Tigers Top A’s in Kansas City

Apr. 12, 1965 - Jerry Lumpe and a rookie, John Sullivan, each slammed a two-run homer and Larry Sherry pitched three hitless innings in relief tonight to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Athletics at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City.

Lumpe’s line drive over the right-center field fence in the seventh off Moe Drabowski, the losing pitcher, erased a 2-1 deficit before 18,109 fans, the smallest opening game crowd in Kansas City’s 11-year major-league baseball history.

Just prior to the game, Warren Hearnes, the Governor of Missouri, presented Athletic owner Charles O. Finley (pictured) with a mule, appropriately named “Charley O.” Finley rode his namesake around the field to the fans’ amusement. Finley later said he plans to bring the team mascot to other American League ballparks this season.

Finley also announced today that he will install a “countdown clock” for a weekend series with the Yankees to show fans how the game of baseball could be speeded up.

The clock will show fans what would happen if umpires enforced a rule requiring the pitcher to deliver the ball to the batter within 20 seconds after receiving it from the catcher.

Tonight’s victory went to Mickey Lolich, an 18-game winner for Detroit last season. The lefthander scattered six hits over six innings, struck out five, and allowed both Athletic runs. Sherry took over in the seventh and retired nine consecutive batters, two on strikeouts. 

Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s