Cubs historical sleuthing: Lou Brock edition

Getty Images has quite the detailed description:

Chicago’s Lou Brock slides across plate with Cubs’ first tally in second inning at the Polo Grounds last night. Ump Stan Landes calls play as catcher Sammy Taylor looks disgusted with whole bit. Pesky Brock had singled, stolen second and then scored on Andre Rodgers’ double. The Mets, who were opening a 13-game home stand, went down to defeat, 5-1, but were still hoping to acquire some strength via a last-minute trade. President George Weiss admitted: “I’ve been in touch with every other club in the major leagues, but the prospects of a deal are slim.”

I cropped the top photo so as to give more detail; here’s the entire photo:

Photo by Charles Hoff/NY Daily News via Getty Images

I’m not sure how the caption writer got “looks disgusted” from Sammy Taylor’s face, though. Incidentally, Taylor started the 1962 season with the Cubs and was traded to the Mets April 26 for someone named Bobby Smith, who played in 13 games for the Cubs before he, too, was traded, to the Cardinals (with Daryl Robertson) for Alex Grammas and Don Landrum. That deal, at least, worked out for the Cubs as Landrum was a decent spare-part outfielder for the Cubs through 1965.

Anyway, the details given made this play fairly easy to find.

This play happened Friday, June 15, 1962.

In the top of the second inning, Brock singled with one out and stole second. He scored on a double by Andre Rodgers, as noted in the caption. That’s what we are looking at here. The play gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Watching the play is Moe Thacker (No. 8), who would be the Cubs’ next hitter. He would strike out, but after that, Cubs pitcher Bob Anderson tripled, scoring Rodgers to make it 2-0.

The Cubs won the game 5-1, as noted. Ernie Banks homered later in the game and Anderson threw 6⅓ innings, allowing one run. A pitcher named Dave Gerard finished the game, recording his first MLB save, one of three he had in his only MLB season. Before the 1963 season the Cubs traded Gerard and Danny Murphy to the Houston Colt .45s for Hal Haydel, Dick LeMay and Merritt Ranew.

Yes, that was a time of floundering for the Cubs, trying just about anything to find winning players. That deal didn’t do it, either.

The Cubs were 21-42 after that win, in ninth place, two games ahead of the last-place Mets.