At the same time, the first-place Cubs were starting to show signs of fatigue, which critics like to attribute to manager Leo Durocher’s refusal to rest his veterans or make more use of his bullpen. (Sound familiar?) When the Cubs came to New York on September 8, the lead was down to 2 ½ games. That night, Koosman out-dueled Cubs right-hander Bill Hands, 3-2, and while he was at it got a piece of Cubs flesh. Responding to Hands twice dusting Mets leadoff hitter Tommie Agee in the first inning, Koosman drilled Ron Santo, leading off the second for the Cubs. “Hands and Durocher were trying to intimidate us and I just wasn’t gonna let that happen,” Koosman said. “Santo just happened to be the unfortunate next guy up. At first I thought I broke his arm. Thank goodness I didn’t. Then when I came up to bat in the eighth, Hands threw a couple of pitches over my head and I yelled at him: ‘You don’t throw hard enough to hurt anybody!’”