This 1966 NL replay started for me, years ago. Game 1 on April 12 was a win by the Braves’ Tony Cloninger over the Pirates. Fast forward 421 games later to July 10 when St. Louis’ Al Jackson pitches a complete game win over Houston bolstered by a Lou Brock’s 11th homerun.
Some numbers for the stat-minded
These are league totals up until All-Star break…
| Batting average | .244 |
| Slugging | .339 |
| OBP | .303 |
| ERA | 3.42 |
| Total walks | 2337 |
| Total strikeouts | 5061 |
… and 495 total homeruns!
Some random bits of stats; an amazing 92 of the 422 games were shutouts, eight by Juan Marichal alone. There was a total of 16 games by the score of 1-0.
A team scored in double digits in 49 of the games. In only two games, did both teams score 10 or more. The most lopsided win came at the hands of the Astros. They defeated the Mets 19-2 on May 10 while batting around in the order three times. On that day, Joe Morgan collected five hits and drove in five runs while Bob Aspromonte drove in four.
No-hitters in the first half
- LA Sandy Koufax April 30, 1966 vs CIN 1-0
- SF Juan Marichal May 22, 1966 vs NYM 8-0
- PHI Jim Bunning May 30, 1966 vs NYM 6-0
- HOU Miguel Cuellar June 8, 1966 vs SF 2-0 (loss)
- PHI Rick Wise June 14, 1966 vs ATL 8-0
Miguel Cuellar’s no-hitter on June 8th was a pitching duel against Juan Marichal. He gave up a two-run homerun to Jim Ray Hart in the 10th inning to lose. Marichal ended up with a one-hitter and the win.
The championship race really hasn’t been close until recently. Los Angeles has been very dominating. Now suddenly, it’s a three-way race with the Dodgers still maintaining a three-game lead.
With that, here is a team-by-team recap of the first half of the 1966 NL replay.
The Dominating Dodgers
1st place
54-29
.651
LA lost eight of their first twelve games of the season. Then on April 25, something clicked, and they went on a seven-game winning streak. They haven’t looked back since then.
The Dodgers do it with an abundance of pitching and good defense. Don Sutton almost literally could not lose a game. It was not until June 21 when he finally lost his first game against Houston. At the break, he is 17-1 with a 1.63 ERA. Sandy Koufax leads league in strikeouts with 164 with a 11-7 record and a 1.61 ERA. Claude Osteen started out the season 1-8 despite pitching well but got better support later. His record evened out and at break, he is 9-10 with a 2.58 ERA. Don Drysdale (6-7, 3.57 ERA) rounds out the rotation.
The bullpen has been doing its job, too. Phil Regan, Ron Perranoski and Joe Moeller all have sub-2.00 ERAs.
The LA offense isn’t anemic, but not a lot of stars come out to shine. Jim Lefebvre is probably the biggest producer and leads the team in runs (44) and rbis (39) and will probably be the NL second baseman starter in the All-Star game. He ends the break with 11 homers and a .313 batting average. Leadoff man Maury Wills ranks second in steals in the league with 32.
Outlook: LA just needs to continue doing what their doing and especially win against the big teams.
The Contenders
2nd place
52-33
.612
The heavy-hitting Pittsburgh Pirates ended the first half on a four-game winning streak which put them over Atlanta by half a game. The Pirates have been in contention for the whole season thanks to some key players.
A big highlight of the season was Matty Alou’s 23-game hitting streak, the longest so far. He is hitting .323 for the season. Currently, people are talking about left fielder Willie Stargell. Not only does he currently have a 11-game hitting streak but on the last game before the All-Star break, he passed Dick Allen for most rbis on the season. To do that, he hit five homers and drove home eleven runs in the last five games. At break, Pops is hitting .335 with 11 homers and 66 rbis.
Roberto Clemente has hit consistently all season. He’s hitting .332 and that’s about what he hit all year. Donn Clendenon (.290, 10 HR, 40 rbi) is another power source. Not only that, he’s right behind Stargell with a 10-game hit streak of his own.
I can’t not mention Bob Bailey. For the first two months, Bailey was leading the NL in every important offensive category. He eventually settled down (.313, 9 HR, 30 rbis) and eventually the Bucs stopped playing him.
On the mound, the Pirates have one the biggest mysteries. Vern Law is leading the league in ERA with a 1.25 ERA. It’s bringing results with a 11-1 record. Number 2 guy Bob Veale is 9-9 with a 2.30 mark and ranks fifth in strikeouts with 131. The Bucs have been hurt by too many starts by pitchers like Don Cardwell (3-6, 6.19 ERA).
Outlook: The Pirates have just traded for Billy O’Dell to bolster their already deep bullpen so close games may be a little easier for them.
3rd place
53-35
.602
In a lot of ways, Atlanta is like Pittsburgh. Good hitting with enough star pitching. The Braves have been dueling it out with the Pirates for second place all year. It wasn’t until the last series did the Pirate eke into second place. Down just a game and a half, the Braves had their chance facing the Dodgers. Unfortunately, for Atlanta, they lost all three to LA.
Catcher Joe Torre had been hitting well all year. He’s hitting .338, second in the NL. Hank Aaron is only hitting .248 but he’s coming on. Seven of his sixteen homeruns have come in the last nine games and he’s currently on an 11-game hitting streak.
Felipe Alou is one of the underrated stars of the National League. He leads the league in hits (118), runs (75, that’s 15 over second place Stargell), triples (13), and extra base hits (45).
Maybe Rico Carty needs more playing time. He’s hitting .333 with six homers in 249 at-bats.
On the mound, Atlanta has a mystery. Tony Cloninger leads the NL in walks with 66 and comes in second in homeruns allowed with 12. Yet, he is still fourth in wins with a 12-6 record. Tony C clocks in with a 3.32 ERA.
Clay Carroll has been a stalwart out of the pen and as an occasional starter. He shows an 11-1 record and a 1.96 ERA. Atlanta has gotten a lot out of Denny LeMaster’s arm this spring. He is 10-3 with a 2.54 ERA.
Other than Carroll, Billy O’Dell was the mainstay from the bullpen. Maybe unwisely, Atlanta decided to trade him to their rival Pirates in the last month.
Outlook: With Aaron picking it up, I see Atlanta being a factor in the postseason race.
4th place
49-36
.576
The reason the Philadelphia Phillies fall in this “Contenders” category is that as of late, they have found their winning ways. And honestly, they are overperforming. Overall, the Phils have been streaky with winning streaks of seven, six and two of five.
Why? Dick Allen has a lot to do with it. Despite missing much of May, he leads the NL in rbis up until the last game before break. He also leads the league in average (.367), slugging (.642) and OBP (.422).
It’s hard to believe that the team with Dick Allen is trailing the NL in homeruns. Allen has 11 of the 29 homers hit by Philly. Johnny Callison and Bill White, while providing excellent defense, are hitting .249 and .242 respectively with just seven homers between them.
It’s worth noting that Philly consistently has the best defense in the league. Along with White and Callison, Tony Taylor, Clay Dalrymple and Bobby Wine (when he plays) all shine with the glove.
Hurler Jim Bunning is one of top five pitchers in the league. With a 14-4 record and a 1.66 ERA, Bunning ranks second in wins and fourth in ERA and strikeouts (165). Chris Short has done well as a #2 man in the rotation. With five shutouts, he is 10-5 with a 1.95 ERA. Larry Jackson is a surprise with a 1.72 ERA and seven wins.
A major weakness of the Phillies is their bullpen. Darold Knowles has 11 saves but his 4.88 ERA makes one wonder how many games got away.
Outlook: Allen and Bunning are doing their part. The rest of the team has to step up in the second half.
Biding Their Time
5th place
46-41
.529
The Giants must be one of the biggest disappointments in 1966. While they lead the NL in homeruns, their overall hitting is adequate and pitching is surprisingly okay, they just haven’t put it all together to surpass the Braves or Pirates let alone the Dodgers.
That said, the Giants have a good chunk of the talent in the National League. Willie Mays leads the league with 18 homeruns. Jim Ray Hart is not far behind with 16 dingers. Willie McCovey contributes 13 of his own and he comes in second with 24 doubles.
Juan Marichal is having a phenomenal season. He is rivaling Don Sutton for my choice for All-Star starter. In his second start, he gave up five earned runs in seven innings for his worst start of the season. He proceeded to pitch complete game shutouts in his next two starts allowing seven combined hits.
At the break, Marichal is second in ERA (1.34), second in wins (14-3) and second in strikeouts (160). His most amazing stat? Juan has allowed just 3.7 hits per 9 innings pitched. That contributes to his league-leading eight shutouts.
After Marichal, Bobby Bolin (8-6, 3.58 ERA) is having a solid season, but Gaylord Perry is a bit of a letdown. Perry is not getting as much support as he is 4-10 with his respectable 3.76 ERA.
From the pen, Lindy McDaniel has been almost perfect. He sports a 0.48 ERA with 10 saves.
Outlook: The Giants need to get more timely hitting and pitching and win more games if they are to catch up in the second half.
6th place
41-42
.494
On the face of it, the Reds have a good team. They have decent hitting with Pete Rose, Tommy Harper and Deron Johnson. They sport at least one star in their rotation in Jim Maloney with a solid backup cast. The Reds’ bullpen is one the best. Even their defense is pretty good especially at short with Leo Cardenas and Vada Pinson in center.
But Cincinnati hasn’t been able to put it together yet. Rose is solid with a .271 batting average. Johnson provides a bit of power with 12 homers.
First base has been a weak spot for the Reds when Johnson plays the outfield. Tony Perez is hitting .223 with just one homer in 157 at-bats. Sometime first sacker, Gordy Coleman has a .139 average with no homers in 151 at-bats.
Starter Maloney is fourth in the league in wins (12-3) and in the top ten in strikeouts (124) and ERA (2.27). Milt Pappas (9-7, 4.01 ERA) is solid and while Sammy Ellis has gotten rocked and while his ERA takes a beating (5.65), he still has six wins against nine losses.
A bright spot is bullpen ace Billy McCool. It wasn’t until June 12 when Billy gave up his first run. He currently sports a 1.01 ERA with 18 saves.
Outlook: Now that the Reds are playing Johnson more at first base, maybe their offense will improve.
Just Along for the Ride
7th place
36-47
.434
All things considered; the Chicago Cubs are doing a whole lot better than they should. Hitting is there, the bench is deep. While the pitching is abysmal, the Cubs sometimes find a way to get enough runs to win. It certainly helped that Cubs management pulled off one the best trades early in the season. Chicago coaxed Philadelphia to give them both Adolfo Phillips and Ferguson Jenkins for Bob Buhl and Larry Jackson.
If we’re talking Cubs offense, we must start with third baseman Ron Santo. He’s been in NL top ten in hitting all year and he enters the break with a .312 average. More importantly, Santo gets on base at a .413 clip, second in the league. He’s fifth in homers (12) and rbis (53) while providing excellent defense.
First sacker Ernie Banks is hitting better than expected. Like Santo, he’s been in the top ten in average (.306). Adolfo Phillips has been a terrific pickup. Leading off, he’s batting .300 with a league-leading 34 stolen bases.
While he’s starting to pick it up a little, Billy Williams was hitting below the Mendoza line for much of the season. He’s gotten his average up to .233 in the past month.
While the Cubs hitting looks decent, their pitching is kind of a disaster. Somehow, Dick Ellsworth has a 9-6 record with a 4.70 ERA. Ken Holtzman is holding his own with six wins and a 3.16 mark. Ernie Broglio is not helping much as he is 1-8 with a 5.59 ERA and neither is Bill Faul (1-5, 6.21).
Jenkins also has been a valuable addition. With a 3.37 ERA, he has nailed ten games shut.
Outlook: I don’t predict the Cubs will continue this pace for much longer. That said, this team is just too good to lose 100 games.
8th place
32-53
.376
Astros outfielder Rusty Staub drove in nine runs in the last two games of the first half of the season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Houston is 1-9 in their last ten games falling below the Cubs.
It’s not like the Astros don’t have bright spots. Staub batting .265 is reliable, playing every day and is in the top ten with 55 rbis. Jim “Toy Cannon” Wynn is hitting .243 but has roped 11 homers. He was in the lead for rbis early on until Dick Allen and Willie Stargell got hot. Wynn checks in at third with 56.
Shortstop Sonny Jackson is an interesting case. He is one of only four players in the league with 100 hits but only seven of those hits have gone for extra bases. Of those, four are triples. Jackson does have speed with 22 steals which is fourth in the NL. Finally, rookie second baseman Joe Morgan has been productive leading the NL with 63 walks.
On the mound, Larry Dierker’s 9-6 record and 2.47 ERA leads the team. Miguel Cuellar (4-8, 2.81 ERA) just hasn’t gotten the support he deserves.
Outlook: Certainly, with a little more effort and luck, the Astros can surpass the Cubs.
9th place
31-52
.373
The hapless Mets have lost their last four games and nine of their last ten. In my personal opinion, they have the worst team in the league with little offense, less-than-adequate defense and minimal pitching.
The one bright spot in the Mets lineup is third sacker Ken Boyer. In the first half, he is hitting .303 with seven homers and 48 rbis. Ron Hunt is batting a respectable .276… when the pitchers don’t throw the ball at him. Not surprisingly, he leads the league in HBP by a wide margin with 16.
The Mets pitching has the highest ERA in the NL; even higher than the Cubs. The staff’s mark of 4.47 eclipses all other teams.
Dennis Ribant is doing his best. His 2.16 ERA ranks eighth in the NL and he’s rewarded with a 7-3 record. Bob Shaw (7-5, 2.60 ERA) was a pickup from San Fran and he has had mixed success since coming over. However, Jack Hamilton (3-11, 6.19 ERA), Rob Gardner (3-11, 6.29 ERA) and Jack Fisher (4-5, 5.31 ERA) are more indicative of the Mets’ woes.
Outlook: Unlike the Astros, I really don’t see much hope for the Mets for improving their lot in the NL.
Improving?
10th place
28-54
.341
The St. Louis Cardinals have been the anomaly in this replay. They obviously have not played to their expectations for most of the first half.
The good news? They seem to be turning things around. They have won six of their last ten. They are still a game and half back of the Mets but that’s a whole lot closer than the 6 ½ games they were at the end of June.
The improvement is a long time coming. The Cardinals have potential. Lou Brock is over-performing hitting .278 and eleven homers not to mention 32 steals from the leadoff spot. Second baseman Julian Javier hit five unlikely homeruns in the first three weeks and none since. Tim McCarver is solid at the plate with a .260 average and 23 extra bases.
When St. Louis traded for Orlando Cepeda, it was seen as a coup as the team really needed a first basemen. So far, Cepeda has been quiet with the bat, hitting .251 with five homers. The good news is that he is beginning to pick it up. He’s on a six-game hit streak and has two homers in the last four games.
Bob Gibson has been solid for the Cards but not exactly a superstar. With an 8-7 record and a 2.65 ERA, he may not even make the All-Star roster. Even his 103 strikeouts rank just ninth in the league. Larry Jaster has been impressive, albeit in limited time. He’s 3-2 with a 1.61 ERA. He’s joined by Al Jackson who is 6-4 and a 2.36 ERA.
The biggest issue with St. Louis has been their bullpen. Some games have been lost in the later innings. Hal Woodeshick and split starter Nellie Briles combine for an abysmal 3-21 record. Closer Joe Hoerner (3.05 ERA, 8 saves) has improved as the season progressed.
Outlook: If Cepeda continues his hitting ways and Gibson pitches like Gibson should, I foresee St. Louis moving up a few spots in the standings.
Now that that I am officially in the All-Star break, I have begun the process of choosing NL All-Stars and preparing for the game which chronologically takes place on July 12, 1966. I am taking care to do this right and doing my research on the actual game.
More to come!
Nice update! I hope that you have a great stretch run! I’m surprised at how poorly both the Giants and the Cardinals are doing. So many of the 60’s seasons are great fun to replay with legendary names!