Sunday, March 23, 2014

World Series: Did You Know?

Johnny Podres won the first regular season game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and also the first World Series game, too!

As mentioned in yesterday's post, the Dodgers were blown out 8-0 in their first game out west against St. Francisco in 1958, but Podres was there on the mound next. It was up to him to stop the bleeding. The Giants were in for a long game.

Podres had "it" on this day, and so did the Dodgers. Duke Snider went yard. Pee Wee Reese was 2-4 and scored twice. It seemed like the Dodgers were back in Brooklyn and back to their winning ways. But what about the lefty that led the NL in ERA in 1957?

Well, he went out and had a fine first inning, issuing just one walk. Then a fine second by Podres, sans a walk and the shutout continued. But how about Johnny in the third inning? It was a 1-2-3 inning. And he K'd the side.

The Dodgers were up 2-0 by the bottom of the second, and had all the runs they needed. But they were not done. Podres, though allowed a hit in the bottom of the 4th. But the Giants did not score. When Los Angeles did score in the top of the 5th, it was already 5-0, Dodgers. Podres added another two K's to the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, it was The Say Hey Kid himself that got the San Fran on the board. But Willie Mays was out when he tried for second after hitting a single. The Giants needed a lot more than one run, you see. The Giants cut the margin to 7-1. But the way Podres was pitching, the lead was insurmountable.

Podres kept right on going. Still another two K's in the bottom of the 7th. Then a 1-2-3, 8th.

The Giants got a single on in the 9th, but it was erased via a double-play. Podres got the next batter out, and the game went into the record books as a 13-1 Dodger win. Podres finished with a 5-hitter and 11 strikeouts. I'm sure the Dodgers were hoping for more outing like that from him and another lefty they had.

But it didn't quite work out that way. Podres finished 1958 with a 13-15 record and a 3.72 ERA. Worst still, Sandy Koufax was making a push for the top spot on the Dodger's list of southpaws. Sandy went 11-11 with a 4.48 ERA, but allowed just 7.5 hits per 9 innings. He also fanned 7.4 batters per 9. Both marks were second in the NL.

Podres came back nicely the next year. He went 14-9, but his ERA was up to 4.11. The Dodgers won the pennant that season in the playoffs with a 2-0 sweep of Milwaukee. However, in the World Series opener, Los Angeles lost 11-0. Podres would need a win in game 2. Would Chicago score wild at Comiskey Park again?

In the bottom of the first, it was Ted Kluszewski with another RBI. That gave him six RBIs so far in the 1959 World Series. We are at this point through one game and one inning of the next game. Sherman Lollar, who had an RBI of his own in game 1, got another one here. Lollar scored Jim Landis with a single. These three guys would make it real tough for Los Angeles in the 1959 World Series. Along with some of the other White Sox too, might I add.

Bob Shaw, on the mound for Chicago, continued the shutout of Los Angeles. But he allowed two hits in the first and two more in the second. If you can believe it, the Dodgers failed to score.

The White Sox also got two men on in the bottom of the second, but not before Johnny Podres retired the first two batters. And Podres stopped 'em here with a K of Lollar.

Shaw had a 1-2-3 3th and gave up just a single hit to the Dodgers in the 4th. It did not lead to any scoring. Podres had some similar troubles of his own as a runner reached in the 3rd. Bob Shaw himself got a single off Podres the next inning but was stranded.

The Dodgers scored in the 5th on a Charlie Neal home run. But, alas, it came with bases empty. It was still 2-1, Chicago. Podres though, settled down even more than he had the last two innings. In the bottom of the 5th, he got Klu, Landis and Lollar in order. Believe me, the way the 1959 World Series was going, that was no easy task!

Shaw had a 1-2-3 top of the 6th, and Podres stranded a double in the bottom of the frame. But in the top of the 7th, Los Angeles again got into the long ball act.

Shaw retired the first two men, but then Podres was out of the game. Chuck Essegian batted for the pitcher. And did he ever come through! He went out of the park. Tie game! Jim Gilliam, another great from back in Brooklyn, drew a walk. When Charlie Neal hit his second home run of the game, Los Angeles had Chicago doubled up, 4-2.

That was it for Shaw, too. So now both pitchers were out of the game. They had each pitched well, just had one bad inning. And Los Angeles needed that fourth run. In the top of the 8th against reliever Larry Sherry, Chicago pushed across a run, with Lollar then out and home trying to tie it. The White Sox were retired 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th.

Podres finished with a 5-hitter, 2 (earned) runs, 3 walks, and 3 K's for the win. Sherry gave up 3 hits and one (earned) run for the save. It wasn't a great outing for either, but their fine efforts squared things up.

Podres had another clutch World Series win for the Dodgers. And when Los Angeles took three of the next four games, the World Series Championship came to the west coast for the first time ever!


References


Fonseca, Lew, director. 1959 World Series. Performance by Vince Scully, Major League Baseball Productions, 1959. DVD.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

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