Aug. 28, 1963 - Things got so tough for the Dodgers today that Frank Howard even tried to bunt with his club six runs behind in the ninth. Moments later, Moose Skowron slugged his third pinch homer with a man on, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Cincinnati’s big lead, and the Reds took a 9-5 decision in their final clash with Los Angeles this year. With San Francisco trimming St. Louis in a matinee game, the race tightened up again. A Dodger Stadium crowd of 28,921 watched Jim Maloney (pictured with Frank Robinson and John Edwards), Cincinnati’s 23-year-old fireballer, join Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal, and Whitey Ford among the majors’ 19-game winners. Throwing bullets, Maloney struck out five to run his total to 200, third best in the majors behind Koufax (239) and Drysdale (219). The Reds ousted southpaw Johnny Podres in the sixth with a four-run outburst. Frank Robinson led off with a single then moved to second when Gene Freese walked. Don Pavletich then dropped a bunt toward third, which Tommy Davis, a transplanted outfielder, picked up and threw into right field, allowing Robinson and Freese to score. Leo Cárdenas kept the rally alive with a bunt single which dropped in front of Davis, and catcher Johnny Edwards came through with his second hit of the day, scoring Pavletich with the third run of the inning. After Maloney struck out, Pete Rose’s sizzler to center scored Cárdenas to put the Reds into a 7-1 lead. Despite today’s loss, the league-leading Dodgers still hold a fair lead in the National League standings. The runner-up Giants trail L.A. by 5½ games, the Cards by 6½, and the oncoming Phillies by 7. Willie Mays & Co. open a four-game stand in Los Angeles tomorrow, and they must take at least three of them to make things interesting.
