May 30, 1964: The Day the Indy 500 Was Stopped

May 30, 1964: Dave MacDonald crashes in the 2nd lap of the Indianapolis 500, and his car explodes. Unable to see because of the smoke and flames, Eddie Sachs crashes into him, causing another explosion.

(I had resisted adding auto racing events to this feature, because I don't like the event, and consider it to not be a sport. I finally changed my mind, given how many people are interested.)

Sachs died instantly; he had just turned 37. Known as the Clown Prince of Racing, he wasn't very successful, but his personality made him popular. He was known for saying, "If you can't win, be spectacular." That's how he lived, and that's how he died. MacDonald died at the hospital 2 hours later; he was 27. Unlike Sachs, who never won a race, he won 47 and was in the top 3 in nearly 70 others.

This was the first time in its 53-year history that the Indy 500 was stopped outright, for any reason other than rain. Once the wrecks were cleared, the race resumed, and A.J. Foyt won it. Among the safety measures put in place before the next year was a different type of fuel, and cars with rear engines instead of front.

There have been 15 drivers killed during the 500 -- thankfully, none since 1973. Two former winners have been killed in subsequent races: 1938 winner Floyd Roberts in 1939, and 1953 winner Bill Vukovich in 1955.

After Chuck Rodee was killed in time trials for the race in 1966, the great Los Angeles Times sports columnist Jim Murray, remembering MacDonald and Sachs 2 years earlier, labeled the race "The Run for the Lilies," and titled a prerace column "Gentlemen, Start Your Coffins."

*

May 30, 1964 was a Saturday. Two very different kinds of American singers were born: Country music legend Wynonna Judd, and Rage Against the Machine frontman Tom Morello.

These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Athletics, 9-1 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Whitey Ford outpitched Moe Drabowsky. Mickey Mantle did not play. Clete Boyer hit a home run. Roger Maris went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-2 at the new Shea Stadium. Jack Fisher went the distance for the win. Ron Herbel only lasted 4 inning as the starter, followed by 2 innings of a not-yet-great -- not-yet-spitballing? -- Gaylord Perry. Charley Smith hit a home run for the Mets. Willie Mays went 2-for-4. Duke Snider, running out the string with the Giants of all teams, went 0-for-4. Willie McCovey did not play.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Houston Colt .45s, 5-1 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Chris Short went the distance for the win. Wes Covington hit a home run. The next year, the Colts moved into the Astrodome, and changed their name to the Houston Astros.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 10-2 at District of Columbia Stadium (later Robert F. Kennedy Stadium) in Washington.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Don Drysdale went the distance for the win, while Pirate starter Vernon Law didn't get a single out. Maury Wills, known for his speed instead of his power, went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, 3 stolen bases and 2 RBIs. Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell each went 2-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 0-for-4.

* The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the Milwaukee Braves, 4-2 and 2-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ernie Banks and Hank Aaron each hit a home run in the opener, with 43-year-old Warren Spahn pitching an inning of relief. In the nightcap, Sterling Slaughter pitched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and Lindy McDaniel pitched 2 perfect innings of relief.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Tony Oliva and Bob Allison hit home runs. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-1 at the 1st Busch Stadium (which used to be the last Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis. Frank Robinson went 1-for-4. Pete Rose went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* And the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Angels were groundsharing until their Anaheim stadium could be built. Milt Pappas pitched a 4-hit shutout. Jackie Brandt went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and 2 RBIs. Sam Bowens went 4-for-5 with an RBI. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-4 with an RBI.