Oct. 2, 1962 - Incredible as it may seem, the 1962 National League pennant playoff is still alive and so are the Dodgers, who beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-7, today in the second game before a jubilant Los Angeles crowd. The deciding game between these ancient rivals, who fought it out in a playoff 11 years ago on the East Coast, will be played in L.A. tomorrow starting at 4 p.m., New York time. Hopelessly beaten at one stage, the Dodgers emerged on top when, with the score tied 7-7 in the ninth, Giant pitching suffered a total collapse. Three walks filled the bases. Ron Fairly followed with a fly ball to Willie Mays in shallow center that normally would have kept the deadlock intact. But the Dodger on third happened to be Maury Wills, and for once Willie the Wonder met his match. Mays desperately fired the ball home, a trifle wide. But even had it been perfect, it could not have headed off the speedy Dodger as he slid over the plate with the deciding run (pictured). This ended a struggle that lasted 4 hours 18 minutes. The game involved 42 players for the two clubs — Manager Alvin Dark of the Giants used 8 pitchers. As the battle moved into the last of the sixth, the Giants, who had just routed Don Drysdale with a 4-run splurge, were leading 5-0. But here, Dark took out his starter, Jack Sanford, a move he was to regret minutes later. For the run-starved Dodgers, shut out in their last 3 games and held scoreless in their last 35 innings, went on a rampage that rocked the Giants for 7 runs. Tomorrow’s rubber match will feature the Dodgers’ Johnny Podres against the San Francisco ace, Juan Marichal.
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