Sept. 22, 1964 - The Yankees swept a twi-night doubleheader from the Indians at Cleveland Municipal Stadium tonight, 5-3 and 8-1. That gives them a seven-game winning streak and a lead of 2½ games over the Orioles, who were bubbling along with a severe case of pennant fever a months ago when the halting strains of Phil Linz’s harmonica brought down the wrath of the Yankee manager.
Since Linz’s famous rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” from the back of the Bombers’ team bus, the Yankees’ record is 22-9 and they have climbed from five games behind into first place.
“You’re not blaming this on me, are you?” Linz responded with a laugh. Well, some people are. He’s being called the “Most Valuable Musician.”
Linz is playing even better baseball than harmonica. Tony Kubek is nursing a sore hand, so Linz was the shortstop tonight. In the first game, he turned in one of the prettiest plays in a long time. It may have kept the Indians from tying the score in the ninth.
Yankee pitcher Mel Stottlemyre was laboring toward a complete game and John Romano hit through the mound with swift Vic Davalillo on first. Stottlemyre slowed the ball, and just before it died in front of second base, Linz shoveled two-handed behind him to Bobby Richardson for the force. He also hit a home run in the second game that turned a one-run lead into a 3-1 lead, which was enough for Whitey Ford and Hal Reniff.
Linz didn’t think about throwing the ball away on the quick flip until after the play was over, just as he didn’t think about the repercussions the harmonica incident could have had until it was too late. But he’s been thinking about it.
“If we hadn’t won after that, I’d have thought I caused the dissension,” Linz said. “I wouldn’t have been very happy about it.” But now he was happy as could be.
Besides, the people who make the harmonica Linz played on the bus out of Chicago Aug. 20 have sent him a nifty new one to replace the $2.50 model manager Yogi Berra broke. “It’s a good one,” Linz said. “It’s got one of those plungers on the end, and it has big holes. It’s much easier to play.”
“The day we clinch,” Phil added, “you can be there’ll be a harmonica at the party.”
It would be a shame if there weren’t.
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