Yankees/O’s– May 1967

The game has 3 Robinsons, all of whom players or in one case a coach on 2 title teams. Frank and Brooks Robinson had led the Orioles to the ’66 A.L. Pennant and then superb O’s pitching yielded O’s (all I have for breakfast is O’s cereal) as in shutouts vs the Dodgers to sweep the World Series. The other Robinson is the Yankees Bill Robinson, 13 years later a title winning player with the Pirates and 19 years later the ’86 title winning Mets’ first base coach. Frank and Brooks won it all one more time, that with the ’70 Orioles.

Baltimore is off slow in ’67, that Sunday the Red Sox are leading the league leading Detroit Tigers in a game in which Carl Yastrzemski, Rico Petrocelli and Dick McAuliffe all hit home runs. On another ’67 Sunday back when baseball was real, those 3 names/players would echo loud as did others as an epic one half/had to finish first pennant race concluded.

Two of the greatest fielders ever to play the still great game of baseball, Brooks Robinson and a just starting Mark Belanger (another great, the O’s regular shortstop, Luis Aparichio is injured) make early inning errors.

The Yankees score 3 runs in the bottom of the first, Steve Whitaker delivering the big hit. Bill Robinson makes the inning’s last out then Frank Robinson singles to start the Orioles second and one batter later, Brooks Robinson walks.

Operative number Three years later, Horace Clarke of the Yankees broke up 3 no-hitters in the ninth inning. In a Jim Palmer one hitter in ’67, I believe two days earlier, Clarke got the game’s only hit.

If you can tell me something pretty historic about this game and one also played in new York exactly 5 years later, please comment. I will post on that within days.