Aug. 8, 1963 - Two of baseball’s best “plane-catchers,” Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees and Don Rudolph of the Washington Senators, engaged in a snappy pitching duel at D.C. Stadium today. It should surprise no one that Terry won, 3-1. A “plane-catcher” is a baseball term that may be applied to a game or pitcher. It means a fast game or a pitcher who works quickly. This is highly desirable on getaway days, when the plane is waiting to take a team to the next city: hence, “plane-catcher.” (They used to be called “train-catchers.”) Terry and Rudolph rank among the fastest workers in the game, and their match-up was a welcome one to the Yankees. The Yankees’ jet flight to Los Angeles was scheduled to leave only three-and-a-half hours after game time. Terry and Rudolph completed six innings in 1 hour 10 minutes. By that time, the Yankees had a 1-0 lead, thanks to a home run by Phil Linz, the star substitute, with one out in the fifth. Phil was filling in at third base for the resting Clete Boyer. Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek knocked in the other two Yankee runs. Yankee manager Ralph Houk, giving his regulars a spot-breather in the August heat to guard against a late fold, uses Linz at short for Kubek one day, at third for Boyer the next. Pretty soon he’ll likely give Richardson a spell at second. Last night, Linz subbed for Clete and smashed four hits, so Houk decided to give Boyer another day off. The Yanks are 12-4 against Washington, with two games left in New York.
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