Every game is like a playoff game. You find yourself checking the out-of-town scoreboard. You want to know how the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Yankees are doing.
It is a four-team “pennant” race and there only 2½ weeks to go.
It is . . . dare we say . . . “just like ’67’’?
Of course, it is not like ’67. Back in 1967, the major league baseball postseason was just the World Series. No divisions. No cheesy one-game wild cards. Only one of 10 American League teams had a chance to play after the conclusion of the 162-game regular season. Men were men, first place was first place, and that was that.
So this is NOT just like ’67. But it’s really fun. And the notion of four teams fighting for first place gives a little tingle to Baby Boomer (it’s always about us) Red Sox fans.
Indulge the old folks for just one day and hear me out. There is a reason your father, or uncle, or neighbor speaks of the 1967 pennant race with such fondness.
Let’s start with the sad acknowledgment that a fan has to be pretty old in order to remember Yaz and Lonnie and the Impossible Dream season that took the boring 1950s/’60s Red Sox from black-and-white to color (as in “The Wizard of Oz’’).
It dawns on me that a 2016 fan talking about the 1967 season would be the equivalent of a 1967 geezer telling the young’uns about the 1918 World Series. We are talking about an event that happened 49 years ago.
Too bad. It was great then and it is still great today. And it would not kill you to look and learn.
The American League East standings on Wednesday morning showed that there were four teams within four games of first place. The Red Sox were on top, two games ahead of the Orioles and Blue Jays, and four games ahead of the Yankees, who will be playing four games at Fenway starting Thursday night.
Think that’s a close race? Here’s what the American League (10 teams, one pennant winner) looked like on Sept. 17, 1967:
| W-L | GB | |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 85-65 | -- |
| Chicago | 85-66 | ½ |
| Boston | 84-66 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 84-66 | 1 |
Trust me when I tell you that there was never anything like this. It was the best pennant race of all time because it included not two, not three, but four teams. And the stakes were as high as they could be. It was winner-take-all. You finished first or you went home.
Today we know that three American League East teams could wind up in the postseason. In 2016, finishing first would be great, but it is not an all-or-nothing proposition.
The ’67 Red Sox were the most important team in Boston baseball history . . . until the 2004 curse-busting Sox shed 86 years of hardball hardship and liberated Red Sox Nation.
The Red Sox of the 1950s and ’60s were abysmal. Owner Tom Yawkey wanted a new stadium and was rightfully discouraged by eighth- and ninth-place finishes from 1964-66 and a 100-loss season in 1965.
The Sox could not draw a million fans and had gates under 1,000 in the dark days of the mid 1960s. The ’65 Sox drew 652,201 fans, roughly 8,000 per game. They had a “crowd” of 461 for a game against the Angels (that would make the Revolution look good). Dave Morehead pitched a no-hitter at Fenway in front of 1,247 fans.
Everything changed in ’67. Suddenly, the Cardiac Kids made baseball important again. Fans tuned into Ken Coleman and Ned Martin. Folks pulled over before entering the Callahan Tunnel for fear of missing a Carl Yastrzemski at-bat. Songs were scripted and books were written. It was the rebirth of Boston baseball.
Since 1967, the Red Sox have enjoyed a half-century of popularity that peaked during the 2003-08 seasons. Much of it is owed to the deeds of the 1967 team — a 100-to-1 shot that came home and won the American League pennant on the final day of the regular season.
Jim Lonborg went 22-9 and won the Cy Young Award. Today he is a dentist on the South Shore with six children and nine grandchildren. He still hears about ’67.
“I was at a charity golf tournament this week,’’ Lonborg said Wednesday. “And four or five people came up to me and said, ‘Thank you so much for all the joy you gave us 50 years ago. It was the thrill of a lifetime after living under a dark cloud for 50 years and it lightened up our lives.’ ’’
What is happening at Fenway today is nothing comparable to ’67, but it is important nonetheless, and it reminds older New England fans of the golden days from a half-century ago.
The ’67 scramble went down to the final weekend. All four contenders were still alive before the White Sox were eliminated Friday night. The Red Sox, Twins, and Tigers were all still in contention on the final day of the season. It wasn’t decided until Detroit’s Dick McAuliffe grounded into a double play to end a Tigers-Angels doublehader in Detroit late Sunday afternoon.
Here’s hoping we get the same ending this year.
Sunday, Oct. 2.
Blue Jays at Fenway.
The last regular-season game of David Ortiz’s career.
David Price on the mound for Boston.
Not as good as ’67, but still a lot of fun.