Wednesday, June 24, 2015

World Series: Did You Know?

Johnny Sain was the only member of the New York Yankees bullpen to surrender a run in the 1951 Fall Classic. Seems odd considering he was a better pitcher then Bobby Hogue, Bob Kuzava, Tom Morgan and Joe Ostrowski. But they held the New York Giants in check while Sain didn't. That's insane!

Hogue and Morgan picked up Allie Reynolds in a lost cause in game one at Yankee Stadium. Leo Durocher's team didn't need any miracles. They won it easily, 5-1. Dave Koslo went the distance for the Giants.

The Yankees lost Mickey Mantle for the rest of the Fall Classic, as he tripped over a sprinker in game two, but they won the game by the score of 3-1. Hank Bauer finished the game in Mantle's spot. Mickey scored the game's first run. How about the bullpen? The Yankees didn't need any as Ed Lopat went all the way to square up the World Series.

Game three was in the Polo Grounds, and the hometown team won. Like game one, it was a rout. The final score was 6-2 as the Giants got a great pitching performance from Jim Hearn. The Yankees' pitching was ineffective. At, least, that was until Hogue and Ostrowksi came in for mop up duty. The held the Giants scoreless for 3 2/3 innings. But it was too late.

So the Yankees needed game four. They ended up returning the favour to the Giants. They won a 6-2 game of their own here. Allie Reynolds got the better of Sal Maglie as Joe DiMaggio hit a home run. Reynolds finished with a eight-hitter and seven K's.

The Yankees left the Polo Grounds on a winning note as they took game five, to go up 3-2 in the 1951 Fall Classic. Oh, they won it big. 13-1! Gil McDougald had a grand slam in the top of the third. It was more than enough, of course. DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto drove in three each for good measure. Lopat was even better then in game two, as he pitched a complete game five-hitter.

The Yankees wrapped it up at home Vic Raschi won it 4-3. But he had trouble. Vic left without retiring a batter in the top of the seventh. It was 4-1, Yankees at the time. And the tying run was at the dish. Johnny Sain hopped in from the bullpen and got the next three batters out. It looked like a brillant move by Casey Stengel. But Sain narrowly avoided disaster in the eighth as the Giants loaded 'em up on a hit and two walks.

In the top of the ninth, the wheels really came of the chariot for Said. It was still 4-1, but Eddie Stanky singled. Alvin Dark got a bunt single. Wally Lockman singled to load 'em up. No outs. Bob Kuzava came in to pitch.

But Monte Irvin hit a long drive to left to score Stanky. Both Dark and Lockman moved up into scoring position on the play. Another long drive to left scored Dark, with Lockman staying at second. Still, a single could tie this thing, eh? Pinch hitter Sal Yvars gave it a ride to right. But Hank Bauer, who'd drove in three runs on the afternoon, made the catch to end it.

So Sain got a "hold" out of all that, but he hardly deserved it. Yet he was a valuable member of Stengel's teams from 1951 to 1954. He'd spot start (Going 11-6 in '52 and 14-7 in '55 with only 35 starts), he'd relieve (Leading the league in saves in 1954 with 26). Sain was part of the "Spahn and Sain" combo of the 1948 Boston Braves. And he was the last pitcher to face Babe Ruth (In an exhibition game) and the first to pitch to Jackie Robinson (Opening Day, 1947). Later, he served as a pitching coach on the Yankees from 1961 to 1963, helping Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry and Jim Bouton to their first 20-win seasons). Maybe he got bombed here in 1951, but that shouldn't take away from all his Yankee contributions! Sadly, most Yankee fans rue the fact that they traded the very man who beat New York three times in the 1957 Fall Classic for him.

Lew Burdette!

Sports Reference LLC. "(title of a particular page or blank for general citation)." Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. ()

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