July 1, 1964 - If it was difficult to flag down a taxi in midtown Manhattan today, it was because hundreds of cabbies were at Yankee Stadium sweating it out with the Yanks, who had given them passes to the ballpark.
At about 5 p.m., when rush-hour riders were waving for that elusive cab, the Yanks could do nothing to flag down a long drive by Bill Bryan in the 11th inning that went for a homer and a 5-4 victory for the Kansas City Athletics.
That was a disappointment for most of the 17,682 fans. The crowd included 7,588 paying customers, 4,709 taxi drivers and their families and friends, and 4,770 youngsters who were guests of the Yanks. The Yanks have given two free tickets for three playing dates to any cab driver who wanted them.
Thus the first “taxi day” of the season was a costly ride for the Yanks, who have been going nowhere at the expense of the lower teams in the league.
Bryan’s homer was his ninth of the year. It was also the 11th of the year off Ralph Terry, the Yanks’ fifth and losing pitcher.
The Yanks had things under control until the ninth. Whitey Ford (pictured), after a rocky start, settled down and moved along with a 3-2 lead for seven innings. He yielded two runs in the first, but the Yanks got three in their half of the inning, including two on Mickey Mantle’s 16th homer of the year.
The heat got to Ford, and he left after the seventh. Bill Stafford took over, and in the ninth the A’s got to him and Steve Hamilton for two runs and a 4-3 lead.
A single by Joe Pepitone, a double by Johnny Blanchard, and a sacrifice fly by Tony Kubek then provided the Yanks with the run that sent the game into extra innings.
Terry got Ricardo Joseph to ground out in starting the 11th, but Bryan sent his second pitch for the long ride that was so costly to the Yanks.
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