Sept. 18, 1962 - Mickey Mantle, apparently tired of the way the Yankees have been dawdling on the pennant trail of late, today took matters into his own hands. Exploding two homers, the Switcher drove in 5 runs as Ralph Houk’s Bombers defeated the Senators, 7-1, before a crowd of 16,824 in Washington. The victory, coupled with Minnesota’s defeat at the hands of the Tigers, restored the Yankee lead to four games with only nine more to play. The homers brought Mantle’s season total to 29, and the victory was pitcher Ralph Terry’s 22nd of the year, a 7-hitter. Terry became the first Yankee right-hander to win more than 21 games since 1928. That year, George Pipgrass won 24 and Waite Hoyt 23. Two Yankee left-handers have topped that figure. Lefty Gomez won 26 in 1934, and Whitey Ford reached 25 last year.
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