Summer of '68: The Season That Changed Baseball--And America--Forever by Tim Wendel

Author:Tim Wendel [Wendel, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: History, 20th Century, Sports & Recreation, United States, Sociology of Sports, Baseball
ISBN: 9780306821837
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2012-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

Denny McLain and Mickey Mantle were both fun-loving guys, willing to skirt the rules when possible, so it didn’t come as any surprise when one of the most curious moments of the ’68 season occurred when the two of them got together. Only a few weeks remained in the regular season, and with the pennants already decided McLain came to the conclusion he needed to have some more fun.

“Denny McLain always gave you a ball to hit,” Reggie Jackson said. “I think he liked home runs almost as much as hitters did.”

Despite past heroics (Triple Crown winner in 1956, twelve World Series appearances), in 1968 Mickey Mantle did about as well as any other power hitter not named Frank Howard. In other words, he was scuffling. But unlike other sluggers, Mantle, who was in his eighteenth major league season, had more at stake as the regular season came to an end. With 534 career home runs, he stood tied with Jimmie Foxx for third place on the all-time list. Even though “the Mick” didn’t realize it at the time, McLain had grown up a huge fan of his. As a kid, McLain had worn the number seven, tried to hit from both sides of the plate, and even played center field until better success on the pitching mound took him in that direction.

Facing off against his childhood hero on September 19, 1968, staked to a 6–1 lead in the sixth inning, his thirty-first victory well in hand, McLain found himself in a giving mood. That’s when he motioned for Jim Price, who was catching that day in place of Bill Freehan, to come out to the mound. There McLain told Price, “I want Mantle to hit one.”

At first Price didn’t know what McLain was talking about. So McLain spelled it out for him. “I’m going to throw a pitch and I want him to hit a home run. He needs one more to move up on the all-time home-run list.”

Dumbfounded, Price stared back at McLain, then slowly realized what was about to happen. They were about to groove a pitch to one of the top sluggers of all time.

“All you gotta say is, ‘Be ready, Mick,’” McLain told Price.

With that, the catcher nodded and walked back behind the plate. But somehow, the message didn’t make it to Mantle. McLain saw Price say something, but the only one really paying attention was home-plate umpire Russ Goetz. Sure enough the Tigers’ ace served up the first pitch on a platter. It arrived at barely sixty miles per hour, splitting the heart of the plate. Everything went according to plan, only Mantle didn’t swing.

Instead he turned around to ask Price, “What the hell was that?”

The catcher replied simply, “Be ready.”

It was a response reminiscent of the cryptic line from W. P. Kinsella’s novel, later immortalized by Kevin Costner in the movie Field of Dreams—“Go the distance.” Indeed, everything seemed set for the Mick to do just that as McLain lobbed the next one right in there, as well.

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