Yanks v. Pirates

One after another, like shots from a Roman candle, the balls soared over the outfield fences. When the first game's batting practice was over, the slugging New York Yankees of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri had turned the onlooking Pittsburgh Pirates into a band of idolatrous sand loiters. After that, the Yankees went on to win the 1927 World Series in four straight games. Until 1960, it was Pittsburgh's last pennant.

When the National League Pirates trot onto the field this week, there again will be the Yankees. But this time no one expects Pittsburgh to turn patsy. Around both leagues, players, managers and coaches were weighing the two clubs and finding the balance remarkably even. The experts' consensus:

FIELDING. Both teams have good infields, although Pittsburgh's is a shade better because of the fine double-play combination of Second Baseman Bill Mazeroski and Shortstop Dick Groat, who claims that his broken left wrist has mended. In the outfield, the Yankees' weak link is Leftfielder Hector Lopez, who not only has a poor arm but stirs prayer in the breast of Manager Casey Stengel every time he wanders after a fly ball. Behind the plate, both the Yankees' Yogi Berra and Elston Howard have arms strong enough to discourage any base-stealing ambitions of the generally fleeter Pirates.

PITCHING. The Pirates have the requisite pair of strong men to start as many as five of the possible seven games: Mormon Elder Vernon Law (20-9), who has glacial calm and a fast slider, and

Veteran Bob Friend (17-12), who relies on breaking pitches. In addition, the Pirates have Southpaws Harvey Haddix (11-10) and Wilmer ("Vinegar Bend") Mizell (13-8) to confound the predominantly lefthanded Yankees' hitting power. Out in the bullpen is one of baseball's top relief men: ElRoy Face (10-8), who throws a dipping forkball that induces rally-killing grounders. For the Yankees, fading Whitey Ford (12-9) still looks able to pitch two big games with know-how and his sharp curve, and Art Ditmar (15-9) has developed into a steady winner with his slider. But Bob Turley (9-3) now throws more benders than bullets, and Stengel may be forced to depend heavily on a 22-year-old rookie named Bill Stafford (3-1).

BATTING. With no truly solid slugger, the Pirates score runs by punching singles through or over the infield, going for the extra base and pulling the hit and run, especially when Shortstop Groat (.325) is at bat. As always, the Yankees rely on the long ball. Although his average is a so-so .275, Centerfielder Mickey Mantle still has belted 40 home runs. Rightfielder Roger Maris has hit another 39. In Pittsburgh's vast Forbes Field (right-center-field wall: 425 ft.), most of the Yankees will have trouble reaching the seats. Not Mantle. Says Chicago White Sox Manager Al Lopez: "Mantle can hit the ball out of any damn park any time he goes up to the plate anywhere."

By far the most important facts about both the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates do not appear in the statistics. The Yankees have a flock of individual stars who can rouse themselves to greatness and win a short series by themselves. Mantle, Maris and their cohorts can hit home runs in fusillades. But the Pirates of Manager Danny Murtaugh are a more cohesive team. Says Philadelphia's Manager Gene Mauch: "If the Pirates hold together and don't start feeling they've got to play as individuals, they'll beat the Yankees."

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