Bombers barely outlast upstart A’s in decisive 5 game series.

8/1/63 - Yankee Stadium
GAME 1 - A's 7, Yankees 3 (10 inn)
Moe Drabowsky vs Jim Bouton
What looked to be a tune up between the fabled Bronx Bombers and their de-facto Junior Varsity turned into a series for the ages.  Most folks in baseball circles freely joke how KC, which in the early 1950's was the Yanks AAA affiliate, still was acting in that capacity.  The A's haven't finished anywhere near .500 in the 8 seasons since they migrated from Philadelphia.  New York has pilfered plenty of talent from Kansas City over those 8 season as evidenced by all the players on both rosters who have played and will play for both franchises.  The present day A's either wanted to impress the Yankee brass in hopes of a trade or stick it to them for dumping them in this miserable wasteland of a franchise.  New York carried a 3-2 lead into the 5th, but KC managed to manufacture a run on the strength of a Charlie Lau lead off double.  Drabowsky executed a perfect sacrifice bunt and Lau was able to score on Jerry Lumpe's RBI ground out to second.  No further scoring occurred which facilitated extra innings.  Hal Renif, who got the final 2 outs in the 9th to preserve the tie, started the 10th, but never recorded an out.  Lumpe worked out a lead off walk and moved to third on Manny Jimenez' single.  Wayne Causey worked out a walk of his own to load the bases and Marshall Bridges was called in from the pen to try to perform a miracle and bail out Reniff.  There were no miracles for New York this afternoon at the Stadium as "the glider" Ed Charles singled home Lumpe to make it 4-3.  Norm Siebern worked out a walk to force in Jimenez to make it 5-3.  A ground out by Geno Cimoli scored Causey, but it gets worse, because in attempting to turn the DP the normally sure handed Bobby Richardson threw wide of first, which allowed Charles to come around from second and score the 4th run of the inning.  Tom Sturdivant would pitch a perfect 10th inning to compliment his perfect 9th inning to notch the win and show his former team that he's not a JV player.
A's lead series 1-0

8/2/63 - GAME 2 - Yankees 3, A's 1
Orlando Pena vs Whitey Ford
Talk about your mismatches ?  Pena vs Ford was more like an undercard tune-up match than a main event.  Pena did his best to keep pace, but in the end the Bombers scored just enough wins to win.  Tommy Tresh's solo shot in the second started the scoring.  For a brief flash in time the game was tied as Ed Charles singled home Jerry Lumpe in the top of the 6th, but the Empire struck right back when Roger Maris tripled home Bobby Richardson.  Maris added an RBI single to give reliever Hal Reniff a two run cushion to close out the game.  Reniff made it interesting by issuing consecutive 2 out walks, but finished off the game by getting A's catcher Doc Edwards to line out to the human vacuum cleaner at third, Clete Boyer.
Series tied 1-1

8/4/63 - KC Municipal Stadium
GAME 3 - Yankees 8, A's 0
Ralph Terry vs Bob Wickersham
The Bombers thought they took firm control of this series with an 8-0 drubbing of the Athletics.  Terry, who started his career off in KC, returned to show the fans here that he had done well for himself.  Terry, who has been both a World Series hero and a World Series goat took only 90 pitches to toss a complete game 4 hit shutout.  Only one Athletic reached scoring position and that was way back in the bottom of the first when Wayne Causey doubled with one out.  The bombers scored 4 in the third and four in the 7th to make this a nice walk in the park for Terry.  Joe Pepitone and Clete Boyer had homers for New York.  Wayne Causey had 3 of KC's 4 hits.
Yankees lead series 2-1

8/4/63 - GAME 4 - A's 7, Yankees 6 (11 inn)
Al Downing vs Ed Rakow
Neither starter posted anything close to a quality start.  KC was up 6-5 after 7 innings, but reliever Bill Fischer could not seal the deal.  A key two out single by Tommy Tresh knocked in Roger Maris, who doubled two batters before.  For the second time in the series we would see extra innings.  John Wyatt, who came on in the 9th for KC pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief.  New York countered with Reniff, who had 2 scoreless innings.  his third inning of work, the bottom of the 11th, would not match his first 2 frames.  With one out George Alusik worked out a walk, but would quickly be erased by a Doc Edwards who grounded into a force play at second.  With 2 outs Bobby Del Greco singled to right to put runners on the corners.  Geno Cimoli was given an intentional pass to load the bases and force KC to pinch hit for Wyatt.  Manny Jimenez was given the nod, because he is a lefty who hits righties rather well.  Jimenez didn't wait long and lined Reniff's second pitch into center for a game winning single.
Series tied 2-2

8/5/63 - GAME 5 - Yankee Stadium
Yankess 5, A's 4
Diego Segui vs Jim Bouton
Nobody in their right mind would have expected the upstart A's to force their masters, the New York Yankees, into a decisive game 5...but they did !  Besides overwhelming talent the Yanks had mystique and aura on their side as the series moved back to the Big Ball Orchard in the Bronx.  Having Joe D throw out the first ball and Bill Dickey catching it surely intimidated the Cinderella of the mid west.  You wouldn't have know that to be the case judging by how the game played out.  New York jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 5 full innings of play.  Second year hurler and aspiring writer Jim Bouton looked to be in total control.  Back to back doubles by Alusik and Norm Siebern in the top of the 6th made it 4-1, but New York still had themselves a comfortable lead.  Then in the 7th the bottom fell out for the man who loses his hat on every pitch, Jim Bouton.  With one out and 2 runners on the corners Charlie Lau hit a one hopper that jumped the short fence guarding the short right field porch for a grounds rule double.  Both runners would score on a controversial play with the home plate umpire ruled that a fan interfered with the ball and prevented it from remaining in play.  New York's manager argued vehemently, but it was to no avail.  Bouton was so livid he had to be removed from the game when a bunch of index cards fell out of his back pocket and he began chasing them in the New York wind to prevent them from blowing away.  Marshall Bridges was once again brought on to hold down the fort, but he could not stop the ever so clutch Manny Jimenez who doubled to left center to tie the game up at 4-4.  It was like all the air was sucked out of the stadium.  You could the tracks creek on the Lexington Ave IRT's elevated line that's  how quiet it was.  Could KC come all the way back and upset a team that won 104 games in the regular season ?  The odds were on their side that they would at least have a chance when Tom Sturdivant took the hill in relief again in the bottom of the 7th.  Studivant needed to get the trio of Maris, Mantle and Tresh out just to survive the 7th.  He would get Mantle, Tresh and even Ellie Howard out, but he was not able to get Roger Maris, who hooked a 2-1 fastball just inside the fould poll in right for his 9th RBI of the series and ultimate the game and series winner.  Bridges and Kunkel would share duties over the final two innings protecting the 1 run lead supplied by Maris.  New York would hold on to win, but the mighty Bombers need to put forth a better effort if they hope to win it all.
Yankees win series 3-2