Editor’s note: The 1960 Tournament games are being played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Injuries will only be used during the game when they occur. For this tournament, the rules include a three-man pitching rotation using the best lineups available.
On a night where two teams combined for 11 runs on 30 hits over 15 innings, the deciding factor that set up the championship game of the 1960s Diamond Gems Tournament was a sacrifice fly.
Tim McCarver‘s fly ball scored Roger Maris in the bottom of the 15th as the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals outlasted the 1967 Boston Red Sox 6-5 in the longest contest of the tournament. As a result, the Cardinals will stay in Busch Stadium to entertain the 1969 New York Mets for the title.
Darrell Brandon (0-1) was entering his third inning on the mound for Boston as he walked Maris to begin the bottom of the 15th. Orlando Cepeda followed with a double sending Maris to third.
After a visit from Boston manager Dick Williams, Brandon stayed in the game to face McCarver. The Cardinals catcher smacked the ball to Carl Yastrzemski in left field and Maris beat the throw to the plate setting off a wild celebration in St. Louis.
The semifinal affair was scoreless until the top of the fifth when Boston’s Jerry Adair singled off St. Louis starter Nelson Briles to make it 1-0.
St. Louis ousted Boston starter Gary Bell as the Cardinals scored four times in the seventh. Bell walked McCarver and then gave up singles to Mike Shannon and Julian Javier as McCarver scored to tie it at 1-1.
Dan Osinski took over for Bell and got Dal Maxvill to hit into a double play, but the Cardinals didn’t quit. Briles slapped a single that gave the Cardinals the lead and Lou Brock drilled a two-run homer and St. Louis was on top 4-1.
RBI singles by George Scott and Reggie Smith in the top of the eighth sent Briles to the showers as Boston closed the gap to 4-3. Joe Hoerner closed out the eighth for the Cardinals, but he couldn’t make it through the ninth as Yastrzemski hammered a two-run homer to give Boston a 5-4 advantage.
Lee Stange went to the mound for Boston in the bottom of the ninth with an opportunity to sent the Red Sox to the finale. However, the trouble started quickly as Shannon and Javier singled to begin the frame. Boston shortstop Rico Petrocelli misplayed a grounder by Maxvill that allowed Shannon to race home to tie the match-up at 5-5.
Steve Carlton (1-0) earned the victory for the Cardinals as he worked the final four innings after Ron Willis, Larry Jaster and Ray Washburn held off the Red Sox. Jose Santiago tossed a couple of scoreless innings before Brandon went into to pitch.
Championship Game
1969 New York Mets at 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
Semifinals
1969 New York Mets 2, 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 1
1967 St. Louis Cardinals 6, 1967 Boston Red Sox 5 (15)
Second Round Results
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 4, 1961 New York Yankees 2
1969 New York Mets 3, 1968 St. Louis Cardinals 0
1967 Boston Red Sox 9, 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers 5
1967 St. Louis Cardinals 5, 1966 Baltimore Orioles 4
First Round Results
1961 New York Yankees 12, 1962 New York Mets 2
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates 3, 1969 Baltimore Orioles 0
1969 New York Mets 3, 1961 Cincinnati Reds 0
1968 St. Louis Cardinals 3, 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 2
1967 Boston Red Sox 2, 1968 Detroit Tigers 1
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers 6, 1962 San Francisco Giants 0
1967 St. Louis Cardinals 2, 1961 Detroit Tigers 1
1966 Baltimore Orioles 2, 1965 Minnesota Twins 1 (11)