Aug. 18, 1963 - The Mantle-less, Maris-less, merciless Yankees today completed a 2-week, 6,750-mile, 14-game road trip that had about the same effect on the American League that a certain Yankee general’s march through Georgia had on the Confederacy 99 years ago. By beating the Chicago White Sox twice, 8-2 and 8-4, they extended their league lead to 10½ games over both the Sox and the Minnesota Twins, now tied for second place. This is the largest lead the Yankees have had this year and the largest they’ve enjoyed at this stage of a season since 1958. When they left New York Aug. 5, they were only a bit over .500 on the road. On this trip through Washington, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago, they won 10 out of 14. Now they have 41 games left, 26 of them at home, where their record is 41-14. Not only have they convinced everyone the battle is over, they are now in position to post the biggest winning margin in the American League in 20 years. Today’s two winning pitchers were Ralph Terry (14-12) and Jim Bouton (16-6), but neither finished. Terry was strafed for nine hits by the time Steve Hamilton relieved in the seventh — and Steve staggered through by dint of his large lead. In the nightcap, Bouton was gliding, 8-1, into the last of the ninth, when the Sox picked this strange time to suddenly get interested. They rang Jim up for four runs before Hal Reniff came on to quell the Chicago uprising. Elston Howard, rested in the first game, expended his full energies in the second. He blasted homer No. 24, stroked a double, two singles, and a sac fly. The homer constituted the only Yankee run during five well-pitched innings by Chicago rookie Dave DeBusschere.
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