Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: World Series Game Four

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LOS ANGELES 7, MINNESOTA 2 IN LOS ANGELES

Batting stars:  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-2 with two walks and a home run.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-4 with a home run.

Pitching star:  Al Worthington struck out two in two innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Don Drysdale struck out eleven in a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks.  Wes Parker was 2-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base, scoring twice.  Lou Johnson was 2-for-4 with a home run.

The game:  The Dodgers caught some breaks early.  They scored once in the first on two infield hits, a stolen base, and a ground out and got another run in the second on a bunt single, a stolen base, a wild pitch, and an error.  Killebrew and Parker exchanged home runs in the fourth to make it 3-1 Los Angeles.  Oliva homered in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2, but in the bottom of the sixth a two-run single by Ron Fairly and a bunt single by Johnson made it 6-2.  The Twins did not threaten after that.  Johnson homered in the eighth to round out the scoring.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-4.  Sandy Valdespino was 1-for-4.  Mudcat Grant was not hit particularly hard, but pitched five innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Record:  The series was now tied 2-2.

Notes:  Sam Mele again played Valdespino in left rather than Bob Allison to gain a platoon advantage.  Allison actually hit right-handers better than left-handers in 1965 and while his batting average against them was lower than Valdespino's, his OBP was higher and his slugging average was a lot higher...Six of the Dodgers' ten hits did not leave the infield.  Three of them were bunts...The Dodgers were 2-for-4 in stolen bases in the game.

5 thoughts on “1965 Rewind: World Series Game Four”

    1. AP blurb the next day:

      "We didn't make the plays," Mele said. "I'll talk to my players before Monday's game and keep reminding the to do the things they've got to do."

      "We didn't play our best ball - missing cutoff men and not playing the grounders right," he said.

      Mele cited two outfielders, Jimmie Hall and Tony Oliva, for missing cutoff men in the sixth inning, when Los Angeles scored three runs and broke the game open.

      Later in the article he criticized Don Mincher and Frank Quilici on defense, but he went out of his way to praise Sandy Valdespino for trying (unsuccessfully) top stretch a single into a double.

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