More Notes In And Around, Cards/Braves September 1963

Back to the first game of the September 15, 1963 doubleheader, won by the surging St. Louis Cardinals, vs the Milwaukee Braves.

In the great Stan Musial’s last season, the Cards won 19 of 20 games to get within one game of the eventual world champion Dodgers, in the race for the 1963 National League Pennant.

The first game win for “St. Loo” was their 9th straight. They now had won 18 of 19 and the second game win made it 19 of 20.

With 2 outs and nobody on T9, Lew Burdette pitched to Ed Mathews. In the 7th game of the 1957 World Series, Burdette was the hero, repeating his shutout performance of the 5th game.

Milwaukee clinched its only baseball title to date, when Ed Mathews fielded Bill “Moose” Skowron’s “hot shot” and stepped on third base, to clinch the crown.

Now in a game very big, but nowhere near as big as #7 W.S, Mathews kept the Braves going, vs Burdette’s Cards, lashing a double.

However, Burdette got Gene Oliver (the year before as a Cardinals player, Gene hit a home run on the final day of the season, to sink L.A. (Dodgers) and with a (S.F.) Giants’ win that final day, a 2 of 3 playoff for the N.L. title was forced) to fly deep to Curt Flood, in center field.

Again, Oliver “hurt” the Dodgers (nowhere near as dramatically), but this time the Dodgers came to St. Louis and swept 3 games, to all but wrap up the title, they had failed to win a year earlier.

Speaking of “sweeps,” they swept the 2 time champion New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series.

The great Stan Musial (1,815 hits at home, 1,815 hits on the road), pictured above.