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YANKEE STADIUM |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Yankees win
in the 18th inning
April
16, 1967 ... Russ Gibson waited 10 years to
get into the big leagues and in his first game he catches a
one-hitter by Billy Rohr and in the next game he catches 18 innings
and sees his team lose 7 to 6.
The teams looked good at the beginning, but in
the end they looked like a couple of characters
staggering along until Joe Pepitone singled home
Jake Gibbs who had walked and stolen second, in the
last of the 18th. Peptone hit a three and two pitch
into the right-field corner that scored the winning
run. It was the 14th single of the game for the
Yankees. Six of them came against seven Red Sox
pitchers and were of the scratch variety.
In the sixth inning the Sox got two runs and hit the ball quite hard in
taking a 5 to 3 lead. Conigliaro doubled to left to start the inning and George
Scott forced him at second base with a ground ball to short. Reggie Smith walked
and then Rico Petrocelli lined a single to left for a run. Russ Gibson, who had
three hits in the game, sliced a double to right for the second run. But after
Dalton Jones had been intentionally walked, Jose Tartabull lofted an easy fly
ball to left-field. Petrocelli trying to make it to the plate, but was thrown
out easily by Tom Tresh.
But the Yankees came back in their half of the sixth and got three runs on
only two singles, neither of which went more than 30 feet. Bill Landis came in
for Jim Lonborg after Jones had pinch hit for him. It was his first appearance
for the Sox and he walked the first man on four pitches. After throwing balls to
the next batter, Williams went out to see him, but he walked the next batter
anyways. Then came Ruben Amaro, who bunted between the mound and third. Both
Landis and Foy when after the ball, but there was nobody covering third-base.
Three men on and nobody out. Landis was able to strike out Bill Robinson, but
after he walked Tresh to force in a run, Williams had seen enough and brought in
Don McMahon.
Jake Gibbs was the first man McMahon faced and he topped the ball to George
Scott's right. Scott tried to grab it with his bare hand and missed and the
Yankees got another run, and the score was tied at 5-5. Mickey Mantle then hit a
ground ball to Scott, who made the force at second. The throw back from Rico to
McMahon, who was covering first, was a good one, but was dropped. The Yankees
now were ahead 6 to 5 on two singles and three runs.
The Red Sox had the best chances to put it away and looked as though they had
the game all wrapped up in the ninth-inning. They were behind by a run to start
the inning, when Jose Tartabull reached on a booted ground ball at the
beginning. Joe Foy then flied out, but Yastrzemski singled and Conigliaro
doubled, to tie up the game at 6-6. With men on second and third, George Scott
hit a line drive to Charlie Smith's left at third-base. Smith made a fine diving
catch of the ball for the third out.
The Sox' best chance in overtime came in the 15th inning, when Foy walked and
Yastrzemski bunted. But the ball was bunted only a few feet in front of the
plate and Jake Gibbs forced Foy at second base. Conigliaro got his fifth hit, a
single to center and Yaz tried for third. But Pepitone made a fine throw to
third and Yaz was out easily. Conigliaro took second on the throw, but George
Scott ended the inning with a strikeout.
Conigliaro and Yastrzemski had five hits apiece for the Red Sox. Two of Yaz's
were triples to left-center that got by Pepitone. |
