Vinegar Bend Mizell

In a game described by Pirate shortstop Dick Groat as “the greatest I ever played in,” and by veteran Forbes Field observer Les Biederman as “probably the most thrilling spectacle ever witnessed by the greater portion of the 33,304 wild-eyed fans,” the World Series-bound Bucs buttress their 1st-place margin over Milwaukee by pulling out a 1 – 0 win over the 5th-place Giants. The game’s only run comes in the 8th inning, with Pirate centerfielder Bill Virdon scoring from first on an errant throw by pitcher Sam Jones. But it’s the non-scoring plays that are most spectacular: for the Giants, Willie Mays nips a 7th-inning Bucs uprising in the bud with a brilliant throw to cut down Don Hoak going first to third. However, it’s the Pirates’ Vinegar Bend Mizell who’s the chief beneficiary of this game’s defensive prowess: the “Say Hey Kid” himself is robbed of a sure extra-base hit by Roberto Clemente in a terrifying catch and crash that knocks the Pirates’ right fielder out of the game and out of the lineup for a week as he smashes face-on into the concrete base of the right-centerfield stands, at the 395-foot mark, and collapses on the dirt warning track. Five stitches are required to close a laceration on his chin, and his left knee is sorely damaged. An inning before that, Virdon made a tremendous running grab of Felipe Alou’s bomb to the distant left center light tower, and, in the 8th, Virdon makes what Biederman will describe as “the play of the season,” coming close to making a leaping grab of Andre Rodgers’ drive to the 406-foot mark in left center, then recovering almost instantly to make a strong, accurate throw to 3B Hoak. Out by a mile is Rodgers, making an ill-advised, two-out try for third.