I had long thought that 1960 World Series Game 7 was punishment for the Yankees making mistakes, that the Yankees got what they deserved even after thrashing the Pirates in the three Yankee wins. However, facts hidden in plain sight make it seem likely that the Pittsburgh Pirates sold their souls to the devil in order to win the 1960 World Series. Game seven holds key facts to support this.
1. Pittsburgh had eight RBI with two outs: Hal Smith 3 run homer run eighth inning; Bill Virdon 2 run single second inning; Rocky Nelson 2 run homer run first inning; Roberto Clemente infield single eighth inning.
2. Pittsburgh scored ten runs but had only one runner left on base (LOB): Virdon who only got to second because Roger Maris made an error on Virdon's two RBI single in the second inning. OK, there was this: GIDP: Vern Law; Bill Mazeroski; Roberto Clemente.
3. Yankee manager Casey Stengel, the master of platooning, removed left handed pitcher Bobby Shantz with the only two lefty Pittsburgh batters in the game (Bob Skinner and Rocky Nelson) coming up in the pivotal eighth inning and replaced him with right hander Jim Coates who proceeded to blow the lead ... despite first retiring both Skinner (sac bunt) and Nelson. Shantz is the only player to win the Gold Glove in fielding every season he was eligible and might have turned Skinner's bunt into a DP or might have fielded the high bouncer by Clemente that eluded Coates for an RBI single and preceded the the three run home run by Hal Smith.
4. Dick Stuart, Dr. Strangeglove, never played. What would he have done on Yogi Berra's ninth inning smash down the first base line? One can only imagine. No wonder there were bomb shelters in those days.
And let's not forget the mysterious DP grounder hit by Pirate Bill Virdon that ricocheted up and maliciously struck Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat. In the throat! Poor Tony had to leave the game. Virdon was credited with a single and all runners were safe. Instead of two out and no base runners, it was no outs and runners on first and second. The next batter, Dick Groat, singled through the SS-3B hole, a ball, which Kubek might have fielded.
Bill Mazeroski (Has another number 8 batter ever had a WS winning hit?) homered in game one off Coates in the fourth inning of a 6-4 Pirate win. Pittsburgh did not hit another home run until game seven when three were hit. Mazeroski, of course, hit the final Pittsburgh home run in the bottom of the ninth to ostentatiously win the World Series and if you look closely at the grainy video you can see a distinct resemblance between Mazeroski and Tab Hunter who played Joe Hardy in the movie version of that Communist play "Damn Yankees", which even included actual footage of Mickey Mantle.
I rest my case.
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