1962 World Series Game Six (Part 2)



Whitey Ford





Juan Marichal

 As you can imagine Giants fans were wound up going into game six with the Yankee’s ahead three games to two. Our star pitcher Juan Marichal lost a fingernail trying to bunt in game four putting him out of contention for game six or seven.

The big day was here at last. There was a light rain falling; and I was sick with a cold. Not a bad cold; but bad enough to stay home from school. About 8 or 9AM there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Tenant looking for me. I jumped out of bed; and got ready to go to game six of the World Series. We were going to go to his office where he had a meeting to attend before leaving for the game. Just before we left my house he was talking to my mom and was praising me for the wonderful letter I had written to him. My mom asked him “what letter”? I went numb realizing there was some kind of mistake. Mr. Tenant had mistaken me, for someone else. I heard someone say “you remember that letter I wrote” realizing the words came out of my mouth! An awkward pause, then I remember my mom uttering something like “oh yes”. I had lied; and I think Mr. Tenant knew something was wrong. I felt sick to my stomach as we walked to the car knowing I not only lied but; was also cheating another kid out of going to the World Series. To this day that lie troubles me; and I am sorry that I had not told the truth.



Mickey Mantel





Willie Mays

 Mr. Tenant’s office was very large with a great view atop a building in downtown Oakland. It seemed like he was in the meeting for hours. I had a lot of time to think. Then, I remembered a name I had heard a few times at the Boys Club that sounded like my name. I knew that someone mixed up the names; and had given Mr. Tenant the wrong phone number. When Mr. Tenant came back in from his meeting, he said the game was rained out. I still said nothing about the lie.



Willie McCovey



Roger Maris



Orlando Cepeda

After three days of rain the sun came out; and game six of the World Series would be played. That morning Mr. Tenant picked me up; and we drove out to Walnut Creek to pick up another kid. Off to Candlestick we went. The funny thing is I don’t remember much about the game itself. I remember helicopters drying the field when we got there; and I remember seeing and hearing the names of the players. Perhaps you know some of the player’s names like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey Felipe Alou and Orlando Cepeda, The Giants won game six by a score of 5 to 2 tying the series at 3 games apiece. Game seven would determine the 1962 World Series champs. I think that Juan Marichal and Felipe Alou telling the ending to the 1962 World Series would be a lot more interesting than me telling you.





1962 World Series Game Six

One October evening when I was nine years old I received a phone call from a Mr. Tenant who had gotten my phone number from the Boys Club. I had never met him before; but was asked if I would like to go to the sixth game of the World Series. The San Francisco Giants were playing the New York Yankees at Candlestick Ball Park; and at nine years old I was going!

These were the days when baseball was America’s favorite sport or past time. People listened at work, home, the grocery store, or office to their favorite team on the radio. People walked around with an earphone and transistor radio wherever they went. Games on TV were watched whenever possible with the same enthusiasm as football is watched today. Color TV was new; and only a small percentage of people had one in their homes. Our TV was an old black and white that needed a butter knife, slipped behind the station tuner knob, to see the picture.

All the kids in the neighborhood traded baseball cards looking for Giants players with Willie Mays being the prize card to own. I never saw a Willie Mays card but I did have a few others that are lost and memories of them, forgotten long ago. Cereal boxes had baseball cards printed on the back that you cut out. They were printed on grey card board; and not considered a true baseball card. When I went to the store I would search the cereal boxes for my favorite players. One day when I went to the store with my Aunt, I looked at the back of the boxes for that one special card of Willie Mays; and there it was printed on the back of a box of Post Grape Nuts.

Not a real Willie Mays baseball card, but a card never-the-less. However, there was a problem. Grape nuts were hard as rocks; and impossible for my aunt to chew. What were a few broken teeth compared to a treasure as great as this? My Aunt gave in knowing that she was going to suffer eating rocks for a week. Of course, being a kid I did not appreciate what she did for me; and I still remember her sitting at the table grinding away one painful bite after another. This selfless act helped to make that summer one I will always remember.

The summer of 1962 was a neck and neck race between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants for the National League pennant. The Giants and Dodgers were and still are fierce rivals. The Dodgers had a song sung by Danny Kaye broadcast everywhere on the radio; and played a lot in the San Francisco bay area. You can here the song here. It runs about five minutes; and is pretty funny. Of course, the Giants came up with their own song, “Bye Bye Baby”. You can hear it here .

By the end of the season the Giants and Dodgers were tied for first place in the National League. Back then there were no playoffs unless there was a tie for first place. The National League race came down to a three game playoff between the two teams. Everywhere you went people talked abut the upcoming playoff. Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, the great shortstop and base stealer Maury Wills, and powerhouses Frank Howard and Duke Snider were respected and feared by Giants fans. Ultimately, the Giants won the playoff in Los Angeles; and headed home to play the New York Yankees in the World Series.

To Be Continued