June 22, 1963 - The pennant pretensions of the Boston Red Sox suffered a compound fracture today when the Yankees, before a combined total of 55,076 fans, twice upended John Pesky’s Bostonians. The Bombers made off with the day game, 6-5, before a gathering of 23,859. Whitey Ford, defying the pitfalls of Fenway Park for a left-hander, was the winner with the help of Hal Reniff’s excellent relief hurling, while Dick Radatz failed the Sox badly. Then, with 31,217, the largest crowd of the season at Fenway, packing the ancient park for the night game, Ralph Houk’s world champs again squeaked through to a victory by a 3-2 margin. Bill Stafford started this one for the Yanks only to retire after three innings with a groin injury. However, Bill Kunkel stepped into the breach to hold off the Sox, who drove their followers out of their wits in the last of the ninth. Needing only one run to tie, they loaded the bases, then collapsed as they banged into a double play. Marshall Bridges came on to help Kunkel gain the final out and the victory. Thus the Sox, who last night had pulled themselves to within two games of the leaders, are now back to four games behind the front-running Bombers. In other Yankee news, Mickey Mantle (pictured at Lenox Hospital in New York) will be named to the All-Star squad as an honorary member although unable to play in the July 9 game because of his broken right foot. Joe McKenney, assistant to American League president Joe Cronin, said so today. “Mantle will be on the team,” he revealed. “We’d like to have him in Cleveland that day even if he isn’t ready to play.” The players vote for the All-Stars but under the rules cannot name a man who is on the disabled list.
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