May 2, 1964

Ray Culp (1-1) versus Bob Sadowski (1-2) in the second game of the Braves series at County Stadium on May 2, 1964.

Ray Culp dominated his last start, holding the Cubs scoreless on two hits over seven innings to pick up his first win of the season. It was a vast improvement over his first start, also against the Cubs, when he got knocked out in the fourth inning of a 7-0 whitewash.

Culp’s mound opponent Bob Sadowski had been masterful in both of his last two starts – both against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. He gave up just two earned runs in 17 innings ─ good for a 1.06 ERA.

So the fans filing into County Stadium just might wind up seeing a pitcher’s duel.

But there was no pitcher’s duel forthcoming that day.

Sadowski gave up a one-out single to Richie Allen – in between a pair of ground-outs and a strike out – and then the Braves jumped on Culp in the bottom of the first.

Lee Maye and Eddie Mathews led off with back-to-back singles, and then Culp walked Hank Aaron to load the bases with nobody out.

When Culp walked Felipe Alou to force home a run, Gene Mauch had seen enough wildness for one day. Out went Culp – and in came Dallas Green (0-0) with the bases still loaded and nobody out. It was Green’s third relief outing of the season. He’d given up only one hit and no runs thus far over three innings.

Green got Ed Bailey to hit a grounder to second. Tony Taylor fielded the ground ball and went for two. Alou was forced at second for the first out, but Bailey was safe at first ─ and Eddie Mathews scored to make it 2-0.

First and third. One out.

Joe Torre singled Aaron home to make it 3-0 before Green ended the damage.

Green pitched a scoreless second and was lifted for pinch-hitter Don Hoak in the top of the third.

Ryne Duren (0-0) replaced Green. Duren was a ten-year MLB veteran – most of that time spent in the American League. This was Duren’s second relief outing of the season. He’d given up two runs on two hits in one inning against the Cubs on April 18.

Duren pitched a scoreless bottom of the third, but then gave up an unearned run in the fourth.

Hank Aaron led off with a single, and then stole second. Duren struck out Felipe Alou for the first out. But when Ed Bailey hit a tapper back to the mound, Duren fielded the ball but threw it into right field. Aaron scored to make it 4-0.

Duren was lifted for pinch-hitter Johnny Briggs in the top of the fifth, and John Boozer came on to pitch. This was Boozer’s second relief appearance. He’d thrown a scoreless inning-and-a-third in the 6-5 win over the Pirates on April 23.

With one out in the Braves fifth, Boozer gave up a single to Bob Sadowski and one out later, Eddie Mathews went deep with his second home run of the season to make it 6-0 Braves.

Boozer gave up singletons in the sixth and the seventh, and ran into more trouble in the eighth. By the time Boozer was finished for the day, the score was 9-0 Braves and he’d given up six runs on six hits in two innings.

Jack Baldschun (1-0) finished up for the Phillies, but he gave up a pair of runs to make it 11-0 Braves after eight full innings.

The Phillies broke up Sadowski’s shutout with a pair of solo home runs in the ninth – Johnny Callison’s second and Wes Covington’s first.

Bob Sadowski (2-2) picked up the complete-game victory and Ray Culp (1-2) took the loss. It was the most lopsided loss of the year for the Phillies and ended the winning streak at four games.

Eddie Mathews went 4-for-6 for the Braves with a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored. The Phillies managed just five hits off Sadaowski.

Later that night in L.A., the Giants beat the Dodgers to pick up a game on the Phillies to trail by just one game.