Duke Snider got the first and last Brooklyn hits in their last ever Fall Classic game. Neither of them helped. The New York Yankees won it easily, 9-0. Brooklyn had lost another game seven to New York, here in 1956. The Duke and the Dodgers would be in Los Angeles the next time they played in a World Series.
The irony is, the deciding game was at home, in Brooklyn's Taj Mahal, Ebbets Field. The Yankees sent the unheralded Johnny Kucks to the hill. The Dodgers had Don Newcombe on the hill, winner of 27 games that season. Mismatch!
Well, it was. For the Yankees.
Yogi Berra came up with two down and a runner on second in the top of the first. Newk had fanned two, and seemed ready to hand it to the Yankees all game long. Berra disrupted those thoughts, though, with a two-run home run to put New York ahead. Newcombe ended the inning with a K, but now was behind.
It seemed also, however, that Brooklyn would be scoring a lot of runs again this game. They'd scored six in game one at home, thirteen in game two at home. In game six, they needed ten innings to score just one run after being shutout in game five (Via Don Larsen's perfect game), so they were due. And Ebbets Field was a tiny ballpark.
So with one out in the bottom of the first, Pee Wee Reese walked. Duke Snider singled. The tying run was on first and the Dodgers had two speedsters on the base paths. Jackie Robinson was the batter. But instead of a hit to score a run or two, Jackie grounded into an inning-ending double play. This was a huge lift for young Johnny Kucks. The Yankees did not score of Newcombe in the top of the first, but Johnny came back to the mound in the bottom of the frame and got 'em 1-2-3. Brooklyn didn't even get it out of the infield. It was a small venue, alright. But if you can't even hit it that far, you are doomed!
And Yogi Berra came up in the top of the third. Billy Martin on first, two down. Another two-run home run. 4-0. And then another 1-2-3 inning by Kucks. This was his, Yogi's and New York's day.
A solo home run by Elston Howard in the top of the fifth was the final nail in the coffin of Don Newcombe. Not only did it make it 5-0, Yankees, but the Dodgers were a beaten ballclub. Kucks continued his one-hitter in the bottom of the frame, and it looked like Brooklyn would never score. They didn't.
Moose Skowron slugged a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning, as the Yankees were living up to their nickname of the Bronx Bombers. After Snider popped out, Robinson reached on a walk. But Gil Hodges hit into an inning-ending double play. Kucks was humming along.
Carl Furillo got Brooklyn's second hit in the bottom of the eighth, but the contest was already decided at this point. None of the other three Dodger batters could get it out of the infield. And after Carl Erskine, Brooklyn's fifth pitcher of the afternoon, had a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the ninth, the poised Kucks looked for the coupe-de-gras.
Jim Gilliam grounded to Skowron at first. Reese tried to bunt and popped out to Berra back behind the dish. Snider was up, and got his second hit of the game. But it was also only the third by a Dodger on this day. Jackie Robinson, in the last plate appearance of his illustrious career, fanned. Berra dropped the ball and threw him out at first to complete the putout. The Brooklyn Dodgers World Series history had reached an end with a whimper.
Kucks never again pitched this well again. He'd been 18-9 in 1956, but never again started a Fall Classic game. Instead, he was just 8-10 in 1957, 8-8 in '58 and off to Kansas in 1959. He pitched in organized ball until 1963. When that season came to an end, Kucks was 31, and out of baseball.
Snider hit 40 home runs in 1957, the Dodgers last year in Brooklyn, and was there in 1959 when the brand new Los Angeles Dodgers made it back to the World Series. That one ended better, as the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox in six games. But for many, the Dodgers' history ended in 1957, and the Yankees / Dodgers rivalry ended in 1956. The Duke did his share to be a part of that, right down to the very end.
References
British Pathé. “Baseball - Yankees Regain World Championship AKA Baseball: World Series Final (1956).” YouTube, British Pathé, Web, 13 Apr. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtH-Tb8567c.
Fonseca, Lew, director. World Series Of 1956. Major League Baseball Productions, 1956. DVD.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. www.retrosheet.org.
The irony is, the deciding game was at home, in Brooklyn's Taj Mahal, Ebbets Field. The Yankees sent the unheralded Johnny Kucks to the hill. The Dodgers had Don Newcombe on the hill, winner of 27 games that season. Mismatch!
Well, it was. For the Yankees.
Yogi Berra came up with two down and a runner on second in the top of the first. Newk had fanned two, and seemed ready to hand it to the Yankees all game long. Berra disrupted those thoughts, though, with a two-run home run to put New York ahead. Newcombe ended the inning with a K, but now was behind.
It seemed also, however, that Brooklyn would be scoring a lot of runs again this game. They'd scored six in game one at home, thirteen in game two at home. In game six, they needed ten innings to score just one run after being shutout in game five (Via Don Larsen's perfect game), so they were due. And Ebbets Field was a tiny ballpark.
So with one out in the bottom of the first, Pee Wee Reese walked. Duke Snider singled. The tying run was on first and the Dodgers had two speedsters on the base paths. Jackie Robinson was the batter. But instead of a hit to score a run or two, Jackie grounded into an inning-ending double play. This was a huge lift for young Johnny Kucks. The Yankees did not score of Newcombe in the top of the first, but Johnny came back to the mound in the bottom of the frame and got 'em 1-2-3. Brooklyn didn't even get it out of the infield. It was a small venue, alright. But if you can't even hit it that far, you are doomed!
And Yogi Berra came up in the top of the third. Billy Martin on first, two down. Another two-run home run. 4-0. And then another 1-2-3 inning by Kucks. This was his, Yogi's and New York's day.
A solo home run by Elston Howard in the top of the fifth was the final nail in the coffin of Don Newcombe. Not only did it make it 5-0, Yankees, but the Dodgers were a beaten ballclub. Kucks continued his one-hitter in the bottom of the frame, and it looked like Brooklyn would never score. They didn't.
Moose Skowron slugged a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning, as the Yankees were living up to their nickname of the Bronx Bombers. After Snider popped out, Robinson reached on a walk. But Gil Hodges hit into an inning-ending double play. Kucks was humming along.
Carl Furillo got Brooklyn's second hit in the bottom of the eighth, but the contest was already decided at this point. None of the other three Dodger batters could get it out of the infield. And after Carl Erskine, Brooklyn's fifth pitcher of the afternoon, had a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the ninth, the poised Kucks looked for the coupe-de-gras.
Jim Gilliam grounded to Skowron at first. Reese tried to bunt and popped out to Berra back behind the dish. Snider was up, and got his second hit of the game. But it was also only the third by a Dodger on this day. Jackie Robinson, in the last plate appearance of his illustrious career, fanned. Berra dropped the ball and threw him out at first to complete the putout. The Brooklyn Dodgers World Series history had reached an end with a whimper.
Kucks never again pitched this well again. He'd been 18-9 in 1956, but never again started a Fall Classic game. Instead, he was just 8-10 in 1957, 8-8 in '58 and off to Kansas in 1959. He pitched in organized ball until 1963. When that season came to an end, Kucks was 31, and out of baseball.
Snider hit 40 home runs in 1957, the Dodgers last year in Brooklyn, and was there in 1959 when the brand new Los Angeles Dodgers made it back to the World Series. That one ended better, as the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox in six games. But for many, the Dodgers' history ended in 1957, and the Yankees / Dodgers rivalry ended in 1956. The Duke did his share to be a part of that, right down to the very end.
References
British Pathé. “Baseball - Yankees Regain World Championship AKA Baseball: World Series Final (1956).” YouTube, British Pathé, Web, 13 Apr. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtH-Tb8567c.
Fonseca, Lew, director. World Series Of 1956. Major League Baseball Productions, 1956. DVD.
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. 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. 16 Dec. 2015.
Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 16 Dec. 2015. www.retrosheet.org.
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