Sunday, December 28, 2014

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers had two players who hit exactly .165 and hit four home runs in the regular season. And both were there in the postseason. For each, there was something more to them then just the hitting. Both were named Don. I guess it dawned upon Los Angeles to keep these guys around. You'll see why!

The hitter was Don Zimmer. Zim, who passed away earlier this year, it was his second World Series with the Dodgers. He was there in 1955 and drove in two runs his first Fall Classic game. But in '59 the Brooklyn Dodgers were now the Los Angeles Dodgers and Zim got into only 97 games. He had a bad year at the dish, to say the least. But that didn't stop the Trolleys from keeping him on the postseason roster. Always good to have someone there who has a ring to share, right?

The other player was actually pitcher Don Drysdale. Don had pitched for Brooklyn in 1956. But unlike the other Don, he came out of his previous Fall Classic undertaking without a ring. He allowed a two-run home run in game four, and the Dodgers lost the game, 6-2. Don only pitched two innings.

But this Fall Classic was different. Now in Los Angeles, the Dodgers took on the Chicago White Sox. And in the first game and Comiskey Park in Chicago, the visitors just about mailed it in. Chicago blew apart the Dodgers, 11-0.

Game two was different, as Los Angeles drew even with a 4-3 squeaker. But the problem was, neither Don had done a thing. As things moved out west, those things changed. Well, at least for Drysdale, it did.

Don took the hill in game three to try and give the Dodgers the Series lead. At home, it seemed the Dodgers didn't have it. By the end of the day, Chicago had a dozen hits to the Dodgers' handful. But the Dodgers made good on the five hits. Drysdale did a good job of stranding the runners.

Los Angeles scored twice in the bottom of the seven inning on a two-run single by Carl Furillo. Drysdale had no luck at the plate as he fanned both times up. That .165 regular season batting average carried over here, didn't it?

Drysdale allowed eleven hits. He left after the first two batters in the top of the eighth inning singled. Larry Sherry came in, and a run did score. Charlie Neal got that back with a double in the bottom of the eighth. That made the score 3-1 for Los Angeles and that was the final score.

The Dodger took game four, and needed just another win to wrap this up. The Dodgers sent Sandy Koufax to the hill in game five. And did he ever pitch a gem. 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 6 K, 1 BB! The one run scored on a double play. Oh, I forgot, Zimmer made it into the game!

In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers trailed 1-0 despite Koufax's gem. With one out, Chuck Essegian, pinch hitting for Maury Wills, walked. Don Zimmer came in to pinch run. But a groundout by Duke Snider (batting for Koufax) forced Zim at second. Jim Gilliam followed with a single and a wild pitch moved both runners up. Los Angeles failed to score either, however.

Zimmer stayed in the game at short. Wills was still sort of learning how to replace Pee Wee Reese. He didn't make a single fielding play in the top of the eighth, but when he came to the dish in the bottom of the frame, the game was on the line.

The Dodgers got a single by Wally Moon, then a one-out single from Gil Hodges moved Moon to second. The Dodgers sent Ron Fairly to bat for Don Demeter, but Chicago removed starting pitcher Bob Shaw. In trotted Billy Pierce, a left-hander. But the Dodgers had another move up their sleeve, and sent up Rip Repulski to bat for Fairly. The White sox decided to walk Repulski intentionally. Bases loaded, one out.

Another pinch hitter was sent up by Los Angeles. It was veteran Carl Furillo. A home run here and this thing is all over, Los Angeles wins it in five. But Furillo popped out to third. Our boy, Don Zimmer was next. With a chance at immortality, he could only fly out to left.

Zimmer fielded a grounder from Al Smith and threw to first four the third out of the top of the ninth. The White Sox went on to win the game, 1-0.

The Dodgers, though, went back to Chicago and won it all with a 9-3 win in game six. Neither Drysdale or Zimmer got into the game.

But, nothing beats experience. And Don Drysdale got his first World Series ring. White he'd go on to pitch for Los Angeles again in 1963, '65 and '66 (Winning in 1963 and '65), Don Zimmer never participated again in the Fall Classic as a player. But he did play for the Dodgers in 1963, so he got another ring.

Zimmer's experience with the Dodgers on three championship teams help set the course on a long managerial career, as well. Not  really a great player, he happend to be in the right place at the right time. And hey, Don Drysdale could pitch and Don Zimmer could manage. They just couldn't hit in 1959...But they got a ring, right. At the end of the day, no one really asks you how you got one. It's if you've got one!

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