The Year West Point almost beat the Yankees

[smotan_02]

This year West Point will host the Yankees for a 7-inning exhibition game at Doubleday Field. The cadets first met the Yankees in 1927 and faced off against Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and the rest of bomber's row (pre-war tie-in!)


Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig at West Point's Doubleday Field.


Most of the games are pretty one-sided, except for one.

NEW YORK - The outcome won't likely be in doubt when the New York Yankees visit the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on March 30 for the 22nd time - and the first time since 1976 - for an exhibition game against Army's baseball team. New York has won all prior meetings.

The on-again, off-again series began before the Yankees 1927 season. New York's "Murderers' Row" won the first meeting 2-0 in a one and a half-inning, rain-shortened exhibition that turned out to be the closest the cadets would come to beating the Yankees.

Except, of course, for one afternoon in 1966.

After decades of being routed by Yankees teams that regularly played their stars, Army came closest to beating the Bombers on April 29th of that year behind the pitching of third-team All-American Barry DeBolt. The senior cadet tossed a four-hitter against New York in a seven-inning game but lost 1-0 when Army couldn't score against Jim Bouton. Mickey Mantle batted in the game's only run.

Forty-seven years later, DeBolt - who plans to attend the 2013 Yankees-Army game - and his teammates vividly recall the day the cadets nearly beat a Yankees team that included Mantle, Roger Maris, Bobby Richardson, Roy White, Bobby Murcer, Elston Howard, and Tom Tresh.

"It was a surreal day. I can remember warming up in the outfield next to Bouton," DeBolt said. "It was one of those days where the next day, you wake up and ask yourself, 'Did that just happen?'"

After DeBolt gave up back-to-back singles to Richardson and White to start the game, Mantle drove in the game's only run with a groundball to Army second baseman Bob Fazen.

"I tossed it to [shortstop] Kenny Smith to start the double play, but Mantle beat the relay throw to first base," Fazen said. "I must say that I made a bad decision by not throwing home to get Richardson, but who knew that would be their only run?"

Mantle went on to steal the base - a play that Fazen still protests.

"[Catcher] Rich Scaglione threw a perfect strike to me covering second base and Mantle was out, but the umpire … called him safe," Fazen said. "I made a fool of myself yelling at the ump, stating 'He was out,' but the umpire calmly looked at me and said, 'He makes a lot more money than you son.'"

DeBolt went on to retire the next eight hitters before giving up a fourth-inning single to Mantle. He retired the next 11 batters after that and finished the game with only one more blemish - a Clete Boyer single in the seventh inning. In all, he struck out eight Yankees, including Maris.


Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/army-al...0069--mlb.html

[CTY64]

Wow! That's an incredible story. It's a shame your link to the story no longer works.

--
Michael Sokolow
Partner, Challenge the Yankees
www.challengetheyankees.co

[TUM301]

Good stuff and thanks for posting it sir. Went down to West Point for a visit last year and they have recently upgraded all their baseball facilities, field looks beautiful ! Added, anyone in the area, especially during the early fall might like to take in a football game there. Right on the Hudson River with the foliage, awesome take.