All-star memories: Callison's crowning glory

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With the All-Star Game coming to Seattle, The Seattle Times takes a weekly look at memorable moments from the midsummer classic, leading up to the 72nd game July 10 at Safeco Field.

Today: Johnny Callison of the Philadelphia Phillies propels the National League to victory in the 1964 All-Star Game, hitting a winning two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Johnny Callison has a black-and-white videotape of his crowning big-league moment, but he doesn't need to see it to relive it. His winning home run off of Dick Radatz in the 1964 All-Star Game at brand-new Shea Stadium is brought up constantly, especially this time of year, and he's happy to talk about it.

"Sometimes it seems like that's the only home run I ever hit," he said good-naturedly in a phone interview from his home in Glenside, Penn., a suburb of Philadelphia.

Actually, Callison, now 62, hit 226 homers in his fine major-league career, the bulk of which was spent with the Phillies. But none had the dramatic impact of the one he hit with two outs and two on in the bottom of the ninth inning at Shea.

That Callison was even in the game in the ninth was something of a miracle, considering the National League had such luminaries as Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Billy Williams and Hank Aaron - all future Hall of Famers - in the outfield.

"I figured I'd pinch-hit and that would be it, but I ended up playing the last five innings," he said. "The reason was that Hank Aaron was sick that day."

The American League had tied the score in the sixth inning, on a two-run triple by Brooks Robinson, and had taken a 4-3 lead in the seventh on Jim Fregosi's sacrifice fly. But Mays opened the ninth by walking - Radatz was sure he had him struck out on a 2-2 pitch - and stole second, from where he scored the tying run on Orlando Cepeda's bloop single and a throwing error by Joe Pepitone.

Ken Boyer popped out, and after an intentional walk to Johnny Edwards, NL manager Walt Alston finally unleashed Aaron as a pinch-hitter for Ron Hunt. Radatz, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Boston flamethrower nicknamed "The Monster," fanned Aaron on three pitches, bringing up Callison.

In an earlier at-bat off Radatz, Callison had flied out deep to Mickey Mantle in right-center. This time, after borrowing a lighter bat from Billy Williams, he sent Radatz's first pitch over the fence for a 7-4 NL victory.

"He throws so damn hard," Callison recalled. "He was striking everyone out. I said, `I'm going to hit the first pitch I can and not let him work me.' He threw me a high fastball, and I hit it. It was a big deal. It happened in New York, so that makes it bigger."

The win tied the series at 17 wins apiece, the only time it has ever been tied, though few suspected the NL was in the midst of a stretch in which it would win 19 out of 20 games.

Radatz said in a 1999 interview that he felt he had the game's most valuable player award wrapped up, having struck out five in two-plus innings of relief.

"I think the MVP in those days got a new Corvette," he said. "I've always said they backed it right out of my garage and right into his."

Callison laughs when Radatz's quote is relayed to him.

"I got a trophy, and I was lucky to get that," he said. "They didn't give too much away back then."

Many believe that Callison, who finished the year with 31 homers and 104 runs batted in, would have followed his All-Star MVP award with the National League MVP honor if the Phillies, in baseball's most infamous collapse, hadn't blown a 6-1/2 game lead with 12 days left in the season. He finished second to St. Louis' Boyer.

In the absence of a pennant, the All-Star home run stands as Callison's top career moment.

"Yeah, after we took that nose-dive in '64," he said with a sigh. "But I'm getting too old to remember all that."

Larry Stone can be reached at 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com.