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» Box 7-26

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This season marks the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Pirates team, which captured the imagination of Pittsburgh like no other in history. In tribute to that epic season, Piratesreport.com will chronicle its events on a daily basis.

ST. LOUIS, Tuesday, July 26, 1960 -- If the Pirates were to get where they haven't been since the Coolidge Administration, then it would take a complete and total effort. Broken down to their lowest common denominator, however, and most agreed that their hopes rested on two players more than any.

Bob Friend and Vernon Law. Vernon Law and Bob Friend.

The order didn't matter, really. All that did was that the twin aces were healthy and able to pitch the way that they were capable every fourth day. Because if they could, then the Pirates had the mound presence to compete against any team in the National League if not all of baseball.

What Friend and Law meant to this team was never more apparent than in the last two days here. This evening Law slowed down the St. Louis Cardinals for his 13th victory of the season, 5-4, as the Pirates maintained their scant one-half game lead in the pennant race.

The triumph marked the first time that Friend and Law (or Law and Friend) had won back-to-back games in more than a month. The last time it happened was June 21-22, when Law and Friend handled the Cardinals at Forbes Field. Law also won consecutive starts for the first time in five weeks.

It was common for a player to keep a book on opponents, but Law read from a different chapter. Strengths and weaknesses were stored in his steel-trap mind, where he could harken back on years of data. When Law had somebody's number, he didn't forget it, and he had the Cardinals' number for awhile now. The victory was his 17th in 25 decisions against them.

"Vern Law has a fabulous memory," manager Danny Murtaugh said. "He remembers everything a pitcher should know about a batter even as far back as something that occurred three or four years ago."

Other than the gopher ball, which plagued him on and off this season, Law (13-5) was on his game. He scattered nine hits and walked no one before he showed sign of fatigue.

The Cardinals scored all their runs in the seventh inning. Stan Musial led off with a single, and one out later, Carl Sawatski poled a home run to make it a 5-2 game. Alex Grammas doubled, and another out later, pinch-hitter George Crowe went for the distance.

In the fourth inning, the Pirates got to starter Curt Simmons (2-1) for three runs -- all after two outs -- and they never trailed the rest of the way.

Don Hoak doubled home the first run, and the second scored when Sawatski threw the ball into center field on a stolen base attempt. Law capped the rally with an RBI triple, his second of the season.

In the sixth inning, pinch-hitter Bill Virdon clubbed a two-run homer. The blow off reliever Bob Gibson was his second in two days.

Both runs would be needed, as it turned out.

Three left-handers were on deck, so Murtaugh called Fred Green out of the bullpen to start the eighth inning. Joe Cunningham reached him for a lead-off single and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Musial followed with a routine pop-up in foul ground, but only the future Hall of Famer could find the two holes in the defense. Catcher Smoky Burgess and first baseman Dick Stuart allowed the ball to drop safely between them. Given another chance, Musial drew a base on balls. But Roy Face came in to retire Darryl Spencer on double play, then he mowed down the side in order in the ninth inning.

Whether it was Friend and Law or Law and Friend, the Pirates had their swagger back again.

National League standings: PIRATES 55-37 0; Milwaukee 53-36 1/2; Los Angeles 48-41 5 1/2; St. Louis 49-43 6; San Francisco 45-43 8; Cincinnati 42-49 12 1/2; Philadelphia 36-55 18 1/2; Chicago 33-57 21.