Aug. 19, 1964 - Undistracted by the violence which threatened to erupt all around him at Candlestick Park, Bob Purkey pitched a six-hitter for the Reds today, beat the Giants, 7-1, and extended San Francisco’s losing streak to four games.
The first three Cincinnati batters tapped soft hits off Ron Herbel, giving the Reds two quick runs.
The rookie righty, frustrated and fuming, then hit Frank Robinson (pictured) in the back with a pitch.
Robinson got mad and headed for the mound. While Chris Pelekoudas was hanging onto the Cincinnati cleanup man, preventing a summit meeting, Reds and Giants poured onto the field.
Jimmy Davenport and Alvin Dark grabbed Herbel, keeping him from accepting Robinson’s angry invitation, and after a few minutes, the field was cleared and action resumed.
Deron Johnson then grounded into a double play, with Robinson slamming into Hal Lanier at second base and knocking him on his ear.
Davenport thought Robinson had overdone it somewhat and had something to say to Frank as he trotted off the field. Tom Gorman and Vinnie Smith, the umpires closest to Robinson and Davenport, quickly stepped between the players, and the game proceeded again.
Before it was over, Purkey twice hit Jim Hart with pitches, and John Pregenzer clipped Purkey with one.
Robinson did his talking with his bat after the first inning. He slugged a pair of homers, his 23rd and 24th, off Billy Pierce and Bob Shaw.
In the fourth inning, Alvin Dark and Robinson nearly came to blows. The Giant skipper charged off the bench suddenly, flanked by coaches Herm Franks and Whitey Lockman, and headed for the Cincy dugout.
As pieced together from umpires and Robinson himself — Alvin refusing to discuss the incident — here’s what happened:
Someone on the Reds’ bench called Dark an obscenity which, home plate umpire Chris Pelekoudas said, is not allowed in baseball.
Dark, striding quickly, shouted: “Who said that? Who said that?”
Robinson, in the dressing room later, said he stood up and shouted: “I did!”
Dark issued an invitation.
“Come on out! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Robinson explained: “Dark challenged me. But it wasn’t the time or place to accept. If he gets thrown out, it doesn’t hurt his team. But if I do, I figure it means something to my club.”
Umpire Pelekoudas went to the Cincy bench and told acting manager Dick Sisler that the obscenities used were out of bounds.
“I agreed with the umpire,” said Sisler. “I wouldn’t want the other bench to call me such names, and I don’t believe in cussing a manager. I told our players to stop it.”
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