Pirates Hold Off Yankees, 3‑2, to Even Series
New York, Oct. 9 — The most baffling World Series in years moved into its fifth game tomorrow with the Pittsburgh Pirates, almost inexplicably, even with the mighty New York Yankees after a tense 3‑2 triumph Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
The Pirates, who had been battered by scores of 16‑3 and 10‑0 in the previous two games, showed great resolve in avoiding another rout and hanging on for victory before 67,812 fans.
Vernon Law, the majors’ first 20‑game winner this season, set up the win with a superb display of pitching and poise, aided by Elroy Face’s steady relief and the defensive brilliance of Bill Virdon and Don Hoak. Law and Face preserved the decision with key plays that stopped Yankee rallies in the seventh when New York threatened to tie.
The Yankees started fast, their first two batters reaching base, but Danny Murtaugh’s decision to walk Mickey Mantle intentionally paid off when Yogi Berra bounced into a double play. That moment proved decisive as the game unfolded. Law and Ralph Terry traded scoreless innings until the fourth, when Bill Skowron broke the duel with a towering home run, his fifth in World Series play.
The Pirates answered in the fifth as Gino Cimoli singled, Don Hoak reached on a roller, and Law himself doubled off the low barrier in left to score Cimoli. Terry then yielded a single to Virdon, driving in Burgess and Law for a 3‑1 lead. Bobby Shantz relieved Terry and held the Pirates in check, but the Yankees could not break through.
In the seventh, Skowron doubled off the foul pole and McDougald singled, yet Virdon’s leaping catch near the 407‑foot sign robbed Bob Cerv of extra bases and preserved the lead.
Richardson’s grounder scored Skowron, trimming the margin to one run, but Face entered and calmly retired Kubek to end the threat. The Pirates’ defense sparkled again in the late innings, and Face, unshaken, closed out the game with precision.
Law’s pitching and hitting earned him his second victory of the Series, while Face’s relief sealed the outcome. The win evened the Series at two games apiece, ensuring the championship would be decided in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, where Game Six will be played Wednesday. If a seventh is needed, the teams will return Thursday to the same historic park.
BaseballReference.com Boxscore
Courtesy of The Chicago Tribune from October 10, 1960 via Newspapers.com