World Series: Did You Know

Billy Martin was the man of the moment in 1953. Not only did he have twelve hits in only six games, but he also had two home runs and eight RBIs. Oh, and he batted .500.

Martin actually had as many home runs as Mickey Mantle, and one more run driven home.

It was another classic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers. Well, the Bronx Bombers had a lot of great players, but was Billy Martin one of them? The Brooklyn Dodgers still hadn't won a World Championship, and would they finally pull it off? It seems like Jackie Robinson, the Dodger great, would be a man a fire, and he was. It was a bit of an interesting situation, as Martin and Robinson were both second basemen.

Not in 1953, was Jackie. Brooklyn moved him to the outfield. Red-hot rookie Jim Gilliam was at second. Did it hurt the Dodgers?

Players who scored 100 runs by Brooklyn in 1953:

Duke Snider, 132

Jim Gilliam, 125

Jackie Robinson, 109

Pee Wee Reese, 108

Roy Campanella, 103

Gil Hodges, 101


Oh, boy. The Bronx Bombers have their work cut out for them. Gilliam added a league-leading seventeen triples.

But, the Yankees had a big edge. They had Billy Martin in 1953. It was not just his physical exploits that made him dangerous. Martin had a lot going for him in terms of smarts. Was it not his catch in game seven of the Fall Classic the previous year that helped save the day for the New York Yankees? Billy had good reason to come up big when the two titans met up in this Fall Classic, played fifty years after the very first one. He's been on the postseason roster in 1950, but not played. The next World Series, he got into one game. That's it. In '52, Martin played in all seven games, but hit just .217. Billy still didn't have that one, great standout performance in the clutch yet. For that matter, Billy Martin hadn't had that one great regular season yet!

But, baseball fans, how about a tad of a secret? Billy Martin was a great player in 1953. Yep. Home runs? 15. RBIs? 75. Runs scored? 72. It was just that bad batting average, .257.

"Because of his reputation as a troublemaker and his mediocre final few years," wrote Peter Golenbock in Dynasty, "Billy Martin will always be remembered as an average ballplayer. Nothing could be further from the truth. He looked awkward and in the field, but in critical situations, Billy Martin could carry a team on his shoulders. In his prime, Martin was every bit the star that his buddies Mantle and Ford were."

Would the 1953 World Series prove that? The Dodgers had the advantage of a small ballpark, while the Yankees had to make do with the Stadium. Yankee Stadium. Would the ballpark, described as, "shaped like a horse shoe," help Brooklyn or New York.

Well, Hank Bauer hit a triple in the bottom of the first inning, in the first contest, to put the Yankees on top. But later on in the inning, Billy Martin's pal Mickey Mantle drew a walk. So did Gene Woodling. Bauer was still on third while all this was going on.

Bases loaded, two away. The score was still 1-0, Yankees. Billy Martin up. Clutch situation, early.

Boom! A big shot to the gap in left, which nearly ended up to the left of the 457 sign in left. Bauer, scores. Mantle right behind him. Woodling made it home, too. Martin had himself a triple. Bauer had one RBI this inning. Martin, three. A fitting beginning.

The Yankees' second basemen added a single in the fourth. And another in the eighth. After stealing second, it was time for more offence. The Yankees despite building up an early 4-0 lead, were now clinging to a 6-5 edge. That is, of course, until our boy got the old ball rolling. The Bronx Bombers were at it again.

Phil Rizzuto walked. Johnny Sain, the pitcher, got Martin home with a double. A Joe Collins single capped a three-run rally. The game had started out as a rout, become a nail-biter, then reverted to a laugher. 9-5 was the final score, and Martin had been the man to make it happen.

Maybe not everything had gone his way. Billy was caught trying to steal a base, so he was 1-2 in that department. But 3-4 in the batting one! It seemed like, "Anything Mantle can do, I can do [Better sometimes]". The Mick had swiped a base, too. 

Game two went the home team's way, as the Yankees doubled up the Dodgers, 4-2. Martin was retired first time up, then went into beast mode after. Next time up, single. And then there was Billy The Kid at the dish in the bottom of the seventh. He didn't say, "Draw" to Brooklyn pitcher Preacher Row. He probably said, "Tie game, buddy". The Yankees trailed the Dodgers 2-1. Martin swung at a 2-2 offering, with the intentions of making the score that. If Martin had said, "Draw", both Preacher and Jackie Robinson (In left field) lost. Robinson made a valiant try, reaching over the railing, only to see the ball go into the stands. 2-2. The Bronx Bombers were inspired. Mickey Mantle, not to be overshadowed, blasted one over Robinson's head himself the next inning, winning the ballgame. Don't fell too bad for Martin. His time would come.

But when the Yankees came to Ebbets Field, there was a change. Smaller ballpark, and it seemed for a while, advantage Dodgers.

The very first batter of the game for Brooklyn was second basemen Jim Gilliam. He sent one towards second basemen Billy Martin. The ball hit him in the chest. Was Martin living rent-free in the Dodgers' head?

After walking in the top of the second, Billy and the gang were back at it three innings later. Sparkplug Martin got it all going with a single to lead off. The next three batters went single, bunt, single. 1-0, New York.

The Dodgers weren't about to be swept. The picked up a run in their half of the inning, and then Jackie Robinson put them ahead in the sixth with a single. Gene Woodling tied it in the eighth, and Billy Martin was up with runners on the corners and two down. He could only ground out.

The home team went in front for good in the bottom of the frame via a Roy Campanella solo shot. Brooklyn was alive and kicking. And it carried over to game four.

Whitey Ford started for New York. Jim Gilliam opened the last of the first with a double into the seats. Brooklyn scored three times off Ford in the bottom of the first.

Martin did little until the fifth. He jumped on a pitch from Billy Loes that head to the right of the 376 foot sign. Carl Furillo went for it, Duke Snider came over. Furillo tried to get it, but no. The ball banged around in that little v-shaped area that protruded in right-centre. This was crucial. Martin had a triple. Gil McDougald followed by hitting a ball that no one had a chance on. The two-run dinger made it a ballgame, 4-2. The Dodgers were not discouraged.

They scored twice more in the bottom of the sixth, and another in the seventh, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Still, the defiant Yankees refused to roll over. Gene Woodling led off the ninth with a single. And Billy Martin, 1-3, made it 2-4 with a single of his own! Did New York have a rally going?

A walk by Gil McDougald, and suddenly the tying run was on deck, Johnny Mize, The Big Cat. But first, Phil Rizzuto fanned. The Big Cat flew out to The Duke in centre.

But, the song goes, "Willie, Mickey and The Duke". What about the Yankees' centre fielder? Why, Mickey Mantle was next, and he came through! Single. Woodling scores. Around third, Martin. Alas, the throw was in time, with catcher Roy Campanella and the Yankees' second basemen having a bit of a violent collision at home. Series tied, 2-2.

Alright, so the 1953 World Series had been no trip to the 7-11. But what if I told you the Bronx Bombers won game five by the score of 11-7? That's better. So was Martin.

Johnny Podres started for the Dodgers. Wasn't it a few postings ago I was ranting and raving about how good he was? He was 9-4 in 1953. 11-7 the next season. And Johhny pitched well for a good portion of 1955, too. He was so consistent and so clutch. But here, the visiting New York Yankees said, "Go Johnny, Go To The Showers!"

And that's what New York did in the third. Gene Woodling had greeted him rudely in the first. Leadoff home run. It was just the beginning.

The home team managed to tie it in the bottom of the second. Phil Rizzuto got a grounder with two on and nobody out. It should have been an easy double play. But The Scooter's toss was off the mark of The Kid. The fielding improved that inning, as the Yankees did eventually get an outfielder to catcher double play. Brooklyn was held to just that one run.

In the third, New York somehow got rid of Podres without a hit. They got a walk. The next two batters were retired and the left-handed pitcher seemed safe. Podres himself had made a fine play on Gene Woodling hot shot towards him. That, was the last batter the Dodger lefty retired. On what should have been the third out, Joe Collins shot to first saw Gil Hodges only get a piece of it. The error resulted in Phil Rizzuto scoring. The Yankees didn't stop there.

Hank Bauer was hit by a pitch. Yogi Berra walked. Time for Podres to test the showers. But that move didn't help Brooklyn. Russ Meyer faced Mickey Mantle with the bases loaded and two outs. And boy, did Mickey ever go the other way. The grand slam turned a 2-1 lead into 6-1.

Billy Martin followed with a single, to try and keep the rally going. But, in a moment of stupidity, Billy tried to steal second and Roy Campanella nailed him.

Now, was this crucial? Would Martin get a chance at redemption? He'd have to wait. The Yankee second basemen left a man on in the fifth, but then came up in the seventh, looking to do something to make up for the earlier blunder.

He found a four-base solution.

Yogi Berra had singled, but then Mickey Mantle had grounded out. With Berra making it to second, there was always the option to put Billy Martin on and pitch to Gil McDougald, who was having his troubles at the dish. The decision was made to pitch to Billy. But a two-run home run proved that it was a bad choice. Again, the Yankees were inspired. Pitcher Jim McDonald drove home another run that inning, making it 9-2 for New York.

They kept coming at 'em.

Berra drove in Joe Collins with a sacrifice fly the next inning, and the Bronx Bombers were in double digits. They sort of let up a bit in the Brooklyn half of the eighth, as the Dodgers were fighting to the end. They put up a "4" on the scoreboard, turning this game into a slugfest.

After Martin fanned in the ninth, Gil McDougald, drawing inspiration from the hot bat in front of him, got into the home run trot, blasting a solo shot. Brooklyn wasn't dead yet, and Jim Gilliam hit one of his own. Duke Snider singled with one out. But the game ending, fittingly, with Jackie Robinson hitting it to the New York second basemen, who started a 4-6-3 game-ending double play. It should be noted at this point, Brooklyn was waiting for it's first twin-killing in the 1953 Fall Classic. Five games in the books and Billy Martin was doing everything the Dodgers could only dream of. Just a note, beating Johnny Podres was no small accomplishment. This was his only World Series loss. Podres would be 4-0 from here.

And it got worse in game six, back at Yankee Stadium.

Yogi Berra doubled home a man to break the ice in the last of the first. After Mickey Mantle was walked intentionally, Billy Martin foiled that strategy, in an odd way.

All Martin did was ground to Jim Gilliam, but the ball hit his shoe. Berra scored, and an RBI was still awarded. Mantle was on third and the home team could have iced it early. The Dodgers picked a fine time to turn a double play, getting out of the inning down only two runs.

Gene Woodling, though, made it 3-0 New York with a sacrifice fly in the next inning. However, the inning could have been truly dreadful for the visitors. The Yankees eventually loaded the bases, with Yogi Berra up. Berra flied to Duke Snider in centre. It seemed like a cinch sacrifice fly. 4-0!

Nope. Whitey Ford took off before the catch. Quickly realizing this, he went back to third, touched it, and headed home. Snider's toss to Jim Gilliam was fired right to Roy Campanella, who greeted Ford at the plate with the ball. A clutch double play. So it was only 3-0, New York.

Brooklyn again fought back. Martin was retired the next time to the dish, but added a double in the fifth. It seemed like the World Series might end on the Martin-Mantle and Ford show.

Brooklyn broke the shutout in the top of the sixth, and pressed on against Whitey Ford. They also seemed to figure out Martin and how to get the job done with men on. Billy hit into a double play in the seventh, and the Dodgers were starting to get all the breaks.

Come the top of the ninth, Allie Reynolds was on to nail it down. Ford had pitched well, and now Reynolds would no doubt get the save. But with one out, Duke Snider made it via a bases on balls. Then Carl Furillo gave Billy Martin and the Yankees a dose of their own medicine. His clutch two-run home run to left tied it!

So it all came down to the last of the ninth. Would Martin bat? Due up: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle! Seems like he would. What were the odds of none of them making it.

Bauer got it all off on the right foot, unlike Gilliam earlier. Bases on balls. The way Clem Labine should not have started the inning. Yogi Berra lined out. It was big, but the odds of Brooklyn getting Mantle to hit into a double play were slim.

The Mick proved that. He hit a chopper to third, but the ball wasn't hit that hard. Billy Cox came in, but there was no play on either runner. Mantle had laid the foundation for his friend to be hero. His friend was all-too-willing.

Martin whipped a single up the middle. Hit number twelve of the 1953 Fall Classic for him. His hits had been worth more than a dime a dozen. Bauer scored, Yankees win. For the fifth straight time. Not that their second basemen would dare take all the credit.

"We had a helluva ballclub in 1953," Billy Martin would tell Peter Golenbock in the early 70s. "Just a great ballclub. Everyone was contributing. And the Dodgers had the greatest ball team they ever had." It seemed though, that Martin had been the reason Brooklyn had been turned away. He'd outperformed so many of them.

Gilliam had hit .296, Billy Cox, .304, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson, .320. Carl Furillo had batted .333. Topping Brooklyn had been Gil Hodges' .364. But the most hits by any Dodger had been eight, four fewer than Martin. And only one Brooklyn player, Roy Campanella, who hit .273, scored more runs (six) than Martin (five). Martin couldn't help but boast his ego when remembering the great Fall Classic of '53. It seemed like The Kid believed that he could be as good as any Dodger had he been playing in Ebbets Field.

"Our ballpark would just kill the Dodgers. In '53 I hit fifteen home runs and drove in seventy-five runs with the Yankees. If I had been playing in Brooklyn, I think I could have hit thirty-five or forty because that ballpark was such a band box [Short distance to the outfield walls]."

Was there a reason for Billy Martin performing so well against Brooklyn? Martin explained this, and talked about what a connection he felt to a Brooklyn star.

"I always enjoyed those series because of Jackie Robinson. See, there was a black lawyer by the name of Walter Gordon out in California that helped my mother when I was a kid, and he also helped Jackie, so when we played against Jackie in the series, I always wanted to show him I was a better second basemen. That was my real challenge. And I always outhit him, and always outplayed him. Every series we played in."

References

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.



Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. Slick. New York: W. Morrow, 1987. Print.

Gallagher, Mark. Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs. New York: Arbor House, 1987. Print.

Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000. 


Major League Baseball Productions. World Series Films, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956.  DVD / Youtube.

Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. The Mick. Easton Press, 1996.


------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.


Morissey, Scott C. 114 World Series in 1 Book. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. 

--------------. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, 1990.

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. 

Society For American Baseball Research, SABR. https://sabr.org/.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. 11 Apr. 2023.

Whiteford, Mike, and Taylor Jones. How To Talk Baseball. Revised ed. New York: Dembner, 1987.



Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 11 Apr. 2023.

YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 11 Apr. 2023.

World Series: Did You Know?

Billy Martin was the first player to collect twelve hits in less than seven games. That had been the standard for "Most hits in one World Series".

It was the 1953 October Classic between New York and Brooklyn. Another Yankees / Dodgers Fall Classic battle. Martin could not have picked a better team to do it against.

Game one was in Yankees Stadium, and Martin's Yankees had things well under control. They put a "4" on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. The Dodgers charged back and eventually tied it in the top of the seventh, but you had a feeling the hometown team was gonna pull it off. Allie Reynolds and Johnny Sain (Who actually blew a save), had pitched better then in this game, but were stopping the Dodgers from taking the lead. Joe Collins put the mighty Bronx Bombers up for good with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. Three more runs the next innings ended the suspense. Martin was amazing: 3 hits, 3 RBIs!

In game two, New York won again, but it was more their pitching then their hitting. New York, as a team, collected just five hits, but used them to produce four runs to Brooklyn's (who had nine hits) two. Martin collected two hits, one of them a home run. His pal, Mickey Mantle, drove home two runs with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. That broke a 2-2 tie. Is their any wonder why manager Casey Stengel loved Martin and Mantle so much, along with pitcher Whitey Ford. Games like this, eh?

But in game three at Ebbets Field, the Dodgers won 3-2. Mantle was held hitless and Martin got just one hit. Brooklyn was right back in it, down two games to one. Game four was not much better as the Dodgers went out and ended Whitey Ford's day after just one inning. The great lefty gave up three runs. Martin collected two hits and an RBI, Mantle a hit and an RBI. Far too little, as Brooklyn had this thing all the way, 7-3. The 1953 Fall Classic was all knotted at two games apiece. Game five, was, needless to say, a crucial one.

And the Yankees went out and won a slugfest, 11-7. Martin had two hits, bringing his total to ten. It was a game of home runs, as the team's combined for six. But New York hit four of them, Martin getting one himself. The biggest was Mantle's, however. It was a grand slam. New York was heading home up three to two, and needed just one of the two at home to win this thing.

Martin drove in Hank Bauer as his ground ball resulted in an error. But because there was only one out, and the run would have scored anyways, Billy had an RBI. Later, he collected a single that did nothing. Brooklyn, however, came back to tie this thing. The teams headed into the bottom of the ninth, tied at three.

Hank Bauer drew a walk off Clem Labine. Yogi Berra was out on a liner. Mantle singled. Billy Martin batted next. He singled back through the box, Bauer came around to score. With the win, the Yankees had their fifth straight World Series.



Billy Martin wasn't in the class of guys like Mantle and Ford, although they were good buddies. Yeah, they had a lot of fun, which included a beer or two. But when the Fall Classic came around, Martin always seemed to shine on the big stage. Years later, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar would collect six hits in the 1993 World Series, which also was six games. So Martin would hold this record for forty years. Marquis Grissom would also turn the trick in 1996. I'm not sure if Martin, who died in 1989 in a car accident, would mind sharing the record or spotlight with other players, just as long as they were on his team and the team won. The Brooklyn / New York Fall Classics of the 1940s and 50s seemed to all be classics, even if they were only six or five games. Martin's name in the record book, along with his walk-off single in 1953, made that Fall Classic, another one for the ages!


References

http://www.baseball-reference.com/

http://www.retrosheet.org/

http://www.mlb.com

http://www.youtube.com/

World Series: Did You Know?

Allie Reynolds got a save and a win in his last two Fall Classic appearances. They were also in back-to-back games in the 1953 World Series. And they were the last two games of the 1953 Fall Classic.

Reynolds actually started game one of the Fall Classic that year. Pitching for the New York Yankees against their rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers, he left with a one-run lead in the top of the sixth inning. Brooklyn tied it, and New York then blew it wide open. The 9-5 win got the Yankees off on the right foot.

But going into game five, the Fall Classic of '53 was tied at two. So it was a crucial one. Who better to turn the ball over to than someone with six career wins in the World Series? Reynolds was a little slow getting into this one, through no fault of his own!

The Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth ahead 11-6 in a slugfest at old Ebbets field. The Dodgers needed this one, for games six and seven would be over at Yankee Stadium. But five runs in one inning against the Bronx Bombers is asking for a lot!

But Jim Gilliam, surprising everyone, led off the bottom of the frame with a home run. It only counted for one run, of course, but it was evidence that Brooklyn would not go down without a fight!

Pee Wee Reese was then retired by Bob Kuzava, who was pitching in relief of starter Jim McDonald. But when Duke Snider singled, that was the end of the night for Bob. Worse still, the fleet and dangerous Jackie Robinson was next! The call to the 'pen went to Reynolds!

Reynolds came in. One on, one out. He got Jackie to ground into a game-ending double play! Although, it would not be a save by today's rules, Reynolds would get credited with one right there. He had done just what the Yankees had needed.

But in game six at home, Allie did something the Yankees didn't need!

New York was ahead 3-1 after seven, so manager Casey Stengel went to Reynolds. Allie was looking for another save. The eighth inning went according to plan. The Dodgers managed just a single by Robinson. As Reynolds trotted back out to the hill in the top of the ninth, New York was but three outs away from the 1953 World Series. It would also be their fifth straight title!

Gil Hodges flied out. Duke Snider walked. Carl Furillo then stunned the Yankee faithful by hitting a game-tying two-run home run to right! Reynolds fanned the next two batters, but did Brooklyn ever have life. That is, until the game went into the bottom of the ninth!

Clem Labine had to take his turn to hold the Yankees in check. But Hank Bauer led off with a walk. Yogi Berra then lined out to right. Mickey Mantle, two home runs and seven RBIs to his name so far in this series, showed his speed with an infield single.

Mantle's pal Billy Martin was next. He singled right back through the box. Bauer turned on the jets and raced home from second. The Yankees had the 1953 World Series!



Reynolds had failed to get the win in game one. He had also blown the save in this game. But with a save in game five and a win here in game six, Allie had cemented his place as one of the all-time best World Series pitchers. His win was his seventh, which tied him with Red Ruffling for first in that all-important lifetime category.

Whitey Ford would go on to win ten Fall Classic games to set the all-time record. Reynolds and Ruffling would soon have to settle for a three-way tie with Bob Gibson for second place. But, that's not bad company, now is it?

World Series: Did You Know?

Two pretty good lefties almost got shafted in the 1953 World Series. Kind of makes me amused that you had two clutch pitchers, and they neither of them got to the mound until game four.

Whitey Ford had pitched pretty well for the Yankees in 1950, even getting the start in game 4. He nearly got the shutout. He also had to wait until game 4 of the 1953 World Series to get his first start.

Ford, 9-1 (but not on the Yankees until July) in 1950, was 18-6 in 1953. But, what about the main man as far as soutpaws go on the Bombers? Ed Lopat? Nothing short of magnificent. In 1953 alone, he led the American League in W% at .800 (16-4) and ERA (2.42). And how about from Ed's winning percentage from 1948 to 1954? .641 (109-51).

So the Yankees went with Lopat in game 2. Having won game 1, the Yankees were looking to make it two staight. They got it. Lopat stopped the Dodgers 4-2, although he did give up 9 hits. The Yankees got only 5, but a win is a win, right? The Yankees were up 2 games to 0.

But the Dodgers were not about to go away. The won game 3, but just barely. In fact, they didn't even score the game winning run until the bottom of the 8th. 3-2 was the final for Brooklyn. Now, finally, Whitey Ford would start a game!

It wasn't much, alas. Jim Gilliam led off game four with a double for the Dodgers. One out later, Jackie Robinson drove him in. A wild pitch and an intentional walk brought Duke Snider to the plate. The Duke Of Flatbush drove home two more runs with a double. 3-0, Dodgers, right off the bat. The Yankees lost the game, 7-3. The Fall Classic of 1953 was tied at 2.

Game 5, finally saw Johnny Podres take the hill. Now, why had the Dodgers waited so long to start him? Podres was actually in a tougher spot than Ford. He was a rookie in 1953. But he went 9-4 despite a high ERA (4.23).

Preacher Roe was actually the Dodgers top lefty in 1953. Not only that, but with Don Newcomb off in military service like Ford had been, he was close to Brooklyn's top arm that season. Preacher was 11-3, far back of Carl Erskine's 20-6. But if you look at his recent career, you know why Roe is the southpaw to turn to in these situations.

From 1948 to 1953, Preacher Roe was 90-33 for an amazing W% of .732. And his ERA was pretty good during that span, 3.17. It was Roe who started game 2, and surrendered just 5 hits to take a tough loss.

And for all you Max Scherzer fans out there: 2013, Maxy goes 21-3 for an .875 W%

Preacher Roe, 1951: 22-3 for an .880 W%

Getting back to the postseason, it was Roe who shutout New York in game 2 of the 1949 World Series. It ended up being the only game Brooklyn won in that Fall Classic. He also won his only start of the 1952 World Series, which was game 3. He pitched twice more in that World Series and didn't get a decision. So his loss in game 2 of the 1953 World Series was his first. His career ERA in the Fall Classic was 2.54.

So Podres had to wait until game 5 to start. And he was about to embark on a World Series career ERA better than Preacher Roe, 2.11!

But, for all of the time Johnny Podres had to wait, he didn't have long to find out his fate. The Yankees were the Yankees!

Gene Woodling led of the top of the 1st for New York by going yard. After the Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the second, it was Podres and Dodgers who came unravelled in the top of the 3rd.

A walk, a bunt, and a groundout moved Phil Rizzuto to third. Then an error by first sacker Gil Hodges scored a run. Johnny hit Hank Bauer. When Yogi Berra walked, the bases were loaded with two outs, and Podres was out of the game. Russ Meyer came in and surrendered a grand slam to Mickey Mantle. Podres took a 7-3 loss. The Yankees were ahead in the 1953 World Series, 3 games to 2. A win in game 6, and the Yankees would make it 5 straight World Series. The 1936 to 1939 Yankees had won 4 in a row, and 5 in 6 years. But this had the potential to be better.

And Whitey Ford went out to try and nail this one down. But him and Podres were a combined 0-2 in the 1953 postseason. That doesn't sound right to me! How about you?

The Yankees started this one out fast, scoring twice in the bottom of the first, then once more in the second. Could Ford hold the fort?

The Dodgers got a run back in the top of the 6th, as the majestic Jackie Robinson hit a double and stole third. The steal was crucial, as Roy Campanella would score him with a ground out. Other than that, Whitey pitched well. He went 7 strong innings, gave up just 6 hits and 1 run. He fanned 7, and looked like he was going to win his second World Series game of his career.

Allie Reynolds pitched a scoreless top of the 8th. In the 9th, the Yankees were just three outs away from another Fall Classic win. And again, it would be against Brooklyn. Yes, back-to-back World Series wins over Brooklyn. Add to that wins over them in 1941, 1947, 1949 and you have ownage!

Hodges flew out to Mantle in center. Reynolds was careful to Snider. But he was too careful, as the Duke walked. Carl Furillo tied it with a clutch home run! Just like that, Ford was stuck with a no-decision.

In the bottom of the ninth, Clem Labine went out for this third inning. For some reason, Clem was always clutch when the Dodgers needed him. Here, he had a 1-2-3 7th. In the 8th, the Yankees looked like they had him, thus rendering the Dodgers 9th a little less important. The got two hits off Labine, but the Yankees stranded them both!

So in the 9th, Hank Bauer led off. He managed to walk. Yogi Berra lined out, bringing Mantle to the plate. He hit a bleeder to third and made it to first with an infield hit. Now it was time for another clutch player, Bill Martin!

And Martin came through, lining it right back up through the box for his 12th hit in only 6 games of the 1953 Fall Classic. Bauer scored, and New York had five World Series in a row. The only downside was Whitey Ford failing to win a game, and taking his first World Series loss.

Who would have thought that two men, who would dominate the World Series with one great performance after another in the next 10 years, would be non-contributors in the 1953 Fall Classic. Simply put, they had to work their way up.

And when next they would meet, there was no one left for either to conquer. Except for maybe, each other!