Hall of Fame Game History: 1960-1969

Cubs Blank Tribe, 5-0, June 27, 1960

Former teammates Lou Boudreau and Joe Gordon reunited in Cooperstown in 1960, but the former double-play partners were on opposite ends of the field as managers, as Boudreau's Cubs blanked Gordon's Indians, 5-0. Chicago's Dick Drott provided the most impressive performance of the day, throwing seven innings of no-hit baseball before being relieved. Moe Drabowsky surrendered two hits in two innings of relief, combining with Drott on the shutout, the first time in Hall of Fame Game history that a team had been blanked. The Cubs held the Indians to the minimum 27 batters in the game, the only time in Hall of Fame Game history the feat has occurred in a full game. Rookie Ron Santo provided the game's biggest hit - a three-run home run in the bottom of the third - to give Chicago a 5-0 lead. Ernie Banks doubled and scored on Santo's blast. Jerry Kindall and Danny Murphy added solo home runs for the Cubs.

Dodgers Down Birds, 6-2, July 24, 1961

Brooks Robinson received a special announcement, Don Drysdale pitched in relief, and Whitey Herzog hit a ball onto a nearby rooftop in the 20th annual Hall of Fame Game in 1961. The Dodgers would capture a 6-2 victory in an eventful day at the ballpark. During the game, Robinson, the Orioles third baseman, learned that he was a father for the first time, as the public address announcer informed the game day crowd. "That was a very special day," Robinson recalled in 2003. "What made that even more special was the fact when I went into the Hall of Fame in 1983, my oldest son went to Cooperstown for the first time. On the day he was born, I was playing in Cooperstown, and then his first visit is to see me inducted." The Dodgers, led by manager Walter Alston, would capture their third Hall of Fame Game victory on the strength of timely hitting. Maury Wills score the game's first run on a Duke Snider single, and Willie Davis extend the Los Angeles to 3-0 in the sixth inning on a solo home run. Baltimore's Herzog countered with a rooftop home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, but three more Dodgers runs sealed the game. Drysdale relieved Dick Farrell in the fourth inning with great appreciation from the game-day crowd and worked one scoreless inning of relief. Farrell would earn the win as Jim Golden would pitch the final five innings in relief.

Rain Cancels Yankees-Braves Matchup, July 23, 1962

The 1962 Hall of Fame Game between the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Braves was cancelled due to rain.

Pesky's Sox Rock Bragan's Braves, 7-3, August 5, 1963

Hank Aaron hit his only career Hall of Fame Game home run, but the Milwaukee Braves couldn't over take the Red Sox, as Boston captured a 7-3 victory. Dick Williams hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to break open a 4-3 game, giving Boston manager Johnny Pesky his first Hall of Fame Game win. Bobby Bragan's Braves rallied from a 3-0 deficit to even the score after five innings before Boston accounted for four unanswered runs. Aaron's solo home run in the third pulled the Braves to 3-2, on a blast that nearly hit the flagpole in deep left-centerfield. Russ Nixon's RBI single in the sixth proved the game-winner. Aside from Aaron, teammate Eddie Mathews and Boston's Carl Yastrzemski both appeared in the contest.

Casey's Crew Falls to the Senators, 6-4, July 27, 1964

Casey Stengel brought his New York Mets to Cooperstown for the first time in team history, but the appearance would be Stengel's last. In hoping for a farewell victory for their manager, the Mets instead would fall to the Washington Senators, 6-4. Gil Hodges skippered the Senators, his second season as a manager and first after stepping off the playing field. Washington totaled 14 hits in the game, building a 5-1 lead after four. Joe Cunningham had three hits for the Senators, scoring twice. Chuck Cottier also collected an RBI double. The Mets rallied for two scores in the ninth inning on Larry Elliot's two-run home run before Don Loun recorded the final out. Don Rudolph earned the victory and Pete Craig worked three innings in relief.

Mantle Doubles as Yankees Top Phils, 7-4, July 26, 1965

Despite severely aching legs, future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle doubled, and Joe Pepitone and Clete Boyer each homered, to guide the New York Yankees to a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1965 Hall of Fame Game. Bobby Wine's bases-clearing double in the bottom of the fifth inning evened the score at 3-3 after Boyer's two-run homer in the top of the frame. Jake Gibbs' solo homerun in the top of the six returned New York to the lead and Pepitone added a two-run blast for a 6-3 Yankees advantage. Jim Brenneman earned the victory with five relief innings.

Carlton Goes the Distance Against Twins, 7-5, July 25, 1966

The St. Louis Cardinals recalled a young left-handed pitcher from the minor leagues named Steve Carlton to start against the Minnesota Twins in the 1966 Game. Carlton would pitch a complete game, striking out 10 batters and allowing just one earned run, in his first step of a Hall of Fame career, as the Cardinals defeated the Twins, 7-5. Carlton wasn't the only future Hall of Famer having a great day, though. Orlando Cepeda homered twice, driving in three runs, as the Cardinals outlasted Minnesota. The Redbirds build a 4-0 lead as Curt Flood set the table with two early runs. "Baby Bull" Cepeda delivered a three-run homer in the third, plating Flood and Tim McCarver. Carlton encountered his lone trouble of the day in the fourth inning, allowing leadoff singles to Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew. A double by Ted Uhlaender pulled the Twins within one, 4-3, and Russ Nixon's single evened the ledger. Cepeda's second dinger gave St. Louis a 5-4 edge, and a Charley Smith two-run homer in the sixth inning sealed the victory. Red Schoendienst skippered the Cardinals and played in the game, as did fellow future Hall of Famer Lou Brock.

Silver Anniversary Game Features a Shutout, 3-0, July 24, 1967

Paul Blair and Andy Etchebarren provided all the offense that Marcelino Lopez and Stu Miller needed, as the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, in the 25th Hall of Fame Game, called in the bottom of the ninth inning due to rain. Blair hit a solo home run in the top of the first to give the Orioles and early lead, and Etchebarren followed with a two-run blast in the top of the second inning. The two teams combined to collect just seven hits, as Billy McCool worked five innings for the Reds, taking the loss. Lopez pitched four shutout innings allowing just two hits. Miller worked four innings and was on the mound when the game was called in the bottom of the ninth with no outs. Future Hall of Famer Tony Perez played third base for Cincinnati, and fellow future Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio and Brooks Robinson appeared for the Orioles.

Tigers Tune for World Series Championship, 10-1, July 22, 1968

The Detroit Tigers had many memorable moments during their championship season in 1968. But their first interleague meeting of the year, the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was equally as impressive as their seven-game World Series victory in October against the St. Louis Cardinals. Led by manager Mayo Smith, the Tigers pounded out 13 hits and totaled 10 runs in the game, with six coming off former teammate, and future Hall of Famer, Jim Bunning, who started for the Pirates. Gates Brown and Jim Price each drove in two runs, and Don Wert added a three-run homer to pace the Tiger attack. Wert's blast started the scoring in the bottom of the first, and Price's two-run single in the third extended the Detroit lead to 6-0. Dennis Ribant earned the win, allowing Manny Mota to score in the fifth inning on a Donn Clendenon single. Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline would also score a run for Detroit.

Rain Only Relief for Astros as Twins Win, 7-2, July 28, 1969

The shortest contest in Hall of Fame Game history was nearly over before it started. Despite continual rains, the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros dueled for five innings, with the Billy Martin-led Twins capturing a 7-2 victory. Minnesota's Frank Quilici launched a three-run homer in the second inning, and Tony Oliva and Graig Nettles also hit solo home runs to pace the Twins attack. Future Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew each had two at-bats, with Carew driving in the first run of the game. With the rain still falling in the fifth inning, the umpires conferred with Commissioner Bowie Kuhn about halting the game, but the contest would continue through the bottom of the inning.