Remembering ’65 – Dodger Thoughts

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Remembering ’65: World Series Game 7 — Dodgers win it all

On October 14, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Koufax. Johnson. Championship.

This is the last tale from “Remembering ’65,” and the one you know the best.

Fifty years ago today, working on two days’ rest in Minnesota, backed by Sweet Lou Johnson’s fourth-inning home run, Sandy Koufax pitched a 2-0 shutout over the Twins to give the Dodgers the 1965 World Series title, their fourth in the past 11 seasons.

“Alston Leans to Left and Koufax Proves He’s Right,” read the headline in the Times, regarding Dodger manager Walter Alston’s decision to start Koufax over Don Drysdale. But that result was anything but a given as the game unfolded.

Remembering ’65: World Series Game 6

On October 13, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

In 1965, Sandy Koufax showed he could pitch on two days’ rest. Don Drysdale showed he could be his own run support.

In Game 6 of the 1965 World Series, Minnesota righty Mudcat Grant showed he could do both.

Remembering ’65: World Series Game 5

On October 11, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Pretty much the only drama in Game 5 of the 1965 World Series was whether Sandy Koufax would throw another perfect game or no-hitter.

Remembering ’65: World Series Game 4

On October 10, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

After lasting only 2 2/3 innings in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series, Don Drysdale was his old self in Game 4.

Even better, the Dodger offense was a punishing crew, too.

Remembering ’65: World Series Game 2

On October 7, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Pummeled mercilessly in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series, the Dodgers could console themselves by handing Game 2 to Sandy Koufax, who had just completed one of the most memorable seasons in baseball history — a 2.04 ERA, a perfect game and a big-league record 382 strikeouts.

Koufax had clinched the National League pennant for the Dodgers with a complete game on two days’ rest, capping a stretch in which he threw 27 innings in only eight days, allowing one run and striking out 38.

The brilliant lefty, whose entire season had seemed in jeopardy back in April, had logged 335 2/3 innings overall, the most by any Major Leaguer in more than a decade and the fourth-highest total since World War II. Seemingly, however, he had gone from brittle to indefatigable, and with a full four days’ rest heading into his Game 2 start, on October 7, 1965, confidence was high.

Remembering ’65: World Series Game 1

On October 6, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

The Minnesota Twins were the highest-scoring team in the American League in 1965, so even though the Dodgers — winners of 15 of their final 16 regular season games — were listed as a favorite to win the World Series, Twins manager Sam Dele was undaunted.

“We don’t expect to lose,” Twins manager Sam Mele told a reporter, according to Charles Maher of the Times.

The reporter kept looking at Mele, expecting him to go on.

“Hey,” Mele said. “You didn’t write that down.”

The reporter wrote it down.

Though the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, not to mention several other tried-and-true World Series veterans compared with the inexperienced Twins, the Los Angeles offense remained a concern.

“If a guy like (Maury) Wills scores only 92 runs, it must mean he is not getting driven in much,” Mele said.

“On that club,” a reporter replied, “nobody got driven in much.”

As it turned out, the one thing the Dodgers didn’t really worry about betrayed them. Fifty years ago today, on October 6, 1965, Drysdale was knocked out of Game 1.

Remembering ’65: Koufax for the pennant, on two days’ rest

On October 2, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Having won nine straight games, coming from 4 1/2 games back 10 days earlier to tie the Giants for the National League lead on September 26, 1965, the Dodgers still had work to do.

Remembering ’65: Tied!

On September 26, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

“Breathing defiance in the face of the Giants’ seemingly insurmountable lead,” wrote Frank Finch in the September 24 edition of the Times, “the doughty Dodgers face the Cardinals tonight to open their final homestand of the gruelling, grinding National League campaign.”

Already, the Dodgers had made progress, trimming a 4 1/2-game deficit to two games. But their defiance was matched, and then some, by the Giants, according to UPI.

Remembering ’65: Nearly abandoned, Dodgers win with abandon

On September 25, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

When the 1965 Dodgers woke up the morning of September 16, they were a season-high 4 1/2 games out of first place with 16 left to play.

Their rivals to the north, the San Francisco Giants, had won 13 games in a row, asserting authority over the National League pennant race.

It had to be a desolate feeling for Los Angeles. Leading the NL for most of the season, the Dodgers were at serious risk of becoming an afterthought.

As if to underscore the moment, when they went out to play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field that afternoon, the announced attendance that day was barely enough for a hay wagon, let alone a bandwagon.

Remembering ’65: Dodgers hit rock bottom

On September 14, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

As the second week of September began in 1965, the Dodgers had spent all but 17 days of the season atop the National League standings, and never trailed by more than a single game.

That meant nothing a week later.

Remembering ’65: Lowly Mets send Dodgers reeling

On August 27, 2015

In Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Here’s a game, within a series, within a season, that would have driven Dodger fans on Twitter crazy.

Remembering ’65: See-saw second half of August

On August 24, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

When might you be having a charmed season? When you’re scoreless with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Sandy Koufax bats for himself and walks, and then Roberto Clemente — of all people — drops a fly ball to allow the game-winning run to score.

That’s what happened August 14, 1965 at Dodger Stadium to allow the Dodgers to win, 1-0.

“It was sinking all the way,” Jim Gilliam, who hit the ball at Clemente, told Frank Finch of the Times. “Clemente first had his glove up in front of his chest, but at the last moment had to shift it. That’s when he muffed the ball.”

Said Clemente: “I was groping for the ball. I lost it.”

Though there were still many skeptics about the ’65 Dodgers, one who saw their potential was Pirates third baseman Bob Bailey.

“They’re not just giving an 80% effort like some teams,” Bailey told Times columnist Sid Ziff. “They go all out. They go for the extra base, the squeeze bunt, the impossible catch. And, of course, they’ve got tremendous pitching.”

But rather using the Clemente game to launch like a rocket to the National League pennant, the Dodgers would have one of their bumpiest weeks of the year.

Remembering ’65: Summer of spitballs?

On August 17, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Along with everything else in a hot pennant race 50 years ago, a spitball controversy revved up between the Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves.

“Drysdale may call ’em sinkers, but I got three wet ones in a row when he fanned me in the third,” Hank Aaron told Frank Finch of the Times after a 4-3 victory Milwaukee victory August 4.

Aaron’s comments might have been calculated at least in part to take the spotlight off Braves manager Bobby Bragan, who was in the midst of a spitball controversy of his own.

“How long is NL president Warren Giles going to allow Bobby Bragan to flout authority by publicizing the fact that he has his pitchers under orders to throw spitters?” Finch had asked in print two days earlier. “To be sure, every club has spitball pitchers, but they don’t advertise.”

For his part, Bragan remained sanguine about the whole thing.

“If a pitcher can control the spitters, he’s crazy not to throw it,” Bragan told Finch. “Sure, we’ve got a couple of guys who throw it real good. Dan Osinski told a writer that he’s been using one for seven years.”

If you want to call it praise, Bragan added that Drysdale “throws the best spitter in the game,” according to Finch.

Whatever the case, it didn’t help Drysdale in Milwaukee that August 4. Allowing homers to both Aaron and Gene Oliver, Drysdale pitched an eight-inning complete game but took the loss.

Here’s what else was happening with the Dodgers, who were 1 1/2 games ahead in the National League on August 1 and 1 1/2 games ahead in the National League on August 15.

Remembering ’65: When Koufax hit

On July 28, 2015

In History, Remembering '65

By Jon Weisman

Sandy Koufax wasn’t much of a hitter in his career, but in July 1965, he arguably had the greatest clutch at-bat by a starting pitcher in Los Angeles Dodger history.

Remembering ’65: After tense week for Dodgers, Koufax survives rough All-Star outing

On July 15, 2015

In Remembering '65

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By Jon Weisman

Fifty years ago at the All-Star Game, Willie Mays (not Mike Trout) dominated from the plate, and Sandy Koufax (not Clayton Kershaw) had his struggles in his fifth consecutive All-Star year.

The difference: Koufax sneaked away with the victory.

As John Hall of the Times reported, when Koufax entered the game in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied, 5-5, his first seven pitches missed the strike zone. He needed to strike out Jimmie Hall with two on and two out to escape his only inning of work.

In the top of the seventh, Mays led off with a walk, went to third on a Hank Aaron single and scored the winning run on Ron Santo’s infield hit, all off “Sudden” Sam McDowell. That made Koufax the winning pitcher.

“Sandy looked a little sheepish when he was congratulated,” Hall wrote.

Koufax, however, was proud of one thing at the All-Star Break.

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