by Ron Johnston
Of the three of us, I was the only Yankees fan.
Dad and grandpa weren’t exactly Bronx Bomber haters, but definitely not rooters of the NY pinstripers.
There we were on our way to Buffalo to see the Yanks play the International League All-Stars in an exhibition game at War Memorial Stadium.
It was only about an hour’s drive or so to the east side of Buffalo from Churchville.
The year was 1963, and the date was August 19. I was 15 years old at the time. I’d seen the Yankees play in person one other time in St. Petersburg, Florida, in March of 1960. Grandpa treated me, and we saw Yogi Berra start at third base and newly-acquired Roger Maris in left field. Mickey Mantle wasn’t even on the premises – a contract dispute or something, I later learned.
The Yanks were beaten in that season-opening exhibition in the Sunshine State by the Stan Musial-led St. Louis Cardinals.
Dad was the driver to Buffalo. A longtime baseball fan, he’d seen Joe DiMaggio play in NYC back in the day. He’d also been my little league skipper when we won the town crown in the summer of 1960.
We’d seen our share of Rochester Red Wings games at Silver Stadium at 500 Norton Street. Watching a game in Buffalo was a first, though.
After parking the car on a side street a short distance from the stadium, the three of us walked to the ballpark and purchased our tickets. With a crowd of 28,524 on hand, we were able to get bleacher seats in the left field area. I also obtained an official program of 40 pages for 25 cents. Featured photos on the front cover were of Maris, Mantle, Elston Howard, Ralph Houck, and Berra. Inside were pics of some of the Buffalo Bison players and numerous ads for Buffalo-based establishments.
Once the game started, we learned that both Mantle and Maris were injured and would not be playing.
The multi-sport War Memorial Stadium, also known as the Rockpile, had some interesting dimensions for baseball. A left-handed pull hitter’s dream, it was only 310 feet down the right field line, but with a high screen. In left center, where we sat, a batter would have to clear 362 feet for a home run.
Sparked by Dick Allen’s two-run homer off Yankee righty Bill Stafford, the International League All-Stars staked itself to 2-0 first-inning advantage. Allen, who later starred in the majors, incidentally was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 27, 2025. Back then, he played for Little Rock in the IL.
Yankee farmhand Pedro Gonzales’ solo shot off Stafford in the second stretched the lead to 3-0.
Meanwhile, the Yanks must have left their lumber back in the Big Apple, because there was a noticeable lack of offense. IL hurlers Willie Smith, Nels Chittum, Bill Smith, and Harry Fanok combined to toss a two-hitter in a 5-0 final triumph. Jack Reed (single) and Johnny Blanchard (double) had NY’s only base-knocks.
Mind you, even without Mantle and Maris, the New York lineup still had good hitters like Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone, Howard, and Berra.
And then it was over. The game lasted just one hour and 54 minutes.
It was back to Churchville and the real world after being with two of my favorite all-time people.
Note: Ron Johnston, a 1966 Churchville-Chili graduate, is the author of One-Game Wonder.
