Santo’s Homer Lifts Cubs over Giants at Candlestick

July 20, 1964 - The Giants amassed 15 hits and three walks today, had the benefit of four Cub errors, and still managed to get beat, 6-4, on Ron Santo’s three-run homer off Bob Shaw in the ninth inning.

But, if it’s any solace to the 10,347 who were in the stands, they put the Giants over the million mark in attendance at Candlestick Park for the season. The total count now is 1,009,026 for 48 home dates.

The big pitch came just prior to the one Santo (pictured) belted over the right field fence. An error by Hal Lanier and a bouncer that Orlando Cepeda grabbed with a diving stop put two on with none out in the ninth.

Alvin Dark decided that was enough for Bobby Bolin, who was leading, 4-2, and the Giant skipper called for Shaw. The righthanded relief ace had a 1-2 count on Santo when he threw a pitch that looked like a strike to virtually everyone in Candlestick Park.

There was one prominent dissenter, however, and that was Paul Pryor, the plate umpire. Shaw couldn’t believe it. Neither could Dark. The fans booed. But Pryor called it a ball, and that’s what went up on the scoreboard.

Santo swung at Shaw’s next offering and drove it high and deep to right. The ball got up in the breeze and sailed over the fence for Santo’s 18th homer of the season.

The 10,347 paying customers and 9,290 kids filled the stadium with an enormous groan. Moments later, Shaw walked Ernie Banks and departed. Banks scored the insurance tally on Leo Burke’s broken-bat single off Jim Duffalo.

Forgotten in the fans’ dismay were a two-run homer by Cepeda that put the Giants ahead in the fifth, Del Crandall’s first homer as a Giant, and four hits by Harvey Kuenn, who also took a homer away from Billy Cowan with a leaping catch at the fence in left field.

Don Elston, who pitched the final two frames, picked up the victory, his first of the season. The loser was Shaw, now 6-4.

Afterward, Dark termed the umpiring “the worst I’ve seen in 10 years,” and Santo, the Cubs’ hero, agreed in principle on at least one count.

Dark, ejected in the ninth after protesting, among other things, the controversial third ball pitched to Santo, said: “This is disgusting. On the previous play, they called a man safe at second who was out by 10 feet, then a guy strikes out and they don’t call him out.

“I don’t know whether it’s the umpires’ pension problems or what, but the umpiring is bad — near-sighted calls and putrid decisions.”

Santo conceded that a potential third strike that would have erased him from the picture “may have been a perfect pitch.” It was called a ball, though, and Ron slammed the next pitch over the right-field fence.

“It was awfully close,” Santo said of Shaw’s third delivery, which appeared to be on the outside corner. “I was tempted, but then I laid off.”

Ron said he would have raised a howl if Pryor had called it a strike “because that is my prerogative.”

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