August 17, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs Box Score and Play by Play

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CLE 4
BOS 3
(14) BAL 3
@DET 1 NYY 5
CHW 3 WSA 4
LAA 3 CHC 11
PIT 4 PIT 4
@CHC 3 MLN 7
PHI 6
(11) STL 2
@SFG 0

Standings at end of play this day

Second game of doubleheader, see First game.

Wrigley Field, Attendance: 16,961

Thursday, August 17, 1961
Time of Game: 2:39

Pirates

55-57

Won 1

6th, 14½ GB

                1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9    R  H  E
                -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -    -  -  -
Pirates         2  0  0   0  0  0   0  2  0    4  9  1
Cubs            1  0  0   0  1  0   0  0  1    3  9  0

W: E Francis (2-5), L: J Brewer (0-6), S: R Face (15)

Cubs

48-66

Lost 1

7th, 22½ GB

BATTING

Pittsburgh Pirates           AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
J Christopher LF              3   2   1   1    1   1  .306  .751    0    7   0   GDP
D Groat SS                    4   1   2   0    0   0  .260  .674    0    1   1   2B
R Clemente RF                 4   0   2   3    0   0  .367 1.006    0    2   0   
D Stuart 1B                   4   0   0   0    0   1  .276  .850    0    4   1   GDP
D Hoak 3B                     3   0   0   0    1   0  .332  .929    0    0   0   
D Leppert C                   4   0   1   0    0   1  .235  .669    0    5   0   3B,GDP
  D Schofield PR              0   0   0   0    0   0  .214  .576         0   0   
  H Smith C                   0   0   0   0    0   0  .228  .604         2   0   
B Virdon CF                   4   0   0   0    0   1  .276  .727    0    3   0   
B Mazeroski 2B                3   1   2   0    1   0  .254  .656    0    2   2   2B,IW
E Francis P                   3   0   1   0    0   2  .188  .466    0    1   1   
  R Face P                    1   0   0   0    0   0  .250  .500    0    0   0   
Totals                       33   4   9   4    3   6                    27   5

BATTING

2B: B Mazeroski (17, off J Brewer); D Groat (18, off J Brewer).

3B: D Leppert (1, off B Anderson).

IBB: B Mazeroski (8, by B Anderson).

TB: D Leppert 3; D Groat 3; B Mazeroski 3; R Clemente 2; E Francis; J Christopher.

GIDP: D Stuart (13); J Christopher (4); D Leppert (4).

RBI: R Clemente 3 (81); J Christopher (11).

2-out RBI: R Clemente.

Team LOB: 5.

With RISP: 3 for 7.

FIELDING

E: D Stuart (15).

Chicago Cubs                 AB   R   H RBI   BB  SO    BA   OPS  Pit   PO   A  Details
R Ashburn CF                  2   1   1   0    3   0  .245  .656    0    1   0   
J Kindall SS                  5   0   0   0    0   1  .255  .752    0    1   7   
A Rodgers 1B                  4   1   2   0    1   1  .244  .748    0   12   0   
G Altman RF                   5   0   0   0    0   0  .314  .958    0    0   0   
B Williams LF                 4   1   3   2    1   0  .282  .846    0    2   0   HR
R Santo 3B                    5   0   2   1    0   0  .295  .847    0    0   2   
D Zimmer 2B                   4   0   0   0    0   2  .260  .707    0    5   4   
  B Will PH                   1   0   0   0    0   1  .278  .723    0    0   0   
S Taylor C                    3   0   1   0    1   1  .263  .778    0    6   0   2B
  S Drake PR                  0   0   0   0    0   0  .000  .200         0   0   
  D Bertell C                 0   0   0   0    0   0  .262  .605         0   0   
J Brewer P                    3   0   0   0    0   1  .125  .347    0    0   1   
  D Elston P                  0   0   0   0    0   0  .222  .444         0   0   
  E Banks PH                  1   0   0   0    0   0  .290  .895    0    0   0   
  B Anderson P                0   0   0   0    0   0  .133  .394         0   1   
Totals                       37   3   9   3    6   7                    27  15

BATTING

2B: S Taylor (6, off E Francis).

HR: B Williams (21, off R Face; 9th inn, 0 on, 2 outs to Deep LF).

TB: B Williams 6; A Rodgers 2; S Taylor 2; R Santo 2; R Ashburn.

RBI: B Williams 2 (71); R Santo (63).

2-out RBI: B Williams 2; R Santo.

Team LOB: 13.

With RISP: 2 for 11.

FIELDING

DP: 3. J Kindall-D Zimmer-A Rodgers 2; R Santo-D Zimmer-A Rodgers.

PITCHING

Pittsburgh Pirates            IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
E Francis, W (2-5)             7     7   2   2    6   5   0   3.25   35     -       ·  ·      6· 7· 4· 7     54    -     1.50   0.14
R Face, S (15)                 2     2   1   1    0   2   1   3.33    8     -       ·  ·      1· 3· 0· 2          1-0    2.08   0.26
Totals                         9     9   3   3    6   7   1          43     -       ·  ·      7·10· 4· 9          1-0

Chicago Cubs                  IP     H   R  ER   BB  SO  HR    ERA   BF  Pit-Str  Ct·Sw·Lk   GB·FB·LD· ?   GmSc  IR-IS   LevI    WPA
J Brewer, L (0-6)              7.1   7   4   4    2   6   0   6.36   28     -       ·  ·      9· 2· 2· 7     52    -     1.08  -0.05
D Elston                       0.2   1   0   0    0   0   0   6.05    3     -       ·  ·      1· 1· 0· 1          1-1    1.17  -0.07
B Anderson                     1     1   0   0    1   0   0   4.18    5     -       ·  ·      3· 0· 0· 1          0-0    0.50   0.02
Totals                         9     9   4   4    3   6   0          36     -       ·  ·     13· 3· 2· 9          1-1

E Francis faced 1 batter in the 8th inning.

Balks: None.

WP: None.

IBB: B Anderson (10; B Mazeroski).

HBP: None.

OTHER

Umpires: HP - Ed Vargo, 1B - Shag Crawford, 2B - Al Barlick, 3B - Bill Jackowski.

Time of Game: 2:39.

Attendance: 16,961.

Field Condition: Dry.

Weather: 83° F, Sunny, No Precipitation.

LINEUPS

   Pittsburgh Pirates            Chicago Cubs                         
1. J Christopher        LF    1. R Ashburn            CF 
2. D Groat              SS    2. J Kindall            SS 
3. R Clemente           RF    3. A Rodgers            1B 
4. D Stuart             1B    4. G Altman             RF 
5. D Hoak               3B    5. B Williams           LF 
6. D Leppert            C     6. R Santo              3B 
7. B Virdon             CF    7. D Zimmer             2B 
8. B Mazeroski          2B    8. S Taylor             C  
9. E Francis            P     9. J Brewer             P

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

   Inn Out Score RoB  Pt wWPA  wWE  Batter          Pitcher         Play Detail
  +---+---+-----+---+---+----+----++---------------+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
   t 8   1  2-2  -2-      22%  77% J Christopher   J Brewer        Single to CF; Mazeroski Scores; Christopher to 2B/Adv on throw
   b 5   2  2-1  --3     -13%  47% R Santo         E Francis       Single to 3B; Rodgers Scores
   t 8   0  2-2  ---      13%  63% B Mazeroski     J Brewer        Double to LF (Deep LF-CF)
   t 8   2  2-3  --3      11%  85% R Clemente      D Elston        Single to 2B; Christopher Scores
   t 1   0  0-0  1--      10%  64% D Groat         J Brewer        Double to CF; Christopher to 3B

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Top of the 1st, Pirates Batting, Tied 0-0, Jim Brewer facing 1-2-3
  Scr/Out RoB  Pt  wWE  Batter          Play Detail
  +------+---+---+----++---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
          ---      53%  J Christopher   Walk
          1--      64%  D Groat         Double to CF; Christopher to 3B
   RR     -23      71%  R Clemente      Single to CF (SS-2B); Christopher Scores; Groat Scores
   OO     1--      66%  D Stuart        Ground Ball Double Play: SS-2B-1B
   O      ---      65%  D Hoak          Groundout: SS-1B
                  2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 0.

Bottom of the 1st, Cubs Batting, Behind 0-2, Earl Francis facing 1-2-3
          ---      61%  R Ashburn       Walk
   O      1--      65%  J Kindall       Flyball: CF
          1--      61%  A Rodgers       Single to LF; Ashburn to 2B
   O      12-      65%  G Altman        Lineout: LF
   R      12-      56%  B Williams      Single to LF; Ashburn Scores; Rodgers to 2B
   O      12-      60%  R Santo         Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Top of the 2nd, Pirates Batting, Ahead 2-1, Jim Brewer facing 6-7-8
   O      ---      58%  D Leppert       Popfly: 2B
   O      ---      57%  B Virdon        Strikeout Looking
   O      ---      56%  B Mazeroski     Lineout: LF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 2nd, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-2, Earl Francis facing 7-8-9
   O      ---      58%  D Zimmer        Lineout: LF
          ---      54%  S Taylor        Double to LF
   O      -2-      58%  J Brewer        Strikeout Looking
          -2-      56%  R Ashburn       Walk
   O      12-      61%  J Kindall       Strikeout
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Top of the 3rd, Pirates Batting, Ahead 2-1, Jim Brewer facing 9-1-2
          ---      65%  E Francis       Single to CF
   OO     1--      57%  J Christopher   Ground Ball Double Play: 3B-2B-1B
          ---      59%  D Groat         Single to LF
   O      1--      56%  R Clemente      Groundout: SS-2B/Forceout at 2B
                  0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 3rd, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-2, Earl Francis facing 3-4-5
          ---      52%  A Rodgers       Single to CF (SS-3B Hole)
   O      1--      56%  G Altman        Lineout: LF
          1--      52%  B Williams      Walk; Rodgers to 2B
   O      12-      57%  R Santo         Flyball: LF
   O      12-      62%  D Zimmer        Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Top of the 4th, Pirates Batting, Ahead 2-1, Jim Brewer facing 4-5-6
   O      ---      60%  D Stuart        Groundout: 3B-1B
          ---      62%  D Hoak          Walk
   OO     1--      57%  D Leppert       Ground Ball Double Play: SS-2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 4th, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-2, Earl Francis facing 8-9-1
   O      ---      60%  S Taylor        Strikeout
   O      ---      62%  J Brewer        Groundout: P-1B
          ---      61%  R Ashburn       Single to 2B
   O      1--      64%  J Kindall       Popfly: 2B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Top of the 5th, Pirates Batting, Ahead 2-1, Jim Brewer facing 7-8-9
   O      ---      61%  B Virdon        Groundout: P-1B
          ---      64%  B Mazeroski     Single to LF (SS-3B Hole)
   O      1--      61%  E Francis       Strikeout
   O      1--      58%  J Christopher   Strikeout
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 1.

Bottom of the 5th, Cubs Batting, Behind 1-2, Earl Francis facing 3-4-5
          ---      53%  A Rodgers       Walk
   O      1--      56%  G Altman        Groundout: 1B unassisted; Rodgers to 2B
   O      -2-      60%  B Williams      Groundout: 1B-P; Rodgers to 3B
   R      --3      47%  R Santo         Single to 3B; Rodgers Scores
   O      1--      50%  D Zimmer        Flyball: CF
                  1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 2.

Top of the 6th, Pirates Batting, Tied 2-2, Jim Brewer facing 2-3-4
   O      ---      47%  D Groat         Groundout: SS-1B
   O      ---      44%  R Clemente      Lineout: CF
   O      ---      42%  D Stuart        Strikeout
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 2.

Bottom of the 6th, Cubs Batting, Tied 2-2, Earl Francis facing 8-9-1
   O      ---      46%  S Taylor        Flyball: LF
          ---      42%  J Brewer        Reached on E3 (Ground Ball); Brewer to 1B
          1--      37%  R Ashburn       Walk; Brewer to 2B
   O      12-      44%  J Kindall       Flyball: RF
   O      12-      50%  A Rodgers       Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 2.

Top of the 7th, Pirates Batting, Tied 2-2, Jim Brewer facing 5-6-7
   O      ---      46%  D Hoak          Groundout: SS-1B
   O      ---      43%  D Leppert       Strikeout
   O      ---      41%  B Virdon        Flyball: LF
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 2.

Bottom of the 7th, Cubs Batting, Tied 2-2, Earl Francis facing 4-5-6
   O      ---      45%  G Altman        Flyball: CF
          ---      41%  B Williams      Single to RF (2B-1B)
   O      1--      46%  R Santo         Lineout: LF
   O      1--      50%  D Zimmer        Strikeout Looking
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 2, Cubs 2.

Top of the 8th, Pirates Batting, Tied 2-2, Jim Brewer facing 8-9-1
          ---      63%  B Mazeroski     Double to LF (Deep LF-CF)
   O      -2-      54%  E Francis       Strikeout Looking
   R      -2-      77%  J Christopher   Single to CF; Mazeroski Scores; Christopher to 2B/Adv on throw
                  Don Elston replaces Jim Brewer pitching and batting 9th
   O      -2-      73%  D Groat         Groundout: 2B-1B; Christopher to 3B
   R      --3      85%  R Clemente      Single to 2B; Christopher Scores
   O      1--      83%  D Stuart        Popfly: SS
                  2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 4, Cubs 2.

Bottom of the 8th, Cubs Batting, Behind 2-4, Earl Francis facing 8-9-1
          ---      75%  S Taylor        Walk
                  Roy Face replaces Earl Francis pitching and batting 9th; Ernie Banks pinch hits for Don Elston batting 9th; Sammy Drake pinch runs for Sammy Taylor batting 8th
   O      1--      82%  E Banks         Popfly: SS
   O      1--      88%  R Ashburn       Flyball: LF (Short LF)
   O      1--      92%  J Kindall       Groundout: 2B-1B
                  0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 4, Cubs 2.

Top of the 9th, Pirates Batting, Ahead 4-2, Bob Anderson facing 5-6-7
                  Bob Anderson replaces Ernie Banks pitching and batting 9th; Dick Bertell replaces Sammy Drake playing C batting 8th
   O      ---      92%  D Hoak          Groundout: 1B unassisted
          ---      95%  D Leppert       Triple to RF
                  Dick Schofield pinch runs for Don Leppert batting 6th
   O      --3      92%  B Virdon        Groundout: SS-1B
          --3      92%  B Mazeroski     Intentional Walk
   O      1-3      91%  R Face          Groundout: P-1B
                  0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Pirates 4, Cubs 2.

Bottom of the 9th, Cubs Batting, Behind 2-4, Roy Face facing 3-4-5
                  Hal Smith replaces Dick Schofield playing C batting 6th
   O      ---      95%  A Rodgers       Strikeout
   O      ---      98%  G Altman        Flyball: RF (Deep RF)
   R      ---      95%  B Williams      Home Run (Deep LF)
          ---      90%  R Santo         Single to LF (SS-3B Hole)
                  Bob Will pinch hits for Don Zimmer batting 7th
   O      1--     100%  B Will          Strikeout
        1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Pirates 4, Cubs 3.

Retrosheet.org Boxscore:CHN196108172

Play-by-Play Explanation

Scr/Out- This has a "O" for every out on the play and an "R" for every run that scored on the play. Some plays will have both in no particular order.
RoB- This gives the baserunner (Runners on Base) configuration at the start of the play. "1-3" would mean runners on first and third. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Pt- When available, the number of pitches in this plate appearance. Clicking on this number will show the sequence of pitches thrown including, when available, things like runner going, ball blocked, attempted pickoffs and the like. We believe this data to be as accurate as humanly possible, but there are going to be some errors in the data, so please take it with a grain of salt. Clicking on this will show the defensive players and baserunners on the field for this play. This is a subscriber feature, so non-subscribers are limited as to the number of times they can use this feature in a day.
Batter- The batter at the plate when this play occurred. If the play is a baserunning event, then the batter's name will be repeated as indicated by quotes.
Play Detail- This is an explanation of the play that occurred. In some cases, batted ball location and type will be indicated within parentheses. Again, these are best efforts to the record the game as it happened. Also, plays made on the baserunners (including the batter as a baserunner) will be indicated in parentheses after the baserunner's name. Advancement of baserunners is given in cases where the advancement is not easily deduced or obvious from the play. For example, advancement for a walk will not be given, but for a single or double it will be given.

Please report any issues or strangeness you see with the description of plays given above. We have tested several hundred different types of plays, but, in all likelihood, there are still some errors or misinterpretations of the play-by-play data.

The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at 20 Sunset Rd., Newark, DE 19711.

In some cases, the results from play-by-play data will contradict results in the official record. The official record has many, many errors, but we have not undertaken to reconcile those errors. Pitch-by-pitch data should not be taken as completely accurate, though we believe it to be as accurate as is currently possible.


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BATTING

PITCHING

OTHER

LINEUPS

TOP 5 PLAYS (wpa explanation)

PLAY BY PLAY (explanation)

Play-by-Play Explanation