Don Zimmer had two RBI's in his first World Series game.
Zimmer, who just passed away on June 4th, was on the 1955 Dodgers. That year, in the Fall Classic, they were up against their arch-rivals, the Yankees. New York had never lost a World Series to Brooklyn before and had no intention of dropping this one. And they had a guy named Whitey Ford on the hill in the opener. A guy who won a lot of World Series games. Ten to be exact. And here Ford was at Yankee Stadium, which was always so much to his and the Yankees liking! Oh, by the way, Brooklyn had still not won a World Series at this point. Odds not looking good, eh?
Zimmer, with 15 home runs and 50 RBI's to his name in the 1955 regular season, started the game at second base. Jim Gilliam, the lead off hitter, was in left. Donny was batting eighth, in front of pitcher Don Newcombe. Newk was a good hitter. As was the 7th hitter, third basemen Jackie Robinson.
Ford and Newcombe got through the first inning without a score, but in the second, Brooklyn wasted no time in getting to Whitey. Carl Furillo led off with a home run to put Brooklyn up 1-0. Robinson tripled with one out. Our boy Zim hit a single to score Jackie and make it 2-0, Dodgers. Zimmer made it to second on Newk's grounder. Gilliam walked, but that's all she wrote for Brooklyn in this inning.
And the Yankees were not concerned about any of this. After Yogi Berra grounded out to start the bottom of the frame, Joe Collins singled. When Elston Howard went downtown, this game was tied at two.
Duke Snider untied the game in the top of the third with a home run. The Dodgers got a runner on before Ford came through with a strikeout of Jackie Robinson to end it. Zimmer was waiting to do more. He would have to wait until the fourth inning.
Whitey Ford helped his own cause by coaxing a leadoff walk from Newcombe in the bottom of the third. Hank Bauer singled. A pair of groundouts scored Ford, and the game was tied again, 3-3.
Don Zimmer did exactly what Whitey Ford did. He walked to start the inning. The other Don tried to bunt, but it was Zimmer who ended up out at second instead of the intended Newk out at first. Jim Gilliam walked to get Don to second. But the Yankees turned two on Pee Wee Reese's liner to second.
New York then took the lead for the first time as Joe Collins hit a home run to deep right in the bottom of the fourth. In the Dodgers' fifth inning, Whitey Ford got the first two batters out, but then Carl Furillo and Gil Hodges singled. Furillo made it to third, meaning Jackie Robinson was the batter with Don Zimmer on deck. But once again, Zimmer would not get to bat as Robinson flied out to centre.
Newk got the Yankees in order in the bottom of the fifth and Ford did the same in the top of the sixth.
But in the bottom of the sixth, New York made their move to put this one out of reach. Well, seemingly. Newcombe got the first batter, Irv Noren, out on a grounder. But then Yogi Berra, who always seemed to hit Don well, singled. When Collins followed with a two-run home run, it was suddenly 6-3, Yankees. Elston Howard was the second out on a ground ball to shortstop Reese. But when Billy Martin, who always seemed to hit well in October (although this game was September 28th), hit a triple, Newcombe's day was over. Another Don, Don Bessent came in to pitch and Martin was out on an attempted steal of home. Someone on the Dodgers ough to show Martin how it's done, eh?
Ford mowed down Reese, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella (three Hall Of Famers, no less!) in the top of the seventh and the Yankees looked like all was well. They had their money pitcher on the hill, and their offence going.
But Brooklyn had Zimmer, who would not let them quit. And a guy named Robinson, who still had the wheels!
Carl Furillo started the top of the eighth for the Dodgers by hitting a single. Gil Hodges flied out to Elston Howard in left. Jackie Robinson reached on an error by Billy Martin. It was a crucial mistake, as Furillo made it all the way to third and Robinson made it all the way to second. Zimmer then was then set to deliver!
Actually, all Don could do was fly out. But it scored Furillo and moved Robinson to third. Then, believe it or not, you've seen what happened next!
Don Bessent was the scheduled hitter, but their was no way Brooklyn was going to let the pitcher bat under these circumstances. Even if Newcombe was still in the game, odds are the Dodgers would have sent up a pinch hitter.
Frank Kellert batted. Jackie Robinson, at third, didn't wait. He swiped home!
That run made it 6-5, and that would be the final score. Don Zimmer did not get to bat again in this game. Another New York win in the Fall Classic. Another Whitey Ford win. Anyone here surprised?
Don Zimmer will be remembered as a great baseball ball man. But it's more for his managerial duties then that as a player. In a game like this (And it's game one, which I've long contended is the least important game of any playoff series in any sport), you had stars (and Hall Of Famers) like Ford, Duke Snider, Campy, and others. Robinson, probably stood out better than all of them with that electrifying steal of home. But again, you had players like Howard and Newcombe, who many feel should be in the Hall Of Fame. Then there are guys like Billy Martin, who always shine in the World Series but you never talk about them in the spring. And you have guys like Zimmer, who maybe should have ever stepped on the field with such legends. But you need players like him to come through in order to win. It's unexpected. It's surprising. But it gives your team the boast they need. The Dodgers went on to win the 1955 World Series in seven games.
Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests. East End Publishing, 1989. Print.
Zimmer, who just passed away on June 4th, was on the 1955 Dodgers. That year, in the Fall Classic, they were up against their arch-rivals, the Yankees. New York had never lost a World Series to Brooklyn before and had no intention of dropping this one. And they had a guy named Whitey Ford on the hill in the opener. A guy who won a lot of World Series games. Ten to be exact. And here Ford was at Yankee Stadium, which was always so much to his and the Yankees liking! Oh, by the way, Brooklyn had still not won a World Series at this point. Odds not looking good, eh?
Zimmer, with 15 home runs and 50 RBI's to his name in the 1955 regular season, started the game at second base. Jim Gilliam, the lead off hitter, was in left. Donny was batting eighth, in front of pitcher Don Newcombe. Newk was a good hitter. As was the 7th hitter, third basemen Jackie Robinson.
Ford and Newcombe got through the first inning without a score, but in the second, Brooklyn wasted no time in getting to Whitey. Carl Furillo led off with a home run to put Brooklyn up 1-0. Robinson tripled with one out. Our boy Zim hit a single to score Jackie and make it 2-0, Dodgers. Zimmer made it to second on Newk's grounder. Gilliam walked, but that's all she wrote for Brooklyn in this inning.
And the Yankees were not concerned about any of this. After Yogi Berra grounded out to start the bottom of the frame, Joe Collins singled. When Elston Howard went downtown, this game was tied at two.
Duke Snider untied the game in the top of the third with a home run. The Dodgers got a runner on before Ford came through with a strikeout of Jackie Robinson to end it. Zimmer was waiting to do more. He would have to wait until the fourth inning.
Whitey Ford helped his own cause by coaxing a leadoff walk from Newcombe in the bottom of the third. Hank Bauer singled. A pair of groundouts scored Ford, and the game was tied again, 3-3.
Don Zimmer did exactly what Whitey Ford did. He walked to start the inning. The other Don tried to bunt, but it was Zimmer who ended up out at second instead of the intended Newk out at first. Jim Gilliam walked to get Don to second. But the Yankees turned two on Pee Wee Reese's liner to second.
New York then took the lead for the first time as Joe Collins hit a home run to deep right in the bottom of the fourth. In the Dodgers' fifth inning, Whitey Ford got the first two batters out, but then Carl Furillo and Gil Hodges singled. Furillo made it to third, meaning Jackie Robinson was the batter with Don Zimmer on deck. But once again, Zimmer would not get to bat as Robinson flied out to centre.
Newk got the Yankees in order in the bottom of the fifth and Ford did the same in the top of the sixth.
But in the bottom of the sixth, New York made their move to put this one out of reach. Well, seemingly. Newcombe got the first batter, Irv Noren, out on a grounder. But then Yogi Berra, who always seemed to hit Don well, singled. When Collins followed with a two-run home run, it was suddenly 6-3, Yankees. Elston Howard was the second out on a ground ball to shortstop Reese. But when Billy Martin, who always seemed to hit well in October (although this game was September 28th), hit a triple, Newcombe's day was over. Another Don, Don Bessent came in to pitch and Martin was out on an attempted steal of home. Someone on the Dodgers ough to show Martin how it's done, eh?
Ford mowed down Reese, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella (three Hall Of Famers, no less!) in the top of the seventh and the Yankees looked like all was well. They had their money pitcher on the hill, and their offence going.
But Brooklyn had Zimmer, who would not let them quit. And a guy named Robinson, who still had the wheels!
Carl Furillo started the top of the eighth for the Dodgers by hitting a single. Gil Hodges flied out to Elston Howard in left. Jackie Robinson reached on an error by Billy Martin. It was a crucial mistake, as Furillo made it all the way to third and Robinson made it all the way to second. Zimmer then was then set to deliver!
Actually, all Don could do was fly out. But it scored Furillo and moved Robinson to third. Then, believe it or not, you've seen what happened next!
Don Bessent was the scheduled hitter, but their was no way Brooklyn was going to let the pitcher bat under these circumstances. Even if Newcombe was still in the game, odds are the Dodgers would have sent up a pinch hitter.
Frank Kellert batted. Jackie Robinson, at third, didn't wait. He swiped home!
That run made it 6-5, and that would be the final score. Don Zimmer did not get to bat again in this game. Another New York win in the Fall Classic. Another Whitey Ford win. Anyone here surprised?
Don Zimmer will be remembered as a great baseball ball man. But it's more for his managerial duties then that as a player. In a game like this (And it's game one, which I've long contended is the least important game of any playoff series in any sport), you had stars (and Hall Of Famers) like Ford, Duke Snider, Campy, and others. Robinson, probably stood out better than all of them with that electrifying steal of home. But again, you had players like Howard and Newcombe, who many feel should be in the Hall Of Fame. Then there are guys like Billy Martin, who always shine in the World Series but you never talk about them in the spring. And you have guys like Zimmer, who maybe should have ever stepped on the field with such legends. But you need players like him to come through in order to win. It's unexpected. It's surprising. But it gives your team the boast they need. The Dodgers went on to win the 1955 World Series in seven games.
References
Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests. East End Publishing, 1989. Print.
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.
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. 06 Jun. 2014.
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