Bob Gibson wills the Cardinals to the 1964 World Championship

October 15, 1964 - Bob Gibson pitches on 2 days rest against Mel Stottlemyre a rematch from Game 2. Stottlemyre is 1 of 2 players over 9 Post Starts that was able to beat Gibson.

Prior to the start of Game Seven of the 1964 World Series, Cardinals starter Bob Gibson grudgingly obliged the press by posing for pictures with his mound opponent, the Yankees’ Mel Stottlemyre. Stottlemyre handed Gibson 1 of his 2 career loses in his post season career.

By this time in the Series, Gibson was running on fumes; after his 10-inning, complete-game victory in Game Five, he had commented, “I feel as though I’d just come out of a 10-round bout.”

In light of Gibson’s fatigue, and taking his bulldog competitive nature into account, it should have come as no surprise that — after the photo-taking was at an end — he shook hands with Stottlemyre and said to him, “Hope all of your luck is bad today.”

In the top of the second, Gibson set a World Series record when he fanned leadoff batter Mickey Mantle for his 24th strikeout of this Series; the old record had been set by Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Sandy Koufax against the Yankees just one year earlier . . . here it is . . .

(bottom 2nd)

Stottlemyre matched Gibson pitch-for-pitch as both men put up zeroes for the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, however, . . . .

(bottom of 4th)

Up 3-0, Gibson, with 2 on 1 out faces Phil Linz one of the biggest at bats of the game here it is . . .

(Linz top of 5th)

Al Downing replaces Sottlemyre in the bottom of the 5th to face Lou Brock, who hit .348 after his Trade to the Cardinals earlier in the year.

(Bottom of 5th)

Down 7-0, with 2 on future Hall of Fame teammates face off a tiring Gibson faces Mickey Mantle . . .



Mantle’s Homerun is his 18th career World Series Homerun and it will be his last post-season home run. His 18 are 3 more than Babe Ruth who hit 15 in World Series play. Although Manny Ramirez, Bernie Williams, Albert Pujols, and Derek Jeter have all hit more no one has hit as many with so few plate appearances. If Mantle had as many at-bats as Manny Rameriz he would have 32+ home runs. Manny has 29.



Cardinals manager Johnny Keane later affirmed, “There’s no doubt that those three runs gave Gibson something to work with. … I’ve never had a gutsier ballplayer, but it was getting the lead that enabled him to last.”

Now up 7-3, it is closing time, but the Yankees will not be going down easy, here is the top of the 9th . . . . .



We are just seeing the beginnings of his Hall of Fame career. If you are interested in hearing today's game in full check out the link to the game in the show notes.

[yanks]

As a kid I remember this ... Mantle’s last World Series homer and homers by Linz and Boyer in the 9th... as Boyer came to round 3rd he gave his brother Ken a little nudge returning ken’s nudge on his homer the inning before