60 YEARS AGO/86: THE DODGERS TAKE NO PRISONERS ON BASTILLE DAY...

The Dodgers returned to the Giants' old park (the Polo Grounds) with a collective bang in 1962. For the season, the boys in blue had a slash line of .307/.368/.571. They hit a total of 20 HRs there, led by Willie Davis (6), Ron Fairly (5, along with a .500 BA), and Maury Wills (who hit four of his six HRs for the year there). They outscored the Mets there, 77-34, and somehow managed to lose a game, winding up with "only" an 8-1 record.

Saturday, July 14 (also known in some circles as Bastille Day...) was more of the same. Fueled by two big innings (eight in the second and six in the sixth), the Dodgers scored seventeen unanswered runs until Stan Williams surrendered a two-run homer to Richie Ashburn in the bottom of the sixth. 

Johnny Roseboro joined Willie Davis in driving in three runs, while Maury Wills joined Willie in scoring three times. The Dodgers tallied 16 hits and eight walks en route to their two-touchdown victory in a game that, if it'd been a boxing match would have been declared a TKO and stopped in the sixth inning. Final score: Dodgers 17, Mets 3.

DOWN in Philly, a poor start from Juan Marichal (six hits, four runs in 3 2/3 IP) led to the Giants being down 5-0 going into the seventh. SF then sent nine men to the plate and tied the score, thanks to some creative moves by Al Dark (pinch-hitting Ed Bailey after Tom Haller in the middle of the rally; picking the right spot to bring on Orlando Cepeda, who singled in two runs to get the Giants within one run).

The game then boiled down into a battle of relief aces: righty Jack Baldschun, who'd wind up with 12 wins and 13 saves for the Phillies in this year, was pitted against the Giants' mercurial Stu Miller, who'd had similar stats the year before but struggled a good bit in '62. They matched goose-eggs in the eighth and ninth; Baldschun escaped a two on, one out situation in the top of the tenth. With a man on for the Phils in the bottom of the tenth, Miller hit Don Demeter with an 0-2 pitch, keeping the inning alive so that the light-hitting Bobby Wine could punch a single up the middle, allowing the winning run to score. Final score: Phillies 6, Giants 5 (10 innings)

SEASON RECORDS: LAD 60-31, SFG 58-33

NL LEADERS as of 7/14/62

Batting Average: T. Davis LAD .351, Clemente PIT .350, F. Robinson CIN .338, Musial STL .332, Davenport SFG .331, Aaron MIL .329

On-Base Percentage: Skinner PIT .416, F. Robinson CIN .414, Dalrymple PHI .412, Ashburn NYM .407, Altman CHC .405, Fairly LAD .404, Musial STL .402

Slugging Average: Aaron MIL .618, Mays SFG .602, F. Robinson CIN .582, T. Davis LAD .559, B. Williams CHC .538

Home Runs: Mays SFG 25, Aaron MIL 22, Banks CHC 22, Mejias HOU 20, Cepeda SFG 18, Mathews MIL 17

Runs Batted In: T. Davis LAD 91, Mays SFG 81, Aaron MIL 76, F. Robinson CIN 73, Cepeda SFG 70

Runs Scored: Wills LAD 79, Mays SFG 73, T. Davis LAD 67, B. Williams CHC 67, Aaron MIL 66, W. Davis LAD 66