By Bobster

Sunday, August 21, 1960---The Reds (54-65) gained a split of the 4-game series in Crosley Field with an 8-4 victory. Jay Hook (10-13) defeated Bob Friend (13-10) in a game that featured 3 HRs by each team. Dick Stuart’s single in the first scored Dick Groat after Groat had walked and scored on a ground out to give the Pirates (74-45) a 1-0 lead.

By Bobster

Saturday, August 20, 1960---The Pirates handed starter Tom Cheney an early 8-0 lead, but the rookie couldn’t hang around long enough to get the win. The Pirates (73-44) opened the second inning against Reds starter Jim Maloney (1-4) with a walk to Stuart and singles by Clemente and Burgess to load the bases. Maloney got Hoak to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play, scoring Stuart. Mazeroski was then intentionally walked to get to Cheney. And that’s when the wheels came off the cart for the Reds. Cheney singled Clemente home. Virdon singled Mazeroski home.

By Bobster

August 19, 1960---Vinegar Bend Mizell had his personal 5-game winning streak ended with a 4-3 loss to the Reds and former Pirate Bob Purkey (13-7). The Pirates managed 12 hits and a walk against Purkey, who did not strike out a batter. But the Bucs scored only 3 runs while stranding 8 and hitting into 2 DPs. First inning doubles by Virdon, Nelson and Clemente gave the Pirates (72-44) a 2-0 lead. Wally Post homered for Cincinnati in the fourth to make it 2-1, and Vada Pinson’s 2-run shot in the fifth capped a 3-run rally that put the Reds ahead 4-2. Mizell was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh (Stuart, who popped up), and Clem Labine made his second relief appearance as a Pirate.

By Bobster

August 18, 1960---Thursday had been a scheduled off day before a 3-game series at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. But it became a 4-game series without the day off by making up the April 29 rainout. Reds starter Calvin Coolidge Julius Caeser Tuskahoma McLish was out-dueling Pirate ace
Vernon Sanders Law, 1-0 after 7 innings. Law had given up just one run on 5 hits. Three of the hits off Law came in the first inning when Billy Martin, Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson each singled to load the bases. Martin scored on a sac fly by Ed Bailey.

By Bobster

August 17, 1960---A 5-3 victory over the Phillies gave the Pirates their 3rd straight win and closed out the home stand at 14-4. The Pirates (71-43) staked Harvey Haddix with a quick 1-0 lead when Bill Virdon opened the Pirate first inning with a double, went to third on Groat’s ground out and scored on Skinner’s ground out. After the Phillies tied it 1-1 in the fourth, the Bucs came right back with 3 runs against Philadelphia starter John Buzhardt (4-11) in the bottom of the inning. Groat, Nelson and Burgess singled to make it a 2-1 game, and Hoak’s double plated Nelson and Burgess to make it 4-1. But Haddix (8-7) ran into trouble in the sixth. Haddix left with one out, a run in and two men on base. He was relieved by Clem Labine, making his first appearance as a Pirate.

By Bobster

August 16, 1960---A crowd of 34,673 at Forbes Field watched the Pirates (70-43) win a doubleheader from the Phillies. The 2 wins gave the Pirates a 7½ game lead over both the second-place Milwaukee Braves and St.Louis Cardinals. In game 1, the Pirates responded to a run by the Phillies in the top of the first with 5 of their own in the bottom of the inning. Virdon opened the Pirate first inning with a walk but was caught stealing.

By Bobster

August 15, 1960---The Phillies (44-68) ended the Bucs’ 3-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory at Forbes Field. Art Mahaffey (1-0) earned his first ML win for the Phillies. He and Vinegar Bend Mizell were tied 0-0 after 3 innings. But Mizell walked Frank Herrera to lead off the 4th and Bobby Gene Smith followed that with a double. Jim Coker, the third batter of the inning, singled to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. But the Pirates came right back in their half of the inning when Smoky Burgess doubled and Don Hoak smacked his 10th HR to tie the game 2-2.

By Bobster

August 14, 1960---The Pirates (68-42) swept a Sunday doubleheader from the Cardinals (63-49) to take the 5-game series 3 games to 2 and increase their lead over the second place Cardinals to 6 games. In game 1, Vern Law gave up 4 runs and 12 hits, but benefited from a 9 run, 13 hit Pirate attack as he ran his record to 17-5 and got his 15th complete game and his sixth straight win. Law also joined teammate Bob Friend in going over the 200 inning mark for the season with still a month-and-a-half remaining.

By Bobster

August 13, 1960---Roberto Clemente and Dick Groat accounted for 7 of the Pirates’ 11 hits and Clemente drove in all the runs as the Bucs (66-42) snapped the Cardinals’ win streak at 6. The Cardinals’ loss put them 4 games behind Pittsburgh. The Cardinals (63-47) scored a run in the first on a double by Julian Javier and a single by Bob Nieman.

By Bobster

August 12, 1960---Roberto Clemente returned to the lineup, but the Pirates (65-42) lost again to the Cardinals (63-46). With 35,439 on hand, starter George Witt (1-1) didn’t make it through the first inning. Witt walked ex-Pirate farmhand Julian Javier and Daryl Spencer to start the game. He then retired Bill White before Ken Boyer launched his 25th HR of the season over the left field wall. That was all for Witt as Joe Gibbon took over. The Pirates got one back in the first when Dick Groat hit an opposite field inside-the-park HR to right, his first HR of the season.