Roberto Hustled

I just got the DVD of the 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees. There are two DVD's one with Game 7 in which Mazeroski hit that game ending homer and the other showing highlights of that game and the series.  Likewise, you had players of both teams discussing what went on during the series as well as the season. You had about 5 players discussing from the Yankees and about 3 or 4 from the Pirates. The Yankees from the losing side had interesting points of view with so many anecdotes. While, the Pirates was blase about their win.

You had one player talk about how Casey Stengel was actually fired before the series started and realizing that, he kind of managed in a loose manner. He discussed about putting a starting pitcher to face Mazeroski in Ralph Terry instead of Ryne Duren or Luis Arroyo who was warming up in the 9th. It wasn't just that game but others in which they lost. Like why Whitey Ford started game 3 instead of 1? The key discussion from both teams was Yankees pitcher, Jim Coates, not hustling to first base off Roberto Clemente's grounder in Game 7.  Both teams are unanimous that was the key play and the blame goes to Jim Coates. However, I beg to differ on who is to be blamed.

For one, the infield at Forbes Field was terrible, look what happened to Tony Kubek in Game 7. You just didn't know where the ball was going even if its hit right to you. It hit a pebble! The Pirates Dick Groat had a hard time fielding shots that were hit to him. Balls appeared to have a nice bounce only to end up gaining speed and movement as it got closer to him. Matter of fact, it happened twice which were counted as hits. Roger Maris considered one of the best even made an error. First baseman, Dick Stuart didn't play that game for the Pirates due to his fielding issues but Moose Skowron did. Jim Bouton said he was a bad fielder in his book Ball Four in which Moose responded that he didn't need to do that because he knew. But Moose can hit but so can Dick.

I first came across Jim Coates from a Danny Peary book of Cult Baseball Players in which he interviewed Vic Power and talked about how he use to try to intimidate him as well as Minnie Minoso. Coates had a reputation of throwing at hitters and he seemed to pick on black hitters.  Likewise, there was an interview with Ryne Duren who mentioned about Casey Stengel, years later, saying he made a mistake of putting Coates in there instead of Duren.  Other Yankees teammates like Bob Turley said that Casey should have been fired a year before and "was losing it" due to old age.  Bouton called Coates "Lurch" for his height and stiffness with bad fielding hands.

But if you look at the play, the hit by Clemente was a high bouncer and Clemente was moving real fast. Both Skowron and Coates kind of froze of who was going to get that ball because it was hit between the pitcher's mound and the first-baseman. Moose didn't charge fast enough for Coates to get behind him and Coates didn't go after the ball after contact was made and took a poor angle towards first like he was going to get the ball. They almost ran into each other. Bottom line was both did not communicate of who was going to make the play. That was due to the speed and hustle of Roberto Clemente.

Blame: sluggers and hard-throwers who can't field? That goes to Stengel for not putting fielder when you have a big lead as well a pitcher but how did he know that Clemente was going to be up. Had the ball not hit Kubek, it would have been a double play and Clemente would probably have hit in the 9th inning. Yet, he did bring in Coates after Bobby Shantz gave up an RBI to Dick Groat but didn't switch off Skowron. Look closer. Up to that point, Clemente didn't have a good game and was 0-3. He popped up, grounded into a double play, and grounded back to the pitcher.

Up to that point, Clemente was thought to be surly and if things didn't go his way, he would pout and wouldn't hustle on plays. Teammates like Mazeroski mentioned this. He didn't go back on the homer that Yogi Berra hit over the screen but stayed still nonchalantly. During his first five years there, he was injured and not playing up to his potential of 1956 in which he hit over .300. 1960, he really blossomed into the hitter and player that everyone saw in him but there was still doubts about his toughness and tenacity. Scouting reports believed that Clemente was afraid and anxious of inside pitches, was a bad-ball hitter who swung at everything without discipline, and didn't trust no one.

Therefore, going on that scouting report and Coates reputation of throwing inside. It looks like its in favor of the Yankees. Coates had the count in his favor of 1-2 with 2 outs. He fouled off two pitches that was way above his head and let one go because it hit the dirt. Coates didn't throw one strike to him during the sequence. Finally, Clemente reaches out a pitch that was way outside that seemed impossible to reach much less make contact but he did and the rest is history. Credit: Clemente. Blame: American society for not understanding the cultural issues of Clemente and underestimating his heart which affected the Pirates and the Yankees.