Oct. 10, 1964 - Mickey Mantle’s 16th World Series home run broke a tie, a record, and Barney Schultz’s heart at Yankee Stadium today. Coming on the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning, Mantle’s drive into the third deck in right field gave the Yankees a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals and a 2-1 lead in the 1964 World Series.
The Yankees opened the scoring in the second. Elston Howard singled with one out and moved to second after Joe Pepitone had walked. Howard scored on Clete Boyer’s double to left.
Curt Simmons, the 35-year-old Cardinal lefthander, drove in the Cards’ run in the fifth, singling home Tim McCarver from third. McCarver had singled and advanced to second on an error by Mantle and to third on an infield out.
The record Mantle broke was one of the most distinguished in baseball’s volume of statistics. Babe Ruth had hit 15 home runs in 41 games in 10 Series. Last October, Mantle caught up with a home run off Sandy Koufax in the fourth game. Today, Mantle moved ahead in his 61st World Series game.
Only one other player has hit as many as 12 homers in Series competition — Yogi Berra, today’s winning manager.
The dramatic ending to a sparkling game, which had a crowd of 67,101 in a state of steadily mounting excitement, snatched attention away from the pitching duel that preceded it.
Jim Bouton, the 25-year-old Yankee righthander, and Simmons engaged in it. Simmons was tougher, but Bouton was more exciting as he escaped from one jam after another.
But Simmons was removed by St. Louis manager Johnny Keane for a pinch hitter in the ninth because the Cards had a chance to score. Bouton stopped the Cards again, however, and Schultz, the 38-year-old knuckleball specialist who had done so much to pitch the Cardinals to the National League pennant, took over.
Keane, explaining why he lifted Simmons, said: “No, Curt wasn’t tired. We would have pinch hit in that situation no matter who the pitcher was at the time.”
Schultz’s first pitch was a knuckleball.
“It was a knuckleball all right,” said Mantle. “It wasn’t a good one, I don’t think. It didn’t quite knuckle.”
Mickey took one big swing from the left side of the plate — the side from which he doesn’t hit so well because of the pressure on his weakened. The ball landed in the third-tier boxes, about 40 feet from the foul line, about 60 feet above the ground, about 360 feet from home plate.
As Mantle trotted around the bases, a stream of young fans raced across the outfield from the left-field bleachers. As Mantle rounded third, coach Frank Crosetti joined him, and they crossed home plate almost in step. Mickey’s enthusiastic welcome by teammates was a departure from traditional Yankee calm.
Cardinal catcher Tim McCarver, speaking of the pitch Mantle hit for the game-winner, said: “The ball got a good piece of the plate.”
“And Mantle got a good piece of the ball,” added Keane with a grin. “The Yanks have an advantage whenever Schultz goes in. They know he relies mainly on the knuckler and a fastball — so there’s not much suspense.
“Still, Barney’s one of the best. I’ll still go with him in a pinch. After all, only one home run was hit off him all the time he played in the regular season. The Yanks have hit two off him in the Series, but he’s still a good pitcher.”
Schultz, utterly dejected as he hid his head in his wall locker in the visitors’ clubhouse, a towel around his neck.
“Just think,” he mumbled to no one in particular. “You throw one ball — and it’s gone. That ball was right down the well. It was knee-high and across the plate. It didn’t break.”
He then sped into the trainer’s room, which is off limits to reporters at Yankee Stadium.
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