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Our week of reliving the 1965 World Series ends today, with Game 7 between the Dodgers at Twins from Minnesota.
This is a pitching rematch of Game 5 — our Tuesday watch party — with Sandy Koufax and Jim Kaat starting, each just on two days rest. They’ve split their two matchups in this series, with Kaat pitching a complete game in Game 2 and Koufax hurling a shutout in Game 5.
In six career World Series games, including five starts, Koufax is 3-2 with a 1.07 ERA, with 49 strikeouts in 42 innings. He’s pitched a complete game in three of his last four starts in the Fall Classic.
The Twins tied the series back home on Wednesday in Game 6, winning 5-1 on the strength of two home runs — a two-run shot by Bob Allison, and a three-run shot by pitcher Mudcat Grant that put the game away. The latter was the seventh home run by a pitcher in World Series history, and the first by an American League pitcher since Jim Bagby in 1920.
This series has featured six home wins in the first six games. The three previous World Series that had six home wins all included the Dodgers. The 1920 World Series was best-of-9 and the Indians won the first game in Brooklyn, but then the next six games were all won by the home team, Cleveland prevailing in the series, 5-2. In 1955, the home teams won the first six games, then the Dodgers prevailed in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium for their first championship. One year later, the Yankees returned the favor by blowing out Brooklyn 9-0 in Game 7 at Ebbets Field after the first six games were won by home teams.
Koufax started on two days rest twice down the stretch and pitched complete games both times, allowing a total of one run. That included 13 strikeouts on Oct. 1 against Milwaukee on the penultimate day of the regular season that clinched the pennant for the Dodgers.
Maury Wills (11-for-26, .423) and Ron Fairly (10-for-25, .400, four extra-base hits) have been the offensive stars so far this series for the Dodgers, with Fairly scoring a run in each of the six games of the series so far.
This game was played on Thursday, Oct. 14, 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium. We’re going to watch starting at 4 p.m. PT on YouTube.