Cincinnati Will Surprise Yankees in World Series

How can anyone believe this baseball season? Roger Maris has hit 59 or 61 home runs depending on how you look at it; Warren Spahn has tossed a no-hitter, won his 300th game, and chalked up 20 victories for the umpteenth season; and most incredible of all, the Cincinnati Reds have won the National League pennant.

Until the very end of the season, the newspapers, the public, and the rest of the National League steadfastly refused to take notice of the Redleg's feat, feeling that if they could only blink their eyes hard enough the specter would go away. Finally, as the year drew to a close, the bemused Cincinnati fans allowed themselves some dancing in the streets; but the resulting chaos was nothing like what Cincinnati could have done had its denizens been able to convince themselves the whole thing was true.

But everybody had better realize now that the Reds are indeed the N.L. champs, and a real blood and guts ball team at that. The New York Yankees especially should take Cincinnati seriously--although it will do them little good. For the Yankees are about to get bumped off in six games in the World Series by one of the most unobtrusive pennant winners of all time.

Of course the Yankees are good. Six men hit more than 20 home runs for the Bombers this season--Maris (61), Mickey Mantle (54), Bill Skowron (28), Yogi Berra (22), Elston Howard (21), and John Blanchard (21). But you must remember that all these inflated marks were made in a 162* game* season.* Howard also had the highest batting average on either World Series team--.348 (which is equivalent to approx. .327 for a 154 game season).

But pitching, not hitting, may be the key. In fact there are more damn good pitchers in this Series than you or I ever saw before. Count'em: Whitey Ford, Luis Arroyo, Ralph Terry, Bill Stafford, Jim Coates, Roland Sheldon, Hal Reniff, Jim O'Toole, Joey Jay, Bob Purkey, Jim Brosnan, Bill Henry, and Ken Johnson.

True, the Yankees have the stars. The Reds have two shining stars, Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, but moreover they abound in the unknown, scrappy, dirty player who will beat you any way he can. Gordy Coleman, Don Blasingame, Gene Freese, Eddie Kasko, Wally Post, and Jerry Lynch may not sound like much, but they win ball games.

An interesting aspect of this Series is the juggling of outfield positions. Manager Ralph Houk of the Yankees plans to field Berra in left, Mantle in center, and Maris in right, unless Mantle can't play, in which case Houk will put Berra in left, Maris in center, and Blanchard in right, unless a lefty pitches for the Reds, in which case Houk will have Heetor Lopex in right (or left).

Fred Hutchinson of the Reds plans to start Robinson in left, Pinson in center, and Lynch, Post or Gus Bell in right, unless the game is at Crosley Field, in which case Hutch will put Robinson in right, Pinson in center, and Lynch, Post of Bell in left. Isn't baseball fascinating?

Power, pitching, defense, and adaptability will decide the Series. Okay, so the Yankees have the power. But the Reds have the pitching; O'Toole, Jay, and Purkey are good strong throwers who have fought their own battles all season long and are not likely to wilt. Once you get past Ford (and maybe Terry), the Yankee staff consists of effective but short-term hurlers. And this is being more than kind to Ford (and maybe Terry).

Neither team really sparkles defensively. The New York infield is the better of the two, unless the Reds play Leo Cardenas and Elio Chacon. But the Redleg outfield, especially if Mantle is below par, evens the balance.

This leaves adaptability, which is the Reds' stock in trade. All season long, they have come up smiling from minor and major holocausts. And a street fighter can beat a boxer any day in the week.