The Cardinals and Colts changed places on 9/28/62 for the final three games of the season. One of these teams would have an outsized effect on the ultimate shape of the pennant race...
Sanford, the beneficiary of 6.5 runs of offensive support at Candlestick, bobbed and weaved all night, and had to be bailed out in the sixth inning, but he'd gone far enough to complete his second dozen carton of eggs with "W's" painted on them. (The win also raised his home record to 14-1, which is what 6.5 runs of offensive support can do for you.) Stu Miller had an uneventful 3 1/3 innings of relief, and the Giants were home free. Final score: Giants 11, Colts 5.
DOWN in LA, Walt Alston made his decision the night before about who'd pitch the opening game of what was now fast becoming a fateful series. And how did he do that? By using Stan Williams in the final inning of the team's 8-6 loss to the Colts. (When he did that, Williams might've just started to pack his bags, as this action did more than merely suggest that Alston had lost all confidence in him--it shouted it from the rooftops. Williams was traded in the off-season to the New York Yankees for Bill Skowron.)
Rookie lefty Pete Richert got the start, with Alston making whiplash motions in the dugout from the very first inning as he practiced his quick hook. The game first displayed as low-scoring and tight, however, with the Dodgers striking first for an unearned run in the bottom of the first, with St. Louis parrying with a tying run in the second (and bailing the Dodgers out of more potential trouble when catcher Gene Oliver tried to take third on Dal Maxvill's RBI single to left and was thrown out).
In the top of the fourth, Richert gave up two singles after retiring the first batter. Alston was unable to wait any longer; despite the fact that his bullpen had been primarily responsible for losing the game just the night before, he brought in Ed Roebuck, who walked the bases loaded before pitching out of the jam (aided by facing the bottom of the batting order.) But in the fifth, Roebuck surrendered a run when Stan Musial brought home Julian Javier with an RBI single, after Javier had singled and been sacrificed to second by Curt Flood.
Larry Sherry replaced Roebuck in the sixth and pitched out of jams in that inning and the seventh as well; in the bottom of the inning Alston used his two veteran lefty hitters, Duke Snider and Wally Moon, as part of a desperate effort to take advantage of Cardinal starter Larry Jackson's momentary loss of home plate. Maury Wills, still riding a hot bat in September, singled in the tying run amid the shouts of "brand new ball game!" from Dodger fans. But Jim Gilliam grounded out to end the rally.
That brought up Bill White, who grounded to first; Ron Fairly went for the double play, but White beat the relay back to first, putting runners on first and third with two out. With an 0-2 count on Charlie James, White took off for second; Johnny Roseboro held the ball, ensuring that pinch-runner Bobby Gene Smith could not try to steal the go-ahead run. James then hit the 1-2 pitch into right field for a single, scoring Smith--but White was thrown out at home on a strong throw from Frank Howard.
But LA was now down a run, and were down to their last at-bats. Wills tried to bunt on the 0-1 pitch and popped it up; Larry Jackson--still in the game--caught it for the first out. Jim Gilliam then hit Jackson's first pitch into right field for a single. The slumping Willie Davis, put back in the #3 slot against the righthander, had his fifth at-bat of the game and swung at the first pitch for the fourth time, smacking a grounder to first baseman White; the man called 3-Dog did not dog it down the baseline, and beat the relay throw on the attempted 363 double play to keep LA's flickering hopes alive.
Tommy Davis. leading the league in BA and RBI, quickly fell behind Jackson 0-2, took a stroll around home plate, got back in the box--and hit the next pitch on one hop to Boyer at third...who threw him out. Final score: Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2 (ten innings). The Dodgers' lead was back down to one game.
SEASON RECORDS: LAD 101-59, SFG 100-60
