July 5, 1961: Bob Gibson and Bill White Steal The Show In L.A.

     On July 5, 1961, Bob Gibson and Bill White teamed up to take down the Dodgers 9-1 in Los Angeles. Gibby allowed just four hits in the tilt, while White hit three home runs, and drove in four. Gibson also smashed a big fly of his own, which was the first of 24 home runs in his 17 year career in the big leagues. Gibson's big blast got things going in the first. It was a two run shot off of Johnny Podres, who would become White's first victim, as he took him deep with a solo shot in the second. His second victim of the day was future Cardinal Roger Craig, who along with White and Gibson would become a hero of '64. On this day however, Craig was on the wrong side of the diamond, as he served up a fourth inning two run shot to the hot hitting White, who opened up the eighth with his third home run of the game off of Jim Golden. Bill White hit 20 home runs for the first time in his career that season, which was a plateau he would reach for six consecutive years, with five of those coming with the Birds on the Bat across his chest.  That three home run day was definitely one to be remembered, and today we do exactly that.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196107050.shtml