Daytime World Series Game Memories

[E.Howard 32]

I sure miss the World Series games played in daylight.

I remember back to 1964 and watching the series between the Yankees and Cardinals (my first one). My dad actually came to school and picked me up early for a couple of the games. We rushed home to watch on TV, just him and me. He passed away in 1972 and some of these games are my fondest memories of him. My mom fussed at him for getting me out of school early and his comment was "This is something important!" Ha ha ha.

We watched the Twins lose to fireballing Koufax in '65, the Willie Davis "error" game in '66, the "Impossible Dream" Sox in '67, Lolich, McLain, Gibson in '68 and of course the '69 Miracle Mets. I still remember the '69 Series, running out of class with my transistor radio listening to the play by play, heading toward the school bus (I guess Dad had to work sometimes!).

My son is 21 and we don't have many memories of watching World Series games together, because he was usually asleep before the games ended when he was a kid. The "after midnight" finishes just don't have the charm of the late afternoon finishes. Heck, after the games were over in those days, my friends and I would go outside and re-play the games in a vacant lot or field, using baseball cards for the batting order.

I remember in the 6th grade my teacher was a man. He brought a TV into the classroom for the World Series and assigned the class to watch the game and write a report about it, for a grade!!! The guys loved it, the girls weren't much for it!

I guess I am just old....too old for that "after midnight" drama. Just one more daylight World Series game please! I will even turn off the color on the TV and fuzz up the picture a little bit, for old times sake!

Anyone else have any memories like this?

[Iron Jaw]

I remember listening to the 1964 World Series on transistor radios in my 4th grade class in Evergreen, Colorado. The World Series was special, and the teachers were pretty good about letting us listen to the games. Really, we could only watch the games on the weekend. That weekend, I remember watching my boyhood hero, Ken Boyer, hit a grand slam off Al Downing to win Game #4 of the series. Of course, I was only able to watch two games on TV.

I remember listening to the 5th game when Tim McCarver hit a 3-run homerun in the top of the 10th inning. And the World Series finale, when Ken and Clete Boyer homered against each other. My class had considerably more Cardinal fans than Yankee fans. When 2nd baseman Dal Maxvill (playing for the injured Julian Javier) caught the popfly that ended the final game, about 22 of the kids in my class stood up and cheered wildly).

Yeah, we couldn't watch the games - but we didn't miss a beat with the radios blaring.

About three years later, when I was in 7th grade, the Cardinals were playing the BoSox in the World Series. Again, day games. We listened to the radios in the classroom, but at lunchtime, we were allowed to go off-campus to eat. My buddies and I bought some popcorn and went to the local TV shop and watched the game that was playing on every TV in the shop.

Good memories.

[2Chance]

1970...Reds vs. Orioles
We got to watch it on TV (in color) at school! How cool was that? :applaud:

[Stray Cat]

I remember that series in 64 with Bob Gibson pitching. I'd come home from school and my mom had it on the tv, she usually had the soaps on.
Back when men wore suits and women wore dresses to the games. And no cell phones. :applaud:

[E.Howard 32]

Hey Stray Cat, I remember watching Gibson fan all those Tigers in the first game of the '68 Series while sitting in the barber shop with my dad. The barbers (it was a 3 chair shop) all stopped cutting hair and we all just sat there amazed at what Gibson was doing. Old black and white TV, bad reception, but what a great memory! Gibby was "on" that day.

[E.Howard 32]

I remember listening to the 1964 World Series on transistor radios in my 4th grade class in Evergreen, Colorado. The World Series was special, and the teachers were pretty good about letting us listen to the games. Really, we could only watch the games on the weekend. That weekend, I remember watching my boyhood hero, Ken Boyer, hit a grand slam off Al Downing to win Game #4 of the series. Of course, I was only able to watch two games on TV.

I remember listening to the 5th game when Tim McCarver hit a 3-run homerun in the top of the 10th inning. And the World Series finale, when Ken and Clete Boyer homered against each other. My class had considerably more Cardinal fans than Yankee fans. When 2nd baseman Dal Maxvill (playing for the injured Julian Javier) caught the popfly that ended the final game, about 22 of the kids in my class stood up and cheered wildly).

Yeah, we couldn't watch the games - but we didn't miss a beat with the radios blaring.

About three years later, when I was in 7th grade, the Cardinals were playing the BoSox in the World Series. Again, day games. We listened to the radios in the classroom, but at lunchtime, we were allowed to go off-campus to eat. My buddies and I bought some popcorn and went to the local TV shop and watched the game that was playing on every TV in the shop.

Good memories.

I cried when Richardson popped up to end the series. Boyer and Linz had homered in the 9th off a tired Gibson. Too little, too late! I was only 8 years old.

[hartman74]

The 1971 World Series with Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles introduced
night time baseball. One of the games in Pittsburgh was played at night time.
I know that Game 7 in Baltimore where Clemente shined was played in the daytime. I think there were a few more World Series games in the 70's that had daytime baseball before being moved to night games.

I think the Reds vs. Red Sox was the first all night games World Series.

[EdTarbusz]

I think the Reds vs. Red Sox was the first all night games World Series.

I have that Sries on DVD and it l9ooks like the first two games were day games. I would bet that games 6 and 7 were supposed to be day games if the rainouts hadn't occured.

[TonyK]

I thought the '60 WS was great because Mazeroski's HR won it. I remember the ball cleared the ivy covered fence in LF. Pittsburgh won the squeakers and NY won the blowouts. The WS was the only way I got to watch great NL players like Mays, McCovey, Koufax, and Drysdale since NL games were seldom televised.

Almost every radio and TV in Boston was tuned in during the '67 World Series. I raced home from school to watch the game after hearing the first few innings on the bus. Lonborg and Yaz and Gibson had spectacular series.

I was at Game 6 of the '75 WS and I think it ended around 12.30 A.M.? I got home around 2 a.m. and could not sleep I was so pumped up. How many kids never saw Fisk's HR or the many great WS games in the last 30 years?

[Sirmudgeon]

One of my most indelible memories hath taken on the sunshine of days yore (read: I remember it like it was yesterDAY): catcher (Tenace? Fosse? I think the former) calling for an intentional walk to Bench after a steal (by Morgan, I think), even with 2 strikes. Then sitting back down and catching Fingers' down-the-pipe heater, stunning everyone from Bench to the crowd to the announcers.

I remember getting heavily invested in baseball cards right about then, had a surfeit of cardboard gum and lots of Clemente, Carlton, and Seaver cards- gave 'em all away to a purported collector kid who promptly sold them. Drat.

[Iron Jaw]

I thought the '60 WS was great because Mazeroski's HR won it. I remember the ball cleared the ivy covered fence in LF. Pittsburgh won the squeakers and NY won the blowouts. The WS was the only way I got to watch great NL players like Mays, McCovey, Koufax, and Drysdale since NL games were seldom televised.

Almost every radio and TV in Boston was tuned in during the '67 World Series. I raced home from school to watch the game after hearing the first few innings on the bus. Lonborg and Yaz and Gibson had spectacular series.


As did Cardinal rightfielder, Roger Maris. Roger had 10 hits, including a homerun off Lonborg in Jim's second start.

[Iron Jaw]

I cried when Richardson popped up to end the series. Boyer and Linz had homered in the 9th off a tired Gibson. Too little, too late! I was only 8 years old.

You and I are around the same age then (I turned 9 in November of 1964). Bobby Richardson had a terrific series against the Cardinals. He hammered out a WS record 13 hits. But it seemed, Bobby's bat often turned tiger in the World Series.

[NineWorldSeries]

I have that Sries on DVD and it l9ooks like the first two games were day games. I would bet that games 6 and 7 were supposed to be day games if the rainouts hadn't occured.

Yep... I'm in the process of watching Game 2 right now on DVD, and it was definitely a day game. NBC keeps advertising the "big" Chiefs/Raiders game later that afternoon.

[Brian McKenna]

I have that Sries on DVD and it l9ooks like the first two games were day games. I would bet that games 6 and 7 were supposed to be day games if the rainouts hadn't occured.

Pretty sure Game 4 was first night game

[EdTarbusz]

Pretty sure Game 4 was first night game


It could be. It's hard to tell at Riverfront Stadium if it's a night game or not.

[Brian McKenna]

It could be. It's hard to tell at Riverfront Stadium if it's a night game or not.

Sorry - thought you were talking about the first World Series night game - that was Game 4, 1971.

[Olliemets]

1968- I remember coming home from school and watching him mow down the Tigers. First WS I really watched as a 10 year old. I got so into it. Also rememeber Curt Flood falling down in CF Game 7. That series started me on a lifetime of Baseball.

[KCGHOST]

My strongest Day Time World Series memory is for a game I didn't get to see. On Monday, October 8, 1956, I rushed home from school to catch the last couple innings of the fifth game of the WS between my Beloved Bums and the Yanks. I was stunned when the game wasn't on. I thought it must have been rained out. Only later did I learn about Don Larsen's perfect game.

[yanks0714]

I wasn't quite 5 years old. My Mom and Dad had a World Series party. That's how big the WS was in those days. Friends were invited over to watch the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Everybody was for the Braves, not because they liked the Braves but they hated the Yankees. I was too young to understand but felt sorry for the Yankees because nobody was cheering for them. I vaguely remember a blanket on the floor and my Dad giving me a taste of beer. It was awful!
My start as a life long Yankee fan. My Dad was a Red Sox fan because of Ted Williams...and I become a Yankee fan! Dad switched to the Orioles, the local team, when Williams retired.
My Mom liked the Braves because Lew Burdette and Eddie Mathews were "so handsome". She loved hank Aaron because, 'how can anyone so skinny hit the ball so far'? And Warren Spahn because he was 'funny looking' but got 'everyone out'.

The 1960 WS, I was in school. rushed to get home to watch my Yankees become champs, only to have my Mom tell me it just ended with Max's home run. I broke down crying, it was the end of the world. Even today, I hate to hear about the 1960 WS.

1962 WS. Most exciting half inning ever played was the bottom of the 9th in game 7. I've chronicled it elsewhere on BBF as did another poster.

1963 WS. Sitting in awe of the Sandy Koufax and his co-horts mowing down the Yankees. Bobby Richardson strking out...he never struck out it seemed but Koufax was throwing it right past him. Mickey and the sluggers had little chance against him.

1964 WS. Like some of you, our teacher brought in a TV to watch the game. I was the only Yankee fan. Boy, did I take a razzing. great Series, one of the best.

1965 - 1968 WS. No Yankees??? Watched every game but it just wasn't the same. Gibby in '68 was awesome.

1969 WS. Miracle Mets vs Big Bad Birds. TV at school. Kids yelling and screaming. We lived about 50 miles from Baltimore so most rooted for the O's but everyone had jumped on the Mets bandwagon.

1970 WS. The Brooks Robinson show. God, I hated that guy! One of the nicest men you'll ever want to meet and I despised him. I never liked the O's. All you had to do was wear an Orioles unform and I didn't like you. Loved Reggie Jackson in later years...except for one year. Guess which one?

1972 WS. Working in D.C. watching a game at night! What the devil is the WS doing on at night!

[rugbyfreak]

Pretty sure Game 4 was first night game

Yeah, Bruce Kison won for the Bucs. I'm just old enough to remember the end of the day WS era. Began following BB in '69, when the Mets were all the rage. I came to school with a little radio tucked into my pants and a little ear bud to listen surrepticiously while at my desk.

It's a shame. I do understand the need to have night games to maximize viewing and attendance, but I have always said they should preserve one day game a year on one of the weekend days. What would be the harm?

Anyone know when the last WS day game was played?

[TonyK]

Anyone know when the last WS day game was played?

Acc. to the NY Times it was Game 5 of the 1984 WS between Detroit & San Diego. Were the ratings low that year?