RetroSimba

Ken Boyer’s unselfishness played an important role in the 31-game hitting streak of Dodgers outfielder Willie Davis in 1969.

On July 21, 1969, in the Pirates’ 2-1 victory over the Dodgers in 15 innings, Davis was 0-for-6, dropping his batting average to .260. Boxscore

One of Davis’ teammates that year was Boyer, who had been the Cardinals’ standout third baseman from 1955-65. Boyer was in the last season of a 15-year big-league career and primarily was being used as a pinch hitter by the Dodgers.

Entering a four-game series against the Cardinals at St. Louis, Davis “put down his slim-handled whip of a bat and picked up a heavier model, one Ken Boyer had been using,” John Kuenster wrote in Baseball Digest magazine.

“He choked up four inches on the knobless handle and started to hit.”

Davis, a left-handed batter, embarked on a 31-game hitting streak, stretching from Aug. 1 in St. Louis to Sept. 3 in Los Angeles, using Boyer’s 38-ounce Louisville Slugger U1 model. It was the longest hitting streak in the National League since Tommy Holmes’ 37-game stretch for the Braves in 1945.

Writing in 2011 for Examiner.com, Jim Smiley reported, “Boyer stopped using his own bats when his supply dwindled down to only two. After all, a teammate with a long hitting streak comes first.”

In a September 1969 interview with Charles Maher of the Los Angeles Times, Davis said, “I choke up about four inches to get more bat control. And I never try to pull the ball. Nine times out of 10, I’ll be trying to hit through the middle or to the opposite side.

“I’m not going to stop using Boyer’s bats … I think I broke one of them and he’s got two left. I don’t think Kenny’s even using them now. He knows I want to use them.”

Boyer understood the importance of teamwork and the elements needed to grow a hitting streak. Boyer had a 29-game hitting streak for the Cardinals in 1959.

Davis faced the Cardinals seven times during his streak:

_ Aug. 1, Cardinals 7, Dodgers 2, at St. Louis: In Game 1 of the streak, Davis went 1-for-4, hitting a double against Steve Carlton. Boxscore

_ Aug. 2, Cardinals 7, Dodgers 6, at St. Louis: Davis had an RBI-single against Mike Torrez and a two-run double against Joe Hoerner. Boxscore

_ Aug, 3, Dodgers 5, Cardinals 0, at St. Louis: Chuck Taylor yielded a double and a single to Davis. Boxscore

_ Aug. 4, Cardinals 2, Dodgers 1, at St. Louis: Davis singled against Nelson Briles, who pitched a complete-game seven-hitter. Boxscore

_ Aug. 11, Cardinals 4, Dodgers 2, at Los Angeles: In his final at-bat of the game, Davis hit an RBI-single off Steve Carlton in the eighth. Boxscore

_ Aug. 12, Dodgers 5, Cardinals 2, at Los Angeles: After starting 0-for-2, Davis singled in the sixth against Ray Washburn and singled in the eighth against Joe Hoerner. Boxscore

_ Aug. 13, Cardinals 5, Dodgers 0, at Los Angeles: Chuck Taylor pitched a six-hit shutout, but Davis had two of those hits _ singles in the seventh and ninth innings. Boxscore

Davis didn’t face Cardinals ace Bob Gibson during the streak. Gibson was 20-13 with a 2.18 ERA in 1969. Davis had a .320 (40-for-125) career batting average against Gibson.