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.
Pitching continues to be at the forefront of the 1960s Diamond Gems Tournament.
Bob Gibson out dueled Sandy Koufax as the 1968 St. Louis Cardinals defeated the 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in a first round contest in California.
Gibson (1-0) went the distance to earn the victory as he gave up six hits with six strikeouts and a walk, while Koufax allowed all three runs to the Cardinals with only one of them being earned on seven hits with 10 strikeouts.
The Cardinals scored in the fourth as Curt Flood and Roger Maris led off with singles. With Flood advancing to third on the hit by Maris, he scored as Orlando Cepeda grounded into a double play.
St. Louis picked two unearned runs in the sixth with the first one coming on a sacrifice fly by Maris that scored Gibson, who had reached base on an error to begin the frame. With two outs, Cepeda followed with a RBI single that made it 3-0.
The Dodgers closed the gap in the eighth as John Roseboro singled with one out. Pinch-hitting for Koufax, Ron Fairly smacked a two-run homer that got the Dodgers to within one.
After Ron Perranoski worked a perfect top of the ninth for the Dodgers and fanning two Cardinals, Gibson slammed the door in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.
Second Round Schedule
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates at 1961 New York Yankees
1968 St. Louis Cardinals at 1969 New York Mets
First Round Results and Schedule
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 at 1968 Detroit Tigers
1962 San Francisco Giants at 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
1961 Detroit Tigers at 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
1965 Minnesota Twins at 1966 Baltimore Orioles