Sunday, August 29, 2010

1961 ALCS: Bombers outmuscle Tigers in 5

8/15-8/16 - Yankee Stadium
GAME 1 - Tigers 4, Yankees 3
Frank_Lary_DET Frank Larry
went all 11 innings allowing just 3 earned runs (3 total) on 9 hits.  His opponent, White Ford, "petered out" after only going 8 1/3.  What a wimp !!!  Ford was replaced by Luis Arroyo who had things under control until the top of the 11th when his gold glove caliber third baseman (Clete Boyer) really let him down.  Steve Boros hit a ball into the hole that Boyer ranged to get.  Picking the ball up was the easy part of the play.  Throwing to first was the hard part, which was evidenced by the fact that Boyer bounced it in the dirt with so much spin that Skowron could not scoop it and Boros wound up on second.  Brown singled to put runners on the corners and Boros scored easily on a diving stab hit by Fernandez that Boyer saved from going into left.  New York would go quietly in the bottom of the 11th to ensure a 1-0 series lead for Detroit.

GAME 2 - Yankees 4, Tigers 3
Same score...different results, plus the game completed in regulation.  New York took aMickey_Mantle_64 3-1 lead into the 6th only to see starter Ralph Terry yield 2 runs to allow Detroit to tie it.  Rocky Colavito singled home Billy Bruton and Norm Cash scored on a ground out by Boros.  Yankee power would put the Bombers back on top for good thanks to a lead off homer by The Mick in the bottom of the inning.  That would be Mickey Mantle's 2nd homer of the game, which gives him a homer in each of the 1st two games of the series.  Hal Reniff took the Yankees to the doorstep of victory, but needed a little lefty help in the form of Arroyo, who got Billy Bruton to pop out to Elston Howard behind the plate to end the game.  Renif did a masterful job in the 8t by getting out of a bases loaded jam.  Three's were running wild for Mantle today:  3 for 3 with 3 RBI.

8/18-8/20 - Tiger Stadium
GAME 3 - Yankees 9, Tigers 2

Jim_Bunning_DET After splitting 2 one run games at "the Stadium" the Tigers headed home with a huge amount of confidence that the Bombers were beatable.  This confidence was backed up by the fact that their ace, Jim Bunning, would be toeing the rubber.  Right from the start you could see that Bunning was not going to have an easy day.  A 3 run homer by Roger Maris and a solo shot by Yogi Berra, all in the top of the first put the Tigers behind the 8 ball real early.  Detroit would battle back to get a solo run in the bottom of the 1st as well as the 3rd off of Yankee starter Bill Stafford, but they could not overcome the 4 run jumpstart that Bunning allowed New York's potent lineup.  On the day New York would hit 4 homers, including one by the Mick to give him a homer in every game of this series so far.

GAME 4 - Yankees 15, Tigers 3Roger_Maris_NYY
Staked to a huge 8-0 lead after 3 innings Rollie Sheldon cruised to victory.  Frank Larry  departed after giving up those 8 runs, but his replacements fared no better.  New York would hit 8 homers on the day, including 3 by Roger Maris (3 for 5, 5 RBI).  Mantle would hit another homer to keep his streak of 4 consecutive games with a homer alive.  The Mick would also chip in with 4 RBI's.  Tony Kubek would go 4 for 5 and set the table all day for the big bats.

GAME 5 - Yankees 1, Tigers 0
Whitey_Ford_64 Paul Foytack would be brilliant all day going 8 innings and allowing just one measly run.  Unfortunately for Foytack and the Tigers that run would be a solo homer by The Mick in the bottom of the first.  Even less fortunate for the Tigers was the fact that the "Chairman of the Board", Whitey Ford threw a tidy 6 hit shutout.  In this series the Bombers have shown that they are capable of winning with their bats in blowout type games and with their arms, as evidenced by Ford's performance.  Mantle would be voted the ALCS MVP for his offensive exploits.  Mickey's 1st inning salvo added to his streak of consecutive games with a homer, making it 5 in a row.  The Bombers will head home to the Bronx to host the Reds in the 1961 World Series and hope to take advantage 3 off days, and a tired Red team that had to go 7 to beat the Giants.

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