Fairly the Hero as Dodgers Sweep Cards

June 3, 1965 - A two-run blast by Ron Fairly, capping a three-run rally in the eighth, provided the margin of victory tonight which gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a sweep of their two-game series with the Cardinals and their biggest lead in the standings yet — five games. The final score was 11-10.

With six extra-base hits among their 15 hits, the Dodgers should have won in a breeze, but they had to come from behind twice.

Five runs in the third inning at Sandy Koufax’s expense all but finished the Dodgers, but they rallied to overcome Cardinal leads of 5-3 and 10-7 in a 3-hour 19-minute battle that kept 19,946 Redbird rooters in a frenzy.

Fairly hit his sixth homer — a towering drive to the right-field pavilion roof — a double, and a single to drive in three runs. Ron leads the team in homers, RBI’s (30), and extra-base hits (17).

Maury Wills contributed a triple during the barrage in the eighth, and other Dodger doubles were smacked by Jim Gilliam, Wally Moon, and Lou Johnson.

Jim Lefebvre matched Fairly’s three RBI’s with two singles. Not to be overlooked is Wes Parker. Nursing a bruised shoulder, Parker came off the bench to hit a pinch double which ignited the winning rally against loser Barney Schultz.

“Did you see the way Parker hit that double?” Dodger manager Walt Alston asked afterward. “He couldn’t swing. He barely got into it, hitting the ball to the opposite field.”

Gilliam, coming out of temporary retirement five games ago, said after the game: “I feel like spring training was just three days old. My legs aren’t there.” Asked if there would be a salary adjustment now that he’s wearing two caps as a coach and a player, Jim said, “I hope so.”

The Cardinals have now lost eight of their last 10 games after winning seven in a row and climbing within 1½ games of the Dodgers. They haven’t had an easy game since they ripped Philadelphia, 12-2, at Busch Stadium two weeks ago.

If manager Red Schoendienst had his pick of a trade before the mid-June deadline, his first choice would be “some help for the bullpen.” Surrendering leads late in ballgames is a tough way to lose.

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