October 1, 1932
The Yankees and the Cubs squared off in game 3 of the World Series in Wrigley Field. The Yankees came into Chicago after winning the first two games in New York. The Cubs and their fans were giving the Yankees, and especially Babe Ruth, an earful. Ruth was not bothered by it in the first inning, as he hit a 3-run home run to give the Yankees an early lead. Lou Gehrig hit a home run in the third inning to boost the lead to 4-1.
The Cubs tied it up with a couple of runs in the bottom of the third and another run in the bottom of the fourth. The Babe came up with one out in the top of the fifth and the Cubs were giving it to him again. Cub pitcher Charlie Root quickly got the count to no balls and two strikes. Ruth then made one of the most famous gestures in sports history. He pointed to center field and told the Cubs that he was going to hit one out to center. The very next pitch was a curve ball that Ruth hit at least 440 feet to center field for a home run to give the Yankees the lead.
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Gehrig hit the next pitch into the right field seats for his second home run of the game. The Yankees would go on to win the game 7-5 on their way to a World Series sweep.
October 1, 1961
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Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were both hitting home runs at a historic pace. Roger Maris had 33 home runs and Mickey Mantle had 29 at the All Star break, and both seemed to be able to break Babe Ruth’s record of 60. The press made it out to be a bitter rivalry, with the sluggers hating each other. Another bit of controversy was the number of games that were played. Because of the expansion that added the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, the schedule was increased from 154 to 162 games.
Maris and Mantle continued to hit home runs, and they started September with 51 and 48, respectively. It was an exciting summer for them, and it was going to come down to the wire. After 154 games, Maris had 59 home runs and Mantle had 53. This meant to many people that Ruth’s record of 60 was safe. However, the season was not over and both of them kept playing. Maris hit the record-tying home run in game number 158.
On October 1, the Boston Red Sox were playing in New York for the 162nd game of the season. Maris came up in the bottom of the fourth with one out and nobody on. Red Sox pitcher fell behind, two balls and no strikes. Maris hit the next pitch into the right field bleachers for his 61st home run, 29 years to the day after Ruth hit his famous “Called Shot.”
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Birthdays
1945 – Rod Carew
1958 – Alton Lister
1963 – Mark McGwire
1971 – Amp Lee
