July 9, 1963 - The National League took another stride today toward closing the gap that separated it from the American League in All-Star competition as it won the 34th game of the series, 5-3, in Cleveland. Thus the American Leaguers, who once led by 12-4 in this mid-summer event that started in 1933, found their margin whittled to a game. The standing now reads 17 victories for the Americans, 16 for the Nationals, and 1 tie. Today, the power that Alvin Dark’s National Leaguers were expecting to explode never materialized. Actually, the winners were outhit by Ralph Houk’s forces, 11-6, and failed to produce an extra base hit. Instead, the Nationals won it with a sudden flash of speed to take their rivals by surprise. Twice, Willie Mays of the Giants (pictured before the game with Stan Musial) set up runs with steals of second. Mays scored twice and drove in two runs to pace the winners. “I still get a kick out of these games, even if I play in 100 of them,” said Mays afterward. Actually, it was Willie’s 14th. Mays, who is hitting a puny .271 this season, did not expect to make the squad and had planned a 3-day visit to New York. On his personal ballot, Mays revealed today, he voted the center-field position to Vada Pinson, who did not make the team. Don Drysdale of the Dodgers gave the Americans no chance today in the final two innings. He fanned two in the eighth, then saw Mays make a circus catch on a drive by the Yankees’ Joe Pepitone. Dark liked the National League’s pitching in general and admired in particular the work of Drysdale. “I told Gene Mauch [the N.L. third base coach] before the game I wanted a two-run lead in the eighth and Drysdale to finish up,” said Dark. It happened just as he ordered it. “It was a well-played game,” said A.L. manager Ralph Houk. “They got two more runs than we did. That’s all there is to it. If we played them tomorrow, we might score more runs than we did. You can’t fault anyone. It was a really good game. I just wish I had this ballclub all season. We’d win plenty.”
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