Stan Musial won a game for the Cardinals with a walkoff pop-out.
It happened 60 years ago, on May 31, 1963, against the Giants at St. Louis.
In the ninth inning, with the score tied at 5-5, reliever Don Larsen, the former Yankee who pitched a World Series perfect game, walked Cardinals leadoff batter Curt Flood.
Bill White tried to move Flood to second with a sacrifice bunt, but fouled off two attempts. Then he swung away, rapping a grounder to second baseman Cap Peterson. A rookie, Peterson’s throw to shortstop Jose Pagan covering second was too late to get Flood, and White was safe at first on the fielder’s choice.
Bobby Bolin relieved and Dick Groat bunted, pushing the ball between the mound and third base. Bolin fielded it and tried getting Flood at third, but Flood beat the toss and Groat was credited with an infield single, loading the bases for Musial.
A left-hander, Billy Pierce, was brought in to face him.
Giants manager Al Dark moved the infield in and called for his outfielders to play shallow, hoping to make a play at the plate if necessary.
Musial swung at Pierce’s first pitch and hit a pop-up toward the right side of the infield. The umpires shouted, “Infield fly,” meaning Musial automatically was out.
Dazed and confused
The infield fly rule is called on a fair ball that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when runners either are on first and second, or when the bases are loaded, before two are out. The rule is for the benefit of the runners because it keeps infielders from letting a shallow fly drop with the intention of causing a force play at second and third, or second, third and home, according to MLB.com. A runner is allowed to attempt to advance at his own risk.
When Musial’s pop fly went into the air, Peterson turned and started back toward his normal second base position, the San Francisco Examiner reported. Then he froze, according to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
When center fielder Willie Mays and right fielder Felipe Alou saw Peterson fail to react, they raced in to try for a catch.
“Mays came closest to getting the ball,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, but it fell among he and Alou and Peterson. According to the Examiner, “the ball landed right where Peterson was standing when the ball was pitched.”
When Curt Flood on third saw that the ball was unlikely to be caught, he dashed to the plate. Mays tried to grab the ball on one bounce so that he could throw home, the Post-Dispatch reported, but he could not come up with it. Flood streaked across the plate with the winning run and Musial was credited with a RBI.
Disgusted, Mays kicked his glove about 30 feet, the Post-Dispatch reported. Boxscore
The pop fly was Peterson’s responsibility to catch, Dark said to the Post-Dispatch. Regarding the outcome of a game being decided on an infield fly rule out, Dark told the newspaper, “I’ve never seen such a play at any point in any game.”
The wining pitcher was Bob Gibson, who had entered in the top of the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning of relief. He retired Willie McCovey, Matty Alou and Harvey Kuenn in order.
RetroSimba 
I remember Cap Peterson with the Giants. Died young.
Yes, Cap Peterson was 37 when he died of kidney failure in May 1980.
According to his hometown Tacoma News Tribune, “Beset by a kidney disorder, Peterson never complained. He gave completely of himself to his family, his job and his friends, never losing the light touch which made him a pleasure to be around.”
After his playing career, Peterson earned a degree from Pacific Lutheran University in May 1973, the News Tribune reported. The next year, he began receiving treatments on a kidney dialysis machine, according to the newspaper. He became president of a construction company founded by his father.
What an exciting 9th inning finish! Sure wish I had been at this one w/ my Dad!
Yep, I would like to hear Harry Caray’s description of that play. Imagine his excitement when Stan Musial approached the plate with the bases loaded and no outs, and then Harry’s deflated moans when The Man popped up, and then the exhilaration when the ball dropped and Curt Flood scored.
I never knew about Cap Peterson passing away at only 37. There are almost always crazy and controversial situations when the infield fly rule is called. It’s of the utmost importance for the infielders to remember that on an infield fly rule there is no force play.
The infield fly rule is quite the baseball puzzle. I imagine it confounds a lot of players. A fun newspaper or broadcast segment would be to ask 10 big-league rookies to define the infield fly rule.
I guess being early on in his career would explain Gibson coming in as a reliever. What a great inning! I love baseball situations like that, love them much more than a homerun.
Bob Gibson broke his leg in September 1962, and though he was in the Cardinals’ starting rotation when the 1963 season began, he got off to a rocky start, posting a 2-3 record and 6.33 ERA after 8 starts. Manager Johnny Keane moved him to the bullpen _ not as a punishment, but to give him a chance to work more often after being idle for most of the winter because of the injury.
The appearance against the Giants was Gibson’s third consecutive relief stint. After that, he returned to the rotation, regained his form and finished the 1963 season with an 18-9 record and 3.39 ERA.
In this instance, being sent from the rotation to the bullpen (and being given more, not less, work) was a good thing.
Sometimes I spend too much time thinking up some clever reply to post on a blog. But with your blog Mark, I feel comfortable raising questions, dumb as they may be, because you are sincere and kind and your knowledge and research provides excellent answers. Thank you for the explanation about Gibson that year. His story comes at a perfect time for me because I’m being slammed at work with multiple projects and so now I can channel Bob Gibson 1963 and complete all that needs to be done.
Here’s hoping you get a complete-game win on those work projects, Steve.
Today went well and in that tomorrow is Friday, I’m about in the bottom of the 5th. Thanks Mark.
The A’s were involved in a similar play like this last year. Infamous bonehead Elvis Andrus caught a popup and the runner on third scored as he stood there like an idiot before throwing late to the plate. A play I had never seen and haven’t seen since. I didn’t even know how to score it, (yes, I just happened to be scoring the game) since SAC, POP, 6 just makes no damn sense. In the end, I just wrote “idiot” in the box and moved on.
Great stuff as always, Mark…and welcome back.
Your scoring system makes loads of sense to me, Gary. I think you should trademark it. It’s easier to grasp than the ancient way and a heck of a lot more direct.
The fault was Alvin Dark’s for playing Peterson instead of Ernie Bowman, who had much more experience at second – hundreds of minor league games vs. only 38 for Peterson. With that right-handed lineup, it’s not like he needed Peterson’s bat to beat Curt Simmons.
In the top of the 9th, with the score tied and shortstop Jose Pagan due to lead off, Al Dark sent up a pinch-hitter, Willie McCovey, who struck out against Bob Gibson. Ernie Bowman replaced Pagan at shortstop in the bottom half of the inning.
Cap Peterson had little experience playing second base. In 1962, when he was the batting champion (.335) and MVP of the Texas League, he played shortstop for El Paso. He opened the 1963 season at shortstop with Tacoma and was switched to second base after a week, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Peterson was called up to the Giants on May 14, 1963, after second baseman Chuck Hiller chipped a bone in his left hand and was sidelined.