60 YEARS AGO/144: SPAHN SINKS THE DODGERS + BURY ME ELMO

On 9/17 (a Monday), for the fifth and final time in 1962, the Dodgers and Giants both lost games on consecutive days. 

(In case that's not clear, it means that they both lost on the same day two days in a row.) 

We covered the generic cases (both winning/losing on the same day) earlier: to refresh your memory, the two teams won on the same day 54 times, lost on the same day 17 times.

In Milwaukee, Pete Richert's wildness caused him to be pulled quickly--in the second inning, after giving up his fourth walk. The two runs he allowed before being removed proved to be just enough for Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, who gave up only a solo homer to Frank Howard (#29) in the seventh. The Dodgers managed only five hits off Spahn, who won his 15th game of the year. Final score: Braves 2, Dodgers 1.

After the game, the Dodgers announced that Sandy Koufax had been activated. Walt Alston did not specify when Koufax would pitch, but when pressed a bit by the media, he gave a slight eye roll and said: "Soon."

In Pittsburgh, Juan Marichal remained on a day-to-day scenario for his return to the mound for the Giants. It turned out that his hamstring was still too tight, so Mike McCormick was given another start.

The Giants' hopes that they'd put an end to their losing streak were dashed early in the game, however, when rookie catcher Elmo Plaskett slugged a three-run homer off McCormick in the bottom of the second. Plaskett, who'd hit .350 in the Carolina League, was an old rookie for the 60s (24 years old) and never materialized as a major leaguer: his homer off McCormick was his lone tater in the big leagues.

McCormick was given the rest of the night off in the third when he gave up another homer--this one to someone who was just a little bit better-known: Roberto Clemente. 

Tom Sturdivant, who pitched well earlier (9/11/62) against the Giants in Candlestick Park but had lost when Jack Sanford threw a shutout, scattered seven hits and survived a seventh-inning rally to turn in the last complete game victory of his career. Final score: Pirates 5, Giants 2.

SEASON RECORDS: LAD 98-53, SFG 94-57