Fall of the Yankees dynasty completed OTD
No Triple Crown winner this year; Roman Anthony ‘the best ever’; Curry down
Good morning, all.
May 7,1966 may not mean much to today’s baseball fans, even New York Yankees haters, but the fall of the Yankees dynasty was completed on this date 59 years ago.
The Yankees had dominated baseball, dating back to 1921. Between 1947 and 1964 they had won 15 pennants and 10 World Series. In 1963, however, the dynasty started its decent, with the Dodgers four-game sweep of the Yankees in the World Series.
The Bombers staged a late season comeback to win the 1964 pennant, before losing to the Cardinals in a thrilling seven-game World Series. Two days later they shocked the baseball world, when GM Ralph Houk, who had managed the Yankees to three straight pennants and two World Series titles, fired manager Yogi Berra and hired Johnny Keane, whose Cards had just knocked off the Yanks.
Berra was too lax with the players we were told. Keane, a baseball lifer who once considered becoming a priest, would impose more discipline.
The Yankees entered 1965 as the prohibited favorite to win a record sixth straight pennant. The collapse, however, was underway. Numerous injuries to their aging stars led to the club’s first losing record in four decades.
Enter 1966. The Yankees launched a massive PR campaign, promoting how the team would be back, poised to win another pennant. 1965 was just a blip on the radar screen the public was told.
But the dynasty was crumbling. The Yankees and pitching legend Whitey Ford lost a heartbreaking 2-1 decision to the Detroit Tigers, before more than 40,000 fans on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Two losses in three games followed in Baltimore.
After being swept by the red-hot Cleveland Indians - who got off to a 14-1 start - at Yankee Stadium, New York departed for a west coast trip. On May 6, the Yankees lost to the California Angels, 7-4, before a sellout crowd in the Angels spanking new stadium built by former Yankees owner Del Webb. They had fallen to last place with a 4-16 record, 12 1/2 games out of first place.
The once mighty Yankees had become the butt of jokes. Cardinals broadcasters Harry Carey and Jack Buck took particular delight in their misery. After one of their few wins, during that horrendous start, Carey told his radio audience, “The Yankees won today!” The witty Buck quickly replied: “Break up the Yankees!”
On May 7, hours before a night game in Anaheim, GM Houk, who was on the road trip, lowered the boom on orders from club president Dan Topping. Keane was out but permitted to make the trip on the team bus to the ballpark to talk to the players one last time. Keane died seven months later. Houk would give up his GM duties and return to the dugout as manager.
Nicknamed “the Major” for his heroics in the Battle of the Bulge, the ever-optimistic Houk predicted the Yankees would storm back into contention. And the team did get red-hot, playing nine games over .500 upon his return. The problem was, when you start a season 12 games under .500, playing nine games over for a stretch still leaves you three below.
In late June and early July, aging star Mickey Mantle provided hope, going on a home run tear reminiscent of the Mantle of old. The Yankees were once again the talk of baseball. But alas, the glory would be short lived. Two years removed from their championship run, the club finished last.
In reality, the dynasty had ended two seasons before in St. Louis. Keane’s dismissal was a reminder, it was buried on May 7, 1966 in Anaheim.
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DAN