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| Introduction |
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| The Off Season |
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| April & May |
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| Page 1 |
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| Page 2 |
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| Page 3 |
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| June |
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| July |
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| August |
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| September |
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| October |
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| April & May |
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Koufax started and pitched into the 11th inning and earned a win when the Dodgers scored four runs in the 11th inning with Koufax hitting a single and scoring a run in the tie breaking inning. Bob Miller relieved Koufax to get the final two outs for the save. Two nights later, the Dodgers defeated the Astros, 4-2, but this time it took 14 innings. Ron Fairly’s fourth hit of the game was a two-run home run to be the decisive runs. Five Dodger relief pitchers shut out the Astros over the final 8 2/3 innings, but it was the last Dodger reliever that provided an unusual twist to the game. With a runner on first base and two outs in the 14th inning, Alston brought in Drysdale to face a tough hitter in Astro rookie Joe Morgan. Drysdale struck out Morgan for the final out, and starting pitcher Drysdale earned a save. The victory was also notable because it was the 1,000th win for Dodger Manager Walter Alston in his major league career.1
Things didn’t always bounce their way. On May 23rd in Chicago, the Dodgers scored two quick runs in the first inning, but saw the Cubs tie the game in the ninth inning. The two teams battled until the 16th inning when the Cubs pushed over a run to win, 3-2. Alston used a six-man infield successfully in the 12th inning when he brought in right fielder Ron Fairly to play first base as regular first baseman Wes Parker charged the bunt attempt.2 Every game was tight because of the strength of the Dodger pitching. And, every game was tight because the Dodgers did not have much offense.
A late night in May showed two great pitchers against each other. On May 25th, Drysdale started for the Dodgers against the vaunted Bob Gibson of the Cardinals. Curt Flood singled to open the game for the Cardinals, but was later stranded at third base to end the inning. Flood might as well have waited all night at third base for his Cardinal teammates as Drysdale did not allow another hit the rest of the night in the 2-0 shutout win. Only one other Cardinal hitter reached base, and that was by an error. Drysdale did not walk anyone and even singled and scored a run. How great were the two pitchers that night? They played a nine inning game in one hour, 41 minutes.
How many ways did the Dodgers need to score runs? On May 27th, the Dodgers scored the winning run in the ninth inning to defeat the Braves, 3-2 when Al Ferrara coaxed a one out walk from Brave pitcher Denny LeMaster. The Braves had eight hits, four of them doubles, but lost. The Dodgers had just six singles and no extra base hits, but Johnny Podres, still showing he had the touch, kept the Braves off balance and pitched a complete game win. Two nights later, Lou Johnson’s second home run of the game helped the Dodgers to a four-run eighth inning and they defeated the Braves, 5-3 as Drysdale pitched a complete game and struck out 12.
A big moment for the club came on May 28th when Jim Gilliam was activated as a player from the coaching ranks. The popular Gilliam had been named as a Dodger coach late in the 1964 season as one of the first African-American coaches in major league history. The 1953 National League Rookie of the Year still had enough ability to play in the major leagues. He was expected to play in a utility role, but on May 31st, he played in 16 innings of 18 innings in a doubleheader. Gilliam had just one hit in his first 10 at bats, but regained his batting eye quickly. He hit safely in his next 11 of 13 game appearances with 20 hits in 48 at bats and gave the Dodgers a valuable lift. Alston said of Gilliam, “It’s his experience that makes him so valuable.”3
The team had been healthy coming out of spring training, but injuries were popping up. May 30th added to the strangeness of the 1965 season. The Dodgers and Reds opened a three-game series on a Sunday with the teams playing a Memorial Day doubleheader the next day. The Dodgers broke a 2-1 game open in the third inning with six runs and with Koufax on the mound, they opened a 10-1 lead. In the fourth inning, a leg cramp suffered by Willie Davis led to the scariest moment of the game. Ferrara came into the game to play left field and Lou Johnson moved to center. The Reds had scored twice and with two men on base and two out, shortstop Leo Cardenas hit a line drive to left center. Left fielder Ferrara and center fielder Johnson both converged on the ball and collided hard, the ball falling free for a triple and two more runs scoring. Johnson was badly shaken up and remained in the game, but Ferrara was knocked out and removed from the game by stretcher. When Ferrara came to in the clubhouse, the competitor in him demanded, “Who took me out of the game?” It was Drysdale who told him, “It was six guys, on a stretcher.”4
As the Dodgers moved to a three game lead over the Giants on May 31, someone told sportswriter Bob Hunter, “Now I see how they’re doing it. With a minor leaguer from Spokane (Lou Johnson), another who was ticketed there (Al Ferrara), a coach (Jim Gilliam), a rookie playing his first year (Jim Lefebvre), and a utilityman (John Kennedy).”5
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Dodger outfielder Ron Fairly. |
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Dodger infielder and coach Jim Gilliam. |
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