June 22, 1964 - The Yankees swept the White Sox again, tonight’s 6-5 victory at Comiskey making for a 10-0 edge and the winning of a season series in the quickest time in A.L. history. The win lifted the Bombers a half game ahead of the Orioles, whom they meet in a three-game set beginning tomorrow night in Baltimore.
The only comparable smothering of an opponent was in 1962, when the Phillies beat the Houston expansionists 17 straight before losing the last game of the season. No club ever has swept the entire schedule from another. The Yanks of 1927 beat the Browns, 21-1, and the same dominance occurred a couple of other times in the N.L.
Steve Hamilton, the 6-6 lefty who grew gray trying to guard Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA, was the winning pitcher. Steve allowed only six hits in eight innings and now has a 5-0 record. He tired in the heat, and Hal Reniff started in the ninth. Reniff had nothing and had to be jerked after failing to retire any of four batters. Bill Stafford, winner of yesterday’s 17-inning marathon, came in and got the necessary three outs, all on grounders.
The Yankees have now won 13 of their last 15, while the Sox have dropped 13 of 16. Since June 10, the Bombers have gained 9½ games on Chicago.
Al Lopez, the haunted Sox leader, started a pitcher the Yanks have never beaten, but still couldn’t win. That was righty John Buzhardt, 4-0 against them. But they kayoed him in the fifth and went on to a four-run romp at the expense of losing lefty Frank Baumann. The latter is 0-2 with a 7.76 ERA and looks it.
The game was supposed to start at 7 p.m. local time, but a heavy rainstorm flooded the outfield 90 minutes before. The rain stopped, but pools of water had to be squeegeed down the outfield drains. So, play began 42 minutes late and without Mickey Mantle, manager Yogi Berra refusing to risk the star’s gimpy gams in the goo. Every time an outfielder chased a ball, he squooshed through cascades of water.
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