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The Dodgers ran into a rough patch in Milwaukee and Cincinnati 60 years ago last week. After winning a game against the Braves, the 1963 Dodgers lost four in a row — one in Milwaukee before getting swept by the Reds.
Los Angeles made five errors during the four-game losing streak, and eight of the 13 runs scored by the Reds were unearned. The Dodgers also scored only 10 runs during the four-game skid.
“I have the same old problem,” manager Walt Alston told George Lederer of the Long Beach Independent. “I don’t know whether our errors or the lack of hitting are costing us all these games.”
After starting the week in second place, two games back of San Francisco in the National League standings, the Dodgers ended the week in third place, 3½ games back.
Batter of the week
Catcher John Roseboro in Milwaukee singled and stole a base Monday, doubled Tuesday, and tripled in a two-hit game Wednesday, then had a two-hit game Friday in Cincinnati.
Pitcher of the week
After allowing five runs while only recording one out last week in San Francisco, Sandy Koufax was back on track in a big way this week. He blanked the Braves on Monday with eight strikeouts, his fourth shutout in 10 starts to open the season. Koufax on Sunday struck out 10 in seven innings in Cincinnati, but the run he allowed was the only run of the game in a loss to Joey Jay and the Reds.
Week 8 results
1-4 record, plus a tie
20 runs scored (3.33 per game)
23 runs allowed (3.83 per game)
.436 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
27-22-1 record
199 runs scored (3.98 per game)
184 runs allowed (3.68 per game)
.536 pythagorean win percentage (26-23)
Wills on the mend
A little over a week after moving from shortstop to third base, Maury Wills suffered a toe injury that’s kept him out of the lineup. Wills last played on May 21, and through Sunday, June 2 has missed 10 games.
“I don’t like to be out of the lineup, but this calcium deposit in my toe is so painful I can barely get around,” Wills told Mike Rathet of the Associated Press. “I hope the doctor will get it under control quickly so I can rejoin the team.”
It’s been a trying season for Wills, after winning National League MVP in 1962. This year, he missed five games in the opening week with an ankle injury, which limited him on the bases. He’s hitting .252/.316/.301 with 11 stolen bases and 21 runs scored. At this time last season, Wills was hitting .264/.319/.333 with 27 stolen bases and 45 runs scored, on his way to a record 104 steals.
“There are two ways to look at the Wills problem,” Alston told the AP. “The longer he remains idle the staler he’ll get with the bat, and yet, if he resumes play too soon, he risks a muscle pull.”
Suspended animation
In the middle game of the Dodgers-Braves series in Milwaukee, play was halted in the top of the seventh inning because of what Dave O’Hara of the Associated Press called “a soupy fog.” From O’Hara’s game story:
The Dodgers threatened to move ahead in the top of the seventh when they had a runner on second and only one out. Ron Fairly then hoisted a high fly to short left. Eddie Mathews lost the ball in the fog, but managed to make a circus catch for the second out.
“I saw the ball leave the bat and then lost it,” said Mathews, a veteran third baseman moved to left in a juggling of the Braves’ lineup. “I just ran in the general direction and was lucky to pick it up coming down. It’s a good thing the ball was hit high, I could have been hit on top of the head.”
The 3-3 game hung in the balance for 52 minutes after, Braves manager Bobby Bragan hit fungoes and home plate umpire Lee Weyer threw baseballs in the infield that nobody could adequately see. Ultimately, the game was suspended, which under the rules at the time (and for the bulk of MLB history) meant all the stats from the game count, but it will still be made up in full later on. In this case, the Dodgers and Braves plan to play a doubleheader on July 21, the next time Los Angeles is in Milwaukee.
Game results
- Tuesday, May 28: Dodgers 7, Braves 0
- Wednesday, May 29: Dodgers 3, Braves 3 (7 innings)
- Thursday, May 30: Braves 7, Dodgers 4
- Friday, May 31: Reds 7, Dodgers 4
- Saturday, June 1: Reds 1, Dodgers 0
- Sunday, June 2: Reds 5, Dodgers 2
1963 Week 8 batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| W.Davis | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.286 | 0.375 | 0.714 | 1.089 |
| Roseboro | 16 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 0.375 | 0.474 | 0.563 | 1.036 |
| Howard | 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 0.227 | 0.261 | 0.545 | 0.806 |
| T.Davis | 22 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 0.364 | 0.417 | 0.364 | 0.780 |
| Gilliam | 24 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 0.250 | 0.333 | 0.417 | 0.750 |
| Tracewski | 17 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0.235 | 0.300 | 0.235 | 0.535 |
| Skowron | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.333 | 0.500 |
| Fairly | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 0.095 | 0.269 | 0.143 | 0.412 |
| Oliver | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0.200 | 0.200 | 0.200 | 0.400 |
| Starters | 156 | 16 | 38 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 176 | 0.244 | 0.316 | 0.372 | 0.688 |
| Camilli | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.250 | 0.250 | 0.750 | 1.000 |
| Moon | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.800 |
| Zimmer | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.300 | 0.364 | 0.400 | 0.764 |
| Walls | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.125 | 0.125 | 0.125 | 0.250 |
| Bench | 27 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 0.259 | 0.286 | 0.370 | 0.656 |
| Pitchers | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.083 | 0.077 | 0.083 | 0.160 |
| Offense | 195 | 20 | 46 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 5 | 17 | 217 | 0.236 | 0.298 | 0.354 | 0.652 |
1963 Week 8 pitching
| Pitcher | G | Record | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | G | Record | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | FIP |
| Koufax | 2 | 1-1 | 16.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0.56 | 0.750 | 0.76 |
| Podres | 2 | 0-1 | 9.3 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2.89 | 1.929 | 2.63 |
| Drysdale | 1 | 0-1 | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6.00 | 1.333 | 2.96 |
| Miller | 1 | 0-0 | 1.7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 16.20 | 3.600 | 6.23 |
| Starters | 6 | 1-3 | 33.0 | 33 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 31 | 3.00 | 1.333 | 1.96 |
| Richert | 1 | 0-0 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 2.20 |
| Calmus | 1 | 0-0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.500 | 3.13 |
| Sherry | 1 | 0-0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 | 0.500 | 2.13 |
| Roebuck | 2 | 0-1 | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 5.000 | 11.63 |
| Perranoski | 4 | 0-0 | 5.3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5.06 | 2.063 | 2.44 |
| Scott | 1 | 0-0 | 1.3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.75 | 1.500 | 13.13 |
| Bullpen | 10 | 0-1 | 14.0 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 2.57 | 1.429 | 4.13 |
| Totals | 16 | 1-4 | 47.0 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 39 | 2.87 | 1.362 | 2.61 |
Previous 1963 reviews: Snider to Mets | Nate Oliver | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
The week ahead
The Dodgers finish off the 15-game, 17-day road trip with trips to Houston and Chicago, running the Al Heist gauntlet.
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