1966 – Jim Gentile drills a homer off Elroy Face in the eleventh inning to drop Pittsburgh, 3-2. John Bateman had earlier gone deep off Vern Law to send the game into overtime. Claude Raymond picks up the win.
1965 – Bob Aspromonte is the first to set off the Astrodome scoreboard’s home run display for its intended purpose during a 5-0 shutout of the Pirates. Vern Law is the victim. Jim Wynn adds another blast two innings later to delight the crowd. Dick Farrellscatters seven hits.
Vern Law (4-5) is placed on the retired list with a sore arm. He will come back in 1964.
On July 7, 1963 the Pittsburgh Pirates win their 10th straight. The Pirates score 5 in the second and break open the game with 4 more in the 7th. The win delivered the 1oth straight loss to the Mets 11-5, Smokey Burgess and Bob Bailey homered in the second off Jay Hook. The Pirates nicked…
1962 – Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Co. overpower Roberto Clemente’s Pirates with a devastating aerial assault and an assist from the Pirates’ very own fifth column, “Dr. Strangeglove”, Dick Stuart. “Vern Law was not around long,” writes Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Chuck Hiller led off with a single and Jim Davenport forced him. Mays then hit a line drive, 420-foot home run for 2 – 0. With two down in the 3rd, McCovey belted a memorable shot over the left-field scoreboard. It was one of the few ever ripped into that area by a lefthander in the more than half a century existence of ivy-cloaked Forbes Field. The McCovey smash stood up for the victory, as Jack Lamabe, Tom Sturdivant and Earl Francis shut out the Giants on four hits until Stuart goofed in the 8th. The Bucs started to move in the 4th, when Bill Mazeroski singled home Clemente, who also contributed a dazzling throw from right field to cut down the sliding McCovey at the plate in the 6th.”
1962 – Roberto Clemente’s home run almost reaches Forbes Field’s right-field roof, providing Pittsburgh with an early 3-run lead over Houston which starter Vern Law will not relinquish. As Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press recounts: “Roberto Clemente almost made history Saturday, missing by a foot or so of being the first right-handed batter to hit a ball to the right field roof. Clemente’s homer in the first inning landed against the facing of the right field roof, a tremendous blast as it was.” Bobby Bragan, formerly Pittsburgh’s manager but now working for Houston, provides his own account: “The ball was within a foot or so of landing on top of the roof and perhaps two or three feet in fair territory. It probably was the longest ball ever hit to that field by a right-handed batter.”
On July 2, 1961 The Pirates sweep a pair from the Giants, winning 7 – 6 and 9 – 0. Sore-armed Vern Law, making his first start in more than three weeks, is lifted in the 6th and Harvey Haddix wins in relief. Bobby Shantz pitches a 5-hitter to win the nitecap as the Bucs score six unearned runs off Juan Marichal. The Giants,…
Major League Baseball Season Recap 1960 World Series – Pittsburgh Pirates NL over New York Yankees AL 4 games to 3 World Series MVP – Bobby Richardson Babe Ruth Award – Bill Mazerowski Awards – Major League Cy Young Award Vern Law MVP Awards – NL Dick Groat AL Roger Maris Major League Rookie of The Year – NL…
1960 – Vern Law, who finished 20-9 with 18 complete games for the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates, is voted Cy Young Award winner. Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves finishes second.
At Forbes Field, Roger Maris becomes the seventh major leaguer to homer in first World Series at-bat. The right fielder’s first-inning round-tripper off Vernon Law gets the Yankees off to a good start, but the Pirates will win Game 1 of the Fall Classic, 6-4.