April 23, 1964: Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals is played, at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings lead the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3 games to 2, and can wrap up the Cup on home ice. But, as the 2-time defending Champions, the Leafs will not give up without a fight.
The Wings had 6 players who would be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame: Right wing Gordie Howe, centers Alex Delvecchio and Norm Ullman, defensemen Marcel Pronovost and Bill Gadsby, and perhaps the greatest goaltender that the sport had yet seen, Terry Sawchuk. Their head coach had also been a Hall of Fame center: Sid Abel.
The Leafs were coached by George "Punch" Imlach, and had 10 players who would end up in the Hall, although 1, defenseman Al Arbour, would be elected as a "Builder" for his later coaching. The rest: Goaltender Johnny Bower; defensemen Red Kelly (who had starred with the Wings in the 1950s), Tim Horton, Allan Stanley; left wings Frank Mahovlich and Bob Pulford; centers George Armstrong and Dave Keon; and right wing Andy Bathgate, picked up in midseason from the New York Rangers. But the player who ended up making the difference has, through the 2021-22 season, never been elected to the Hall.
The 1st 2 games were at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Leafs won Game 1, 3-2, but the Wings won Game 2, 4-3, when Larry Jeffrey scored 7:52 into overtime. The action moved to Detroit, where the Wings won Game 3, 4-3, but the Leafs tied it back up by winning Game 4, 4-2. The Wings won Game 5 in Toronto, 2-1.
In the middle of Game 6, with the scored tied, 3-3, Howe fired a shot. Bobby Baun blocked it -- not with his stick but with his ankle, and he went down in a heap. He was taken off the ice, and it looked like he was out until the next season's training camp.
Such is the desire for the Stanley Cup that Baun told the trainer to freeze his ankle with ethyl chloride, and put his skate back on. He returned for overtime, and scored 1 minute and 43 seconds into it, to give the Leafs a 4-3 win and send the series to a Game 7 in Toronto.
A defenseman, Baun had been with the Leafs at the major league level since 1957, and in their farm system since 1953. He had already been part of 2 Cup winners. There was never any question that he was going to ignore all medical advice, including getting an X-ray that would have told him exactly what was wrong, and play in Game 7.
The roar of the Toronto fans when he came on the ice confirmed his choice. Bathgate scored 3 minutes into the game, and the Wings never had a chance at the Gardens. The Leafs won the game, 4-0, and had their 3rd straight Cup.
Sure enough, a post-Game 7 X-ray showed that his ankle was broken. Nevertheless, he returned to play all 70 games of the next season. The Leafs won 1 more Cup in 1967, after which, with the expansion draft coming, Imlach broke up his dynasty. The Leafs have never been back to the Finals. Baun's courageous performance remains a highlight in the team's history, and he was among the surviving players honored at what's now named the Scotiabank Arena for the 50th Anniversary celebrations of those Cups, in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017.
UPDATE: Bobby Baun died in 2023.
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April 23, 1964 was a Thursday. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals was held, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, on an overtime goal by Bobby Baun, who was playing on a broken ankle. I have a separate entry for that event.
The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4. The Boston Celtics would beat the San Francisco Warriors in 5 games.
And these other baseball games were played:
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Colt .45s, 1-0 at Colt Stadium in Houston. Ken Johnson pitched a no-hitter, but, thanks in part to his own error in the 9th inning, he lost the game. I have a separate entry for this event.
* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-1 at the newly-opened Shea Stadium. Ernie Banks went 3-for-5. The Mets' only run came on a home run by Ron Hunt.
* A doubleheader was split at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles in the opener, 3-1. Jack Lamabe was the winning pitcher, while Steve Barber was the losing pitcher for Baltimore, allowing 2 runs in the 1st inning and being replaced for the 2nd. I guess his arm was sore, not just a little stiff. (Ball Four reference.)
The Orioles won the nightcap, 1-0. Former Phillies ace Robin Roberts allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout. Over the 2 games, Brooks Robinson went 3-for-5 with a walk, while Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-7 with a home run, a walk, and an RBI.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Dick Allen hit a home run. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-5 with 2 RBIs.
* The Washington Senators beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-4 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4 with a walk.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at Busch Stadium (formerly Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Angels were groundsharing while waiting for their Anaheim stadium to be built.
* And the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Athletics, the Milwaukee Braves and the San Francisco Giants were not scheduled.
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