Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax were scheduled to start against one another in a September 1962 showdown of two of the premier pitchers of the era.
Gibson broke his leg before the game and Koufax was knocked out without completing an inning.
The unlikely standout that night: Cardinals right fielder Charlie James.
Though, Leavy reported, the hand injury had bothered Koufax since April (by July, the tissue was close to gangrene, she wrote), he entered the September start against St. Louis with a 14-5 record and 2.15 ERA.
Gibson was 15-13 with a 2.85 ERA. The Cardinals right-hander had lost his last four consecutive decisions and was looking to finish on a high note in his final three starts of the 1962 season, beginning with the Friday night game against the Dodgers.
Trouble occurred before the game started.
Wearing new spikes, Gibson participated in batting practice. Turning away sharply from a pitch, his spikes caught in the ground and he toppled over in pain, The Sporting News reported. Gibson had fractured a bone above his right ankle and his leg was placed in a cast.
Gibson was replaced by Curt Simmons, a left-hander who had made one start since late August.
Koufax, meanwhile, was making his first appearance since a one-inning start July 17 at Cincinnati.
Relying mostly on fastballs against the Cardinals, Koufax walked the first two batters, Julian Javier and Curt Flood.
When Stan Musial struck out looking and Ken Boyer flied out to left, it appeared perhaps Koufax had found his groove. Then he walked Bill White, loading the bases.
That brought to the plate James, a right-handed batter with a .277 average. James was having a rough September. He hadn't hit a home run or driven in a run all month.
James worked the count to 2-and-2. Koufax was a strike away from getting out of the jam. The next delivery was high and away. James swung and launched an opposite-field shot that landed on the pavilion roof for a grand slam.
Koufax walked the next batter, Gene Oliver, and was relieved by Ed Roebuck.
In a 12-year big-league career, Koufax yielded 204 home runs, including six grand slams.