1950 World Series
Game One – Yankee Stadium
Robin Roberts vs. Eddie Lopat
Lopat cruised throught the first three innings, allowing only a sinle to Andy Seminick. Roberts was equally effective in the first two innings, but ran into trouble in the third. With two outs, Phil Rizzutto singled and Jerry Coleman walked. Hank Bauer then singled home Rizzutto to give the Yankees the 1-0 edge. Joe DiMaggio walked, but Roberts regained his composure to induce Johnny Mize to ground out to short to end the inning. Lopat continued to baffle Phillies batsmen, and allowed a one out single to Willie “Puddinhead” Jones in the fifth. That would turn out to be the last hit for either side in the ballgame. The Yankees take Game One in a classic pitcher’s duel, 1-0. Lopat went the distance, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two. Roberts also fashioned a complete game two-hitter, with four walks.
Game Two – Yankee Stadium
Once again, the Phillies could
only muster one hit the first time through the order, and the game remained
scoreless until the sixth inning. Mize
reached on a fielder’s choice, and Yogi Berra
followed that with a single. Billy
Johnson liked what he saw from Church, and deposited a three-run home run near
the monuments to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead.
The Phillies answered in the seventh, as a Del
Ennis single was followed by a home run by Willie Jones to cut the lead to 3-2. Jim Konstanty came
on the pitch two perfect innings to hold
Game Three –
Tommy Byrne vs. Curt Simmons
Del Ennis’ solo home run in the second inning got the Phillies out to a quick 1-0 lead. The Yankees came back in the fourth though, and with one out, Yogi Berra tagged a no-doubt-about-it home run to put the Bombers on top 3-1. In the fifth, Granny Hamner laced a two out triple off of Byrne, and scored when Eddie Waitkus singled to cut the Yankees lead to 3-2. Simmons was relieved by Milo Candini in the eighth, and Candini held the Yankees in check over the next two innings. Byrne tired after the eighth, and closer Joe Page was brought in to put the Yankees up three games to none in the Series. But Andy Seminick led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run to tie it. A sinlge by Mike Goliat and a walk to pinch-hitter Jackie Mayo put the winning run in scoring position. But Page was able to strike out Richie Ashburn and Granny Hamner in succession. With two outs, Eddie Waitkus singled to left field. Goliat rounded third, looking to test the arm of Gene Woodling. Goliat slid in just ahead of Berra’s tag, and the Phils avoided a 3-0 Series deficit with a come from behind 4-3 win. Candini (2IP, 2H) got the win, while Page (0.2IP, 2ER, BB, 3H) took the loss.
Game Four –
Eddie Lopat vs. Robin Roberts
Willie Jones met Eddie Lopat with a fat fastball in the second, and sent it spiraling out of the yard for a 1-0 Phillies lead. Before he could even get comfortable in the dugout, Dick Sisler followed it up with a home run of his own, and the back to back home runs had the Phils on top 2-0. The score stayed that way until the seventh, when Joe DiMaggio was able to break a mini-slump by belting a home run to cut the lead to one. Mike Goliat responded in the bottom of the seventh with a solo of his own, and the Phillies held a 3-1 lead. Del Ennis scored on a Rizzutto error in the eighth for an insurance run, and Roberts closed it out in the ninth for a 4-1 victory to knot the Series at two games apiece. Roberts pitched the complete game victory, allowing one earned run and six hits, while striking out five. Lopat (7IP, 3ER, 7H, BB) took the loss.
Game Five –
Vic Raschi vs.
No suspense here. The
Yankees used three unearned runs in the first, and three more unearned runs in
the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. They
tacked on 13 more, and blew the Phillies out in their
own yard, 19-1. Hank Bauer hit a three
run home run, and ended the day with four RBI.
Rizzutto added four hits and three RBI, while
scoring three runs. Bench jockeys
contributed to the pasting of six Phillie relievers,
as Joe Collins homered, singled and drove in
three. Johnny Mize hit a two run home
run, giving the Yankees two homers and five RBI from the first base
position. Dick Sisler
homered for
Game Six – Yankee Stadium
Curt Simmons vs. Allie Reynolds
The Phillies jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second on a two run double by Mike Goliat off of emergency starter Allie Reynolds. (Byrne was a late scratch due to mild ineffectiveness in Game Three.) The score stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh. Bauer led off the inning with a single off of Simmons, and Joe DiMaggio touched ‘em all with a circuit clout to tie the game at 2. Simmons recorded two outs, before Gene Woodling beat out an infield single. Granny Hamner’s throw on the play was wild, and Woodling moved up 90 feet. Joe Collins singled him home to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead before Simmons struck out Reynolds to end the inning. The Yankees tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when DiMaggio singled home Bauer. Del Ennis led off the top of the ninth with a walk. Willie Jones also walked, before Dick Sisler popped out to second. Andy Seminick grounded out to short, and both runners advanced. With two outs, Rizzutto booted a Goliat grounder which allowed Ennis to score, cutting the Yankee lead to 4-3. First and third, two out, and Stan Lopata pinch hits for Simmons. Reynolds winds, fires……Strike Three! The Yankees win the Series, 4 games to 2. Allie Reynolds (CG, 3R, 2ER, 4H, 6BB, 7SO) is your winner, while Curt Simmons (8IP, 4R, 3ER, 9H, 4BB, 3SO) is the loser.
Series Notes – Vic Raschi was
named the World Series MVP. Raschi was 2-0 with a 1.65 ERA. He struck out 14 in 16.1 IP, and allowed only
11 hits……. Honorable Mention goes to Hank Bauer (9 for 20, HR, 5RBI, 5R, 15TB),
but his hits weren’t critical, as he piled up some impressive numbers in the
19-1 game. Raschi
was clutch when it was needed, and claims the MVP……. Other heroes include Joe
DiMaggio (2HR at critical points in ballgames, 4RBI), and Eddie Lopat (big outing in the 1-0 Game One victory)…… For the Phillies,