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Returned to the lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury, Curt Flood sealed a win for the Cardinals and displayed his brilliance as a center fielder by making a rare unassisted double play.

Flood had a hand in turning 28 double plays in 12 seasons (1958-69) as a Cardinals center fielder. None was more impressive than the one he turned on June 19, 1967.

Flood achieved the first unassisted double play by a National League center fielder in 34 years. Before him, the last to do it was Danny Taylor of the Dodgers against the Cardinals on June 20, 1933.

Solid in center

From September 1965 to June 1967, Flood flawlessly handled 555 chances and had 226 successive errorless games. His streak was broken on June 4, 1967.

Two days later, Flood was out of the lineup because of the hamstring injury. He didn’t make a start from June 6 through June 12. The Cardinals started Bobby Tolan in center during Flood’s absence.

When Flood returned to the starting lineup June 13, the Cardinals were in second place, three games behind the Reds. With his glove and bat, Flood helped the Cardinals win four of five and move into first place entering the June 19 series opener against the Astros at Houston.

St. Louis took a 4-3 lead into the ninth, but Julio Gotay delivered a RBI-single off Cardinals reliever Nelson Briles with two outs, tying the score.

Back on top

The Cardinals regained the lead in the 11th. Tim McCarver singled off Barry Latman. Roger Maris followed with a double to right. When McCarver got to third, he hesitated, then dashed to the plate.

The relay from shortstop Bob Lillis to catcher Ron Brand was on the first-base side of the dish, enabling McCarver to slide across safely.

“If the throw is right in there, we get McCarver at the plate,” Astros manager Grady Hatton said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Instead, the Cardinals led, 5-4.

Game of inches

Briles, working his third inning of relief, yielded a leadoff single to Jim Landis in the Astros’ half of the 11th. Landis moved to second on Bob Aspromonte’s sacrifice bunt.

Lillis, the Astros’ eighth-place batter, stepped to the plate and hit a ball to shallow center.

Landis, like many in the Astrodome, was so sure the ball would fall for a single that he raced without hesitation toward the plate.

Unwilling to concede a hit, Flood advanced swiftly toward the ball.

“I thought Flood was doing us a favor the way he played the ball,” Hatton said. “He easily could have played the ball into a double or a triple and given us the game.”

At the last moment, Flood reached forward, caught the ball at his shoestrings and, with his momentum carrying him forward, sprinted to second and stepped on the bag for the game-ending double play. Boxscore

Good as gold

“That had to be the greatest catch I’ve ever seen in such a clutch situation,” said Cardinals shortstop Dal Maxvill.

Hatton acknowledged, “You have to give him credit for a great and daring catch.”

Said Flood: “I caught the ball right off the AstroTurf. There was only one thing between the ball and the turf _ my leather glove. I had a good jump on the drive, but I was a little afraid that it might get by me for an inside-the-park homer. It was a one-on-one play: Either I make it or I don’t.”

Eddie Bressoud, the Cardinals reserve infielder who had started his career with the Giants, said, “I’d have to put Flood right with Mays as the best I’ve seen at getting to a ball. Curt is just as sure-handed as Willie. Willie’s only edge is his throwing arm.”

The victory was the second of seven in a row for the Cardinals and helped them solidify their hold on first place. They would go on to win the 1967 NL pennant and World Series championship.

Previously: Curt Flood errorless streak ended in controversy