June 29, 1963 - Warren Spahn retired the first 19 batters, finished with a 3-hitter, and broke a 15-year jinx last night as the Milwaukee Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0. It was the first time since August 21, 1948, that Spahn had beaten the Dodgers in their park. He had dropped 14 straight decisions on Dodger home fields since then. The veteran hurler broke the jinx despite the fact that he lost a lot of sleep this morning. The Braves didn’t check into their hotel until 4 a.m., and shortly after 10 o’clock some of them were visiting the set of a Bob Hope movie at MGM studios. Hope asked Spahn to autograph a picture for him, and the pitcher inscribed the following: “To Ski Nose from Hook Nose.” Last night’s shutout was Spahn’s third this season and the 58th of his 19-year major league career. The Braves got their run off Don Drysdale in the first inning. Lee Maye opened with a single, Eddie Mathews walked, and Henry Aaron singled, filling the bases. Maye then scored on a long sacrifice fly by catcher Joe Torre. The second-place Dodgers now trail the league-leading Cardinals by a game and a half and are two percentage points ahead of the third-place Giants. Sandy Koufax (12-3), winner of his last 5 decisions, engages Milwaukee southpaw Denny Lemaster (4-4) in a Ladies’ Night affair at Dodger Stadium tonight. Koufax (1.68) and Lemaster (1.78) possess the lowest ERA’s among National League starters.
