Yanks, Stottlemyre Shut Out Angels in L.A.

Apr. 16, 1965 - The Yankees caught up with the Mets in the standings last night as Mel Stottlemyre shut out the Los Angeles Angels, 4-0, before a crowd of 17,097 at Chavez Ravine. 

Awakening with his first hits of the year, Roger Maris paced the Yankee attack with a solo homer, single, and run-producing sacrifice fly.

The Yankees had lost their first two games — but then Stottlemyre hadn’t pitched yet.

“We expected him to win,” manager Johnny Keane said. 

The Angels picked up seven hits, never more than one in an inning, and only one Angel got as far as third base. Three double plays helped flatten the Angels each time they acted like they might threaten.

Bob Schmidt, who caught with the Giants in the late 1950’s and caught Stottlemyre the last two seasons in Richmond, filled in for Elston Howard, who is home in New Jersey nursing a sore elbow. 

“Mel’s an easy pitcher to catch,” Schmidt replied to a compliment about the job he’d done.

“They all handle Stottlemyre well because he handles himself well.”

Schmidt, a .254 hitter last year at Richmond, nearly had a home run too, but Willie Smith reached into the stands to make the catch. But that’s all right — Schmidt was catching in the big leagues again. “I like it up here,” he said. “The food is better.”Maris singled home the second Yankee run in the third, and Schmidt scored in the fifth on a walk, a wild throw, and a wild pitch. Maris made it 4-0 in the eighth with a drive over the right-field wall.

“I must say,” Stottlemyre said, “I was as happy over this win as any other. It was the first Yankee win of the season. Nobody reminded me, but I was thinking about it as I warmed up.”

Angels rookie Marcelino Lopez was the loser, but Angel pitching coach Marv Grissom was satisfied with the start.

“He was stronger at the end than at the start,” said Marv. “It was just fine for the first one.”

Lopez’s previous major league experience was limited to six innings of relief for the Phillies in 1963.

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