Al Was Worth Plenty For The Twins In 1965, Part 1

Al Worthington arrived in the bigs in 1953, only to find himself on the New York Giants. The Giants had some pitcher named Marv Grissom. I touched on how good Grissom was here and here.

Worthington graduated from the University of Alabama, having played both baseball and football. Football was quit on by Al in his second year. But baseball was the pitcher's true calling.

And the big leagues would call not long after his time in Albama. Baseball was just in Worthington's blood. His two older brothers played in the minors leagues before him. Al's time in the minor leagues was not that long.

So Nashville, who were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, signed him. This was in 1951. Al's first season in the Southern League ("AA" level) went no-so-good. While his earned run average was 4.57, Worthington allowed more than eight runs per nine innings in twenty-three outing. But the next season was better. His record went from 7-10 to 13-13. In  41 games (30 starts) his ERA was 3.54. One thing to note: The Nashville Volunteers were now affiliated with the New York Giants, meaning Al Worthington could someday pitch with Willie Mays behind him!

All this led to an advancement in 1953. To "AAA" ball. Pitching for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. And Al was not there very long. It seemed like the young pitcher was too good for the "AAA" level. Worthington's ERA was with a 2.90 ERA , and his win-loss record was  9-5 come July. That's when the Giants came calling!

New York had an impressive pitching staff that year. But the rookie didn't look out of place. Al Worthington's win-loss record was only 4-8, but look at that earned run average, 3.44. However, I'm sure any thoughts about being a closer never crossed his mind. The Giants had someone named Hoyt Wilhelm there. And Marv Grissom would have had something to say, as well.

A little bit of minor league experience was needed for the new pitcher. Al Worthington impressed back with Minneapolis in 1954. He won eleven games and was called up for ten appearances with the parent club. New York really didn't need him that year. They swept Cleveland in the World Series.

How about 1955? With Minneapolis, Al won nineteen games, really showing his potential. So the next year, and through 1959, Worthington pitched in one league, that being the National. Still being used as a starter, Al was only 7-14 in 1956, but improved to nearly .500 (8-11) the next. He only started a dozen games, but ended up making fifty-five appearances. The Giants, meanwhile, were about to leave New York behind, as their new home for 1958 was San Francisco.

Al must have liked the move. Pretty much it was the same situation for him as it had been the previous season: Only a spot starter, but plenty of bullpen action! The result was a career-high eleven wins. Al started twelve games. He totaled 54 appearances. Worthington also ended up with six saves, indicative of a possible future job as a closer. 

But that season just made 1959 all the more disappointing for Al. Despite making 42 appearances (Just three starts), his win total fell to just two and Worthington saved only three games. Just prior to the next season, he was dealt to Boston for Jim Marshall. Al was with the Red Sox for just ten games, and his earned run average was 7.71. It was not long into the season that it was back to the minors for Worthington. Amazingly enough, he was back on the Minneapolis Millers. The Millers were now the top minor league team of the Boston Red Sox (They'd switched affiliations after the Giants moved to San Francisco). It seemed as if Al Worthington was ready to come back to the bigs. His numbers for the Millers were amazing. In 37 appearances, 11 of which were starts, Worthington won 11 and posted an ERA of just 2.04. Alas, there was no return to Boston.

Come late August, he switched Sox. Worthington pitched well for Chicago (Who had purchased his contract). Although only able to make four appearances with the White Sox, Al finished three of them. He'd found his calling, but was actually forced to spend the next two seasons in the minor leagues.

He'd made the mistake of leaving the Chicago White Sox in September, because he did not like what he was seeing on the big-league team (Worthington felt that there was some underhanded tactics being used by the Pale Hose). Off the field, Al was looking beyond his playing days. Come the Autumn of 1960, he actually went back to school. Worthington enrolled at Howard College.

As if to punish Worthington, Chicago made sure Al was not a part of their future plans. Sure, he was still with the White Sox organization, but not where he'd wanna be. Worthington pitched well the next two seasons (1960, 1961), but the big league club showed little interest in him.

With Chicago's top minor league team in 1960, San Diego (Pacific Coast League), Al Worthington was 9-10, but his earned run average was good. Among those "only" nine wins was a no-hitter (And that was part of three straight shutouts for Al). That ERA was even better the next season. A change of scenery to help. Although Indianapolis was actually down a level from the Pacific Coast League, Al Worthington pitched well in the American Association. Sure, "AA" level might be seen as further down the rung, but there was no way Worthington's 15-4 record wasn't gonna get some notice. . The expansion New York Mets were believed to be the team most interested. They needed pitching after going 40-120 in 1962.

But it ended up that the Cincinnati Reds got Al Worthington. The Reds had a bright future ahead of them, as they had some rookie in 1963 named Pete Rose. Worthington helped 'em. Although only 4-4 with an earned run average of 2.99. The Reds already had a closer, Bill Henry. Henry had saved eleven games in 1962, but had a high ERA. It was the same story in 1963, as Henry saved fourteen games but had a high earned run average. This led Cincinnati to use Al Worthington in the closer role more often than under different circumstances. While Bill Henry saved fourteen games, Worthington had ten of his own.

Al could have conceivably have remained with Cincinnati the rest of his career. However, Bill Henry got his act together in 1964. For the year, Henry had an earned run average of an incredible 0.87. Meanwhile, Al Worthington struggled. In his first six appearances that season, Al had a win, but an ERA over ten. So, it was back to the minor leagues for Worthington.

But it was a familiar place for the reliever. Al was back in San Diego. Same league, same level, same team as in 1961. Obviously, they were no longer part of the Chicago White Sox infrastructure. In only ten games there, Al proved he didn't belong at the "AAA" level. Although just two of his appearances with the Padres were starts, Worthington went 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA.

You'd think that Cincinnati would call Worthington back up. It was a strange year for them. And Philadelphia. And St. Louis. The Phillies seemed to be running away with the pennant late in the season, but on came the Reds and Cardinals. Even the San Francisco Giants were still in the hunt well into September.

But long before all that, Cincinnati acquired veteran pitcher Ryne Duren. Duren, a flame thrower who once was the New York Yankees closer in 1958 and '59, came to the Reds in May. Though he'd battled the bottle through out his career, Duren pitched well for Cincinnati. Although 0-2 in 1964, Ryne finished the year with a 2.89 earned run average.

Suddenly, there was no need for our boy. Cincinnati had Bill Henry, Ryne Duren. Their other relievers Included Sam Ellis, who won ten games with a low ERA, and Billy McCool (6-5, 2.42 earned run average). Plus, they had a stellar starting rotation of Joey Jay, Jim Maloney, Jim O'Toole and Bob Purkey. All had pitched on the Cincinnati team that won the pennant three years earlier. The Reds ultimately finished 1964 just a game back of the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 92 contests.

But Al Worthington wasn't around for that. In fact, he was no longer in the National League by season's end. Instead, he was with the Minnesota Twins of the American League. Don't feel too bad for him. The Twins won 79 games, and seemed poised to be better than that in the coming years. Their pitching staff included Jim Kaat, Camilio Pascual and Mudcat Grant.

And, now would be a good time to tell you that Minny's closer that year was a recent acquisition. Al Worthington must have loved the Twin Cities. All he did was win five games, save fourteen others, and post an earned run average of 1.37. All this in only 41 games. Let me tell you this, the Twins believed in him as the closer over an impressive crop of relievers: Gerry Arrigo, Jim Perry (Gaylord's older brother), Johnny Klippstein and Bill Pleis!

So come 1965, Minnesota put all that great pitching and hitting to good use. Hitters like Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew, Don Mincher, Jimmie Hall and AL MVP Zoilo Versalles.

Okay, all that was great, but the team's starting rotation seemed to not quite deliver. Camilio Pascual won just nine games. Jimmy Perry won only a dozen. Jim Kaat won 18, and Mudcat Grant topped 'em all with 21.

But the reason the starters had low win totals (Despite the teams' 102 victories in 1965) was the bullpen was trusted with the duty when the going got tough. And they sure came through. Al Worthington won ten games, Johhny Klippstein nine. Bill Pleis and Dick Stigman won four games each, Jerry Fosnow won three.

The Twins' spot starters were also pretty good. Jim Merritt won four games and Dave Boswell won six. Both pitchers had earned run averages below 3.50, so at the very least, they were keeping the team in the game when they started. 

But Al Worthington found a way to stick out on this Minnesota Twins. Maybe it was because of all the years he'd pitch in the minor leagues in Minneapolis. He made the most appearances of any Minny reliever (62). Klippstein appeared in 56. Worthington also finished 38 of his appearances. No other relief pitcher on the Twins finished more than 24 games.

Now, the bad part of Al's ten wins is he also lost seven games. Johhny Klippstein had a better winning percentage (.750) as he lost just three games. But Worthington and Klippy were the two big guns of the Twins' bullpen in 1965.

Worthington tossed 80 1/3 innings for Minnesota in '65, and Klippstein had 76 1/3. The rest of the bullpen, aside from Dick Stigman (70 IP) did not register anywhere near as many innings as the two big aces. But, and it's very impressive, no exclusive reliever on the Twins that season had a losing record.

Greatest Relief Seasons of All-Time Stat Set 1

Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Bernhard	1899	21	9	0.429	132.1	6	6
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Walsh	1904	18	10	0.556	110.2	6	3
Griffith	1905	25	17	0.680	101.2	9	6
Ferguson	1906	22	19	0.864	52.1	2	0
Keefe	1907	19	14	0.737	57.2	3	5
Chappelle	1908	13	6	0.462	70.1	2	4
Leever	1909	19	12	0.632	70.0	8	1
Dygert	1909	32	13	0.406	137.1	9	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Phillipe	1910	31	19	0.613	121.2	14	2
Benz	1911	12	4	0.333	55.2	3	2
Baskette	1912	29	18	0.621	116.0	8	4
Crandall	1913	35	27	0.771	97.2	4	4
Wolfgang	1914	24	12	0.500	119.1	9	5
Bressler	1914	29	15	0.517	147.2	10	4
Conzelman	1914	33	16	0.485	101.0	5	6
Mays	1915	38	27	0.711	131.2	6	5
Hughes	1916	40	19	0.475	161.0	16	3
Danforth	1917	50	26	0.520	173.0	11	6
Bender	1917	20	9	0.450	113.0	8	2
Coumbe	1917	34	15	0.441	134.1	8	6
Dubuc	1919	36	22	0.611	132.0	6	4
Luque	1919	30	9	0.300	106.0	10	3
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
S. Smith	1920	33	16	0.485	136.1	11	9
Morton	1921	30	15	0.500	107.2	8	3
Baumgartner	1925	37	9	0.243	113.1	6	3
Marberry	1926	64	47	0.734	138.0	12	7
Clark	1927	27	19	0.704	73.2	7	2
Haid	1928	27	14	0.519	47.0	2	2
Rommel	1929	32	15	0.469	113.2	12	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Lindsey	1931	35	19	0.543	74.2	6	4
Quinn	1932	39	29	0.744	64.1	5	4
Russell	1933	50	31	0.620	124.0	12	6
Malone	1936	35	25	0.714	134.2	12	4
Brown	1938	51	32	0.627	132.2	15	9
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Beggs	1940	37	27	0.730	76.2	12	3
Murphy	1941	35	31	0.886	77.1	8	3
Adams	1943	70	52	0.743	140.1	11	7
Heving	1944	63	38	0.603	119.2	8	3
Maltzberger	1944	46	41	0.891	91.1	10	5
Berry	1944	53	47	0.887	111.1	10	8
Karl	1945	67	41	0.612	180.2	8	8
Christopher	1947	44	38	0.864	80.2	10	7
Wilks	1948	57	27	0.474	130.2	6	6
Page	1949	60	48	0.800	135.1	13	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Konstanty	1950	74	62	0.838	152.0	16	7
Aloma	1951	25	11	0.440	69.1	6	0
Wilhelm	1952	71	32	0.451	159.1	15	3
Paige	1952	46	35	0.761	138.0	12	10
Kinder	1953	69	52	0.754	107.0	10	6
Mossi	1954	40	18	0.450	93.0	6	1
Sain	1954	45	39	0.867	77.0	6	6
Grissom	1954	56	36	0.643	122.1	10	7
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Narleski	1955	60	36	0.600	111.2	9	1
Craig	1955	24	4	0.167	90.2	5	3
Freeman	1956	64	47	0.734	108.2	14	5
Farrell	1957	52	32	0.615	83.1	10	2
Zuverink	1957	56	37	0.661	112.2	10	6
Hyde	1958	53	44	0.830	103.0	10	3
Duren	1959	41	29	0.707	76.2	3	6
Staley	1959	67	37	0.552	116.1	8	5
Face	1959	57	47	0.825	93.1	18	1
Henry	1959	65	36	0.554	134.1	9	8
Sherry	1959	23	10	0.435	94.1	7	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Brosnan	1960	57	27	0.474	99.0	7	2
McDaniel	1960	63	47	0.746	104.1	12	4
Arroyo	1961	65	54	0.831	119.0	15	5
Fox	1961	39	25	0.641	57.1	5	2
Radatz	1963	66	58	0.879	131.1	15	6
Perranoski	1963	69	47	0.681	129.0	16	3
Baldschum	1963	65	44	0.677	112.0	11	7
Lee	1964	64	39	0.609	137.0	6	5
Ellis	1964	52	32	0.615	122.1	10	3
Schultz	1964	30	22	0.733	49.1	1	3
D. Hall	1964	45	28	0.622	87.2	9	1
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Miller	1965	67	55	0.821	112.1	14	7
Worthington	1965	65	38	0.585	80.1	10	7
Regan	1966	65	48	0.738	116.2	14	1
Drabowsky	1967	43	26	0.605	95.1	7	5
Abernathy	1967	70	61	0.871	106.1	6	3
Wyatt	1967	60	43	0.717	93.1	10	7
Wood	1968	88	46	0.523	159.0	13	12
Segui	1968	52	24	0.462	83.0	6	5
V. Romo	1968	41	30	0.732	84.1	5	3
Tatum	1969	45	33	0.733	86.1	7	2
Watt	1969	56	41	0.732	71.0	5	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Williams	1970	68	36	0.529	113.1	10	1
McMahon	1970	61	44	0.721	94.1	9	5
Grant	1970	80	54	0.675	135.1	8	3
Richert	1970	50	25	0.500	54.2	7	2
Sanders	1971	83	77	0.928	136.1	7	12
Carroll	1971	61	40	0.656	93.2	10	4
Giusti	1972	54	44	0.815	74.2	7	4
Knowles	1972	54	29	0.537	65.2	5	1
Brewer	1972	51	41	0.804	78.1	8	7
Hiller	1973	65	60	0.923	125.1	10	5
Jackson	1973	43	33	0.767	80.1	8	0
Borbon	1973	80	36	0.450	121.0	11	4
Beene	1973	19	11	0.579	91.0	6	0
Marshall	1974	106	83	0.783	208.1	15	12
Gossage	1975	62	49	0.790	141.2	9	8
Hrabosky	1975	65	41	0.631	97.1	13	3
McEnaney	1975	70	38	0.543	91.0	5	3
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eastwick	1976	71	59	0.831	107.2	11	5
Johnson	1977	71	54	0.761	146.2	16	7
Lyle	1977	72	60	0.833	137.0	13	5
Sutter	1977	62	48	0.774	107.1	7	3
Blair	1978	70	56	0.800	100.1	7	6
Stanley	1978	52	35	0.673	141.2	15	2
Lolich	1978	20	7	0.350	34.2	2	1
Tekulve	1979	94	67	0.713	134.1	10	8
Lopez	1979	61	49	0.803	127.0	10	5
R. Davis	1979	44	21	0.477	85.1	14	2
E. Romo	1979	84	25	0.298	129.1	10	5
Monge	1979	76	53	0.697	131.0	12	10
Sosa	1979	62	41	0.661	96.2	8	7
Palmer	1979	36	13	0.361	122.2	10	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
McGraw	1980	57	48	0.842	92.1	5	4
Garvin	1980	61	24	0.393	82.2	4	7
Fingers	1981	47	41	0.872	78.0	6	3
Caudill	1982	70	64	0.914	95.2	12	9
Reardon	1982	75	53	0.707	109.0	7	4
Bedrosian	1982	64	30	0.469	137.2	8	6
L. Smith	1983	66	56	0.848	103.1	4	10
Stewart	1983	54	25	0.463	135.0	10	4
Quisenberry	1983	69	62	0.899	139.0	5	3
Orosco	1983	62	42	0.677	110.0	13	7
Hernandez	1984	80	68	0.850	140.1	9	3
Lamp	1985	53	11	0.208	105.2	11	0
D. Smith	1985	64	46	0.719	79.1	9	5
Lahti	1985	52	31	0.596	68.1	5	2
Moore	1985	65	57	0.877	103.0	8	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eichhorn	1986	69	38	0.551	157.0	14	6
Righetti	1986	74	68	0.919	106.2	8	8
Todd Worrell	1986	74	60	0.811	103.2	9	10
Henke	1987	72	62	0.861	94.0	0	6
Burke	1987	55	30	0.545	91.0	7	0
Daley	1987	53	29	0.547	61.0	9	5
Henneman	1988	65	51	0.785	91.1	9	6
Parrett	1988	61	34	0.557	91.2	12	4
Pena	1988	60	31	0.517	94.1	6	7
Lancaster	1989	42	15	0.357	72.2	4	2
Russell	1989	71	66	0.930	72.2	6	4
McDowell	1989	69	56	0.812	92.0	4	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eckersley	1990	63	61	0.968	73.1	4	2
Thigpen	1990	77	73	0.948	88.2	4	6
Nelson	1990	51	17	0.333	74.2	3	3
Dibble	1990	68	29	0.426	98.0	8	3
Henry	1991	32	25	0.781	36.0	2	1
Aguilera	1991	63	60	0.952	69.0	4	5
Ward	1992	79	35	0.443	101.1	7	4
Rojas	1992	68	26	0.382	100.2	7	1
Olin	1992	72	62	0.861	88.1	8	5
D. Jones	1992	80	70	0.875	111.2	11	8
Wetteland	1993	70	58	0.829	85.1	9	3
Harvey	1993	59	54	0.915	69.0	1	5
Beck	1993	76	71	0.934	79.1	3	1
Martinez	1993	65	20	0.308	107.0	10	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Myers	1997	61	57	0.934	59.2	2	3
Hoffman	1998	66	61	0.924	73.0	4	2
Urbina	1998	64	59	0.922	69.1	6	3
Williamson	1999	62	40	0.645	93.1	12	7
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Rhodes	2001	71	16	0.225	68.0	8	0
Smoltz	2003	62	55	0.887	64.1	0	2
Tim Worrell	2003	76	64	0.842	78.1	4	4
Cormier	2003	65	21	0.323	84.2	8	0
Lidge	2004	80	44	0.550	94.2	6	5
Timlin	2005	81	27	0.333	80.1	7	3
Nathan	2006	64	61	0.953	68.1	7	0
Ryan	2006	65	57	0.877	72.1	2	2
Putz	2007	68	65	0.956	71.2	6	1
Rivera	2008	64	60	0.938	70.2	6	5
Jenks	2008	57	52	0.912	61.2	3	1
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Bell	2010	67	57	0.851	70.0	6	1
Soriano	2010	64	56	0.875	62.1	3	2
Aceves	2011	55	15	0.273	114.0	10	2
Axford	2011	74	63	0.851	73.2	2	2
Downs	2011	60	10	0.167	53.2	6	3
Cook	2012	71	23	0.324	73.1	6	2
Chapman	2012	68	52	0.765	71.2	5	5
Johnson	2012	71	63	0.887	68.2	2	1
Smyly	2013	63	9	0.143	76.0	6	0
Davis	2014	70	11	0.157	72.0	9	2
Clippard	2014	75	6	0.080	70.1	7	4
Rondon	2015	72	47	0.653	70.0	6	4
O'Day	2015	68	19	0.279	65.1	6	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Britton	2016	69	63	0.913	67.0	2	1
Osuna	2016	72	61	0.847	74.0	4	3
Brach	2016	71	16	0.225	79.0	10	4
Miller	2016	70	23	0.329	74.1	10	1
Robertson	2017	61	34	0.557	68.1	9	2
Jansen	2017	65	57	0.877	68.1	5	0
Albers	2017	63	23	0.365	61.0	7	2
Kimbrel	2017	51	67	0.761	69.0	5	0
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Morrow	2018	35	30	0.857	30.2	0	0
Trivino	2018	69	10	0.145	74.0	8	3
Treinen	2018	68	58	0.853	51.0	9	2
Jeffress	2018	73	24	0.329	76.2	8	1
Yarbrough	2018	38	3	0.079	147.1	16	6
Hader	2018	55	14	0.255	81.1	6	1
Strop	2018	60	20	0.333	59.2	6	1
Workman	2019	73	30	0.411	71.2	10	1
Robles	2019	71	51	0.718	72.2	5	1
Walden	2019	70	8	0.114	78.0	9	2
W.Smith	2019	63	52	0.825	65.1	6	0
Oberg	2019	49	18	0.367	56.0	6	1
Littell	2019	29	7	0.241	37.0	6	0
Whitlock	2021	46	11	0.239	73.1	8	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L

Notes

Hughes and Sherry Smith appeared as a starter thirteen times.

Baumgartner and Bernhard appeared as a starter twelve times.

Wolfgang and Baskette appeared as a starter eleven times.

Craig and Coumbe appeared as a starter ten times.

Danforth, Malone, Stewart, Sherry, Luque and Conzelman appeared as a starter nine times.

Phillipe and Walsh appeared as a starter eight times.

Morton and Griffith appeared as a starter seven times.

Paige, Mays, Chappelle, Rommell and Yarbrough appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee, Ellis and Dubuc appeared as a starter five times.

Leever, Aceves and Beene appeared as a starter four times.

Russell, Stanley, Adams, Keefe, Bedrosian and Grissom appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood, Crandall, Brosnan, Lindsey, Karl, Wilks, Martinez, Clark and Lolich appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski, McGraw, Aloma, Robles, Ferguson, Vincente Romo, and Trivino appeared once as a starter.

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Brosnan, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.

References

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.

Nowlin, Bill. “Al Worthington.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 23 Sept. 2021, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Al-Worthington/. 07 July, 2022.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 07 July, 2022.


Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 07 July, 2022.

World Series: Did You Know?

Despite his two home runs and seven RBIs and .667 batting average, Dusty Rhodes did not have enough plate appearances (Or reach seven hits plus walks) to qualify for the lead in two categories in 1954.

It's odd, because when I think of the 1954 World Series, there are three things that stand out:

1) Willie Mays great catch off Vic Wertz in game one

2) Dusty Rhodes' great clutch hitting

3) Wertz himself leading both teams in hitting, .500

4) Bob Feller did not make an appearance (Despite going 13-3 in the regular season)

So how about our boy's heroics? His two dingers and seven runs driven in was enough to top everyone. And while his .667 average was from a small sample size, it's pretty obvious those were clutch situations.

Dusty's New York Giants were up against a Cleveland Indians team that had plenty of pitching in Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia, Art Houtteman and of course Bob Feller. My father vividly remembers this team. Wynn and Lemon won 23 games each in 1954, with Garcia not far behind with 19. Houtteman is the forgotten man despite going 15-7 with 3.35 earned run average.

The first game was at the Polo Grounds, so at least the Giants would have home field advantage. However, via a two-run triple by Vic Wertz in the top of the first, it was quickly 2-0 Cleveland. New York tied it in the bottom of the third via a Don Mueller groundout and Hank Thompson single.

As we all know, it was Willie Mays' catch off Vic Wertz in the top of the eighth that kept the score tied. The Giants got Hank Thompson to third in the bottom of the frame, but Wes Westrum was out on a liner to centre.

It seemed like both teams wanted to end this game quickly. Two quick outs in the top of the ninth meant the Giants seemed safe. But the Indians evidentially didn't want this thing going extras. Monte Irvin made an error on Bobby Avila's fly to left. Avila made it to second. Larry Doby, the first black player to play in the American League, was then put on intentionally. Al Rosen hit another fly to Irvin, where the left fielder made sure to catch.

But New York was retired 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, as Bob Lemon was pitching an amazing game. Cleveland started out the top of the tenth, looking to take the lead. The right man was up. Vic Wertz was 3-4. He made it 4-5 with a double. Sam Dente bunted him to third. Dave Pope was purposely passed by Marv Grissom. But Grissom was clutch. First, he fanned pinch hitter Bill Glynn. Then Marv got Bob Lemon out on a liner to first.

Don Mueller led of the tenth for the home team. Things didn't get off to a promising start for the Giants. Bob Lemon fanned him. The immortal Willie Mays was next, and coaxed a walk from Lemon. With Hank Thompson up, Willie made a break for second, and made it! Winning run in scoring position. Thompson was walked intentionally.

Monte Irvin was next, but instead Dusty Rhodes would bat. Rhodes ended the game with a three-run home run to right. That's three RBIs with one swing of the bat.

So the final score was 5-2 for New York, but it was close all the way. So was the second contest. Making a big difference, again, was Dusty Rhodes.

Cleveland again wasted no time in taking the lead. Al Smith was the first batter of the game, and hit a home run. A shaken Johnny Antonelli looked liked he was headed for an early shower as the Indians loaded the bases on two more hits and a walk. But George Strickland popped out to first to end that.

Down went New York 1-2-3 in the first four innings. Something had to be done. Willie Mays started the bottom of the fifth with a walk. And then Hank Thompson got the first Giant hit off Early Wynn with a single.

And the man of the hour again was Dusty Rhodes. Again, batting for Monte Irvin, Rhodes came through. His single tied the game and moved Thompson to third (Dusty Rhodes himself pulled up to second when the throw was to third). A strikeout and walk followed. Johnny Antonelli helped out his own cause by grounding out. No one knew it at the time, but New York was ahead for good.

In the top of the seventh, Dusty Rhodes made it 3-1 for the home team with a solo home run off Early Wynn. It seemed like, with the exception of Rhodes, Wynn pitched well. That was the last run of the ballgame. Despite a fine effort by Bob Lemon in the first contest and Early Wynn here in the second one, New York had two wins.

The World Series shifted to Cleveland for gams three, four and (If necessary) five. The Giants seemed to want nothing to do with a game five at Municipal Stadium. They stormed out of the gate in the third contest. Our boy would make an early appearance.

The bases were loaded in the top of the third. Willie Mays drove in a run in the top of the first with a single. But here was a chance to blow the game wide open for New York. Dusty Rhodes was called on again. Again, batting for Monte Irvin, he singled. Don Mueller and Willie Mays scored. Before the inning ended, the Giants crossed home again.

Two innings later, Dusty Rhodes batted again. The fifth inning had started with Willie Mays flying out. But Hank Thompson followed with a two-bagger. Art Houtteman, pitching in relief of Mike Garcia, did the smart thing and walked Dusty Rhodes intentionally.

The move appeared to work as Davey Williams forced Rhodes at second. Two away, runners on the corners. But then light-hitting Wes Westrum singled, and it was 5-0 for the visitors.

Willie Mays made it 6-0 in the sixth with an RBI single off Ray Narleski. That would be the final run the Giants would score. Narleski had a nice 1-2-3 seventh which included a strikeout of Dusty Rhodes. But, the Indians were still down six runs.

Vic Wertz hit one where Willie Mays and the rest of the Giants couldn't catch it in the bottom of the inning. But it was only a solo shot. The next inning, Cleveland looked like they might make a game of this after all. They scored another run and got runners on second and third. Hoyt Wilhelm came in for New York. This, sadly, was his only World Series he'd ever play in.

But in any event, Wilhelm put out the fire. There was still the top of the ninth for New York to add to their lead. It appeared as if Dusty Rhodes would have an opportunity for more RBIs.

Don Mueller singled. Willie Mays picked up his third hit of the game with a single. Two on, no outs. But then, Hank Thompson ruined the situation for Dusty Rhodes. He hit a liner that resulted in a double play. Don Mueller was still on third. But now, the situation was tougher than it could of been for Dusty Rhodes.

As it turns out, this was Rhodes' last plate appearance in the 1954 World Series. And he'd never get back to the postseason. Sadly, Dusty's postseason ended on a wimper as Don Mossi fanned him.

But I guess a bigger wimper would be by Cleveland. Hoyt Wilhelm got them in order in the bottom of the ninth, putting New York up 3-0 in the Fall Classic. The fourth game, in case you were wondering, was an interesting contest.

Cleveland hit their backs to the wall, of course. Were they tight? Well, yes. New York started out even better in this fourth contest than they had the previous one. It was 7-0 after 4 1/2 innings.

But Hank Majeski had some pinch-hitting heroics of his own for Cleveland in the bottom of the fifth. His three-run home run make it 7-3.

I'm rather surprised that Dusty Rhodes was not called upon at any time in this game. Rudy Regalado got into the sub act in the bottom of the seventh. Another clutch pinch hit by Cleveland and it was 7-4. It seemed ironic that Vic Wertz scored the run. Despite being robbed by Willie Mays in game one, New York could do nothing to stop him.

So Hoyt Wilhelm was again needed to get the Giants out of this mess. Wilhelm got pinch hitter Dave Pope to hit it back to him and and end that. The Indians had left runners on the corners. They were not going down without a fight.

Hoyt Wilhelm would end up batting for himself in the top of the eight. Now, if I'm manager Leo Durocher, I think now would be a good time to use Dusty Rhodes. Davey Williams is on second with one away. The momentum of this game is now clearly Cleveland. Mike Garcia fanned Wilhelm. Whitey Lockman flied out to Wally Westlake in right.

So, it was still a three-run game. In the bottom of the frame, Hoyt Wilhelm came undone, but wasn't all his fault. Bobby Avila struck out, but the pitch could not be handled by catcher Wes Westrum. Larry Doby hit one to Willie Mays in centre field for the first out. Then Al Rosen singled. Tying run at the dish, one away.

Hoyt Wilhelm was done for the day, but Johnny Antonelli was in to save the day. He fanned the dangerous Vic Wertz. Wally Westlake was called out on strikes.

The game finished without any more drama, although Antonelli walked Sam Dente to start the last of the ninth. The 1954 World Series concluded with Dale Mitchell popping out to third basemen Hank Thompson.

This World Series certainly had some interesting subplots. Willie Mays was the big star. He had the catch, he hit .286, scored four runs and knocked in three. Missing from his play in this Fall Classic was a home run. Although he'd already appeared in the World Series three years earlier, and would again in 1962 and 1973, the four-bagger was one thing Mays did not accomplish in the October Classic.

Dale Mitchell, who was the last out of 1954 World Series, was the famous last out in game five of the Fall Classic two years later. Dale (Batting for Sal Maglie, ironically) fanned against Don Larsen, as the Brooklyn Dodgers (Mitchell's team) were retired 1-2-3 in all nine innings. The only perfect game ever in the World Series. Although Dale would appear in game seven, which Brooklyn lost 9-0, he became the answer to a great trivia question. Mitchell's appearance in the final game of 1956 was also his last game.

What about Dusty Rhodes? Although he'd had a great season in 1954, and followed that up by hitting .305 the next season, Dusty was not around much longer. The Giants were on the move to San Francisco in 1958, and while Rhodes was with the organization, he did not make a single appearance with the Giants that year.

Instead, Dusty was with the Phoenix Giants ("AAA" ball) of the Pacific Coast League. Rhodes probably should have seen some time with the parent club. All Rhodes did in 1958 was hit .269 with 25 home runs and 100 RBI.

1959 was Dusty's swan song at the major league level. But his pinch-hitting exploits of five years ago were a thing of the distant past. He hit just .188 that season. Although he hung on in the Giants organization until 1962 (The year New York dropped a tough seven-game Fall Classic to the New York Yankees), the team had moved on from Dusty Rhodes. He went out with a big of a whimper with the Tacoma Giants of the Pacific Coast League, hitting just .215 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI.


References

Corbett, Warren. “Dusty Rhodes.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 9 Apr. 2020, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/dusty-rhodes/. 16 May 2022. 

Enders, Eric. 100 Years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005.

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

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990.

Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008.


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 16 May 2022.


YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 16 May 2022.

World Series: Did You Know?

Johnny Podres' two wins in 1955 were his only two complete games in the Fall Classic.

Amazing to think, given how Podres was so clutch in the postseason. But going into the 1955 World Series, the Brooklyn Dodgers' left-hander didn't seem like he'd poise much of a threat to the New York Yankees. Two years earlier, when Podres was a rookie, the Yankees had met the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. Podres went 9-4 that year, showing plenty of promise. However, his earned run average was over four.

And New York beat him 11-7 to the fifth game of the 1953 Fall Classic. Oddly enough, New York managed just one hit off the Dodger pitcher in a short (2 2/3 inning) start. However, it was one of those games where the pitcher simply wasn't doing his job. Podres walked two batters, hit a another, and watched as an infield error didn't help the situation. With a run home and the bases loaded, Johhny Podres was removed rather than face Mickey Mantle.

But the Commerce Comet greeted new pitcher Russ Meyer with a home run. The grand slam turned a 2-1 game into a 6-1 Yankee advantage.

The Dodgers lost that series in six, then watched as the Yankees took the first two games when the two teams met up again in 1955. But Johnny Podres, the game three starter for Brooklyn, just hadn't made any progress. He was 11-7 in 1954, but his earned run average was too high to be the ace of the staff, 4.27. While he'd lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.95 the next season, but Johnny's record was just 9-10.

There seemed to be little doubt that New York was going to win the 1955 Fall Classic. This Dodgers team had tremendous pitching, however.

Don Newcombe, a 20-game winner in 1955. Newk had lost game one of the 1955 Fall Classic. Billy Loes was 10-4, but the Yankees beat him in the second World Series contest.

It was almost too easy to overlook Johnny Podres, as going down the list of Brooklyn's quality pitchers that year can take a while. A third starter, Carl Erskine, had a no-hitter to his name three years earlier, and had finished 1955 11-8. Another star pitcher was spot starter Clem Labine, who won 13 games and saved 11. There were also three promising kids that got in some time as starters. There was Roger Craig, who looked very good in limited duty. There was Karl Spooner, who threw really hard. Another flame-thrower was a rookie lefty named Sandy Koufax. Although only 2-2, Koufax's 3.02 earned run average was impressive enough for the team to add him to the postseason roster.

But none of these men were about to make the impact that Johnny Podres would in this World Series.

Sure, it had been a rough road for Brooklyn at Yankees Stadium in the first two contests of the 1955 October Classic. But at least, as was the case in 1953, that they were coming home for the next trio of games. If the Dodgers could win at least one. 

Unlike in '53, the Dodgers took all three contests at Ebbets Field. It was Podres that got Brooklyn back on track.

Ahead 2-0 after one inning, a tough frame awaited the Dodgers' lefty in the top of the second. Mickey Mantle greeted him with a home run, and Phil Rizzuto (In his last Fall Classic) added a run scoring single to tie it. Johnny Podres was great from then on, however.

Brooklyn retook the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Dodgers put up another "2" on the scoreboard to double up the Yankees. Roy Campanella and Carl Furillo collected an RBI each in the last of the fourth to make it 6-2 for the home team. Though New York got one run back in the top of the seventh, they were done scoring. The Dodgers weren't. Another two-run inning made the final 8-3.

Wins by scores of 8-5 and 5-3 saw the 1955 World Series heading back to Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers were one win away. Brooklyn had never beaten New York in the World Series. The Dodgers hadn't won a World Title at all. Brooklyn were so close now. But then again, in 1952, they'd led New York 3-2 going back to Ebbets Field, only to have the Yankees win both contests there.

Well, it was Whitey Ford that took care of any thoughts of Brooklyn making it four wins in a row here in 1955. Ford was awesome in the sixth game, winning it 5-1, for his second W of the Fall Classic. A winner-take-all game seven awaited.

It was Johnny Podres vs. Tommy Byrne.

Though the game stayed scoreless, you never bet against the Yankees. With two away in the bottom of the third, Phil Rizzuto walked. Billy Martin singled. Then the Dodgers caught a break. Gil McDougald singled. But instead of scoring a run, or at the very least loading the bases, the ball hit Rizzuto, who was sliding into third, and the inning was over.

And, on cue, the Dodgers made the Yankees pay for that missed opportunity. In the top of the fourth, Roy Campanella doubled with one out. Then with two away, it was Gil Hodges who drove him home with a single.

New York got a leadoff double but nothing more in their half of the inning. Brooklyn didn't score in the top of the fifth, but in the sixth, opportunity came knocking again for Gil Hodges. Pee Wee Reese lead off with a single. Duke Snider reached when first basemen Moose Skowron made an error. Roy Campanella got both runners into scoring position with a bunt. Tommy Byrne then put Carl Furillo on intentionally. Furillo was the last batter Byrne would face.

Bob Grim was the new pitcher. Greeting him with a sac fly was Gil Hodges. 2-0, Brooklyn. But all the Dodgers had to do was wait until the bottom of the inning for the Yankees to mount another threat.

Billy Martin started it off with a walk. Gil McDougald bunted, but he was not trying to sacrifice. The ball rolled up the third base line, and Johnny Podres raced for it. His throw to first was too late.

Yogi Berra, who would set many a World Series record, was back up. He sent a long fly ball to left. Defensive sub Sandy Amoros raced over...And made an amazing catch. Both runners had been sure it was a catch, and Gil McDougald was doubled off first.

All that didn't end the threat. Billy Martin was still on second. Johnny Podres got Hank Bauer to ground out. There was still plenty of time left for New York to come back. Bob Grim and Bob Turley stopped the Brooklyn offence the next two innings, and the home team had another crack at tying this game in the bottom of the eighth.

Phil Rizzuto lead off, and singled. One out later, Gil McDougald rammed one to third. Don Hoak could not come up with it, and the Yankees had something going again. Runners on the corners. This time, there would be no double play to help the Dodgers. It was all up to their pitcher to take care of business.

Yogi Berra was back up, and Podres fell behind him 3-1. One pitch away from loading the bases. But Berra hit the next ball to right, where Carl Furillo made the catch. It was not deep enough to score Phil Rizzuto.

Hank Bauer was back up, but Podres wasn't about to let it slip away from Brooklyn. He didn't pull a fast one on Hank. Podres just threw the ball fast. He fanned Bauer on swift 2-2 pitch. Johnny gave New York no quarter in the bottom of the ninth. Bill Skowron grounded right back to the pitcher who was having a terrific day. Sandy Amoros had no problems taking Bob Cerv's fly to left. And finally, Elston Howard grounded out to shorstop Pee Wee Reese. The long wait was over: Brooklyn had finally won it all!

Sadly, the Dodger faithful would not have too long to celebrate. Brooklyn and New York met up again in 1956, with Johnny Podres missing the entire season after being drafted (He was classified 1-A). Again, it was a classic. Again, it went seven games. But it was the Yankees that prevailed.

The 1956 World Series marked the end of an era. Both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants were about to embark on their final season before moving to a new home. Come 1958, the Giants were in San Francisco and the Dodgers were in Los Angeles.

It took the Dodgers just one season to win in Los Angeles. Facing the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 Fall Classic, the Dodgers turned to Johnny Podres in game two. LA had been blown out 11-0 in the opening tilt at Comiskey Park. The second contest was a struggle for Los Angeles. They trailed 2-0 through four innings. But going into the bottom of the eight, it was 4-2 for the Dodgers. The White Sox scratched across a run. But Johnny Podres was no longer pitching. He'd been removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh. Larry Sherry had the task of closing out this contest for Los Angeles. The Dodgers held on to win 4-3.

Come game six, again at Comiskey Park, the Dodgers again turned to Podres. Again, LA was coming off a shutout loss (1-0 in the fifth contest). Podres was almost a forgotten man at this point. Although 14-9 in the regular season, Roger Craig was the ace of the Dodger staff. Craig was 11-6 with an earned run average of just 2.06. There was Don Drysdale, a seventeen-game winner. Danny McDevitt. 1959 was Sandy Koufax's sixth season, but the promise was there. At one point in the regular season, he fanned sixteen batters in one game. Come late August, he fanned eighteen San Francisco Giants in a ten-innings 5-2 win. The Dodgers had given him the ball in game five of this series after an impressive two shutout inning relief stint in game one. Sandy lost a heartbreaker, despite allowing just five hits and one run over seven frames of masterful pitching.

So it was back to Comiskey Park for game six, and likewise back to Johnny Podres. The sixth contest was seemingly decided early. Early Wynn was routed. The Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the third. Six more the next inning. But ahead 8-0, Johnny Podres did not finish the fourth inning. Ted Kluszewski hit a three-run home run. When Al Smith followed with a walk, manager Walter Alston came out to the mound and removed his pitcher.

So it was Larry Sherry, with a win and two saves to his name in the 1959 World Series, who hopped in. He held the Chicago White Sox in check in the next 5 2/3 innings. And it was Sherry who walked away with the series MVP award (And he also took home the Babe Ruth Award for the best performer in the Fall Classic). So while Johnny Podres certainly contributed, there were other Dodgers who did more.

In 1963, it was the same story. Now Sandy Koufax was truly awesome. 25 games won. Don Drysdale wasn't too far behind the lefty ace. Nineteen wins and a great earned run average (2.63). So Johnny Podres, while a fourteen-game winner, wasn't the pitcher Koufax or Drysdale were in '63. There was another good starter in Bob Miller. Miller won 10 games and posted an ERA of just 2.89. There was also reliever Ron Perranoski. Ron won 16 games, saved 37 and posted an earned run average of just 1.67.

Koufax went out and beat the New York Yankees 5-2 in game one of the World Series. And he beat the great Whitey Ford, himself a 24-game winner, right there at Yankee Stadium. Koufax fanned fifteen batters.

So for game two, with Yankee Stadium a great ballpark for left-handed pitchers, New York sent Al Downing out to even things up. In his first full season, the young southpaw was 13-5 with a 2.56 earned run average.

Los Angeles turned to Johnny Podres. Podres' stats are pedestrian compared to the two big guns in 1963. He won fourteen and lost twelve. Even his ERA wasn't anything exceptional, 3.54. Worse still, this was the last season Johnny reached double figures in wins.

But, Podres still had his magic. The Dodgers gave him a quick 2-0 lead. And the Los Angeles pitcher made it stand up. The Yankees got two men on the second, but did not score. The home team went down 1-2-3 in the next three innings. Tom Tresh singled and took second on a failed pickoff play by Podres in the sixth. Hector Lopez led off the seventh for the Yankees and hit a double. But after eight innings, it was 4-0, LA.

Mickey Mantle had hit the ball well all game long, but led off for the defiant Yankees in the last of the ninth. He hit the ball well again. But it was nothing but a long, loud out. Hector Lopez then raised hopes with another double. That was the last batter Johnny Podres faced.

Ron Perranoski, another lefty, was now on the hill. Elston Howard greeted him with a single. Lopez scored. There went the shutout. But Joe Pepitone grounded out, and Clete Boyer fanned. Los Angeles was heading home up 2-0. And thanks to Don Drysdale's 1-0 win in the third contest and Sandy Koufax's 2-1 triumph the next contest, the Dodgers had themselves a sweep.

Two years later, it might have seemed hard to believe, but now Koufax and Drysdale were better. They combined for 49 wins. The third best pitcher on Los Angeles was Claude Osteen. Osteen was only 15-15 but posted an earned run average of 2.79. Then the key third contest in the World Series vs. Minnesota. It seemed odd, but Drysdale lost the first game and Koufax the second. Osteen's win got them back on track. Don Drysdale won game four, 7-2. Sandy Koufax won game five in even more impressive manner, 7-0. Koufax allowed Minnesota just four hits. And although the Dodgers lost game six, they had their big gun, Koufax, back for the seventh and deciding contest.

As Johnny Podres had a decade earlier, Sandy Koufax was magnificent in this winner-take-all game. Pitching on the road, Koufax was a 2-0 winner, (Again, just like Podres had in 1955). And with Sandy and Claude Osteen as the two big lefties on this Dodgers team, Johnny Podres was forgotten. Though named to the postseason roster, Podres did not pitch against the Minnesota Twins. He picked up his fourth ring, however.

But getting back to 1955, the Dodgers had gotten great performances from Duke Snider (4 HR, 7 RBI), Gil Hodges and Roy Campanella. Pitching-wise, Roger Craig and Clem Labine were great, while Don Newcombe and Karl Spooner were disappointing. But at the end of the day, it was the surprisingly lefty Johnny Podres, who couldn't even post a .500 record in the regular season, that pitched Brooklyn to a surprising and amazing championship.


References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005.


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

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990.

Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008. 

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 15 Apr. 2022.


YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 15 Apr. 2022.

World Series: Did You Know?

Jimmie Wilson is the oldest catcher to steal a base. He was pressed into services in 1940, throught a series of unfortunate events. And Wilson's contributions to the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series that year went far beyond his pilfer.

Cincinnati had been swept by the New York Yankees in the 1939 Fall Classic, and waited one year to seek redemption. But it was one tough 1940 for the Reds. History shows they won the pennant by twelve games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. And Cincy didn't just win the pennant. They won exactly 100 games.

But all was not going well for Cincinnati. They were heading into the World Series shorthanded. Their excellent backup, Willard Hershberger, committed suicide during the regular season. Hershberger had been the perfect backup to Ernie Lombardi. In just 48 games in 1940, Willard hit .309 with 26 RBIs.

So what about Ernie Lombardi? The regular catcher was one awesome masked man. Twice, in his career, he topped the league in batting average. Did Lombardi have some power? Twelve times Ernie reached double figures in home runs. Sure, he was slow on the basepaths, but then again, there was Lombardi's .306 lifetime batting average. Then there was his outstanding ability to call pitches. There's no way you're gonna tell me that Ernie didn't have anything to do with Johnny Vander Meer being the only man to hurl back-to-back no-hitters. 

But Ernie would be of little help to Cincinnati in the 1940 October showdown. Fate intervened during an easy win over Brooklyn on September 15th (Firs game of a doubleheader. The Reds' catcher twisted his ankle.

So enter Jimmie Wilson. Cincinnati turned to him and rookie Bill Baker for the rest of the year, calling pitches. Wilson turned 40 in July. He'd once been a pretty good player, but had really more of a coach than a player. Prior to September of 1940, Jimmie had played a total of three games that season.

And now, Cincinnati needed him (Plus a rookie) more than ever to get them through the finish line. But Wilson struggled. He was hitting .315 after going a combined 2-5 in the twin bill on September 15th. After that, Jimmie hit just .143 the rest of the season. Bill Baker fared only marginally better from September 16th on. He hit .167 to finish the season.

But it's worth noting just what Jimmie Wilson would provide, above all, in this Fall Classic: Experience! He'd previously been on the losing side in 1928 and 1930 with the St. Louis Cardinals. But, as part of the Gashouse Gang in '31, the team overcame the Philadelphia Athletics to win it all.

So, it was Cincinnati vs. Detroit in the 1940 World Series. The only Fall Classic matched between the Reds and Tigers. It was a bit of a surprise, given how good the Cleveland Indians had been that year. But Detroit trotted out unheralded pitcher Floyd Giebell to beat Bob Feller on September 27th. That 2-0 win gave the Tigers their American League crown.

Any thoughts of a breezy Fall Classic for the Cincinnati Reds quickly went out the door. Not only did Jimmie not get a hit, but his pals had all sorts of trouble all afternoon. Sure, the Reds got eight hits. But only two runs were scored by the home team. The Tigers got ten hits themselves. And seven runs. 

It seemed to be that kind of Fall Classic for a while. Though Cincinnati evened things up with a 5-3 win in the second contest, Detroit was trouble. They managed just three hits, but still found a way to keep the game close. Jimmie Wilson almost matched that total himself. He got two hits of his own.

But Wilson was nowhere to be found at Briggs Stadium for game three. The home team wanted this game, and got it. They scored another seven runs, and won again. Cincinnati went back to Jimmie Wilson behind the dish for game four, which they really needed. He only got one hit, but the Reds won this biggie, 5-2.

You'd think that there was no way the Tigers could score seven runs again. And you're right. They didn't score seven runs in game five. They scored eight. The Reds? They didn't score at all. Their catcher could only pop out to his counterpart on Detroit, Billy Sullivan. Jimmie Wilson also allowed a pass ball in the fourth frame. The Tigers scored four times in that inning alone.

So, through five games, the Cincinnati veteran catcher hadn't done much. And his team was one win away from losing the World Series. But starting in game six, all that changed.

Up 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Reds were looking for some insurance. Jimmie Wilson followed Jimmy Ripple's single with one of his own. When Eddie Joost walked, the home team had the makings of a big inning. Billy Myers hit a comebacker that pitcher Johnny Gorsica went home on to nail Jimmy Ripple. Another grounder actually scored our boy, with Detroit failing to get the man at the dish. 

It was 3-0, and the bases were back to being filled. The promise of more offence was not realized as Billy Webber hit into a 1-2-3 double play. But Cincinnati added a fourth run later in the contest. Meanwhile, behind the plate, Jimmie Wilson helped pitcher Bucky Walters to a complete game shutout of Detroit, forcing a winner-take-all finale. Jimmie Wilson ended the game 1-3, but had been robbed in the third inning of an additional hit by right fielder Bruce Campbell.

And in that final game, it was Wilson who tried to get things going for the home team. In the bottom of the second, Jimmie singled with two away. Trying to make something more of it, he stole second. It was the only stolen base by either team in the World Series of 1940.

But Wilson was stranded at second, and Detroit ended up breaking the ice in the top of the third. The score was still 1-0 for the Tigers when Jimmie Wilson made it 2-2 at the plate. The catcher starter the last of the fifth with a single. But nothing came of it as Eddie Joost hit into a double play and Billy Myers flied out.

Destiny called the Reds in the bottom of the seventh. A pair of doubles tied it. Jimmie Wilson then bunted, moving the go-ahead run to third. Ernie Lombardi then came up to the plate to bat for Eddie Joost, but Detroit put him on to set up a double play. Wilson's bunt proved to  be huge. Billy Myers flew out, but with Jimmy Ripple on third rather than second, it enabled the Cincinnati outfielder to score.

The lead held up, as Paul Derringer ended up beating Bobo Newson in an excellent pitcher's duel that saw both hurlers go the distance. But when the smoke had cleared, it was neither pitcher who had grabbed the spotlight. Instead, it was Derringer's batterymate. Belying his 40 years, Jimmie Wilson finished this impressive World Series with a batting average of .353. Another plus: The only two attempts to steal on Wilson failed! It also proved to be his swan song as a player, because the old catcher moved on to managerial duties the next season with the Chicago Cubs. But for now, one of the most unlikeliest of heroes on this world championship team could bask in the glory of rolling back the clock one final time. 

References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005.


Nack, William. “The Razor's Edge.” Sports Illustrated, 6 May 1991, pp. 52–64. 

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, pp. 179–183. 

Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008. 


Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. Chronicle Books, 1995. 

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 07 Apr. 2022.