#137 World Series Game 6 - Bouton Wins Again

The 1964 World Series opened in St. Louis on October 7th and it ended 8 days later back in St. Louis with the Cardinals winning the decisive Game 7.

It was the fifth time these two teams had faced each other in the World Series, with the Yankees winning in 1928 and 1943 and the Cardinals prevailing in 1926 and 1942.  This also marked the end of an era for the Yankees, as the club had appeared in 14 of 16 fall classics since 1949 and they wouldn't appear again until 1976.  Former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra (#470) was in his first year as the team's manager, and he'd be unceremoniously fired following the series loss and replaced with (ironically enough) the Cardinals' manager, Johnny Keane (#131).  Keane would only last with the Yankees until 20 games into the 1966 season.

World Series cards were a key subset in Topps offerings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a card highlighting each game along with a series capping "Celebration" card.

Building the Set
February 16, 2021 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #234

Busy with my chosen profession, rarely leaving the house and anxiously awaiting the return of live baseball, I turned to eBay in early February for some cardboard therapy.  I spent at least a solid hour one dreary afternoon browsing the current auctions of Greg Morris Cards from Los Angeles, as that dealer had broken down yet another mint 1965 Topps set for auction.  Of the 20-plus cards I bid on, I ended up winning only five auctions and I feel I overpaid for these cards - although the cards are pristine.  As the auctions wound down, and as the outbid notifications started to pile up on my phone, I upped my existing bids on 10 or so remaining auctions in the hope of coming away with something.  This World Series card was one of the five cards I won, and the most expensive of the bunch, with a winning bid of $6.50.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Yankees Team Set

The Cardinals held a 3-2 series lead and were looking to win the Championship behind starting pitcher Curt Simmons (#373).  He faced off against Yankees starting pitcher Jim Bouton (#30), who had previously out-dueled him in Game 2.  Simmons departed with two outs in the top of the 7th with the Yankees holding a 3-1 lead.  The Yankees had taken the lead in the sixth when Roger Maris (#155) and Mickey Mantle (#350) hit back-to-back home runs.

The game became a laugher for the Yankees in the eighth when Elston Howard (#450) singled off Cardinals' reliever Barney Schultz (#28) to score Phil Linz (#369).  After a walk to Tom Tresh (#440), Schultz was relieved by Gordie Richardson who surrendered a grand slam to Joe Pepitone (#245).  No offense to Bouton here, but Pepitone would have been a more logical choice for the front of this card.

Bouton pitched 8 1/3 innings before fading and yielding to reliever Steve Hamilton (#309).  Bouton came away with the win and his final line showed 3 runs on 9 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5.  The win improved his World Series record to 2-0.  The Yankees lived to play another day and forced a Game 7 showdown.

Sources:
Baseball Reference

Prior Card:  #136 World Series Game 5

Next Card:  #138 World Series Game 7