1965 Comebacks

I had three comeback games in a row while rolling the 1965 APBA baseball season replay I’m doing the other night, and there could be a fourth if you consider the hapless New York Mets breaking up a no-hitter in the eighth inning as a “comeback” of sorts.

It’s what makes this game so entertaining. Since I began playing baseball replays in 1998 (I began my APBA journey with the football game in 1977 and followed it with the basketball and hockey games before getting into baseball), I’ve played more than 22,000 games. Each time we roll the dice for a game, something can happen.

 I was replaying games for July 23, 1965, when the comebacks began rolling in.

Game 949: Chicago at Detroit

The Sox built a 6-0 lead by the second inning on a flurry of singles off Tigers starter Orlando Pena. In fact, all 13 of Chicago’s hits in the game were singles. The Tigers cut it to 6-3 by the seventh with hits by Jim Northrup and catcher Bill Freehan and a homer from Norm Cash. In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers narrowed it to 6-5 after a two-run home run by shortstop Ray Oyler. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Detroit tied it at 6 with Cash’s second home run, his 19^th of the season, off White Sox reliever Eddie Fisher.

Tigers reliever Terrance Fox shut down Chicago in the 10^th and then picked up the win when Freehan knocked in Oyler, who had doubled with one out.

Game 950: St. Louis at Los Angeles

The National League has been surprising in my replay and the teams facing each other in this game have been the epitome of oddities. St. Louis is the best team in baseball and the Dodgers, which won the actual 1965 World Series, are struggling and are nine games behind the Cardinals. The San Francisco Giants are only 2.5 games behind and Cincinnati trails the Redbirds by four games.

Each game in late July is important as the pennant race heats up.

Dodgers pitcher Nick Willhite held the Cardinals hitless through six and a third innings, but Los Angeles could only score once in the fifth on a fielder’s choice.  Bill White broke up the no-hitter in the seventh, but then Willhite struck out Ken Boyer and got Tony Francona to ground out, ending that inning.

In the top of the eight, trailing 1-0, Lou Brock got the only extra base hit of the game, slapping a double off Willhite and scoring Tim McCarver and Phil Gagliano. Hal Woodeshick closed out the bottom of the ninth, sealing the Cards’ win, 2-1.

Game 951: Milwaukee at San Francisco

San Francisco built a 6-0 lead over the Braves by the sixth inning in Giants’ pitcher Mashi Murakami’s first start of the season. But the Braves, which have compiled a disappointing 41-52 record, came back. Frank Bolling doubled in two runs and Woody Woodward plated Bolling with one out in the seventh. With Woodward on third and Felipe Alou on first, outfielder Mack Jones knocked one out of Candlestick and the Braves and Giants were tied at six.

But it wasn’t a complete comeback. The game went into extra innings and the Giants won when Hal Lanier hit a two-out single and Jim Hart scored for the 7-6 win.

Game 952: Philadelphia at New York

Without a doubt, the 1965 New York Mets are the worst team I’ve ever rolled in a replay. As indicated by their 19-79 record, they find many ways to lose. The Mets opened the season by losing their first 12 games and have since had losing streaks of 11, 10, eight (twice) and six games. Three of the starters have each lost 13 games. Galen Cisco leads the team with 14 losses.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when the Philadelphia Phillies scored five runs in the third and pitcher Ray Culp held the Mets hitless through seven and a third innings. By then, they had built a 9-0 lead. But there was a comeback. Sort of; Mets’ style.

Johnny Lewis hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth for New York’s first hit and first run. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Ron Hunt hit a double and Chuck Hiller rolled a “7” for a single and drove Hunt in for the Mets’ second run.  Roy McMillan then grounded into a double play and Ed Kranepool ground out to end the game. Philadelphia won, 9-2, but the Mets have to find anything they can to celebrate and scoring two runs is something for them. There are no cheers in Shea Stadium, only jeers.

Three games. Three comebacks of sorts.

Each game we roll has the potential to be a classic. I had three really good ones in a row.