Apr. 27, 1963 - The Chicago Cubs’ strange allergy to a pitched ball again flared up yesterday when the Philadelphia Phillies’ Art Mahaffey mesmerized 11 on strikeouts while achieving a 5-2, 3-hit victory at Wrigley Field. The third Cub loss in a row was produced when Wes Covington hammered Glen Hobbie for a three-run homer in the fourth. Johnny Callison, former White Sox “Golden Boy,” hit a homer in the fifth, and Don Hoak scored after hitting a double in the sixth. Mahaffey added insult to injury to the 1963 Cubs by making them the first team he has beaten at Wrigley. In losing three previous decisions in Chicago, the 24-year-old righty never had completed more than 6 innings. Early in 1961, in Philadelphia, he tied the then National League record of 17 strikeouts against the Cubs. Yesterday’s was the 12th game of the 17 played in which the Cubs had scored 2 or fewer runs. The Cubs are batting .204, and they have averaged only 2.16 runs a game. Their pitchers’ earned-run average for each 9 innings is still a glossy 1.48. Manager — or make that “Head Coach” — Bob Kennedy, who has decreed a 15-minute “cooling off” period after games before reporters are admitted to the clubhouse, had flet the coop today by the time the eager beavers knocked on his door. Kennedy had more important things to do. He was meeting his brother-in-law, it was said, who had just flown in from Detroit. So, it was up to Athletic Director Bob Whitlow to answer queries about the punchless Cubs. “No, we’re not going to have special batting practice,” said Bob. “No, we’re not going to shake up the lineup. We arrived at this present setup after hard work and thought in spring training. We decided it was our best, and we’re not giving up on it just because we’ve lost three in a row. This, I’m sure, and more, has happened to other teams.”
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