The 1960 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1960 season. The 57th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees. In Game 7, Bill Mazeroski hit the series winning ninth-inning home run, the first time a winner-take-all World Series game ended with a home run, and the first World Series to end on a home run. Mazeroski's home run gave the Pirates their third title overall and their first since 1925.
Despite losing the series, the Yankees scored 55 runs, the most runs scored by any one team in World Series history, and more than twice as many as the Pirates, who scored 27. The Yankees won three blowouts (16–3, 10–0, and 12–0), while the Pirates won four close games (6–4, 3–2, 5–2, and 10–9) to win the series. The Pirates' run differential of minus 28 is the lowest ever by any team, winner or loser, in a World Series. The Series MVP was Bobby Richardson of the Yankees, the only time in history that the award has been given to a member of the losing team, though the rules were different at this time. Votes had to be in by the start of the 8th inning of Game 7, at which point the Yankees were in the lead, and this was the first time since the series MVP award was created in 1955 that the team leading at that point did not go on to win. Richardson was also the first non-pitcher to be named MVP.
This World Series featured seven past, present, or future league Most Valuable Players. The Pirates had two – Dick Groat (1960) and Roberto Clemente (1966) – while the Yankees had five: Yogi Berra (1951, 1954, 1955), Bobby Shantz (1952), Mickey Mantle (1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris (1960, 1961), and Elston Howard (1963).
Summary The Yankees, winners of their 10th pennant in 12 years, outscored the Pirates 55–27 in this Series, out-hit them 91–60, out-batted them .338 to .256, hit 10 home runs to Pittsburgh's four (three of which came in Game 7), got two complete-game shutouts from Whitey Ford—and lost. The Pirates' inconsistent pitching and Yankees' manager Casey Stengel's controversial decision not to start Ford in Games 1 and 4 resulted in the peculiar combination of close games and routs. Ford (Games 3 and 6) and Vern Law (Games 1 and 4) were excellent, while Pirates relief pitcher Roy Face was a major factor in Games 1, 4 and 5. The Yankees also committed twice as many errors as the Pirates in the series. The Yankees had 8 errors while the Pirates had four errors.
Matchups
Game 1
The Yankees threw Art Ditmar against the Pirates' Vern Law (the NL Cy Young Award winner) in Game 1. In the top of the first inning, New York right fielder Roger Maris, the eventual 1960 AL MVP, drilled a home run off Law to give the Yankees a 1–0 lead. In the bottom half, however, the Pirates evened the score when Bill Virdon walked, stole second, advanced to third on an error by shortstop Tony Kubek, and scored on a double by eventual National League Most Valuable Player Dick Groat. Bob Skinner then singled to drive in Groat and stole second, coming home on a single by Roberto Clemente. Pittsburgh now led 3–1. This was enough to compel Casey Stengel, the Yankee manager, to pull Ditmar in favor of Jim Coates, who finished the inning.
In the fourth, New York cut the lead to one run when Maris singled, moved to second on a Mickey Mantle walk, took third on a fly out by Yogi Berra, and scored on a single by Bill Skowron. But the Pirates extended their lead to 5–2 in the fourth when Don Hoak walked and Bill Mazeroski homered. Pittsburgh added an insurance run in the sixth when Mazeroski doubled with one out and scored on Virdon's double off Duke Maas, and although the Yankees cut the lead in half on a ninth-inning 2-run home run to right field by Elston Howard, reliever Roy Face successfully closed it out to give the Pirates a 6–4 victory and a 1–0 series lead.
Game 2
Game 2, matching New York's Bob Turley against the Pirates' Bob Friend, saw the Yankees pummel Pittsburgh 16–3.
The game was scoreless until the top of the third, when the Yankees jumped out to a 2–0 lead. Second baseman Bobby Richardson walked, was sacrificed over to second by Turley, and scored on a single by Tony Kubek. Gil McDougald then doubled, plating Kubek all the way from first base. Turley aided his own cause with an RBI single in the fourth, driving home Richardson, who had singled and moved to second on a passed ball. Although Hoak doubled home Gino Cimoli in the bottom of the fourth to break the shutout, the Yankees extended their lead to 5–1 courtesy of a two-run home run by Mantle off Fred Green.
In the sixth, the solid Yankee lead turned into a rout. Elston Howard hit a lead-off triple and scored on Bobby Richardson's double to chase Green from the game. Clem Labine replaced Green. A passed ball by Smoky Burgess and error by shortstop Dick Groat on Tony Kubek's ground ball put runners on first and third with one out before McDougald's RBI single made it 7–1 Yankees. After a walk and strikeout, Yogi Berra's two-run single and Bill Skowron's RBI single made it 10–1 Yankees. Red Witt relieved Labine and allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Howard and Richardson that made it 12–1 Yankees. Mantle continued the onslaught by blasting a three-run home run in the seventh off Joe Gibbon and scoring on a wild pitch by Tom Cheney in the ninth after walking and moving to third on a double, making it 16–1 Yankees. Although the Pirates tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the frame on back-to-back RBI singles by Gino Cimoli and Smoky Burgess, Bobby Shantz relieved Turley and got Don Hoak to hit into the game-ending double play. This decisive Yankee victory tied the series at a game apiece.
Game 3
For Game 3, the Series shifted to Yankee Stadium as Stengel sent Whitey Ford to the mound against Pittsburgh's Vinegar Bend Mizell. Ford had somewhat of an off year (12–9, 3.08 ERA and 192.2 IP) for his lofty standards, but was brilliant against the Pirates.
The Yankees continued the offensive onslaught they displayed in Game 2, grabbing a 6–0 lead by the end of the first inning. Mizell would only get one batter out. After two singles, Bill Skowron drove in the first run with an RBI single. After a walk loaded the bases, Elston Howard added another run with an RBI single off Clem Labine before Bobby Richardson capped the scoring with a grand slam (during the regular season, Richardson had hit only one home run, off Baltimore's Arnie Portocarrero on April 30). The next time a first inning World Series Grand slam would be hit would be in the 2021 World Series, 61 years later. In the fourth, the Bronx Bombers added on four more runs, courtesy of a two-run home run by Mickey Mantle off Fred Green and—after three singles had loaded the bases—a two-run single by Richardson off Red Witt. The Pirates, meanwhile, could not get anything going against Ford, who tossed a masterful four-hitter. The Yankees now led the series 2–1.
Game 4
The Pirates had seen their pitching fail them in the last two games, as the team fell victim to the powerful Yankee bats. This was not the case in Game 4, however, as Pittsburgh sent Game 1 winner Vern Law to the hill against Ralph Terry.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Bill Skowron launched a home run off Law to give New York a 1–0 advantage. The very next half-inning, though, Pittsburgh stormed back, when with two on and two outs, Law doubled in Gino Cimoli to tie the game and Bill Virdon's two-run single put the Pirates up 3–1. Law kept the potent pinstripers at bay, though the Yankees did scratch and claw for a single run in the bottom of the seventh when Skowron doubled, moved to third on a single by McDougald, and scored on a fielder's choice on a ball hit by Richardson. After a pinch-hit single by Johnny Blanchard, Pirate manager Danny Murtaugh brought in reliever Roy Face, who held the fort for the final innings as Pittsburgh tied the series at two games apiece to ensure a return to Forbes Field.
Game 5
With the series now tied at two, Yankee manager Casey Stengel started pitcher Art Ditmar, his Game 1 starter (in which he was ineffective), against the Pirates' Harvey Haddix, who had become famous for taking a perfect game into the thirteenth inning in a loss to the Milwaukee Braves the previous year.
As it turned out, on this day Ditmar could not get out of the second inning once again. Dick Stuart singled and was forced out at second on a fielder's choice hit by Gino Cimoli, who then moved to third on a double by Smoky Burgess. Don Hoak then slapped a ground ball toward Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek, who flipped it to third baseman Gil McDougald in an attempt to retire Burgess, who was attempting to advance. However, McDougald dropped the ball for an error (Kubek's toss was accurate), allowing Cimoli to score, with Burgess safe at third, and Hoak reaching second on the error. Bill Mazeroski then lashed a double to left, scoring Burgess and Hoak. After this offensive outburst, Stengel yanked Ditmar and replaced him with Luis Arroyo, who finally ended the inning and stranded Mazeroski.
The next half-inning, New York picked up a run when Elston Howard doubled, moved to third on a ground-out by Bobby Richardson, and scored on another grounder by Kubek. However, the Pirates extended their lead back to three runs in the third, when Roberto Clemente singled home Groat, who led off with a double.
In the bottom of the third, Roger Maris touched Haddix for a home run to deep right field. Otherwise, however, the Pittsburgh hurler was in fine form, holding the Yankees at bay until the seventh, when he was replaced by Face. In the ninth, the Pirates added an insurance run off Ryne Duren. Smoky Burgess had singled and taken second on an error; he was replaced at second by pinch-runner Joe Christopher, who moved to third on a wild pitch, and was singled in by Hoak. Face then shut down the Yankees once again to give the Pirates a 5–2 victory and 3–2 series lead.
Game 6
For the sixth contest in Pittsburgh, the Yankees started Whitey Ford against the Pirates' Bob Friend. And as was the case the last time Ford had toed the rubber for the Yanks in Game 3, his teammates relentlessly mashed the ball, en route to a resounding 12–0 victory.
In the top of the second, the Yankees went to work. After a Yogi Berra walk and a Bill Skowron single, Elston Howard was hit by a pitch to load the bases (Eli Grba ran for him). Ford himself then notched the first RBI of the game, with a ground ball single to his counterpart Friend that scored Berra. The next inning, after a lead-off hit-by-pitch and double, Mantle cracked a two-run single that scored Tony Kubek and Roger Maris. After a Yogi Berra single moved Mantle to third, Pirates skipper Danny Murtaugh removed the clearly ineffective Friend in favor of Tom Cheney. Cheney, however, fared no better, as a Bill Skowron sacrifice fly scored Mantle and, after a single, a Richardson triple to deep left field scored Berra and Johnny Blanchard, making the score 6–0.