May 5, 1962: The Triumph and Tragedy of Bo Belinsky

May 5, 1962: The Los Angeles Angels, groundsharing with the city’s National League team at Dodger Stadium, beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-0. Robert "Bo" Belinsky (no middle name), a 25-year-old lefthander from Trenton, New Jersey, pitches a no-hitter. He walks 4 batters, but allows no hits, and no runs, and outpitches Steve Barber.

This was the best thing that could have happened to him, as he is still remembered today. It was also the worst thing that could have happened to him: Having done this in the pop-cultural capital of the Western U.S., he became a celebrity way too soon. He became a party animal on the Sunset Strip, and dated, among other beautiful women, actress Mamie Van Doren.

Bo and Mamie

Whatever career he had, he threw away, throwing his last major league pitch in 1970, and finishing with a record of 28-51.

He later beat his drinking problem through religion: "Can you imagine finding Jesus Christ in Las Vegas?" And he became a substance abuse counselor, doing a lot of good with the 2nd half of his life. But the thing about substance abuse is that it can weaken your organs, so that it can end up killing you long after you stop. He died of cancer in 2001, at age 64.

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May 5, 1962 was a Saturday. These other baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 7-6 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning, to come from behind, and to make Bob Turley a winning pitcher in relief of Rollie Sheldon. They got home runs from Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and rookie Joe Pepitone.

* The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish outpitched Alvin Neill Jackson.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Galen Cisco was the winning pitcher, while Early Wynn got knocked out of the box in the 4th inning.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-1 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Don Drysdale went the distance for the win, while former Yankee reliever Tom Sturdivant started for the Bucs, and didn't get out of the 2nd inning. Duke Snider went 1-for-3. Tommy Davis went 4-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-4.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-7 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Vada Pinson hit 2 home runs. Frank Robinson went 2-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Stan Musial went 2-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 12-8 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Billy Williams hit 2 home runs, Ernie Banks 1. For the Giants, Willie Mays and Ed Bailey hit home runs.

* The Milwaukee Braves beat the Houston Colt .45s, 6-5 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Mack Jones hit a home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to win the game. Hank Aaron went 1-for-5.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 7-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-3 with a walk. Al Kaline went 1-for-4.

* And a doubleheader was split at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. The Kansas City Athletics won the opener, 18-6. Dick Howser went 4-for-6 with a home run. The Cleveland Indians won the nightcap, 5-2. This time, Howser went 0-for-4.

The FA Cup Final is held at the old Wembley Stadium in West London. Tottenham Hotspur of Middlesex – a part of London since 1965 – defeat Burnley of Lancashire, 3-1. “Spurs” had won the Cup the year before, and the League as well; Burnley had won the League the season before that. Neither has won it since.

This was the last Cup Final before the Wembley roof was extended all the way around the stadium. Queen Elizabeth II presented the Cup to Spurs Captain Danny Blanchflower – which could have been a touchy situation, since Blanchflower was from Northern Ireland.