Stretch

Willie McCovey was a National Leaguer and, outside of facing a Giants’ team in Strat-O-Matic or SF coming to Wrigley Field, I never really paid that much attention to him.  When Harmon Killebrew or Mickey Mantle could hit a homerun to break your White Sox heart, there was no need, really.

So, I was utterly surprised to read in McCovey’s obituary today that he made his major-league debut on my seventh birthday.  I had cake, McCovey had two triples off of Robin Roberts.  My God, he batted between Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda that day in 1959.  How could a team with so talented a core win all of one pennant, and no World Series?

McCovey made the last out in the seventh game of the 1962 Series, a screaming line drive to Yankees’ second baseman Bobby Richardson with the tying and winning runs in scoring position.  That out, a ball hit so hard, always bothered him.  That career—521 homers, 1555 RBIs, a .270 BA—more than made up for it.