Now batting .146
Snapping Out of It?
Mantle's lead-off triple, Kubek's 3 hits pace Yankees to streak-ending win in 15
Baseball in 1961 Staff
DETROIT-How's that beer, Mick?
"Beer always tastes best, even after a long game like this one today."
It tastes even better, 1. when you snap an 0-18 slump, 2. when you get 2 hits to move your average from .115 to .146 and 3. when your lead-off triple in the 15th helps snap your 4-game losing streak.
"It really wasn't that bad a slump to start with. You've got to find your groove and I think we might have done that today," Mantle said with a grin.
What's more fascinating about this marathon Yankee 3-2 win, isn't how Mantle may have finally snapped out of it, but for the managerial strategy that accompanied it.
"If you have a runner on 3rd with nobody out in a tie game, there's no easy strategy, there never is," said Yankee manager Ralph Houk.
Tiger counterpart Bob Scheffing, maybe out of respect to Mantle's woes, chose to pitch to Roger Maris with Mantle on 3rd maybe in the hope that a ball in the air or a 4th strikeout of Maris would make it a little easier for strategy with hot-hitting Tony Kubek in the hole. Maris' RBI grounder to Jake Wood at 2nd scored Mantle and set the second-guessing wheels in motion.
Maybe it was also the bottom of the 14th.
After Bill Bruton led off with a lineout to Billy Gardner at second, Al Kaline singled to center, Rocky Colavito walked, then after a pitching change, Norm Cash walked to load the bases. Charlie Maxwell, noted for his "Sunday Punch," tried to punch one on a Monday, but Kubek made a leaping grab to foil the Tiger pinch-hitter. Hal Reniff then struck out Dick McAuliffe to end the inning, then retired the side in order in the 15th to preserve his own win.
While Mantle showed signs of snapping out of it, Kubek showed no signs of slowing down, going 3-for-7 to raise his average from .413 to .415, including 2 hits that led to Yankee runs, more daringly one in the top of the 8th with 2 outs and the Yankees behind 2-1 when Kubek singled, followed by a Clete Boyer double to the gap in right, a comet-fast Kubek streaked home barely ahead of Kaline's laser throw.
While Mantle and Kubek took the headline honors, the Tigers perplexing early-season woes continued, managing only 7 hits in 15 innings, one of those hits being Norm Cash's 7th home run in the 7th, not to mention a potential go-ahead run tossed out at home in the 8th when Frank Lary singled, Jake Wood bunted pinch-runner Bubba Morton to 2nd, then Bill Bruton singled to center, only to have Mantle whip a throw home to cut down Morton.
Act 2 tomorrow night should be a real doozy with Paul Foytack opposing Bud Daley.
WP-Reniff(1-0) LP-Woodeshick(0-1)
NYY 3-13-0 DET 2-7-1
NYY 8-5 DET 4-7
Snapping Out of It?
Mantle's lead-off triple, Kubek's 3 hits pace Yankees to streak-ending win in 15
Baseball in 1961 Staff
DETROIT-How's that beer, Mick?
"Beer always tastes best, even after a long game like this one today."
It tastes even better, 1. when you snap an 0-18 slump, 2. when you get 2 hits to move your average from .115 to .146 and 3. when your lead-off triple in the 15th helps snap your 4-game losing streak.
"It really wasn't that bad a slump to start with. You've got to find your groove and I think we might have done that today," Mantle said with a grin.
What's more fascinating about this marathon Yankee 3-2 win, isn't how Mantle may have finally snapped out of it, but for the managerial strategy that accompanied it.
"If you have a runner on 3rd with nobody out in a tie game, there's no easy strategy, there never is," said Yankee manager Ralph Houk.
Tiger counterpart Bob Scheffing, maybe out of respect to Mantle's woes, chose to pitch to Roger Maris with Mantle on 3rd maybe in the hope that a ball in the air or a 4th strikeout of Maris would make it a little easier for strategy with hot-hitting Tony Kubek in the hole. Maris' RBI grounder to Jake Wood at 2nd scored Mantle and set the second-guessing wheels in motion.
Maybe it was also the bottom of the 14th.
After Bill Bruton led off with a lineout to Billy Gardner at second, Al Kaline singled to center, Rocky Colavito walked, then after a pitching change, Norm Cash walked to load the bases. Charlie Maxwell, noted for his "Sunday Punch," tried to punch one on a Monday, but Kubek made a leaping grab to foil the Tiger pinch-hitter. Hal Reniff then struck out Dick McAuliffe to end the inning, then retired the side in order in the 15th to preserve his own win.
While Mantle showed signs of snapping out of it, Kubek showed no signs of slowing down, going 3-for-7 to raise his average from .413 to .415, including 2 hits that led to Yankee runs, more daringly one in the top of the 8th with 2 outs and the Yankees behind 2-1 when Kubek singled, followed by a Clete Boyer double to the gap in right, a comet-fast Kubek streaked home barely ahead of Kaline's laser throw.
While Mantle and Kubek took the headline honors, the Tigers perplexing early-season woes continued, managing only 7 hits in 15 innings, one of those hits being Norm Cash's 7th home run in the 7th, not to mention a potential go-ahead run tossed out at home in the 8th when Frank Lary singled, Jake Wood bunted pinch-runner Bubba Morton to 2nd, then Bill Bruton singled to center, only to have Mantle whip a throw home to cut down Morton.
Act 2 tomorrow night should be a real doozy with Paul Foytack opposing Bud Daley.
WP-Reniff(1-0) LP-Woodeshick(0-1)
NYY 3-13-0 DET 2-7-1
NYY 8-5 DET 4-7
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