Johnny Rutherford was the first Canadian to take the hill in the Fall Classic. It was also during his sole major league season.
The 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers looked poised to win it all. Not only did they have the team, they also had the home-field advantage! And after five games, it looked like more than enough! But in order to get to game five, the Dodgers played game four. The New York Yankees were there again, making a win in this Fall Classic, all the more sweeter!
Joe Black, who won the opener, took the hill. This game was in Yankee Stadium with Brooklyn ahead two games to one. A win in this or the next game would help the cause.
And Black helped the cause! He motored through the Yankees at the cost of only one run. The Big Cat, Johnny Mize, took him out of the park in the bottom of the fourth, but that's the Yankees got off him in seven strong innings. But his mound opponent, Allie Reynolds, held Brookly scoreless through that same stretch.
So in the top of the eighth inning, Brooklyn, down a run, needed some offence. Carl Furillo led off with a single and Black was the next scheduled hitter. George Shuba went sent to the dish to hit for him. But all George could do was fly out to Mickey Mantle in centre. The Yankees then sent up another pinch hitter, Rocky Nelson, but Reynolds got him on a K. When Pee Wee Reese was retired, the promising inning was over as easy as 1-2-3!
So in to the game hopped our boy, Johnny Rutherford. The native of Belleville, Ontario (where I camped in 1986) had to stop the Yankees to give the Dodgers a chance in the top of the ninth. But the first batter he had to face was Mantle.
The Mick was not about to take anyone lightly at this point. New York needed a win here or they'd be behind three games to one.
Rutherford had gone 7-7 in 22 games. Eleven of them had been starts. He had also finished eight games, picking up a pair of saves. His ERA was high, though, 4.25.
The Mick greeted him with a long triple to left, batting from the left side of the dish against Rutherford. When the relay came back into the infield to Reese at short, he tried to nail Mantle at third. In his haste to get him, Reese made a throwing error and Mantle wound up scoring. Even when he didn't go yard, The Mick could put a run on the board with one swing of the bat. Johnny Mize, The Big Cat, walked.
Rutherford got Yogi Berra to line out. Gene Woodling grounded out, with Mize taking second. But Rutherford fanned Hank Bauer and the inning was over. One run, one hit, one error, and one runner left on base. One walk, as well. New York, 2, Brooklyn 0 after eight.
Reynolds got Duke Snider out on a fly to Mickey in centre. Jackie Robinson looked at strike three. When Roy Campanella grounded out to Gil McDougald at third, the Yankees had squared this World Series at two games. And although Brooklyn won game five, New York went to Ebbet's Field and captured games six and seven.
Johnny Rutherford did not get into any of the remaining three games. The next season, he went an impressive 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA for the Newport News of the Piedmont League. Class B Level baseball. Then, Johnny went 5-3 with a 4.17 ERA for Fort Worth of the Texas League. AA Level.
He then spent the 1954 season with St. Paul and Montreal at AAA, Rutherford called it a career following the 1955 season with St. Paul. The Dodgers now had Roger Craig, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in their organization. It was extremely unlikely that Rutherford could have made a better impression then those guys!
The World Series is full of individuals who have long careers and many appearances. And there are those who play for many years and only get that one appearance. Some never make it at all. For many major leaguers, you are lucky if you make it your first (and only) season. Rutherford did that. And while he only lasted one season and only one World Series appearance, he has a unique niche in Canadian sports history. Johnny Rutherford did a lot more than pitch in the Fall Classic, he made a pitch for more Canadian hurlers in October!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Kendall, Brian. Great Moments in Canadian Baseball. Toronto, Ont., Canada: Lester Pub., 1995. Print.
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.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
Rutherford got Yogi Berra to line out. Gene Woodling grounded out, with Mize taking second. But Rutherford fanned Hank Bauer and the inning was over. One run, one hit, one error, and one runner left on base. One walk, as well. New York, 2, Brooklyn 0 after eight.
Reynolds got Duke Snider out on a fly to Mickey in centre. Jackie Robinson looked at strike three. When Roy Campanella grounded out to Gil McDougald at third, the Yankees had squared this World Series at two games. And although Brooklyn won game five, New York went to Ebbet's Field and captured games six and seven.
Johnny Rutherford did not get into any of the remaining three games. The next season, he went an impressive 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA for the Newport News of the Piedmont League. Class B Level baseball. Then, Johnny went 5-3 with a 4.17 ERA for Fort Worth of the Texas League. AA Level.
He then spent the 1954 season with St. Paul and Montreal at AAA, Rutherford called it a career following the 1955 season with St. Paul. The Dodgers now had Roger Craig, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in their organization. It was extremely unlikely that Rutherford could have made a better impression then those guys!
The World Series is full of individuals who have long careers and many appearances. And there are those who play for many years and only get that one appearance. Some never make it at all. For many major leaguers, you are lucky if you make it your first (and only) season. Rutherford did that. And while he only lasted one season and only one World Series appearance, he has a unique niche in Canadian sports history. Johnny Rutherford did a lot more than pitch in the Fall Classic, he made a pitch for more Canadian hurlers in October!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Kendall, Brian. Great Moments in Canadian Baseball. Toronto, Ont., Canada: Lester Pub., 1995. Print.
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.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
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