Johnny Keane made a commitment to the heart of Bob Gibson and the outcome was successful for the Cardinals.
On Oct. 15, 1964, the Yankees and Cardinals played the decisive Game 7 of the World Series at St. Louis. The Cardinals started their ace, Gibson, and led, 7-3, entering the ninth inning.
Gibson, 28, had pitched eight innings in Game 2 and 10 innings in Game 5. He also had pitched eight innings in his final start of the regular season on Oct. 2 and four innings of relief in the pennant-clinching season finale on Oct. 4.
Keane, the Cardinals’ manager, never wavered in sending out Gibson to pitch the ninth inning of Game 7.
In his book, “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said, “By this time, I was simply throwing as hard as I could on every pitch, grunting up my best frazzled-arm fastballs. Keane had sent me out there with the advice to throw nothing but fastballs, remarking that he didn’t think the Yankees could hit four home runs in one inning.”
Author David Halberstam, in his book “October 1964,” wrote, “Rarely had Bob Gibson wanted anything so badly as to finish this game. Johnny Keane, who knew (Gibson) was tired and knew he was wearing down, came over to Gibson and told him he was going to stay with him.”
Said Keane to Gibson: “Bob, I’m going with you in the ninth. Just throw it over the plate. Don’t be cute. Don’t go for the corners. Just get it over.”
Strikeouts and homers
The first batter, Tom Tresh, struck out. The next, No. 8 batter Clete Boyer, “jumped on the fastball he knew was coming,” Gibson said, and hit a home run over the left-field wall, making the score, 7-4.
Gibson struck out Johnny Blanchard, who was batting for pitcher Pete Mikkelsen.
With one more out, the Cardinals would be World Series champions.
Phil Linz, a shortstop who had hit five home runs during the regular season, batted next and hit a home run over the left-field wall.
The score was 7-5. Up next was Bobby Richardson, who had produced 13 hits in the Series. If Richardson reached base, Roger Maris would follow, then Mickey Mantle.
“I looked over to the dugout at Keane,” Gibson said, “wondering if perhaps he had overestimated my speed and underestimated the Yankees’ power.”
Lots of heart
Ray Sadecki, a left-hander who had started Games 1 and 4, was loosening in the bullpen. Keane decided he would bring in Sadecki to face the left-handed Maris if Richardson got on base.
After Gibson worked the count to 1-and-1 on Richardson, Keane went to the mound to talk with his pitcher. Catcher Tim McCarver “did not go all the way out because he knew Gibson hated it when the catcher came out _ and, besides, there was nothing to say,” Halberstam wrote.
The next pitch from Gibson was a fastball. Richardson swung and hit a pop-up to second baseman Dal Maxvill, who made the catch. Video
The Cardinals were World Series champions for the first time in 18 years.
Asked why he stayed with a tiring Gibson in the ninth, Keane replied, “He didn’t pitch only with his arm. He pitched with his heart. He’s got lots of heart … I went all the way with him because I was committed to this fellow’s heart.” Boxscore
Privately, a proud Keane said to Gibson after the game, “You’re on your way.”
In the New York Daily News, Phil Pepe wrote, “The story of the Cardinals’ world championship is the story of Johnny Keane and yesterday it was the story of Bob Gibson. It is the story of faith … of John Keane’s faith in Bob Gibson and of Bob Gibson’s faith in himself.”
Previously: 4 Series aces for Cards: Gibson, Porter, Eckstein, Freese
Previously: Johnny Keane to Gussie Busch: Take this job and shove it
RetroSimba 
The Dark Knight can pitch on my team any day.
He’s a talented pitcher.
When Topps colorized that card, they got the colors wrong. Game 7 was a home game, so the Cardinals would have been wearing red caps. In 1964, they wore red caps at home at blue caps on the road. In 1965 they went to red caps all the time.
Thanks for the insights.
Just one more example that they used to play the game better. Analitics, sabermetrics and advanced stats have there place. But today, it seems that what decides the game are the stats and not the players on the field. In a deciding game of a World Series you’ve got grown men living out their childhood dreams. Let them play the game!
Thanks, Phillip. Well said. The last sentence of your comment sums it up well. I have a friend who is a former major-leaguer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He was in contact with 10 other baseball insiders this week and all agreed the analytics are being overdone and hurting the game.