Big Redleg Machine Sweeps Redbirds Behind Timely Bats, Clutch Defense

Game 1 in Cincinnati; St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 8

Harvey Haddix pitched a nifty 5 hit complete game, and the Reds offense pounded out 12 hits and were aided by Cardinal pitchers to the tune of 6 walks, sending the Crimson Hose to an 8-2 series opening win over visiting St. Louis. The Cardinals started quickly in this one, with Al Dark singling with one out in the first, and Ken Boyer, who was to have a monster series, doubling him home after a Stan Musial line out. But the Reds came right back off of Cardinal starter Murry Dickson, putting two on the board on singles by Johnny Temple, who had a nice series of his own, Frank Robinson, also a star in the series, and George Crowe.

The teams mirrored their first inning numbers in the third, with  the visitors notching one on another Boyer RBI, and the home squad doubling that total on singles by Temple and Gus Bell, a Jerry Lynch sacrifice fly plating Temple, and Frank Robinson doubling home Bell. The Reds sealed the deal for all intents and purposes, with a 3 run fifth that included an RBI double by Lynch, and the two-run home run by Robinson giving young Frankie 4 RBI in the game.. The win kept the Reds red hot, having lost only twice since being swept in their season opening series versus the Braves in Boston.

Game 2 in Cincinnati, St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 11

The choice of adjectives describing this contest in the post game interviews with the managers included terms like “ugly”, “brutal”, and “a mess”. The game featured 17 runs, 29 hits, and 13 walks. One positive note, the game was error-free. Although the Cardinals made the final score look semi-respectable, this one was all Reds as they had a commanding 9-1 lead at the end of seven innings.

Lefthander Joe Nuxhall kept the Cards in check for 6 2/3, while our old friend Harvey Haddix made his Cardinal debut and was nowhere near the pitcher he had been for the Reds in game one. The little lefthander gave up 11 hits and 9 runs in just five  innings of work.  Ken Boyer stayed hot for St. Louis with a 3 for 4 day. Jerry Lynch finished the game at an even .400 on the season, going 3 for 4 himself. Frank Robinson homered for the second straight day, and thirdbaseman “Tiger” Don Hoak chipped in three hits. The marathon took 4 hours and 32 minutes to play, and 40 different players got into the action.

It looks like there is no stopping this Redleg bunch. They never stop hitting, and have a nice balance of lefties and righties to throw at an opponent.

Game 3 in St. Louis; Cincinnati 6, St. Louis 5

In a game in which the Cardinals might look back on as the match that cost them a post season berth, the never-say-die Redlegs fought their way over the home town Redbirds 6-5 in 10 innings. The Cardinals had not been swept in KOD9, and looked to keep that mark intact as they were on the verge of salvaging the finale of a series in which their formerly strong pitching has suddenly begun to spring leaks. Behind Ken Boyer’s incredible performance, a 5 for 5 day that featured four doubles, giving him 10 hits in the series in 12 at bats, and raising his average over 100 points in three days, the Cardinals went into the 9^th inning up 4-2. Somehow the official game scorer gave winning pitcher Hal Jeffcoat the game MVP, but Boyer was the actual MVP despite the losing effort.

Vinegar Bend Mizell started for the Cardinals, facing Reds righty Bob Purkey. Mizell looked strong, and was just the guy to quiet the Reds potent left-handed hitters, but unfortunately the sky opened up in 2^nd inning with a torrential, but relatively fast-moving downpour. The end result was a 54 minute delay, that dug in to the lefthander’s stamina. Reds starter Bob Purkey had the same fate of course, but his club is steam-rolling opponents while the Cardinals are suddenly on life support.

As it was Mizell got into the sixth inning, surrendering only 3 hits to the powerhouse men from Ohio, one of them being yet another home run by Frank Robinson. Lindy McDaniel was summoned from the bullpen to relieve the weary Mizell, and held the fort, all but closing the deal, leaving with two-outs in the 9^th and the two-run lead still intact. The ninth inning might have been one of the lowest points manager Bicycle Mike has ever seen in his KOD managerial career, as the game looked to be put in the win column several times, yet Cardinal hurlers could never quite put that final nail in the coffin. The Reds to their credit showed why they are the hottest team in the league, hitting, running, hustling and never giving in.

McDaniel surrendered a leadoff single to Hoak to start the ninth, but then induced Smoky Burgess to hit into a nifty 3-6-3 double play as Musial made a quick throw to second to start the twin killing. Musial’s bat was silent in the series, garnering only a single in 10 trips to the plate, but his glove work remained steady. With a two run lead and a single out to go, it looked like the Cardinals would remain above .500 and capture the finale of the three game set. But Don Hoak had other ideas, singling to keep the Reds hopes alive. With speedy young lefthanded hitter Vada Pinson due up, manager Bike Mike went to lefty Jackie Collum out of the Cardinal bullpen to hopefully finish things off.  Big Jim Fridley was called off the Reds bench to hit for Pinson, and also singled. Collum then had two strikes on Johnny Temple, before he too singled, scoring Hoak to make it 4-3.

The Cardinals then turned to Larry Jackson, who has been brilliant out of the Redbird bullpen with 4 saves and an ERA under 2.00. But this wasn’t to be the young Idahoan’s day, as he walked Dutch Dotterer to load the bases, the walked Steve Bilko to force in the tying run. He then got the dangerous Robinson to hit a come-backer that ended the nightmare, but it was a dejected nine that trotted into the home dugout after that inning.

The Cardinals went down in order in the ninth, and Jackson regrouped to get two quick outs to start the 10^th. But he suddenly fell apart, surrendering four consecutive singles as Thurman, Hoak, Grammas, and Temple all came through, the last two plating runs as grabbed the lead 6-4.

The Cardinals managed some two-out magic of their own in the bottom half, as Musial walked and Boyer hit his fourth double of the game, plating Stan. But with the tying run at second, Rip Repulski grounded out to short to end it.

The sweep keeps the Reds on fire, with 13 wins in their last 15 games and a 13-5 mark overall. The Cardinals have now dropped five of six, dropping to .500 at 9-9 on the season.

--submitted by Mike Roberts--