Skowron's homer in the fifth and shelled Law from the mound in the sixth with a four-run assault, featured by Yogi Berra's three-run homer off relief ace Elroy Face.
It looked as if it was all over but the weeping and wailing in Pittsburgh when the Yankees clubbed Face for two more runs in the eighth to open up a 7-4 lead.
But the Pirates, having gone this far on pitching, defense, timely hits and breaks, refused to be pronounced dead. Handcuffed by Bobby Shantz through five innings, during which they managed but one hit, the Bucs strung together three successive hits to get one run back and drive the little left-hander from the mound in their half of the eighth.
With Jim Coates on the mound, Roberto Clemente drove in another run with a two out infield single and reserve catcher Hal Smith drove a three-run homer over the left field wall to regain the lead for Pittsburgh 9-7.
The Yankees, showing comeback qualities of their own, rallied for two runs off Bob Friend, making his second appearance in two days, and Harvey Haddix, winner of the fifth game last Monday. With the score tied at 9-9, Mazeroski teed off on Ralph Terry's second pitch in the bottom of the ninth and crashed it high and far over the left field wall to send the crowd of 36,683 into a delirious state.
It took a break to keep the Bucs alive in the eighth and pave the way for Schantz's departure. After pinch hitter Gino Cimoli singled, Bill Virdon, the defensive hero of the series, rapped a hard grounder to short. It looked like a sure double play and the partisan crowed groaned. The ball took a bad hop, however, struck Tony Kubek in the throat, and went for a single. The shortstop was taken to a hospital for treatment and the Buc rally was in full bloom.
It was a bitter defeat for Casey Stengel and in some ways a sad one, since it might be his last series. The 70-year-old professor, who needed this victory to break his tie with Joe McCarthy as the winningest World Series manager with eight, is reported ready to announce his retirement.
