July 22, 1965
It was my first Major League Baseball game and the sights, sounds and smells are as fresh to me now as they were that day I entered Candlestick Park in 1965. I can never forget that first view of a real major league diamond, the green grass, the cold breezes off the bay, the calls of sea gulls and vendors and the smell of Gulden's mustard and hot dogs. It was quite a bit for a nine year old and his Cub Scout Pack to take in.
I was there that Thursday afternoon to see the Cincinnati Reds take on the hometown San Francisco Giants. Future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn was making his debut with the Giants in a tight pennant race that involved as many as 6 teams throughout the season. Spahn would be one of six future members of the Hall of Fame to play that day. Joining him were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry of the Giants and Frank Robinson and Tony Perez of the Reds. Two other future members would be in the Giants dugout, injured first baseman Orlando Cepeda and ace righthander Juan Marichal. Baseball's alltime hits leader, Pete Rose would play second base for Cincy. Joe Nuxhall, the youngest player ever to appear in a major league game way back in 1944 at the age of fifteen was in the bullpen. In the Giants pen was Masanori Murakami the first Japanese player ever to play for a major league team. A wealth of baseball history was spread out for me for my inagural game.
It may have been my first game, but I was not there to root for the Reds or the Giants. My team was the Dodgers. My idol was Sandy Koufax. Being small, and not known for hitting the long ball in my little league, I modeled myself after Dodger greats Maury Wills and Willie Davis. Today, though I was hoping for a Giants win. The Reds were in second place just 3 1/2 back of Los Angeles. San Francisco sat 4 1/2 games back in fourth place. I didn't give the Giants much of a chance. I knew who Warren Spahn was because I had seen and laughed at his baseball card. He was the bald guy that looked like an old grandpa, how was he going to get out Rose, Vada Pinson, Robinson, Deron Johnson and Perez?
Pete Rose made me look like a genius with a solo homerun in the first. two more runs in the third and the old man they called "Hooks" because of his large crooked nose was done. Perry would pitch 4 strong innings as the Giants battled back to take a 4-3 lead in the 5th. The score stayed that way until a Tony Perez homer chased Perry in the 8th and the oddity of Masanori Murikami came on to finish the inning. Perez struck one more time in the ninth knocking a beses loaded, two-out single to drive in the go ahead run.
Reds ace Jim Maloney was still on the mound trying to win his 11th of the season as the Giants came to the plate in the 9th. McCovey started the rally by slapping a single to right and the buzz began to build as the games greatest player, Willie Mays came to the plate. Cub scouts were chanting "we want a hit" and everyone was on their feet, excitement filling the air. Mays drove a pitch to deep left backing up Cincinnati outfielder Tommy Harper right to the fence, but the prevailing winds kept the ball from further flight and the first out was recorded. Big Jim Ray Hart was up next and continued the rally with a single to center sending McCovey all the way to third and Maloney was finally done for the day as Reds manager Dick Sisler signaled for reliever Billy McCool. Next came one of the strangest plays I have ever seen in nearly 50 years of baseball.
Cap Peterson came to the plate and hit a slow grounder to Rose at second. McCovey would easily score to tie the game....but WAIT as Rose bent over to field the ball, Hart running from first to second tripped over him. Hart was called out for interference, a dead ball play which meant McCovey, whom everyone thought had tied the game had to return to third. McCool then got Jim Davenport to fly out to center and my first MLB game was history. The Reds had won and were now just 2 1/2 back of the Dodgers.
I share this story because this will give you an idea of what this blog is all about. You will read plenty of baseball history, you will hear about baseball oddities and special players and Hall of Famers. Crazy plays and interesting umpire rulings will get their space as well. You will read plenty about the Dodgers and almost as much about their hated rivals, the Giants. Current news will be examined as will each team from time to time. Thanks for reading and stay tuned, I hope you will enjoy.
Kreg Atterberry
