Oct. 16, 1962 - “I am a very lucky fellow, and I certainly thank God for a second opportunity,” said Ralph Terry today after he had pitched the Yankees to a 1-0 victory over the Giants in the deciding game of the World Series. “You don’t often get another chance to prove yourself, in baseball or in life,” added the 26-year-old part-time pitcher and full-time philosopher. Two years ago, after the seventh game of another World Series, Terry was a shattered man. Bill Mazeroski had just crashed one of his pitches over the Forbes Field left-field fence. The ninth-inning wallop beat the Yankees, 10-9. Casey Stengel, then the Yankee manager, tried to console Terry by saying, “As long as you tried to do your best and threw the pitch you wanted, I have no complaints.” “I realize you’re always going to make physical errors,” said Terry today, “but I had tried my best to throw the pitch I wanted, so Casey’s words helped.” Terry married Tanya Simmons on Nov. 12, 1960. They have two sons — Raif Galen, 14 months old, and Frank Gabe, born just 10 days ago. “This will be a happy homecoming,” said Ralph, “to go home to my wife and new son a winner when it counted most.”
