It is a Friday night in June 1965 and the home plate meeting of course, involves the four umpires (for the record some really good ones, as I cite umpires, despite Ms. Barber's "no return," Al Barlick, Augie Donatelli, Mel Steiner and Stan Landes) but also Mets manager Casey Stengel and Pirates captain Bill Mazeroski.
Flashing back it was "Maz'" second pitch/B9 World Series home run in that same Forbes Field that was soon followed by Casey Stengel's much more "more" than "less" exit as Yankees manager after winning 7 titles and 10 pennants in 112 seasons in that job. (Casey's Yankees won their first 5 World Series going (20-8) in games and his teams finished (44-20) 11 of 16, as Yankees fan Larry David might say "prettty good," in World Series games.
Harry Walker, the Pirates manager at that time, himself a World Series winner, having doubled not singled home Enos Slaughter for the last and game winning run of the '46 World Series as his Cards 7'd the Red Sox, said the key to the Pirates 12 game win skein, broken the night before by the Mets, was the return of Mazeroski to the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup.
On that June night, Jack Fisher so often the tough luck losing pitcher in a truly well pitched game not like the 6 or so innings stuff today, outdueled Bob Friend as the Mets won (2-1).
Friend's record vs the Mets, at that point, was (13-2), both losses to Fisher.
A truly outstanding player, Bill Mazeroski, pictured above.
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