"The Giants Win The Series" takes the reader from Spring training to the end of the World Series with the headline stories and highlights of 1954. With over three dozen photos, including stories about Mays, Mantle, Musial, Maglie, Berra, Snider, Hodges, Williams, Doby and Kluszewski .
THE GIANTS WIN THE SERIES!
Headlines and Highlights of 1954By Mike GetzAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Mike Getz
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4567-2818-2 Chapter One
1. BAD BALL
The 1953 season was a frustrating one for the New York Giants and their fans. After the miracle first-place finish in 1951 and a strong second-place finish in 1952, the Polo Grounders fell to fifth place, 35 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers. Pitching ace Sal Maglie saw his record fall to 8-9 after winning 59 games over the past three seasons. Second starter Larry Jansen had his worst season in seven years with 11 wins and 16 losses. Only two years earlier, Jansen had tied Maglie with 23 wins in leading the Giants into the World Series against the New York Yankees. Now, both right-handers suffered from recurring back pains. It appeared that manager Leo Durocher would soon be fired. At the beginning of 1953, Durocher remarked, "This is one of my best clubs." It turned out to be the first time a Durocher-managed team would finish without a 15-game winner. The 1954 pitching staff would be built around Ruben Gomez, a 13-game winner as a rookie in 1953.
Only 4,717 fans attended the final home game in 1953, as the team finished in fifth place with a 38-39 record at home and 70-84 overall. Home attendance dropped from 985,000 to 811,000.
A key factor in the Giants' failure was the absence of 22-year-old center fielder Willie Mays for the entire 1953 season. The army was set to release Mays in time for the opening of spring training. The club would then have four first-string outfielders—Mays, Monte Irvin, Bobby Thomson and Don Mueller—and would most likely trade one to get a left-handed starting pitcher.
2. THOMSON TRADED
On February 1, the Giants traded the 30-year-old Thomson along with second-string catcher Sam Calderone to the Milwaukee Braves. The Giants got two left-handed pitchers, 24-year-old Johnny Antonelli and 27-year-old Don Liddle, as well as utility catcher Ebba St. Claire, rookie infielder, Billy Klaus, and an undisclosed sum of money. Horace Stoneham, the Giants' owner, originally requested Warren Spahn, but settled for Antonelli.
Thomson, the hero of the final 1951 playoff game that captured the pennant, was coming off a season in which he batted .288 with 26 home runs and 106 runs batted in. It was the fourth 100-plus-RBI season of his career. It was a perfect trade for the Giants, as he would never reach any of those totals again. The Giants had originally signed the Staten Island resident in 1942 at the age of 18. He was brought up in 1946 after three years in military service. The Braves intended to use him in the cleanup spot, batting after Eddie Mathews.
Leo Durocher remarked, "We hated to lose Bobby Thomson, but we had to have some pitching." Stoneham felt terrible about having to trade Thomson. He even wrote Bobby a letter explaining how sorry he was to have to make the deal.
3. A NEW ACE
Antonelli, a $65,000 bonus player, had a 12-12 record with 131 strikeouts for Milwaukee in 1953. He finished among the top five in earned run average with 3.18 runs per game allowed. The Rochester, New York native signed with the Boston Braves in 1948 when he was 18 years old. Because of the signing bonus rule, the Braves had to keep Antonelli on their major league roster. Over the next two seasons, Johnny started 16 games and posted a 5-10 record. The 1951 and 1952 seasons were spent in military service. In 1953, Antonelli made 26 starts, second on the club to Warren Spahn. Jackie Robinson predicted that Antonelli would be one of the best pitchers in the National League "within two or three years."
With lefthander Chet Nichols returning from the service to take over as the Braves fourth starting pitcher behind Spahn, Lew Burdette and Gene Conley, Milwaukee brass felt that trading Antonelli's arm for Thomson's bat was a good move.
The other lefty acquired by the Giants was Don Liddle. In his first full season with the Braves in 1953, he posted a 7-6 record with a 3.07 earned run average. Durocher planned to use him to start in certain situations and come in from the bullpen as well.
4. SIGNINGS
On February 6, the Giants signed Hoyt Wilhelm, their tireless relief specialist. The knuckleball pitcher had control problems in 1953, walking 77 batters while striking out only 71. His record was 7-8 in 69 appearances, all in relief. It was quite a difference from his rookie year in 1952 when Wilhelm won 15 games and lost 3, and led the National League with a 2.43 earned run average. He lost out to Brooklyn pitcher Joe Black for the Rookie of the Year Award. On the same February day, the Dodgers signed 21-year-old Johnny Podres, who was coming off a 9-4 rookie season. In 1953, the pennant-winning Dodgers had ten pitchers with winning records.
Within a week, pitcher Don Newcombe signed with Brooklyn after a two-year hitch in the army. Big Newk increased his salary from $17,000 to $22,000. The Dodgers were counting on him to regain his 1951 form when he won 20 games. Sal Maglie took a $2,000 cut after his poor 1953 season and signed with the Giants for $28,000. Carl Erskine, the current ace of the Dodger staff, signed a contract for $25,000, up $5,000 from the previous year. Erskine had a great season in 1953, posting 20 wins, including 15 from the beginning of July until the end of the season. Jackie Robinson remained the highest-paid Dodger in history when he inked a contract for close to $45,000 for 1954. The Dodgers were the best-drawing team in the National League on the road, with Robinson as a key gate attraction. Lanky lefty Preacher Roe signed for $26,000, only $1,000 more than Erskine, making him the highest paid pitcher in the club's history. Over the past three seasons, Roe had gone 44-8.
The Yankees were the best-paid team in baseball. Manager Casey Stengel earned $80,000 plus bonus payments that could give him another twenty grand. He was making twice as much as any of his players and any other manager. The total payroll was over $750,000, after having won the World Series five years in a row and eating into the owner's profits. Star pitchers Vic Raschi and Allie Reynolds, as well as catcher Yogi Berra, were at the $40,000 level. Eddie Lopat was making $25,000. Frankie Crosetti and Jim Turner, Stengel's coaches were doing better than those on any other club. On February 23, the Yankees sold the 34-year-old Raschi to the Cardinals for $85,000.
5. A TOUGH BREAK
The Red Sox pennant hopes took a dive when Ted Williams—baseball's highest-paid player and last man to bat over .400—became the first casualty of the spring. He broke his left collarbone on March 1 in an intra-squad game, trying to catch a sinking fly ball off the bat of teammate Hoot Evers. This occurred only a few minutes after the players had taken the field for the first time. Williams fell and heard something snap. After a shoulder cast was put on that covered the entire upper portion of his body, Ted was told not to lift his arm or swing a bat for the next six weeks. After that, he would still be out of action for at least another month. Williams would not play again until May 15.
The Sox put foam rubber padding on the outfield wall, mainly to protect right fielder Jimmy Piersall. Manager Lou Boudreau said, "Piersall plays as though he doesn't know the fence is there."
6. BACK FROM THE ARMY
From the day Willie Mays arrived at spring training, the whole atmosphere in the Giants' camp changed. The feeling was that the Giants had a good chance to win the pennant even though the team finished in fifth place, 35 games behind the Dodgers, the year before. Mays quickly got into uniform after getting off a plane at 11 AM, and homered in an intra-squad game in his first plate appearance. The 1951 Rookie of the Year left the Giants in May 1952 with the team in first place. Without his bat and glove, the Polo Grounders finished second. In 1953, with Mays gone for the entire season, the team dropped to fifth. With his uncanny ability to cut doubles and triples down to singles, and his skills at throwing out advancing base runners, Willie was a pitcher's best friend. Leo Durocher predicted Mays would bat around .280 with 25 homers. The 22-year-old signed a $13,000 contract for 1954.
7. THOMSON BREAKS ANKLE
On March 13, less than six weeks after the trade, Bobby Thomson sustained a triple fracture of his right ankle while sliding into second base in an exhibition game against the Yankees. He was trying to break up a double play. The injury would keep him out of action for most of the 1954 campaign. His former teammates—Whitey Lockman, Don Mueller and Monte Irvin—had all broken legs on the base paths. They felt bad for Bobby, who was one of baseball's nice guys. Ironically, just before the exhibition game, a reporter interviewed Thomson and asked him if he thought he could play in all 154 games in 1954, as he had done the previous year. Bobby said, "Why not? I never got hurt."
Braves' manager Charlie Grimm felt his team could still compete for the flag since they won 92 games in 1953 without Thomson. Milwaukee was led by third baseman Eddie Mathews, who hit 47 home runs at the age of 21. Veteran outfielder Andy Pafko, slugging first baseman Joe Adcock, catcher Del Crandall and speedy outfielder Bill Bruton would hold up the offense, and pitchers Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Bob Buhl, Gene Conley and Chet Nichols were being counted on to help the team make a run for the pennant. "Jolly Cholly" Grimm was a manager who inspired and understood his players. "All I ask is," he said, "is for my players to hustle." He received praise from shortstop Johnny Logan, Bobby Thomson and Joe Adcock. Big Joe was happy to get out of the outfield and return to his original position of first base.
8. GIANTS' OUTLOOK
In mid-March, Leo Durocher evaluated his club. "This is the best squad," he said, "especially the young and talented players that I've ever had as a manager." Starting at second base was Davey Williams, a .297 hitter the previous season. The other regular infielders were veterans of the '51 pennant-winners: Whitey Lockman at first (.295), Alvin Dark at short (.300), and Hank Thompson at third (.302 with 24 home runs). Rookies Foster Castleman, Billy Gardner, Ron Samford and Joey Amalfitano would compete for backup infield jobs. Each of the four was looking for his first major league at bat. The outfield was set with Monte Irvin in left (.329 with 97 RBI), Don Mueller in right (.333), and Willie Mays back in center. Backup outfielder Dusty Rhodes would share pinch-hitting duties with utility infielder Bobby Hofman. Behind the plate, Wes Westrum was back for his eighth year with the team. A low average hitter with some power, Westrum was one of the best defensive catchers in the game. In 1950, he set a record by committing only one error while chalking up 608 putouts for a .999 fielding average. That National League record would stand up for 47 years. In 1951, Westrum also led the league in fielding. In '52 and '53, he made the All-Star team. Ray Katt was the backup catcher.
The two pitchers who were expected to lead the team in victories were right-hander Ruben Gomez, who won 13 games as a rookie in 1953, and newly acquired Johnny Antonelli, who went 12-12 with the Braves. It was hoped that Sal Maglie and Larry Jansen could recover from their back problems to come close to performing as they had before their injuries. After averaging 20 wins over the previous three seasons, Maglie could only record 8 victories in 1953. Jansen won 96 games in his first five years with the Giants, but dropped to 11 in each of the next two seasons. Jim Hearn, together with lefty Don Liddle, gave the Giants six starting pitchers. In the bullpen, knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm would share relief duties with Marv Grissom, who volunteered to close out games. In order for the Giants to come back from 35 games behind in 1953, there would have to be a lot of comebacks. But Durocher wasn't worried. He had Willie Mays!
9. TOUGHEST TEAM
The Brooklyn Dodgers had won eleven straight exhibition games before they lost to the Yankees, who had dropped their previous seven. In order to win the flag in 1954, the Giants would have to make up 35 games in the standings against the best team in the National League. Brooklyn was loaded, even without their ace Don Newcombe, who had served in the army the previous two years. The team boasted ten pitchers in 1953, all of which had winning records. With a record of 105 wins and 49 losses, the Dodgers won the pennant by 13 games.
The '53 club was arguably the greatest team in Dodgers' history. Catcher Roy Campanella, who won his second Most Valuable Player Award, led Brooklyn offensively. Campy batted .312 with 41 home runs and 142 RBI. All three outfielders batted well over .300. Jackie Robinson had moved to left field to allow rookie Junior Gilliam to play second base. Robinson batted .329 and drove in 95 runs. Centerfielder Duke Snider posted a .336 with 42 home runs and 126 RBI. He also led the league in runs scored (132), slugging percentage (.627) and total bases (370). His MVP-type numbers were as good as Campanella's. Right fielder Carl Furillo won the batting championship with a .344 mark while driving in 92 runs. At first base, Gil Hodges batted .302 with 31 home runs and 122 RBI. Second baseman Gilliam led the league in triples with 17 and was chosen Rookie of the Year. The true leader of this team was the shortstop and captain, Pee Wee Reese, a future Hall of Famer together with Campanella, Robinson and Snider. Carl Erskine led the pitching staff with a 20-6 record. Russ Meyer won 15 games, Billy Loes 14, Preacher Roe and Clem Labine 11 each, and Johnny Podres 9. Now Newcombe was back, and Brooklyn looked stronger than ever.
If the Dodgers hadn't lost the 1953 World Series to the Yankees, this team would have been remembered as one of the greatest ever. At home in Ebbets Field, it compiled an amazing record of 60 wins and only 17 losses for a .779 winning percentage.
10. SHOOTING FOR SIX
Casey Stengel's Yankees had won the World Series five years in a row, from 1949 through 1953. Catcher Yogi Berra, together with Roy Campanella arguably the best backstops in the game, led the defending champions. The 1951 winner of the Most Valuable Player Award was a notorious bad-ball hitter who could swing at a pitch thrown up around his eyes or almost in the dirt and still hit a line drive. He topped the 1953 Yankees with 27 home runs and 108 RBI. Twenty-two-year-old Mickey Mantle, on the verge of greatness, hit 21 homers and drove in 92 runs. Right fielder Hank Bauer and left fielder Gene Woodling batted .304 and .306 respectively, and third baseman Gil McDougald drove in 83 runs while batting .285. Gone to the army was sparkplug second baseman Billy Martin, who contributed 15 homers and 75 RBI. For 1954, McDougald would switch over to second base, and 22-year-old Andy Carey would start at third base.
Pitching was the Yankees great strength. While no other American League team had more than four ten-game winners in 1953, the Yankees had five pitchers with at least 13 wins. Ace Vic Raschi (136) was gone after eight years of superb pitching, but Whitey Ford (18-6), Eddie Lopat (16-4, with a league-leading 2.42 earned run average), and Allie Reynolds (13-7) were back. Rookie Bob Grim was among others vying for the fourth-starter job, along with Harry Byrd and Tom Morgan. Johnny Sain (14-7), the 36-year-old veteran, changed his mind about retirement. He would be used exclusively in relief.
11. CHARLIE OUT
Only nine days after the 1953 World Series ended, Dodger President Walter O'Malley made the announcement that Charlie Dressen would not be back as manager. Dressen had asked for a three-year contract after winning back-to-back National League pennants. O'Malley refused to extend Charlie's contract beyond the 1954 season. Chuck was very bitter over the situation. "I'd be willing to sign for two years," he said, "but not for only one year. Why the hell should I? Leo Durocher's Giants came in fifth, and he got a two-year deal. Eddie Stanky's Cardinals finished fourth, and he signed for three years. I won two pennants in a row; something no Brooklyn manager ever did, and they want me to sign for one year. This is Bullshit!"
Even though the Dodgers offered a $7,500 raise from $35,000 to $42,500, Dressen and O'Malley refused to compromise. O'Malley stuck to his one-year-at-a-time policy. In Dressen's three seasons as Dodger skipper, Brooklyn won 298 games and lost only 166 for a .642 winning percentage.
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Excerpted from THE GIANTS WIN THE SERIES!by Mike Getz Copyright © 2011 by Mike Getz. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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