1966 World Series recap

Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax pitched on the final day of the regular season to wrap up the National League pennant, so -- just as he had a year earlier -- Don Drysdale started the opener for Los Angeles. And just as he had a year earlier, Drysdale lost the opener, 5-2 this time.

The star of Game 1 was Baltimore reliever Moe Drabowsky, who replaced Dave McNally in the third inning, allowed just one hit the rest of the game, and struck out 11 Dodgers in the process (including six in a row to tie the World Series record). The Orioles scored three runs in the first inning on Frank Robinson's two-run homer and Brooks Robinson's solo shot.

Koufax started Game 2 but was no match for Jim Palmer, who tossed a four-hit shutout. The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the fifth, all three runs unearned as a result of three errors by center fielder Willie Davis, who lost two balls in the sun and also uncorked a wild throw. The final was Orioles 6, Dodgers 0.

After a day off, the World Series resumed in Baltimore, where the Dodgers finally got a great performance from their starter, as Claude Osteen permitted only three hits and a run in his seven innings. Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough to beat Baltimore's Wally Bunker, who fired a six-hit shutout at the Dodgers. Orioles center fielder Paul Blair accounted for the game's only run with a solo homer, a 430-foot blast into the left-field bleachers.

Game 4 was practically a carbon copy of Game 3. This time Dave McNally outdueled Don Drysdale -- both starters went the distance and allowed just four hits -- with Orioles right fielder Frank Robinson's long home run into the left-field stands accounting for the contest's only run.

So thanks to a four-game sweep, the Orioles were World Series Champions for the first time in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Dodgers scored only two runs in the entire World Series. What's more, both of those runs came in the first three innings of Game 1, which meant the Orioles pitchers shut out Los Angeles for the last 33 innings of the World Series.

Managers: Hank Bauer, BAL; Walter Alston, LA

MVP: Frank Robinson, BAL: .286, 1-3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI