54 Yankees Put Moves on 70 O's to Take 2 of 3

Game 1

Memorial Stadium

Morgan vs Phoebus

Bal 4 NYY 3

Yankees, looking for their first win of the KOD season score early on a Yogi Berra sac fly in the top of the first, but that is the only run Tom Phoebus yields as he gets out of a bases loaded jam to keep the Yankees close.  In the bottom of the third, Boog Powell follows a Don Buford single and Merv Rettenmund single with his third home run of the young season down the right field line to stake Baltimore to the 3-1 lead.   Phoebus would give up another run on a wild pitch in the 6th before exiting for the day.  Johnny Said would come in to relieve Morgan after 7 1/3 and although the Yankees would be stung by some sloppy fielding (4 errors in the game), none would lead to any additional Baltimore runs.  Johnny Sain would lead off the top of the ninth with a single before Pete Richert could get the next two batters bringing up The Mick with two out.  Mantle tripled down the left field line to tie the game against Baltimore reliever Eddie Watt.  Watt got out of trouble after a walk to Moose Skowron by enticing Yogi Berra into a ground out.  Tie game heading into the bottom of the ninth.   Sain retired the first two batter with no problem, but then Frank Robinson blasted a 3-1 pitch down the left field line for the walk off game winner!

Game 2

Memorial Stadium

Ford vs Cuellar

NYY 8  Bal 7

Cuellar struggled early in this one giving up 5 in the top of the second.  The big hit for the Yankees was an Andy Carey grand slam to left field!  Trailing by 5, it appears this one would be a route for the Yanks.  but not if Boog Powell had anything to say about it.  In the bottom of the second he answered with his 4th homerun (solo) of the season to make it 5-1 Yanks.  the Yanks answered right back as Phil Rizzuto lined an RBI double to put get the Yankees ahead once again by 5.  In the bottom of the 5th Powell hit his second home run of the game off of Ford to tighten the score to  Yankees 6 Orioles 5. The Yankees once again answered with 2 in the top of the 6th on sac flys by Carey and Mickey Mantle.  And this is where it would stay although Baltimore threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Baltimore scored two, but fell one hit short of tying this one.  Strangely this one seemed like a back and forth affair, however Yankee pitching and bats were able to maintain the upper hand throughout.

Game 3

Memorial Stadium

Grim vs Palmer

NYY 4  Bal 1

Baltimore's Jim Palmer continued his early season struggles in this one giving up 1 run in the top of the first on a Moose Skowron RBI triple (Who knew the guy could run? 😀).  Baltimore answered back in the bottom of the inning with 1 of their own as Don Buford tied the game with a lead off home run.  With Palmer laboring in the top of the second Bob Grim hit a two run homer that would be the deciding runs in this one.  the rest of the game belonged to the staffs as the only other run would score as a result of Mickey Mantle's solo home run in the 5th.  Grim sut down the O's bats for 8 innings and the Yankees take this game 4-1 and the series 2 games to 1.

Fun, if a little strange, series.  Alot of back and forth that kept all the games interesting.

--contribution by Mark Nixon--