Ralph Terry, Most Valuable Player in the 1962 World Series, will be the special guest for the Claremore Field of Dreams banquet in January.
A native of Chelsea, Terry posted a pair of complete-game wins, including a shutout in Game 7, to lift the New York Yankees past San Francisco.
“We are very excited about Ralph Terry’s return home,” said Paul Pixley, commissioner of the Claremore American Legion baseball program. “He pitched on the biggest baseball stage there is — Yankee Stadium — and played with some of the all-time greats of baseball.”
Along with Mickey Mantle, Rogers Maris, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra, Terry was on seven American League pennant winners and three World Series championship teams in New York.
In 1962, Terry won Game 5 of the World Series, defeating the Giants, 5-3, and giving the Yankees a 3-2 advantage.
The Series shifted back to San Francisco for Game 6, and the Giants prevailed, 5-2, setting the stage for Terry’s brilliant closing performance.
Terry, who had given up the historic ninth-inning, Game 7 home run to Pittsburgh’s Bill Mazeroski in the 1960 World Series, found some redemption in Candlestick Park.
After winning 23 games during the regular season, Terry took a two-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the ninth against the Giants.
Pinch-hitter Matty Alou led off with a bunt. Terry struck out Felipe Alou and Chuck Hiller before coming up against Willie Mays, who had hit 49 home runs with 141 RBIs during the season.
Mays blasted a double to right field, and Matty Alou could have scored from first. But Maris sprinted to the ball, and then managed to reach cutoff man Bobby Richardson to hold Alou at third.
With Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda due up, Yankees manager Ralph Houk elected to stay with Terry.
With a one ball, one strike count on the lefthanded-hitting McCovey, Terry brought the heat, but the Giants future Hall of Famer sent a screaming line drive toward right field. Second baseman Bobby Richardson moved slightly to his left and desperately reached up with his glove, snagging the ball and landing another World Series title for the Yankees.
Terry pitched for four teams — Kansas City, Cleveland, the New York Mets, and the Yankees — in an 11-year major league career, but he is best remembered for his days with the Yankees.
After reaching the majors with the Yankees in 1956, he was dealt to Kansas City in the famous Billy Martin trade the next year. In 1959, he was traded back to the Yankees where he won 76 games in five seasons.
His 11-year record included a 16-3 record in 1961, an All-Star berth in 1962, and 107 victories.
Terry will be in the Claremore spotlight when the second annual Field of Dreams banquet unfolds Jan. 23 at the Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs.
The banquet is a co-operative effort of the baseball programs of Claremore High School, Rogers State University and the Claremore American Legion.
Proceeds from the banquet and sports memorabilia auctions will be channeled into all three programs, and will help with the construction of a clubhouse and locker room at Legion Field in Claremore.
“We are very close to starting that project,” said Claremore High School baseball coach Matt Murray. “With the help of the City of Claremore and last year’s banquet proceeds, we believe we can begin work in the fall of 2007.”
Terry was vice-president of his senior class at Chelsea, and was a three-sport standout.
In his junior and season seasons, he helped Chelsea capture a pair of Rogers County basketball championships while reaching the state playoffs.
With Terry on the mound, Chelsea won the Rogers County baseball title in each of his varsity seasons, and also qualified for the playoffs.
In 1951, Terry caught two touchdown passes as the Green Dragons beat Claremore, 12-7, in football. It was the first win for Chelsea over the Zebras in 31 years.
Following his baseball career, Terry became a professional golfer, golf instructor and golf-course designer. He lives in Larned, Kansas.
A silent auction of sports memorabilia will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the banquet and program at 7.
Tables of six for the banquet are $ 600. No individual tickets are available. A sports celebrity will be seated at each table. For table information, telephone Paul Pixley, 341-4223.
