One Away

Written by: Bill Chuck on 22nd March 2009

Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, Rich Gedman, and Paul Molitor.

All of these gentlemen are well known ballplayers; yet each of them could have achieved fame, or infamy, far beyond what they had ever, or would ever, reach. Each were just one away.

The scene is the 1962 World Series, Game 7, 9th inning as the Yankees’ Ralph Terry is defending a 1-0 lead. It should be remembered that Terry was on the mound in the 9th inning of Game 7 the prior year and given up Bill Mazeroski’s walkoff homer.

Pinch-hitter Matty Alou leads off with a bunt single. Matteo’s brother Felipe and Chuck Hiller both strike out and up steps Willie. If Mays makes an out, he will be remembered for making the last out; if he homers, it would be the first walkoff come-from-behind homer in World Series history. Willie doubles and becomes the winning run at second as the tying run reaches third. Up steps Stretch and forever Willie McCovey is the one remembered for hitting the screeching liner to second grabbed by Bobby Richardson. Mays was one away.

Roy Campanella is one of the greatest of stars of major league baseball and of the Negro Leagues. He played on Brooklyn’s only World Championship and he played the following season as the Dodgers tried to defend their title against the Yankees. The situation was Game Five and the teams were tied 2-2. In this game, the Yankees were leading 2-0 and it was the 9th inning at Yankee Stadium.

Carl Furillo led of the inning with a fly out to right field and up stepped Campy. He then meekly hit a roller to Billy Martin at second for out number two. If you know your baseball history, you know the next batter. His name was Dale Mitchell and when his half-swing was called strike three, Don Larson completed the only perfect game in World Series history. Campanella was one away.

It’s 1986, and the Curse of the Bambino is in full bloom. It’s Game 6 of the World Series and its Boston versus New York, the Mets are the New Yorkers this time. The champagne was on ice in the visitors’ clubhouse at Shea Stadium because with a three game to two lead and a 5-3 lead and two outs in the bottom of the 11th, the Red Sox were on their way to celebrating. With two strikes, Gary Carter singled. With two strikes, pinch hitter Keith Mitchell singled. Ray Knight then singled and the score was now 5-4 as Mitchell went to third. Up stepped Mookie Wilson, the name might be familiar. Bob Stanley was on the mound and he threw a pitch that some say was a spitball, but I’ve watched it over and over and I still claim the Boston catcher, Rich Gedman, missed what should have been called a passed ball. Mitchell scored the tying run. On the tenth pitch of the at bat Mookie hit a roller down the first base line and Billy Buckner’s name became forever etched in our brain. Had he fielded that ball cleanly, he would never have been noticed in that sequence of events. Gedman was one away.

Phillies fans can handle this next story now thanks to their current World Championship, but they’ve been waiting since 1993. On October 23 we watched Game 6 go into the 9th all tied up at the Skydome. Rickey Henderson led off the inning for the Jays with a walk. One out later, up stepped Paul Molitor who has been known to be able to hit for extra bases. With Henderson on base, the chances are excellent that his speed would have allowed him to score from first on a double. Molitor singled. Up stepped Joe Carter and he didn’t need Henderson’s speed. Williams, as he often was, was wild in the strike zone and Carter blasted a pitch into the history books. The Blue Jays were the World Champs. Molitor was one away.

I mention this because of the death of Whitey Lockman. You may not have heard of him even though he played for 15 years and managed the Cubs for parts of three seasons. Carroll Walter Lockman made his major league debut with the New York Giants as an outfielder, hitting a home run in his first at-bat in 1945. By the 1951 season he was the starting first baseman for the Giants.

In the third game of the playoff series against the Dodgers at the Polo Grounds on Oct. 3, 1951, Lockman came to bat in the bottom of the 9th with one out, facing starting pitcher Don Newcombe, as the tying run. He hit a run-scoring double that cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-2. In came Ralph Branca in relief, up stepped Bobby Thomson who hit a shot heard ‘round the world and as Russ Hodges screamed, “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”

Lockman was one away.

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Topics: Paul Molitoe, Rich Gedman, Roy Campenella, Whitey Lockman, Willie Mays