It’s been 48 years since Bill Mazeroski shook the baseball world with his lead off ninth inning home run lifting the
Pirates to a 10-9 victory over the Yankees in game seven of the 1960 World Series.
None of the current Yankees or Pirates players were even born when Maz hit that homer, but this series will resonate
with 1960’s nostalgia. Mazeroski will throw the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday night’s series opening game.
The 1960 World Series matched the mighty Yankees featuring the M&M boys Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris against the
upstart Pirates. The Yankees were heavily favored coming into the series, but the Pirates didn’t view themselves as
underdogs.
“We never gave up and we always thought that we could play with them,” Mazeroski said. “I probably wouldn’t want to
play another best of seven with then – the way they hit the ball.”
The 1960 Series produced a very improbable victory for the Pirates. If you look at the statistics you would think
the Yankees romped to a series win. New York set all sorts of records with 10 home runs, 55 runs scored and a .338
team batting average.
The Yankees three wins were by scores of 16-3, 10-0 and 12-0. The Pirates only scored 27 runs and hit four home
runs. The Bucs batted .256 in the series. Yanks second baseman Bobby Richardson was also named the Series MVP after
collecting 12 hits and 12 RBI and scoring eight runs.
“Our team came out of nowhere,” Pirates shortstop and NL MVP and batting champ Dick Groat recalled. “We were a very
solid defensive club and it wasn’t a home run hitting club. We ran the bases well and played great defense and we
had a lot of line drive hitters and we were a team that didn’t know when were beaten. We came from behind so many
times – we believed we weren’t supposed to lose.”
The loss in the 1960 Series still bothers the Yankees to this day and the late Yankees Manager Casey Stengel is
still being questioned for not starting ace lefty Whitey Ford in game one of the series – instead opting for Art
Ditmar.
“I was mad that I didn’t start the first game,” said Ford who started games 3 and 6, earning complete game victories
in 10-0 and 12-0 victories. “The only time I got mad at Stengel was when he didn’t start me in the first game of the
1960 World Series. He started Ditmar, Casey never said a word and I never knew the reason. It was probably the only
time in 11 or 12 years I was with Casey … maybe the only time I was annoyed at him. We lost the first game and I
thought I should have started that one.”
Pittsburgh got two victories in the Series from 1960 Cy Young Award winner Vernon Law and two wins from lefty Harvey
Haddix.
“I think our style of pitching was a factor,” Law opined. “Plus the fact that we weren’t awed with the Yankees
legends, like I’ve always said they put their pants on the same way we do and we felt that we could pitch to them
and we can get them out, they’re not superheroes. Even though they had some great player’s on the ball club and on
paper they were much better than we were. When you get in a tight ballgame that’s where our ball club came through.”
In game seven the decisive blow was struck by Mazeroski at 3:36 p.m. off Yanks pitcher Ralph Terry and the events
leading up to Maz’ home run still are fresh in Yankee catcher Johnny Blanchard’s mind.
“We didn’t want Terry to throw a slider,” Blanchard stated. “I had played against Mazeroski in the minor leagues. I
knew he could hit that high ball. If you throw Maz a fastball between the letters and the belt, he’ll take you
downtown. I mean there’s no tomorrow. We knew that.
“The first sign I gave Terry was a fastball and he said no. I gave him a second sign another fastball and he said
no. I thought, well he evidently wants to throw the slider. So I put down three fingers and he threw a slider. It
was just about an inch above the letters, and Mazeroski took it, for a ball. I’m glad he didn’t swing. I called time
and went out to Terry and said, ‘Hey, listen throw the fastball. The slider is not breaking. Throw the fastball down
low. He said OK.’ I went behind the plate and put down the fastball sign and he didn’t throw it. He shook his head.
I put it down again. He shook his head again. That’s when I made my mistake. I should have called time and went to
the mound, but I didn’t I called a slider. He threw it an extra inch, a little bit lower and Maz hit that thing.”
The home run set off a wild celebration as the Pirates won their first World Series title in 35 years.
“I’ll never forget it,” Mazeroski said. “And if I even thought about forgetting about it – people wouldn’t let me
forget about it. The subject always comes up especially in the Pittsburgh area. Here we are 48 years later and still
talking about it. I never dreamed that anything like that would last this long.”