
BASEBALL'S WEEK
ALL-STAR GAME
Shea Stadium, this season the scene of a perfect game as well as the longest one ever played, was host to the 35th All-Star Game before 50,850. After the American League took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning, Dick Radatz stopped the National League cold until Willie Mays worked him for a walk to lead off the last half of the ninth inning. Mays promptly stole second, of course. Orlando Cepeda hit a pop-fly single to right, and Willie scored the tying run when Joe Pepitone's throw bounced past the catcher. After Ken Boyer popped up, John Edwards walked, Pinch Hitter Henry Aaron struck out—and Johnny Callison hit a two-out, three-run home run for a 7-4 National League victory.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
When he was traded from the Indians to the MINNESOTA Twins (4-0) a few weeks back, easygoing Jim (Mudcat) Grant thought that he would rather fight than switch. "After all," said Grant, "the Twins kept me in the league—who am I going to beat now?" Mudcat had good reason to be upset; his career record, a mediocre 67-63, included a 22-6 mark against Minnesota. But now that the switch has been made, happy-go-lucky Grant is happier and luckier than ever. The Twins scored 18 runs for him last week in his two complete-game victories, one a five-hitter over the Yankees. Grant's old team, CLEVELAND, received strong pitching from Jack Kralick and Sam McDowell but little in the way of hitting except from rookie Bob Chance (.400 BA, 3 HRs). The Indians lost five of six and were shut out twice. Both shutouts came at the hands of the CHICAGO White Sox (4-2), whose pitching was even better than usual. The Sox did not give up more than seven hits in any game, and Joel Horlen pitched two victories, allowing just one run in 18 innings. The LOS ANGELES Angels (2-3) adopted Chicago's tactics to beat the Sox twice on shutouts. But the L.A. hitters had their troubles, particularly Vic Power, who was suspended for 10 days and could lose up to $1,750 in fines and withheld salary for spitting in Umpire Jim Honnochick's face. DETROIT (5-1) also enjoyed solid pitching. Rookie Joe Sparma, who won twice, gave up nine hits and one run in two complete games. The Tigers' three wins over the BOSTON Red Sox (2-3) put Detroit in fifth place. The Sox needed Dick Radatz, who has appeared in 41 of 82 games, in both their victories. The NEW YORK Yankees (3-1) won three close ones from the Senators, including Whitey Ford's 11th this season, though his first in 19 days. WASHINGTON (0-5) Manager Gil Hodges found out just how tough the Yanks can be in the close games when, on the same night his pitchers threw a five-hitter at New York and still lost, he dropped an exhibition bowling match to Yogi Berra 146-145. The BALTIMORE Orioles (3-2) hit six homers in three wins but were becoming nervous about Steve Barber (two losses), who has apparently lost the zip on his fast ball at age 25. KANSAS CITY'S (1-3) pitchers went sour as 11 of them allowed the Twins eight homers and 35 hits in three losses.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Buglers blowing the cavalry charge each time the home team comes to bat have become a fixture at a number of big league parks in the past few years. Last week at the CHICAGO Cubs' (1-5) Wrigley Field, the buglers changed their tune to taps as the Cubs walked off the diamond after their fourth straight loss to the Giants. Taps was right in key with Chicago's prospects; the Cubs' hitting (12 runs in six games) was way out of tune, and the pitching (26 pitchers were used in the five losses) hit its lowest note yet. SAN FRANCISCO'S (4-2) hitters found Wrigley Field the swingingest as they batted .321 with eight homers and 33 runs in five games. Willie Mays (3 HRs) and Orlando Cepeda (.375) led the upbeat as the Giants rebounded from three losses to the Phillies. The PITTSBURGH Pirates (3-2) also got some heavy hitting, including seven homers, and low-run pitching from Bob Friend, Joe Gibbon and Bob Veale, but could not hold third place when the bullpen failed during the two losses. The LOS ANGELES Dodgers (3-1) climbed back into the first division on the hitting of Ron Fairly (.500 BA) and Willie Davis (.462 and 2 HRs). Battling with the Dodgers for fifth were the ST. LOUIS Cardinals (3-1), who received complete-game pitching from Roger Craig, Curt Simmons and Bob Gibson. Simmons' performance, an eight-hitter against the NEW YORK Mets (1-3), was changed from a victory to a loss for the Cards by Frank Thomas' two-out, last-of-the-ninth homer with a man on. Thomas, who had been ill, was making his first appearance in 40 games for the Mets when he hit the pinch home run. The CINCINNATI Reds (2-3) held on to third place by defeating the Phillies twice, with veteran Joe Nuxhall pitching a five-hitter and Deron Johnson (.526) carrying the attack. The losses to the Reds cut PHILADELPHIA'S (2-2) first-place edge over the Giants to just one percentage point. After finishing a three-game sweep of San Francisco, the Phillies lost two in a row to the Reds when their hitters got only two runs in two games for aces Dennis Bennett and Jim Bunning. HOUSTON (1-3) was unusually strong at the plate (37 hits) but also unusually poor on defense (39 hits, 27 runs allowed) and had to come from behind in the ninth to gain its only win. The MILWAUKEE Braves (3-1) won with Warren Spahn for the first time since June 11, and Henry Aaron (.471) pulled his season's batting average well over .300 for the first time since early in the season.
PHOTO
HAY-SOOS: ANOTHER ALOU FOR THE BOOK
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Giants' Jesus Alou is a nice guy—at least, that's what most people think, since this youngest of three baseball-playing Alous is always smiling and friendly. But few know for sure, because Jesus' English vocabulary is limited to "yeah" and "no." His language problem does not bother Jesus half as much as his name, which is common in Latin countries but almost unheard of in English-speaking places like San Francisco. When Manager Alvin Dark decided that Jesus (pronounced Hay-soos) would move into the Giants' starting lineup this season, almost everybody in California tried to come up with a nickname. For once Jesus did not smile, not when writers called him "Choo-Choo," or when sportscasters called him "Jay." He just wanted to be plain old Jesus. San Franciscans finally decided to let him have his way. One recent Sunday a local minister who is also a rabid Giant fan quoted from the Gospel: "And Hay-soos looked upon his people...." Last week Jesus thanked San Francisco for calling him by his right name and also made sure that it will be seen in the record book. Friday afternoon, against the Cubs, Alou became the 34th player since 1900 to get six hits in six at bats in one nine-inning game. Helping the Giants win 10-3, Jesus hit a homer and five singles off six different Chicago pitchers, and only one of the singles was ever in doubt. That was a slow roller to the left side of the infield in the seventh inning, and he beat it out for a base hit.