On May 12, 1966, At Busch Stadium the St. Louis Cardinals play the first game in the history of the new Busch Memorial Stadium. St. Louis wins the game in 12 innings – a 4-3 decision over the Atlanta Braves. Felipe Alou hits two home runs for the Braves. The Braves were up…
At Minneapolis, the Yankees (6-20) edge the Twins, 3 – 2. Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Joe Pepitone, with the game-winner in the 9th inning, hit homers for New York.
On May 8, 1966, the San Francisco Giants trade future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Ray Sadecki. Cepeda, who has been bothered by bad knees, is deemed expendable because of the presence of Willie McCovey at first base. The Giants will regret the deal, as Cepeda will win…
Orioles’ outfielder Frank Robinson becomes the first (and only) player to hit a home run completely out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. The 451-foot wind-assisted blast, which clears the fifty rows of the left-field seats near the foul pole, before rolling to a stop 540 feet from home plate, comes off a fastball thrown by Indians’ starter Luis Tiant, who hadn’t given up an earned run on the season.
The last game is played at Busch Stadium, known for most of its existence as Sportsman’s Park. The 64 year-old ballpark, which served as the home field for the American League’s Browns until the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954, was also the home for the Cardinals from 1920 until today’s final contest, a 10-5 loss to San Francisco.
Twenty games into his second year as the Yankee skipper, Johnny Keane is fired by general manager Ralph Houk, who will return to the dugout to manage the team. After only four victories in the first 20 games, New York wins 13 of its next 17 games after the managerial change.
1966 – “13” is not an unlucky number when the Astros trip the Cubs, 4-3, in 13 innings. Jim Wynn singles home Joe Morgan for Houston’s 13th win of the season. Dick Farrell and Bill Faul, who both wear 13 on their backs, are the starters but it’s Frank Carpinwho gets the victory.
On May 4, 1966, Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants establishes a new National League record for most career home runs. The “Say Hey Kid” hits his 512th home run, surpassing the total of former New York Giants great Mel Ott. Mays’ blast against Claude Osteen, which puts him fourth on the all-time list,…
1966 – Joe Morgan homers and drives in three to pace the Astros past the Cubs, 10-2. Dave Giusti is the complete-game winner, assisted by three Chicago errors that provide five unearned runs. Sonny Jackson adds three hits and a stolen base.
In the course of Pittsburgh’s 8 – 0 shellacking of the lowly New York Mets, in which the latter’s total of 4 hits is equaled by Roberto Clemente, the Pirate right fielder hits one ball, leading off the 4th, that the young Ron Swoboda, playing left field for the Mets that day, will recall, some thirty years later, as “the hardest ball I ever saw hit.” Bucs beat writer Les Biederman concurs: “The first hit by Clemente was one to remember. It started out on a line toward the right-center fence and came within inches of clearing the wall at the 436-foot sign. It bounced off the wall right back into rookie Billy Murphy’s hands.” “The ball got there so fast, and bounced back to Murphy so hard,” notes Dick Young of the New York Daily News, “that the speedy Roberto got only two bases.” “But,” adds Biederman, “the blast caused a rumble through the stands and no doubt unnerved Jack Fisher.”
Enjoy our free trial and start listening to games, interviews and shows! Ruth, Mantle, Aaron, and Seaver!