1964 Philadelphia Collapse
The 2007 Mets' Swoon Was Not As Bad As the 1964 Phillies' Meltdown
Over a seven-day period, the Phillies lost a 6 1/2 game lead and trailed the first-place Reds by one full game. That was more extreme than the 2007 Mets' collapse.
At the end of play on September 20, 1964, the Phillies led both the Cardinals and Reds, who were tied for second place, by 6 ½ games. At the end of play on September 27, the Reds led the second place Phillies by a full game. In seven days, the Phillies lost a 6-½ game lead and were never again in first place.
The Mets Lost a 7 Game Lead in17 Days
At the end of play on September 12, 2007, the Mets led the second Phillies by 7 games. At the end of play on September 28, 2007, the Phillies led the second place Mets by a full game. The next day, the teams were tied, and on the final day of the regular season, the Phillies won the title. In seventeen days, the Mets lost a 7 game lead but managed a tie for first before losing the title on the final day of the regular season.
The Cardinals and Reds Tie for First Place
The 1964 Phillies collapse was more extreme than that of the 2007 Mets. On Sunday, September 20, the Phillies had a 6-½ game lead. On Sunday, September 27, they were a game behind the Reds, who didn’t win the pennant. On September 28 the Pirates shut out the Reds while the Cardinals beat the Phillies. The Cardinals and Reds were tied for the top spot with the reeling Phillies trailing each of them by 1-½ games.
The Phillies Weren't the Only Team Feeling Pressure
The next day, the Pirates beat the Reds in sixteen innings, 1-0. Once the Reds reached first place, they didn’t score again until they were out of first place. The Phillies weren’t the only team feeling the pressure. The Cardinals beat the Phillies again, to take over first place. On October 1, the Cardinals were off. The Reds finally scored as they beat the Pirates to pull within one half game of the Cardinals, who would be at home for the final three games of the season to face the Mets, losers of 108 games. The Phillies trailed the Cards by 2 ½ games.
Al Jackson Blanks the Cards
The Cardinals ace, Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, faced the Mets’ little lefty, Al Jackson. The Mets scored a run in the third inning as Jackson shut out the Cardinals on five hits. The Phillies beat the Reds so the Cardinals still led the Reds by one-half game and the Phillies by 1 ½ games.
Easy Mets' Win
In the next to last day of the season, Cards’ twenty game winner Ray Sadecki faced Mets’ seventeen game loser Jack Fisher. The Mets scored 4 runs in the first and pulled away to a 15-5 victory, which enabled the idle Reds to tie the Cardinals for first, with the Phillies trailing by one game going to the last day of the season.
Bob Gibson to the Rescue
Jim Bunning shut out the Reds, 10-0. The Cardinals sent Curt Simmons to face the Mets’ eighteen game loser, Galen Cisco in a game they had to win. The Mets took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth, knocking out Simmons. Johnny Keane brought in Bob Gibson, who had pitched eight innings on Friday, to stop the Mets. He did, the Cardinals scored 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth, and went on to an 11-5 win and the pennant.
The Cardinals Were Lucky the Season Ended
The Phillies, the Cardinals, and the Reds all felt the pressure. It is often easier to withstand pressure when trying to get something than when trying to defend it. When each of the three teams reached first place, they faltered. The Cardinals were fortunate that after they beat the Mets and the Phillies beat the Reds, the season ended.
The Mets Thought They Had Already Made the Playoffs
The 2007 Mets were too pleased with themselves to take any National League East opponent seriously. They thought that they could turn it on any time they wanted, but the Phillies never gave up. They closed in on the Mets a number of times during the season, only to fall back again. Finally, they got hot, the Mets played as if they had already made the playoffs, and the rest is history.
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