When Ralph Houk took over the manager job for the New York Yankees, he had big shoes to fill. Casey Stengel’s shoes.
Houk guided the Yankees from 1961 to 1973, then took the helm of the Detroit Tigers from 1974 to 1978. He finished his managerial career with the Boston Red Sox. His Beantown tenure lasted from 1981 to 1984.
But Houk’s rookie season as manager stands out. 1961. It was the first season after Stengel’s run of World Series championships earned by the pinstriped Adonises of the Bronx in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1956, and 1958.
A World War II veteran, Houk played a backup role to Yogi Berra after the war. He saw sporadic action: 91 games from 1947 to 1954. Then, he managed the Denver Bears of the American Association from 1955 to 1957. The Bears won the AA championship in 1957, an indication of Houk’s instincts.
The 1961 Yankees dominated baseball, compiling a 109-53 record. Elston Howard hit .348, Whitey Ford ratcheted a 25-4 record, and Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single season home run record with 61 fingers.
For most of the season, Maris raced with Mickey Mantle toward Ruth’s record. A shot, albeit given by a reputable doctor, triggered an infection, which sidelined Mantle for the end of the season. Mantle hit 54 home runs before this happened.
Houk documented the ’61 season in the 1962 book Ballplayers Are Human, Too. In Chapter 5, “Let ‘er Roll, Gang!,” he describes the awe inspired by Yankee Stadium on Opening Day. “I’ve read that wearing the Yankee pinstripes gives a player the feeling he’s on top of the baseball world,” wrote Houk. “Believe me, it’s the Stadium that makes you feel you’ve got to do your best. The Stadium looks like a historical building from the outside, one that’s been standing there a long time and will remain there forever, like the Coliseum in Rome. Baseball history has been made in the Stadium. A fellow wants to make more baseball history there—that’s the way I felt that day.”
Houk ends the book by describing a conversation with clubhouse attendant Pete Sheehy after the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds in the 1961 World Series. Sheehy, a Yankees fixture, began his career with the legendary 1927 Yankees featuring Ruth’s record of 60 home runs, in addition to Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Earle Combs. He stayed with the team till his death in 1985 at the age of 75. The ’61 Yankees, according to Sheehy, deserve more than honorable mention in Yankees history.
“An incredible year,” wrote Houk. “Think of it, not one beef from a player, not one phone call from someone who says one of your players is down somewhere causing trouble. Nothing but great games, great pitching, the greatest of all hitting…and Rog’s…”
Sheehy then interrupts the skipper. “I been around here a long time. I’ve seen ’em all since the Babe’s day. I never seen a team like this.”
Houk responds, “That’s just what I mean. No manager ever had a team like this. What an incredible gang of ballplayers! What an incredible year!”
1961. Incredible. Magical. Legendary.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on July 15, 2013.