Elston Howard, the first black player for the New York Yankees, was also the first black player to hit a home run off a black pitcher in the Fall Classic. Another Brooklyn / New York Fall Classic meant many more exciting moments, 1955 had it's share. It all started when the World Series used to start, In September, not October.
September 28th was the date. Yankee Stadium, the site. Dodgers and Yankees. You couldn't ask for more. But on this day, it was truly amazing just what transpired. It was also Whitey Ford vs. Don Newcombe. It had all the makings of a classic.
Brooklyn got it all going in the top of the second, determined to prove that 1955 would be the year of the long-overdue breakthrough. Carl Furillo smashed a home run to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Another run scored (That being that legendary Robinson who touched home) courtesy of an RBI from Don Zimmer. But then the Bronx Bombers hit back.
Yogi Berra, who usually hit Newk well, grounded out to second. But Joe Collins walked and the tying run was at the dish. And it was Elston Howard. And with one swing, this thing was tied. I mean, this game was a classic, right?
The teams continued to go back-and-forth, and you didn't really know who was going to win it. The fireworks were really just getting started, as Duke Snider got into the home run trot for Brooklyn the next inning. But it was the Yankees that seemed to take over from there. They tied it in their half, then went ahead as Collins hit a home run in the bottom of fourth. Again, more to come.
Collins added another home run, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the sixth to finish off Newk. 6-3, New York. But the Dodgers? Far from done. Here comes Jackie...Safe!
At least that was the call. Yogi Berra didn't think so, and let the umpire know.
Carl Furillo got it all going with a single off Ford to start the eighth. With one down, Robinson reached on an error as Furillo was ninety feet away from getting the lead down to two. Jackie took second on the error for good measure, so a single would make it 6-5. Zimmer flew out, and Furillo tagged to make it a 6-4 game. But now Brooklyn was starting at two outs. Robinson had advanced another base. And that proved to be crucial.
His iconic steal of home was next. Again, there is debate as to whether or not Jackie made it. But in any event, it was 6-5 New York.
That proved to be the last run of the game. Brooklyn, by the way, dropped game two. It didn't matter. They got rid of the ghost as they ended up winning it all in game seven.
Perhaps it was the Robinson steal, or the fact that Brooklyn lost the game. How about the five home runs? But Elston Howard actually played on the winning side this game. And yet his home run, which was actually hit on his very first Fall Classic plate appearance, is kind of lost in the shuffle. Brooklyn fans remember Sandy Amoros' catch that year. They forget about Elston Howard, except as the last out of this great World Series. When it comes to a player named Sandy, few if anyone who followed baseball took notice of Sandy Koufax, who pitched actually pretty good for Brooklyn that year. His greatness would not become apparent for years to come. But he was a 1955 Brooklyn Dodger. However, let's face it. Do you think about him, or Robinson's iconic steal if you want to think about the Dodger teams of the 50s? Even Duke Snider didn't really leave us with any iconic moments, despite all those World Series home runs and great defensive plays in the outfield.
Elston Howard came up big for the Yankees. Yet he's behind Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Ford and later Roger Maris. Hey, didn't he win the 1963 AL MVP? Even Moose Skowron seemed to get more attention. But there is no denying his greatness during those Yankee dynasty years. Don Newcomb had his problems in the postseason. But one of the reasons was Elston Howard (Who hit a home run off him in game seven the next year). Howard, like Mantle, could hit to all fields, and could call the game as good as Berra behind the dish. Here, his clutch home run helped the Yankees offence get going. Ellie's teammates knew what to expect from him after this. And Howard came through for them again and again in October.
References
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. Print.
Youtube. Web. 1 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com>.
September 28th was the date. Yankee Stadium, the site. Dodgers and Yankees. You couldn't ask for more. But on this day, it was truly amazing just what transpired. It was also Whitey Ford vs. Don Newcombe. It had all the makings of a classic.
Brooklyn got it all going in the top of the second, determined to prove that 1955 would be the year of the long-overdue breakthrough. Carl Furillo smashed a home run to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Another run scored (That being that legendary Robinson who touched home) courtesy of an RBI from Don Zimmer. But then the Bronx Bombers hit back.
Yogi Berra, who usually hit Newk well, grounded out to second. But Joe Collins walked and the tying run was at the dish. And it was Elston Howard. And with one swing, this thing was tied. I mean, this game was a classic, right?
The teams continued to go back-and-forth, and you didn't really know who was going to win it. The fireworks were really just getting started, as Duke Snider got into the home run trot for Brooklyn the next inning. But it was the Yankees that seemed to take over from there. They tied it in their half, then went ahead as Collins hit a home run in the bottom of fourth. Again, more to come.
Collins added another home run, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the sixth to finish off Newk. 6-3, New York. But the Dodgers? Far from done. Here comes Jackie...Safe!
At least that was the call. Yogi Berra didn't think so, and let the umpire know.
Carl Furillo got it all going with a single off Ford to start the eighth. With one down, Robinson reached on an error as Furillo was ninety feet away from getting the lead down to two. Jackie took second on the error for good measure, so a single would make it 6-5. Zimmer flew out, and Furillo tagged to make it a 6-4 game. But now Brooklyn was starting at two outs. Robinson had advanced another base. And that proved to be crucial.
His iconic steal of home was next. Again, there is debate as to whether or not Jackie made it. But in any event, it was 6-5 New York.
That proved to be the last run of the game. Brooklyn, by the way, dropped game two. It didn't matter. They got rid of the ghost as they ended up winning it all in game seven.
Perhaps it was the Robinson steal, or the fact that Brooklyn lost the game. How about the five home runs? But Elston Howard actually played on the winning side this game. And yet his home run, which was actually hit on his very first Fall Classic plate appearance, is kind of lost in the shuffle. Brooklyn fans remember Sandy Amoros' catch that year. They forget about Elston Howard, except as the last out of this great World Series. When it comes to a player named Sandy, few if anyone who followed baseball took notice of Sandy Koufax, who pitched actually pretty good for Brooklyn that year. His greatness would not become apparent for years to come. But he was a 1955 Brooklyn Dodger. However, let's face it. Do you think about him, or Robinson's iconic steal if you want to think about the Dodger teams of the 50s? Even Duke Snider didn't really leave us with any iconic moments, despite all those World Series home runs and great defensive plays in the outfield.
Elston Howard came up big for the Yankees. Yet he's behind Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Ford and later Roger Maris. Hey, didn't he win the 1963 AL MVP? Even Moose Skowron seemed to get more attention. But there is no denying his greatness during those Yankee dynasty years. Don Newcomb had his problems in the postseason. But one of the reasons was Elston Howard (Who hit a home run off him in game seven the next year). Howard, like Mantle, could hit to all fields, and could call the game as good as Berra behind the dish. Here, his clutch home run helped the Yankees offence get going. Ellie's teammates knew what to expect from him after this. And Howard came through for them again and again in October.
References
Golenbock,
Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees,
1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major
League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/.
Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
Youtube. Web. 1 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com>.
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