Giants first baseman Whitey Lockman tucked a three run homer just inside the right field foul pole in the bottom of the eighth to lead the New York Giants to a world championship with their 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics in Game 5 at the Polo Grounds. Lockman was a very appropriate hero in this game as his error in the top of the seventh erased a one run New York lead and led to 3 unearned runs.
New York roared out of the gate in the first innings as they patched together a 2 out 3 run rally to give the Giants an early 3-0 lead. After A's starter Catfish Hunter had struck out the first two batters he faced, he then hung two breaking pitches to both Willie Mays and Monte Irvin, and they went back to back over the wall to left. Hank Thompson followed with his second triple in as many games and was quickly knocked in by a Whitey Lockman single.
Oakland then put up fence posts in the second, third and fourth innings to tie things up. A's left fielder Joe Rudi got the comeback started with a solo shot to right field. Then with two outs in the third, Bert Campaneris hit a double down the right field line and was delivered by a Sal Bando single. Finally, in the fourth, Giants' starter Ruben Gomez issued a leadoff walk to Reggie Jackson. Jackson would steal second base, and the A's would get another clutch two out hit by Ray Fosse to score Jackson and complete the comeback.
After a scoreless fifth inning, New York took the lead back in the sixth. Monte Irvin led off the inning hit a triple to right center and scored on a Hank Thompson sacrifice fly to make the score 5-4. Hunter was chased from the game on the Irvin triple and had given up 4 earned runs on eight hits while striking out six Giant batters.
The Giants' Ruben Gomez looked to be settling in and ready to pass this game off to the bullpen as he struck out A's second baseman Dick Green and got pinch hitter Claudell Washington to ground out in the seventh. However, a harmless infield fly off the bat of Billy North clanked off the glove of New York first baseman Whitey Lockman allowing him to reach. That would end the day for Gomez and Al Corwin came on. Gomez had gone 6.2 innings giving up 3 earned runs on 7 hits and struck out 6. North then stole second and scored on a Campaneris single.Sal Bando drove in his second run of the game with Campaneris coming around on his double, and Bando reached third on a wild pitch. Reggie Jackson clubbed a double of his own to score Bando leaving a capacity crowd at the Polo Ground in a shocked, stunned silence as Oakland now led 6-4 scoring 3 unearned runs off Lockman's gaffe.
With Rollie Fingers warming in the bullpen, Oakland elected to begin the eighth with Paul Linblad. Monte Irvin started things off with a single. Hank Thompson then ripped a single of his own to put runners on first and second. This set the stage for Lockman's atonement. Instead of going to Fingers, Oakland stayed with Linblad to face Lockman. Lockman took a high inside fastball from Linblad into the right field bleachers to breath life back into the Giants' faithful as they erupted into a deafening roar. Fingers came on after Lockman's shot but it was too little, too late. Giants' closer Marv Grissom came on for the ninth retiring Oakland in order to secure a World Series championship.
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