1967 World Series

The "Impossible Dream" Red Sox were led by triple crown winner Carl Yastrzemski (who won the Most Valuable Player award for his 1967 performance) and ace pitcher Jim Lonborg, who won the American League Cy Young Award. The Red Sox reached the World Series by emerging victorious from a dramatic four-team pennant race that revitalized interest in the team after eight straight losing seasons. Going into the last week of the season, the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox were all within one game of each other in the standings. The White Sox lost their last five games (two to the lowly Kansas City Athletics and three to the similarly inept Washington Senators) to fall out of the race. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Twins met in Boston for the final two games of the season, with Minnesota -- who won the AL Pennant two years earlier -- holding a one-game lead. Boston swept the Twins, but needed to wait out the result of the Tigers' doubleheader with the California Angels in Detroit. A Detroit sweep would have enabled them to tie the Red Sox for first place. The Tigers won the first game but the Angels won the nightcap, enabling the Red Sox to claim their first pennant since 1946.

The Cardinals won 101 games en route to the National League pennant, with a team featuring All-Stars Orlando Cepeda (selected as the National League Most Valuable Player), Lou Brock, Tim McCarver, and 1964 World Series MVP Bob Gibson, as well as former two-time American League MVP Roger Maris and Curt Flood. Twenty-two-year-old Steve Carlton won 14 games in his first full major league season, beginning what was to be a lengthy and very successful career. The Cardinals overcame the absence of Bob Gibson, who missed almost one-third of the season with a broken leg on July 15 (on disabled list, July 16 – September 6) suffered when he was struck by a ball hit by Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente. Gibson still managed to win 13 games, and while he was out, Nelson Briles filled his spot in the rotation brilliantly, winning nine consecutive games as the Cardinals led the N.L. comfortably for most of the season, eventually winning by 10½ games over the San Francisco Giants.

Members of the 1967 Cardinals team in May 2017

Lou Brock

In attendance for the opening match-up where Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, both Massachusetts natives and supporters of the Red Sox.[8]

Ace Bob Gibson (13–7, 2.98), who sat out July and August with a broken leg, started Game 1 for the Cardinals while 21-year-old José Santiago (12–4, 3.59) started for the Red Sox. Santiago, starting because Sox ace Jim Lonborg had pitched the final day of the regular season, won seven straight second-half games helping Boston stave off the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins to win the pennant by one game in a tightly fought race.

Pitching was prime as Gibson and Santiago seemed to have their best stuff for this afternoon game at Fenway. The Cards got on the board in the top of the third on a leadoff single to center by Lou Brock, a double by Curt Flood, and a Roger Maris groundout to first scoring Brock from third. The Sox came right back to tie the score in the bottom of the same inning. After Bob Gibson struck out Red Sox catcher Russ Gibson, Santiago helped his own cause by homering to left center field.

However, Bob Gibson was masterful the rest of the way finishing with ten strikeouts, allowing just six hits with one walk. Santiago matched Gibson until the top of the seventh when Brock again led off with a single to right (his fourth hit), promptly stole second base, and eventually scored on back-to-back groundouts by Flood and Maris. That run would hold up for a 2–1 Cardinal win, but Lonborg was waiting in the wings to start Game 2.

Carl Yastrzemski

Jim Lonborg enjoyed his best season as a professional in 1967 capturing the Cy Young Award with an A.L. best 22 wins (against nine losses), was tops with 246 strikeouts, and had an impressive earned run average of 3.16. Lonborg continued his superb pitching starting Game 2 for the Red Sox and for ​7 ²⁄₃ innings, the Cardinals could only manage one baserunner, a seventh inning walk by Curt Flood. After Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon led off the eighth with groundouts, Julián Javier turned a Lonborg fastball around, lining a double into the left-field corner breaking up his no-hitter. Bobby Tolan, pinch-hitting for weak-hitting Dal Maxvill, ended the inning by grounding out to second-base. Lonborg retired the side in order in the ninth ending the game as close to perfect, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out four.

Carl Yastrzemski provided more than enough offense by homering in the fourth and adding a three-run shot in the seventh (scoring Jose Tartabull and Dalton Jones.) The other Red Sox run came in the sixth inning on walks to George Scott and Reggie Smith and a sacrifice-fly by shortstop Rico Petrocelli. The final score was 5–0 to even up the series at one game apiece with an upcoming journey to St. Louis for Game 3.

Nelson Briles

After "Sleepwalking in Boston", the St. Louis Cardinals came out of their hitting slumber and tagged Boston starter Gary Bell for three runs on five hits in the first two innings of Game 3. A former 16-game winner for the Cleveland Indians, Bell was an early-season pickup who pitched well in 29 games for the Sox going 12–8 with an ERA of 3.16. But he didn't have his best stuff against the Cardinals' starter, 23-year-old Nelson Briles. Briles, after losing 15 games in 1966, alternated between middle-relief and starting pitching in '67, and finished with a neat 14-win, five-loss record (.737 winning percentage—best in the N.L.) and an even neater 2.43 ERA.

The great table-setter Lou Brock started things rolling in the first with a triple to left-center. Curt Flood followed with a single to center scoring Brock for the game's first run. In the second, Tim McCarver led off with a single to center followed by a Mike Shannon home run to left. Ineffective Gary Bell was pinch-hit for in the third inning, replaced by Gary Waslewski. Waslewski pitched three perfect innings, striking out three before leaving in the sixth for relief pitcher Lee Stange.

Boston scored their first run in the sixth with Mike Andrews, (pinch-hitting for Bell), singling to center. Andrews took second on a Tartabull sacrifice, immediately scoring on a Dalton Jones base hit to right. But the Cards added some insurance in the bottom of the frame with the disconcerting Brock bunting for a hit, eventually going to third when Stange, attempting a pick-off, threw wild into right-field. Roger Maris, in his next-to-last season, would have a good Series with ten hits and a home run, scored Brock with a single to right-center.

In the seventh Reggie Smith hit a lead-off home run for Boston, trimming the score to 4–2 but the Cards stifled any further Sox comeback scoring their fifth run in the bottom of the eighth when Maris beat out an infield tap for a single and Orlando Cepeda muscled a double off the wall in right-center making the score 5–2. Briles would finish his complete-game victory with a 1–2–3 ninth, the second out recorded when Reggie Smith would interfere with McCarver who was trying to catch his pop-up foul down the first-base line. Up two games to one, St. Louis would send Bob Gibson back to the mound, a championship within reach.

Curt Flood

54,000 plus fans packed Busch Memorial Stadium in anticipation of yet another Bob Gibson post-season, pitching gem. Again, all St. Louis needed was a spark from Lou Brock and this time four runs crossed the plate in the first inning. Brock started things rolling with a slow-roller to third—nothing Dalton Jones could do could match Brock's speed, for an infield-hit. Curt Flood singled to shallow left and Roger Maris powered-up going the other way, doubling into the left-field corner scoring both base-runners. Orlando Cepeda then flied out, Maris advancing to third. Tim McCarver hit a clutch single to right to score Maris. After Mike Shannon fouled out to Rico Petrocelli for the second out, Julián Javier would single in the hole between short and third followed by .217 lifetime hitter Dal Maxvill's run-scoring single to left for the Cardinals' fourth run. That would be it for Game 1 starter José Santiago who would only last two-thirds of an inning this time out. Gary Bell would relieve, getting the ninth batter of the inning, Bob Gibson to fly out to left.

Gibson would be on cruise-control the remainder of the game while the Cards would add two more runs off reliever Jerry Stephenson in the third. Cepeda would double into the left-field corner and move to third on a wild pitch. McCarver would add a second RBI on a sac-fly to center scoring Cepeda. Shannon would walk and score on a Julián Javier double just inside the third-base line. That would be it for the scoring as Gibson would win his second Series game, a five-hit complete-game that put his Cardinals up, three games to one.

Jim Lonborg

With their backs up against the wall, manager Dick Williams again put his trust in the dependable Jim Lonborg. The 25-year-old righty was faced by Steve "Lefty" Carlton. Carlton was 14–9 in 30 games with a 2.98 ERA, striking out 168 in 193 innings during the regular season.

The game played out very tentatively, with just one early run scored by Boston in the top of the third. After Lonborg struck out leading off the inning, Joe Foy struck a single to left field. Mike Andrews reached safely at first after a sacrifice attempt was fumbled by Cardinal third-baseman Mike Shannon for an error. With two on and one out, team hero Carl Yastrzemski looked at a third strike for the second out, but Ken Harrelson followed with a clutch single to left, scoring Foy. This would be enough to saddle Carlton with the loss.

Pitching with a slight cold (and a paper horseshoe in his back pocket) Lonborg again sparkled, at one point retiring 12 straight. After a Roger Maris single in the fourth, the next batter to reach base was Julián Javier, who got on base in the eighth on an error by Rico Petrocelli. Carlton was just as good but left after six innings of work and would take the loss despite having no earned runs (the run in the third was unearned). He was replaced by Ray Washburn, who then pitched two scoreless innings.

St. Louis Manager Red Schoendienst brought in Ron Willis to pitch the ninth. The Red Sox greeted Willis by loading the bases on a George Scott walk, a Reggie Smith double, and an intentional walk to Petrocelli. Jack Lamabe relieved Willis after a 1–0 count on Elston Howard who promptly popped a single to right scoring Scott. Maris threw high to the plate, allowing Smith to score the second run. With the score 3–0, St. Louis came to bat in the last of the ninth in a last attempt comeback bid. But Lonborg's luck continued, getting Brock and Flood to ground out to second and third respectively. Maris spoiled the shutout bid by homering over the right-field fence but Orlando Cepeda ended the game on a ground-out to third. The Red Sox were now back in the Series, although still down three games to two.

Rico Petrocelli

Pivotal Game 6 matched rookie Gary Waslewski (2–2, 3.21) who had only pitched in 12 regular season games, versus one-year wonder Dick Hughes (16–6, 2.67) who pitched three seasons, winning only twice more in 1968 before retiring due to arm problems.

Rico Petrocelli gave the Red Sox an early lead with a second inning blast over the Green Monster in left field. St. Louis came back with two runs in the top of the third when Julián Javier hit a lead-off double off that same Green Monster. After retiring the next two batters, Waslewski gave up a single to Lou Brock, scoring Javier. Then after a Brock steal, Curt Flood singled to left, scoring Brock.

In the Sox half of the fourth, Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, and Rico Petrocelli would all go long setting a new World Series record with three home runs in the same inning. A demoralized Hughes wouldn't finish the inning and Ron Willis would be summoned from the bullpen to get the last out, an Elston Howard groundout to third.

Waslewski was very workmanlike, but started to tire in the sixth inning when, after giving up two walks, was replaced by John Wyatt who would get out of the jam retiring Mike Shannon on a popup to short and Javier on a fly to short right. The Cards would come back and hit Wyatt hard in the seventh. After pinch-hitter Bobby Tolan walked, Lou Brock hit a homer into the right-center field bleachers. Flood and Maris hit long fly-outs to center but their hits stayed in the park to end the inning, St. Louis had tied the score at four apiece.

The Red Sox would send ten batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning and regain the lead. Elston Howard would lead off making both the first and last outs but four runs would cross the plate in-between. After all was said and done, the Cardinals would send four pitchers to the mound in the inning and when Hal Woodeshick would come into pitch the eighth, a Series record would be tied with eight (8) pitchers used also setting a two team record of 11 pitchers used. St. Louis had one more good chance to win the game loading the bases in the eighth, but highlighted by a great Yastrzemski catch in left-center, the Cards couldn't push one across and wouldn't score again going quietly in the ninth; with Gary Bell pitching the last two innings for the save. The Red Sox survived to play another day and the Series was now tied at three games apiece. Wyatt took the win and Jack Lamabe, who was the first pitcher for the Cardinals in the eighth, would be given the loss.

Bob Gibson

The seventh game finally matched up the aces, Bob Gibson against Jim Lonborg. Lonborg was pitching on two-days rest, while Gibson had rested an extra day since his last outing. Only once before had a seventh game of a Series brought together starting pitchers who both had 2–0 records in the Series—in 1925, when the Washington Senators' Walter Johnson pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates' Vic Aldridge. St. Louis catcher Tim McCarver said the Boston newspapers made the Cardinals angry with their headline "Lonborg and Champagne" that basically declared before Game 7 that Lonborg would win.[9]

From the start, it was apparent that Lonborg was struggling. Three Cardinal hits and a wild pitch put St. Louis ahead 2–0 in the third inning. Two more scored in the fifth on a home run by Gibson, Lou Brock's single and two stolen bases (his seventh steal—a new Series record), and a Roger Maris sacrifice-fly to right. A Boston run in the fifth cut the score to 4–1, but the Red Sox dream was abruptly halted in the sixth on a three-run homer by Julián Javier off the arm-weary Lonborg. With the 7–2 defeat, Boston's "Impossible Dream" ended one win short, and the St. Louis Cardinals were World Series Champions for the second time in the 1960s, and eighth overall.

• This series marked the first time that the Commissioner's Trophy was presented to the World Series-winning team.[11]
• Lou Brock stole three bases in Game 7 for a record seven thefts in a seven-game series.[12]
• The Cardinals tied a World Series record by using eight pitchers in their Game 6 loss.
• Ken Brett, the older brother of George Brett, became the youngest pitcher in World Series history.[13] Aged 19 years, 20 days, when he pitched one inning of relief at the end of Game 4. He also pitched ​ ¹⁄₃ of an inning at the end of Game 7. He gave up no hits or runs in either appearance. He was the only left-hander on the Boston pitching staff.
• Bob Gibson gave up only 14 hits in his three complete games, tying Christy Mathewson's record for fewest hits given up in winning three complete World Series games.[14]
• The Cardinals are one of only two teams to take a 3–1 World Series lead, then lose the next two games and still win the series in Game 7. The other was the Oakland Athletics in their victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series.

Gussie Busch, chief executive officer of Cardinals' owner Anheuser-Busch and president of the team, threw a lavish party for his Red Sox counterpart Tom Yawkey when he came to St. Louis for the games there. When Busch learned that Yawkey would not be reciprocating the favor for Game 6, he flew many members of his family and personal friends to Boston on company-owned private jets. At the Ritz-Carlton hotel downtown, he reserved a banquet hall and, along with his guests, entertained Massachusetts Governor John Volpe and his wife as guests of honor.[15]

Despite the Cardinals' loss, the evening was marked by considerable revelry. The Busches traditionally concluded such affairs with a food fight. Waiters dodging thrown rolls wondered aloud how the family would celebrate the following evening should the team win.[15]

The question was answered the following night when the Cardinals won the Series. This time Busch and his wife went up the elevator to the ballroom ahead of their other guests, so they could take the fire extinguishers off the wall and spray down the others. Ultimately this did $50,000 of damage to the hotel, which Anheuser-Busch paid out of its advertising budget.[15]