On June 11, 1964 Charlie Finley fires Ed Lopat (17-35) as manager of the A’s‚ replacing him with Mel McGaha‚ former manager of the Cleveland Indians.
On June 11, 1964 After a 2-week absence‚ Mickey Mantle is back in the lineup and clouts 2 home runs at Fenway Park off Bill Monbouquette. The Yankees win easily, 8 – 4.
After other teams back off in their pursuit to sign the outstanding NC high schooler when his little toe is blown off by his brother in a hunting accident, the A’s ink Jim Hunter for $75,000. The youngest of ten children of a family from Hertferd will go on to become a Hall of Fame hurler better known as ‘Catfish’, a name invented by club’s owner Charlie Finley.
1964 – Deron Johnson leads the Cincinnati Reds to an 11 – 6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals as he collects a home run, double and three singles.
On June 4, 1964, Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0, at Connie Mack Stadium. The hard-throwing lefty strikes out 12 batters and walks only one. Koufax joins fellow Hall of Famer Bob Feller as the only pitchers in modern day baseball to throw three no-hitters.
Roberto Clemente’s fifth career home run off Sandy Koufax is a game-tying, bases-empty blast of epic proportions; following immediately upon the heels of a collective Piratesmeltdown transforming a three-run lead into a one-run deficit, “Koufax was bombed for one of the longest home runs in Forbes Field annals,” writes Dodgers beat writer Frank Finch. “Señor Clemente touched off a moon shot that struck high on a light tower in center field, some 450 feet from the plate. Had it missed the tower, it certainly would have sailed at least 500 feet. It was No. 5 for the ex-Dodger chattel, and tied the score at 4 – 4.”
At Shea Stadium, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants play the longest doubleheader in major league history – 9 hours, 52 minutes – with the help of a 23-inning game in the nightcap that is won by the visiting Giants, 8 – 6, on run-scoring hits by Del Crandall and Felipe Alou against Galen Cisco. The game takes 7:23 to play. In the opener, Juan Marichal pitches a complete game and Orlando Cepeda goes 3 for 4 with two runs and one RBI for a Giants 5 – 3 victory.
The Reds and Dodgers play 17 innings before the game is a called at 2 – 2. All 4 runs come in the 12th inning. National League rules state that no inning may start after 12:50 a.m.
Roberto Clemente’s longest clout? Not nearly. His longest out? Could be. In the 8th inning, with a runner on second and two men out, with the Pirates down by two, Clemente tees off and delivers what is quite possibly the longest out of his career, a missile headed for the deepest reaches of Forbes Field. Collared by the Phillies’ Tony Gonzalez near the flag pole, this 450-foot blast is called by Clemente, in a conversation with Les Biederman of The Sporting News, one of the hardest balls he’s ever hit.
In front of a meager crowd of 2,503 fans at Wrigley Field, the visiting Mets pummel the Cubs, 19-1. New York’s 25 year-old first baseman Dick Smith, batting leadoff, becomes the first player in franchise history to collect five hits in a game.
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