Series Wrapup

Story

Despite showing clear signs of vulnerability, the Los Angeles Dodgers edged out the San Francisco Giants for the National League pennant for the second straight year in 1966, finishing just 1 ½ games ahead of their arch-rivals with a record of 95-67.  The Pittsburgh Pirates finished third, just three games back, while the Philadelphia Phillies came in fourth, eight games off the pace.

The Dodgers captured their second consecutive league championship even though they finished just eighth in the senior circuit in runs scored.  Second baseman Jim Lefebvre led Los Angeles with only 24 home runs and 74 runs batted in.  Centerfielder Willie Davis batted .284, led the club with 74 runs scored, and stole 21 bases.  Shortstop Mary Wills finished third in the league with 38 steals.    

If not for their league-leading pitching staff, the Dodgers likely would have finished well out of contention.  Los Angeles pitchers compiled easily the lowest team ERA in the National League – a mark of 2.62 that placed them well ahead of the runner-up St. Louis Cardinals, who posted a team ERA of 3.11.  Don Drysdale had something of an off-year, finishing just 13-16 with a 3.42 ERA.  But Claude Osteen won 17 games and compiled a 2.85 ERA, while 21-year-old rookie Don Sutton posted 12 victories and finished second on the team with 209 strikeouts.  Meanwhile, Phil Regan excelled out of the bullpen, compiling a record of 14-1, a 1.62 ERA, and 21 saves.

However, there is little doubt that Sandy Koufax served as the driving force behind the Dodgers’ first-place finish.  The brilliant left-hander had the greatest swan song ever by a major league player, leading all N.L. hurlers in virtually every major statistical category in his final season.  Koufax led the league with a record of 27-9, a 1.73 ERA, 317 strikeouts, 323 innings pitched, and 27 complete games.  He earned the last of his three Cy Young Awards and a close second-place finish in the N.L. MVP voting, before announcing his retirement at the end of the year due to an arthritic pitching arm. 

Nevertheless, even Koufax found himself unable to overcome a Baltimore Orioles team that A.L. MVP Frank Robinson led into the World Series.  Oriole pitchers shut out the Dodgers over the final 33 innings of the Fall Classic, holding the Los Angeles lineup to a team batting average of just .142 over the course of the four-game sweep.  The 30-year-old Koufax tearfully announced his retirement shortly thereafter, explaining to the media in attendance at the time, “I’ve been getting cortisone shots pretty regularly, and I don’t want to take a chance on completely disabling myself…I’ve got a lot of years to live after baseball and I would like to live them with the complete use of my body.”

In spite of Koufax’s magnificent performance, Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente finished just ahead of him in the N.L. MVP balloting.  In arguably his finest all-around season, Clemente batted .317, collected 202 hits, and established career highs with 29 home runs, 119 runs batted in, and 105 runs scored, in leading the Pirates to a close third-place finish.  Willie Stargell, Donn Clendenon, and Matty Alou also had big years for Pittsburgh.  Stargell hit 33 home runs, knocked in 102 runs, and batted .315.  Clendenon hit 28 homers, drove in 98 runs, and batted .299.  Alou led the league with a .342 batting average.

The fifth-place Braves, who finished 10 games off the pace, boasted the league’s most potent offense, topping the circuit with 782 runs scored.  Catcher Joe Torre hit 36 home runs, drove in 101 runs, and batted .315.  Outfielder Felipe Alou hit 31 homers, finished second in the league with a .327 batting average, and led the N.L. with 122 runs scored, 218 hits, and 355 total bases.  Outfield mate Rico Carty finished third in the league with a .326 batting average.  Hank Aaron had another exceptional year, leading the league with 44 home runs and 127 runs batted in, placing second with 117 runs scored, and batting .279.  

Willie Mays also had another outstanding season for the second-place Giants, batting .288, scoring 99 runs, and finishing near the top of the league rankings with 37 home runs and 103 runs batted in.  Willie McCovey and Jim Ray Hart joined him in the middle of San Francisco’s batting order.  McCovey hit 36 round-trippers, drove in 96 runs, and batted .295.   Hart went deep 33 times, knocked in 93 runs, and batted .285.  Meanwhile, Juan Marichal continued to anchor the Giants’ starting rotation, compiling a record of 25-6, a 2.23 earned run average, 222 strikeouts, 307 innings pitched, and 25 complete games.  Gaylord Perry gave San Francisco another outstanding starter, going 21-8 with a 2.99 ERA.  

Although Roberto Clemente captured league MVP honors, Philadelphia’s Richie Allen posted comparable offensive numbers.  Allen finished among the league leaders with 40 home runs, 110 runs batted in, 112 runs scored, a .317 batting average, and a .398 on-base percentage.  He also topped the circuit with a .632 slugging average.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• Prior to the start of the season, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale staged the first dual holdout by teammates in major league history.

• Pitcher Tony Cloninger of the Braves hit two grand slams in one game on July 3.

• The Braves moved to Atlanta, playing their first game at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium against the Pirates on April 12.

• Willie Mays played in 150 or more games for a major league record 13th consecutive year.

• St. Louis rookie Larry Jaster tied for the National League lead in shutouts with five.  He threw all five shutouts against the Dodgers.

• The Cardinals played their first game in Busch Stadium against the Braves on May 12.

• The National League won the All-Star Game 2-1 at St. Louis.

• Pittsburgh’s Gene Alley and Bill Mazeroski participated in a major league keystone record 289 combined double plays.

• Cincinnati's Tommy Helms captured N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• The Phillies traded Fergie Jenkins and two other players to the Cubs for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl.

• The Giants traded Orlando Cepeda to the Cardinals for Ray Sadecki.

• Bill Mazeroski performed a major league record 166 double plays by a second baseman.

• Tim McCarver of the Cardinals became the only National League catcher ever to top the circuit in triples (13).

• Lou Brock replaced Maury Wills as the National League stolen base king by swiping 74 bags.

Seasons of the National League

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