RetroSimba

Bob Gibson capped one of his best seasons as a hitter by slugging a grand slam against a fellow future Hall of Famer.

On Sept. 29, 1965, Gibson hit his first career grand slam. It came against Gaylord Perry at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, lifting the Cardinals to a victory that severely damaged the National League pennant hopes of the Giants.

The home run was the fifth of the season for Gibson, who batted .240 with 19 RBI in 1965. The year before, when the Cardinals won the pennant and World Series crown, Gibson had batted .156 with no home runs.

In his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said, “I was pleased that my stroke had returned after an off year in 1964.”

During his Cardinals career, Gibson hit 26 home runs _ 24 in the regular reason and two in the World Series. Each came against a different pitcher. Perry was the only one who, like Gibson, would be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Doing it all

The Giants entered their Wednesday afternoon game against the Cardinals in second place, a game behind the Dodgers, with five remaining.

It was their misfortune to be matched against Gibson. He dominated the Giants for eight innings that day with his pitching and hitting.

Gibson singled twice and scored the Cardinals’ first two runs.

In the eighth, with the Cardinals ahead, 4-0, runners on second and third and one out, Perry relieved starter Bob Shaw.

With Gibson on deck, Giants manager Herman Franks instructed Perry to issue an intentional walk to Bob Skinner, pinch-hitting for Julian Javier.

Perry, 27, hadn’t yet mastered the spitball that would transform him into an ace. He would yield a team-high 105 runs with the 1965 Giants, posting an 8-12 record and 4.19 ERA.

The first pitch from Perry to Gibson was a strike. The next was a high slider. Gibson lined it over the fence in left-center, giving the Cardinals an 8-0 lead.

“I’m not going to find fault with my pitchers at this late stage,” Franks said to the Associated Press. “Maybe they haven’t been going so well lately, but they’ve been good all year. I’ve got no complaints.”

Unhappy exit

Gibson took a two-hit shutout into the ninth.

Seeing their pennant chances slipping away, the Giants rallied. They scored five runs off Gibson on three singles, a walk and Jim Davenport’s three-run home run.

With one out and the bases empty, rookie pinch-hitter Bob Schroder was sent by Franks to face Gibson. The first pitch to the left-handed batter was a ball.

Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst decided to make a pitching change, bringing in left-hander Curt Simmons. Gibson was “seething” as he walked off the mound, the Oakland Tribune reported.

Simmons retired the first batter he faced, Bob Barton, who had replaced Schroder, for the second out of the inning.

The Giants, though, weren’t done. Cap Peterson reached second on an error by shortstop Dick Groat and scored on Jesus Alou’s single, cutting the Cardinals’ lead to 8-6.

That brought Willie Mays to the plate, representing the potential tying run.

High drama

Schoendienst removed Simmons and brought in the closer, Hal Woodeshick, a left-hander. Schoendienst told him to throw only fastballs at Mays’ fists. Explained Gibson: “He’d murder the ball if he could straighten his arms.”

Mays turned on one of the inside deliveries and pulled a single off the glove of third baseman Ken Boyer.

With Alou on second and Mays on first, slugger Willie McCovey was up next. A double likely would bring home both runners, tying the score. A home run would give the Giants a victory after being eight runs down entering the ninth.

The tension built with each pitch. McCovey slashed one long, but foul.

With the count 3-and-2, Woodeshick threw a curve. It broke down and away from the left-handed batter.

“The pitch was bad,” said Woodeshick. “I thought it was ball four.”

Said McCovey: “Everybody in the park could see it was a ball. I knew it, too _ too late.”

McCovey swung and missed.

“When you’re tensed up and excited like those guys are, that kind of thing happens,” Woodeshick said.

The Giants’ loss combined with a Dodgers victory over the Reds dropped San Francisco two behind with four to play. The Dodgers would go on to win the pennant. Boxscore

Previously: Cardinals pitchers enjoy grand slam streak