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Game One: Bucs Top Yanks in Opener
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Mazeroski, as usual, was stellar in the field helping to turn three double plays. But he also went 2 for 4, scored 2 runs and hit a two-run homer in the fourth off Jim Coates.Oct. 5, 1960 -- This was 33 years later at Forbes Field and the Pirates beat the Yankees, 6-4, in the opening game of another World Series.
So who cares what happened in 1927. This is 1960.
The Yanks had the power yesterday and the Pirates were the usual pesty club that won the National League pennant. They used up only eight hits for their runs and the Yankees had 13 of them.
Two of the Yankees hits were homers and one by the Pirates was a home run. That one won the ball game for the Bucs over the American League champs.
Bill Mazeroski slugged a homer in the fourth inning off Jim Coates when the Bucs went in front to stay for the remainder of the fine afternoon.
Vernon Law, who had suffered an ankle injury out in Milwaukee the day the Bucs won the flag, was the winning hurler. The Deacon ran into eighth inning trouble and the Bullpen Baron - Roy Face - came along to bail him out.
The baron walked from the pen after two singles started the inning. He caught Mickey Mantle looking at a third strike and watched Bob Clemente grab a fly by Yogi Berra and then struck out Moose Skowron.
Roger Maris and Elston Howard hit Yankee home runs. Maris' was a solo off Law in the first inning and Howard hit his off Face in the ninth, when the Yankees counted their final runs before 36,676 fans.
The crowd paid $233,260.24 to watch the Pirates win their first Series game against a New York club.
Casey Stengel saw his team's first defeat after they had finished out the American League season with 15 straight victories. He had to call up four pitchers as Duke Maas and Ryne Duren followed Art Ditmar and Coates to the mound.
And the Bucs pulled off a little surprise party in the first inning to help themselves to two runs. They stole twice on Yogi Berra who was setting a record by appearing in his 11th World Series.
Bill Virdon stole one of them and Bob Skinner the other as the Pirates got the most out of their three hits and a walk in that opening inning.
Maris, the fine young rightfielder of the Yanks, had three of their hits, as did Tony Kubek their shortstop.
And three times when it was necessary to relieve pressure the Buc infield came up with the double play. The third one happened in the ninth inning to end the game.
The Buc hits were scattered around with only Smoky Burgess and Hoak going hitless during the day. Dick Groat, who suffered a bone fracture to his left wrist on Sept. 6, and then won the National League bat title on the final two days of the season, had a pair, as did his double play sidekick, Mazeroski.
The first DP came in the opening inning and was quite helpful to the Deacon. It preceded Maris' homer into the boxes in the upper deck of the right field stands.
There was another double out recorded. This was in the second inning.
Berra had opened that round with his 62nd hit in the Series. And Skowron followed with another one. Then came an out and Bobby Richardson lined to Bob Skinner in left field. Yogi was just a shade late getting back to second with a belly flopper slide, and Long Bob's accurate throw to Mazeroski doubled Yogi and got the Deacon out of the inning.
And there was a sparkling catch by Bill Virdon in the fourth that helped things considerably. It was pitching and defense as Manager Dan Murtaugh had bragged that his team could turn out.
The Bucs climbed on Ditmar for three and three in a third of an inning. Coates pitched through the fourth and gave three hits and a pair of runs. The final run came against Maas on two hits around a sacrifice bunt in the sixth. Duren pitched the final two for the Yanks and they were hitless innings.
First Published October 10, 2010 12:00 am
