July 16, 1963 - Despite the fantastic slugging feats of unbelievable Willie McCovey (pictured), the Giants just can’t win a doubleheader. McCovey’s 27th homer, a spectacular clout into the upper right field seats with 2 out in the ninth, won the first game of today’s doubleheader, 3-2, over the Pirates at Forbes Field. Willie ran his hitting streak to 21 games by walloping another homer on his first trip to the plate in the second game, but Pittsburgh won that won, 3-2. The only other run the Giants got in the nightcap was driven in by McCovey too, with a third-inning single. So, the Pirates took the series, 3-1, and the Giants flew to New York in fourth place with only two victories in the eight games since the All-Star break. Willie Mays’ 18th homer, an inside-the-park job, and Orlando Cepeda’s 18th, a tremendous liner over the clock atop the left-field scoreboard, accounted for the non-McCovey runs in the opener. Mays got seven innings of rest in the nightcap, and it did not take long to see why Willie has to work regularly. Felipe Alou is no substitute for No. 24 in center. In the second inning, Felipe bobbled one ball and overcharged another, which bounced over his head. On the latter play, Jim Pagliaroni scored, and Dick Schofield was out trying for his own inside-the-park homer. Singles by Felipe, Chuck Hiller, and McCovey made it 2-1 Giants in the third, but that didn’t last long. Back-to-back doubles by Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Bill Virdon opened the Pittsburgh fifth with a triple and scored the winning run on Clemente’s single.
