August '65
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:06 am
In the 1950's and 1960's, the All-Star game was dominated by the National League. At one time during this era, the National League won 21 of 22 games. In some years, two All-Star games were played.
It was no secret as to why the National League demoralized the American League.
The National League sported players such as Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, Willie Stargell, Dick Allen, Billy Williams, and Maury Wills. All on the 1965 All-Star team. In the meantime, the only minority players to make the American League squad were Vic Davalillo, Felix Mantilla, and Willie Horton. The American League was slow to integrate. They really were, the 'junior circuit'.
On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. This act assured that all minorities would have the right to vote without state ordered "tests".
Less than a week later, two policeman stopped two kids under suspicion of drunk driving. There was an argument, which grew into punches being thrown, which turned into mayhem. The Watts riots was born.
The riots raged in Watts and, on a smaller scale, in other cities across the United States throughout August.
On August 19, the Dodgers and Giants were to begin a series at Candlestick Park. The Dodgers had been in first place all year, but not by a large margin. They entered the series a game and a half up on the Giants. The Dodgers would scratch out runs while depending on Koufax, Drysdale, and Claude Osteen to shut down their opponents.
The Giants-Dodgers rivalry had been especially bitter that year. Don Drysdale had a philosophy that Mays could be intimidated with knockdown pitches. In an earlier game that year, Drysdale knocked Mays down in the ninth inning. Infuriated after the game, Marichal told reporters that, "If Drysdale ever comes close to one of our batters again, he better watch out". When told of the comment, Drysdale responded, "If he wants to get me, he better get me good, or I'll take four players with me, and I don't mean .220 hitters!"
The games were tight. The Dodgers won the first game in 15 innings. The Giants won the second game, but the Dodgers won the third, again in extra innings. Willie Mays had homered in each game, but there was a larger subplot.
In the second game, Maury Wills squared to bunt the ball. When batters square to bunt, catchers move forward in order to get a jump on the ball. Knowing this, Wills moved a step back and tipped Tom Haller's mitt. Catchers interference was called. Wills had used the trick before. The Giants roared disapproval. Giants Manager ordered Matty Alou to use the same tactic leading off the next inning. Alou, having never tried this before, missed both catcher John Roseboro's glove and the ball. Distracted by the attempt, Roseboro missed the ball and got thumped in the chest protector. Roseboro called Alou a "weasel bastard" and suggested that he not try that again. Alou's best friend, Marichal, started throwing obscenities at Roseboro from the bench. At the end of the inning, Roseboro sat on the bench next to Jim Gilliam, "Marichal better not get out of line on Sunday, I'm not taking any guff from him."
The fourth game of the series was set for Sunday, August 22. Marichal vs. Koufax. Koufax entered the game 21-8. Marichal, 19-9. Koufax E.R.A. was 2.10. Marichal's, 1.73.
Wills led off the game with a bunt single and scored on a double by Ron Fairly.
Marichal had had enough with Wills. When Wills got up in the second inning, he was on his back instantly from a high fastball. Wills dusted himself off and glared at Marichal. Wills best friend and roommate was, of course, John Roseboro. Roseboro wanted action against Marichal. With Willie Mays set to lead off the bottom of the second inning, Roseboro told Koufax that Mays would have to be knocked down. Koufax was averse to throwing at hitters. Although he used the inside to back hitters away from the plate, knocking down or hitting batters was not in his reportoire.
To mollify Roseboro, he sailed a pitch over Mays head. Later, Roseboro would say that Mays would have had to have been on a ladder to get hit with that pitch.
In the Dodgers third inning, Marichal backed Fairly away from the plate. The hoots and hollers started again.
Marichal led off the bottom of the third. Roseboro had lost hope in Koufax getting revenge. He would later say that, "Koufax was constitutionally incapable of throwing at anyone's head". Roseboro decided to take matters in his own hands.
Roseboro went to the mound and told Koufax to throw the ball low and in. The first pitch was a strike, the second came low and in, Roseboro boxed it a little behind Marichal and threw the ball past Marichal's ear. Roseboro got the reaction he had been looking for. "Why did you do that , you piece of ****? Roseboro took a step toward him. Although shorter, Roseboro was stocky and was ready for anything Marichal could dish out. Roseboro, however, did not anticipate Marichal would use the bat in his hand. Marichal hit him with three glancing blows on the head.
Orlando Cepeda and Tito Fuentes both ran from the Giants dugout with bats. Cepeda was tackled by Wally Moon. Fuentes, who had been called up just four days earlier had a thought that this was how it was done in the major leagues. He made it all the way out to where Marichal had been swarmed and Roseboro sat helpless. Willie Mays grabbed the bat and asked Fuentes if he had lost his mind.
It was not a typical baseball melee. Lou Johnson said later that he was throwing punches at anybody in a Giants uniform.
Roseboro was recovering from his daze. He would later say that he was raised with boxing gloves and learned karate, "and for all that fancy fighting I learned, I could only think to fight like it was a street fight."
Blood had pooled in Roseboro's left eye. It gave the appearance that Roseboro had a serious eye injury, some players thought that his eye had been knocked out. Roseboro got up and started towards Marichal, who had just worked his way out of a pile and was scrambling for the dugout.
Roseboro never made it.
"You're hurt, John. You're hurt. Stop the fighting. Your eye is out." Willie Mays put a paw on Roseboro's uniform and led him to the Dodger dugout. On the way to the dugout, Roseboro flipped off fans that were booing him.
Roseboro was cursing Mays for stopping him. Mays restrained Roseboro until Roseboro started receiving medical aid.
The fighting continued on the field. At one point Lou Johnson even chased after umpire Shag Crawford, before being tackled.
When the brawl was over, Crawford told both pitchers that if there were anymore inside pitches that they would be ejected. The melee shook Koufax. He walked the next two hitters and gave up a three run homer to Mays. The Giants won, 4-2.
The Giants won that battle . They would lose the war, the Dodgers went on to win the pennant and World Series.
Marichal was fined $1750 and suspended for eight games, or two starts. The fine was the largest in history,the suspension, one of the longest. He was also banned from traveling with the club to L.A. for a series there later in the year.
Roseboro was never fined even after admitting that he had started the rumble. After the year was over, Roseboro sued Marichal and won a settlement out of court.
Marichal, overly qualified for the Hall of Fame, did not make it with the first two votes. Roseboro took it upon himself to get Marichal elected. He berated the voters who had not voted for Marichal because of the incident. He had pictures with Marichal and himself together smiling at an old timers game at Dodger Stadium sent to writers. Insisting, that they were friends and over the ordeal, and suggested that writers should get over it as well.
Marichal was elected on the next ballot.
Roseboro and Marichal remained good friends. They would talk by phone every other day when apart and would enjoy outings together with their familes when in the same city.
Johnny Roseboro died from cancer in 2002.
Juan Marichal gave the eulogy.
It was no secret as to why the National League demoralized the American League.
The National League sported players such as Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, Willie Stargell, Dick Allen, Billy Williams, and Maury Wills. All on the 1965 All-Star team. In the meantime, the only minority players to make the American League squad were Vic Davalillo, Felix Mantilla, and Willie Horton. The American League was slow to integrate. They really were, the 'junior circuit'.
On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. This act assured that all minorities would have the right to vote without state ordered "tests".
Less than a week later, two policeman stopped two kids under suspicion of drunk driving. There was an argument, which grew into punches being thrown, which turned into mayhem. The Watts riots was born.
The riots raged in Watts and, on a smaller scale, in other cities across the United States throughout August.
On August 19, the Dodgers and Giants were to begin a series at Candlestick Park. The Dodgers had been in first place all year, but not by a large margin. They entered the series a game and a half up on the Giants. The Dodgers would scratch out runs while depending on Koufax, Drysdale, and Claude Osteen to shut down their opponents.
The Giants-Dodgers rivalry had been especially bitter that year. Don Drysdale had a philosophy that Mays could be intimidated with knockdown pitches. In an earlier game that year, Drysdale knocked Mays down in the ninth inning. Infuriated after the game, Marichal told reporters that, "If Drysdale ever comes close to one of our batters again, he better watch out". When told of the comment, Drysdale responded, "If he wants to get me, he better get me good, or I'll take four players with me, and I don't mean .220 hitters!"
The games were tight. The Dodgers won the first game in 15 innings. The Giants won the second game, but the Dodgers won the third, again in extra innings. Willie Mays had homered in each game, but there was a larger subplot.
In the second game, Maury Wills squared to bunt the ball. When batters square to bunt, catchers move forward in order to get a jump on the ball. Knowing this, Wills moved a step back and tipped Tom Haller's mitt. Catchers interference was called. Wills had used the trick before. The Giants roared disapproval. Giants Manager ordered Matty Alou to use the same tactic leading off the next inning. Alou, having never tried this before, missed both catcher John Roseboro's glove and the ball. Distracted by the attempt, Roseboro missed the ball and got thumped in the chest protector. Roseboro called Alou a "weasel bastard" and suggested that he not try that again. Alou's best friend, Marichal, started throwing obscenities at Roseboro from the bench. At the end of the inning, Roseboro sat on the bench next to Jim Gilliam, "Marichal better not get out of line on Sunday, I'm not taking any guff from him."
The fourth game of the series was set for Sunday, August 22. Marichal vs. Koufax. Koufax entered the game 21-8. Marichal, 19-9. Koufax E.R.A. was 2.10. Marichal's, 1.73.
Wills led off the game with a bunt single and scored on a double by Ron Fairly.
Marichal had had enough with Wills. When Wills got up in the second inning, he was on his back instantly from a high fastball. Wills dusted himself off and glared at Marichal. Wills best friend and roommate was, of course, John Roseboro. Roseboro wanted action against Marichal. With Willie Mays set to lead off the bottom of the second inning, Roseboro told Koufax that Mays would have to be knocked down. Koufax was averse to throwing at hitters. Although he used the inside to back hitters away from the plate, knocking down or hitting batters was not in his reportoire.
To mollify Roseboro, he sailed a pitch over Mays head. Later, Roseboro would say that Mays would have had to have been on a ladder to get hit with that pitch.
In the Dodgers third inning, Marichal backed Fairly away from the plate. The hoots and hollers started again.
Marichal led off the bottom of the third. Roseboro had lost hope in Koufax getting revenge. He would later say that, "Koufax was constitutionally incapable of throwing at anyone's head". Roseboro decided to take matters in his own hands.
Roseboro went to the mound and told Koufax to throw the ball low and in. The first pitch was a strike, the second came low and in, Roseboro boxed it a little behind Marichal and threw the ball past Marichal's ear. Roseboro got the reaction he had been looking for. "Why did you do that , you piece of ****? Roseboro took a step toward him. Although shorter, Roseboro was stocky and was ready for anything Marichal could dish out. Roseboro, however, did not anticipate Marichal would use the bat in his hand. Marichal hit him with three glancing blows on the head.
Orlando Cepeda and Tito Fuentes both ran from the Giants dugout with bats. Cepeda was tackled by Wally Moon. Fuentes, who had been called up just four days earlier had a thought that this was how it was done in the major leagues. He made it all the way out to where Marichal had been swarmed and Roseboro sat helpless. Willie Mays grabbed the bat and asked Fuentes if he had lost his mind.
It was not a typical baseball melee. Lou Johnson said later that he was throwing punches at anybody in a Giants uniform.
Roseboro was recovering from his daze. He would later say that he was raised with boxing gloves and learned karate, "and for all that fancy fighting I learned, I could only think to fight like it was a street fight."
Blood had pooled in Roseboro's left eye. It gave the appearance that Roseboro had a serious eye injury, some players thought that his eye had been knocked out. Roseboro got up and started towards Marichal, who had just worked his way out of a pile and was scrambling for the dugout.
Roseboro never made it.
"You're hurt, John. You're hurt. Stop the fighting. Your eye is out." Willie Mays put a paw on Roseboro's uniform and led him to the Dodger dugout. On the way to the dugout, Roseboro flipped off fans that were booing him.
Roseboro was cursing Mays for stopping him. Mays restrained Roseboro until Roseboro started receiving medical aid.
The fighting continued on the field. At one point Lou Johnson even chased after umpire Shag Crawford, before being tackled.
When the brawl was over, Crawford told both pitchers that if there were anymore inside pitches that they would be ejected. The melee shook Koufax. He walked the next two hitters and gave up a three run homer to Mays. The Giants won, 4-2.
The Giants won that battle . They would lose the war, the Dodgers went on to win the pennant and World Series.
Marichal was fined $1750 and suspended for eight games, or two starts. The fine was the largest in history,the suspension, one of the longest. He was also banned from traveling with the club to L.A. for a series there later in the year.
Roseboro was never fined even after admitting that he had started the rumble. After the year was over, Roseboro sued Marichal and won a settlement out of court.
Marichal, overly qualified for the Hall of Fame, did not make it with the first two votes. Roseboro took it upon himself to get Marichal elected. He berated the voters who had not voted for Marichal because of the incident. He had pictures with Marichal and himself together smiling at an old timers game at Dodger Stadium sent to writers. Insisting, that they were friends and over the ordeal, and suggested that writers should get over it as well.
Marichal was elected on the next ballot.
Roseboro and Marichal remained good friends. They would talk by phone every other day when apart and would enjoy outings together with their familes when in the same city.
Johnny Roseboro died from cancer in 2002.
Juan Marichal gave the eulogy.