60 YEARS AGO/108: THE UGLY PATTERN IN STAN'S CARPET

We can't quite escape discussing Stan Williams, whose role in the Dodgers' successful-but-vexed 1962 campaign was magnified by events not of his making. By the end of the year, however, Williams had worn out his welcome; his off-season trade sent him almost as far away as possible.

Stan actually pitched well on August 8, 1962: that was because he was facing the Phillies, a team that he routinely dominated during his tenure with the Dodgers. (Williams' lifetime record against Philadelphia was 10-4, with an ERA of 2.82; the only other team with whom he had comparable success was the Chicago Cubs, against whom he posted a 10-2 record with an ERA of 3.20.)

In '62, Stan was 4-0 against the Phillies, including his very solid, Drysdale-like performance against them on 8/8: allowing seven hits and one run in a complete game win, with just two walks and seven strikeouts. His teammates only managed three hits off Jack Hamilton (four overall in the game), but one of the hits Jack surrendered was a two-run homer to Johnny Roseboro in the second inning, which was enough for Stan on this evening. Final score: Dodgers 3, Phillies 1.

The "ugly pattern" in Stan's "carpet" was laid bare in '62: good teams could beat him like a drum. The Phillies actually qualify as a "good team" in 1962, by virtue of winning 34 more games than the previous year, fashioning an 81-80 record. But they were the seventh place team in a league with two teams losing in excess of 100 games and the eighth-place team losing 96, so we aren't ill-advised to separate them from the "good team" category.

When we do that, Stan's record against the teams that won at least 84 games downgrades from 9-10 to 5-10, with an ERA of 6.07. That is the opposite of "pretty." 

Stan would pull things together a bit in '63, but he'd hit a wall in '65 and have to spend some more time in the minors before he successfully reinvented himself as a swing man and, ultimately, a relief pitcher. In 1960, the Dodgers thought they might have a sensational Big Three if only Sandy Koufax could turn things around; three years later, they couldn't wait to get Stan out of town.

UP at Candlestick, Bobby Bolin started fast but spun out in the fifth inning, surrendering two-run homers to Frank Thomas and Felix Mantilla as the lowly Mets plopped a four on the scoreboard. Roger Craig held off the Giants' hitters, allowing only two solo homers (Harvey Kuenn and Orlando Cepeda--on his way to 11 for the month). Final score: Mets 5, Giants 2. The loss pushed the Giants 5 1/2 games behind the Dodgers--which would be the furthest they'd be behind during the year. But another big Dodger-Giant showdown was looming--and this one would be at the Stick...

SEASON RECORDS: LAD 78-37, SFG 72-42