On the final day of the season, the champion 1953 New York Yankees won their record 22nd game with a 10-9 barnburner victory over the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves lost again, which means the Yankees won the league by a record margin of four games.
The 1954 Cleveland Indians won three of four against the Braves, as did the Yankees against the Dodgers. The 1954 New York Giants and 1959 Chicago White Sox salvaged series splits in their matchups.
New York Giants 9, Philadelphia 5
Hank Thompson got the Giants (18-14) started with a two-run homer in the top of the first, and New York poured it on from there. Whitey Lockman and Willie Mays had RBI singles in the second inning, Al Dark had an RBI single in the fourth, and Davey Williams and Ray Katt had back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh. Mays hit a solo homer in the eighth inning to make it 9-1. It was the seventh homer of the season for both Thompson and Mays. The Phillies (13-19) made things interesting late, as Granny Hamner had a solo homer and Mike Goliat hit a two-run homer in the eighth (his sixth of the season), and Del Ennis had an RBI single in the ninth, but the deficit was too great for a comeback, and the teams ended up splitting the four-game series.
1954 NEW YORK GIANTS AB R H BI 1950 PHILADELPHIA PH AB R H BI
Whitey Lockman 5 2 2 1 Eddie Waitkus 5 1 1 0
Al Dark 6 1 2 1 Richie Ashburn 4 1 1 0
Hank Thompson 6 1 2 2 Dick Sisler 4 0 1 1
Willie Mays 4 3 3 2 Del Ennis 5 0 1 1
Don Mueller 5 0 2 1 Willie Jones 5 0 0 0
Monte Irvin 4 0 1 0 Granny Hamner 4 1 1 1
Davey Williams 5 1 1 1 Andy Seminick 4 1 3 0
Ray Katt 4 1 2 1 Mike Goliat 4 1 2 2
Sal Maglie BXZ 2 0 1 0 Bob Miller BRZ 1 0 0 0
Dusty Rhodes 1 0 1 0 Jimmy Bloodworth 1 0 0 0
Bill Nicholson 1 0 0 0
Dick Whitman 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 42 9 17 9 TOTALS 39 5 10 5
1954 NEW YORK GIANTS 320 100 210 -- 9
1950 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 001 000 031 -- 5
LOB--1954 NEW YORK GIANTS 12, 1950 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 9.
ERR--Hank Thompson, Al Dark, Mike Goliat. 2B--Ray Katt, Hank
Thompson, Davey Williams, Don Mueller, Andy Seminick, Richie
Ashburn. 3B--Whitey Lockman. HR--Willie Mays, Hank Thompson,
Granny Hamner, Mike Goliat. SACB--Sal Maglie BXZ.
1954 NEW YORK GIANTS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Sal Maglie BXZ [W] 7.67 8 4 4 2 2 2
Marv Grissom AX 0.33 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hoyt Wilhelm AX 1.00 2 1 1 0 0 0
1950 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Bob Miller BRZ [L] 4.00 9 6 6 4 0 1
Bubba Church B 3.00 4 2 2 1 0 0
Milo Candini C 1.00 3 1 1 0 0 1
Jim Konstanty AZ 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 0
Cleveland 6, Milwaukee 5
The league’s top two home run hitters added to their totals in the first inning. Cleveland’s Al Rosen hit a two-run shot, his ninth. Then Milwaukee’s Wes Covington blasted a three-run homer, his 12th. The Indians tied it at four in the fifth on a Larry Doby two-run homer, his seventh. Milwaukee went back in front 5-4 in the eighth when Bill Bruton singled with two out, then scored on Del Crandall’s double. Milwaukee (18-14) sent out ace closer Don McMahon for the ninth in search of his league-best 10th save. But with two out and two on, Al Smith provided a two-run single to give the Indians (13-19) the lead. Ray Narleski came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the Cleveland win, and a 3-1 series victory.
1954 CLEVELAND INDIA AB R H BI 1957 MILWAUKEE BRAVE AB R H BI
Al Smith 4 0 1 2 Red Schoendienst 5 0 0 0
Bobby Avila 5 1 0 0 Frank Torre 5 0 1 0
Larry Doby 3 2 1 2 Eddie Mathews 4 1 2 0
Al Rosen 3 1 1 2 Hank Aaron 4 1 2 0
Vic Wertz 4 0 0 0 Wes Covington 4 1 1 3
Dave Philley 4 0 0 0 Johnny Logan 4 0 0 0
George Strickland 2 0 0 0 Bill Bruton 3 2 2 0
Jim Hegan 4 1 0 0 Del Crandall 4 0 1 1
Bob Lemon BY 3 0 1 0 Bob Buhl AYW 2 0 1 1
Wally Westlake 1 1 1 0 Andy Pafko 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 33 6 5 6 TOTALS 36 5 10 5
1954 CLEVELAND INDIANS 200 020 002 -- 6
1957 MILWAUKEE BRAVES 300 100 010 -- 5
LOB--1954 CLEVELAND INDIANS 5, 1957 MILWAUKEE BRAVES 7.
ERR--Eddie Mathews. 2B--Wally Westlake, Eddie Mathews, Hank
Aaron, Del Crandall. HR--Larry Doby, Al Rosen, Wes
Covington. SACB--Bob Buhl AYW. SB--Bill Bruton.
1954 CLEVELAND INDIANS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bob Lemon BY [W] 8.00 10 5 5 2 4 1
Ray Narleski BX [S] 1.00 0 0 0 0 2 0
1957 MILWAUKEE BRAVES
Bob Buhl AYW 8.00 3 4 4 4 4 2
Don McMahon ACKW [L] 1.00 2 2 2 1 1 0
Chicago 3, Pittsburgh 1
It was 1-0 Pittsburgh after just two batters in the top of the first, as Bill Virdon doubled and Dick Groat followed with an RBI single. The Pirates (15-17) wouldn’t score again, however. Chicago tied it in the second inning on Jim McAnany’s RBI double. In the fifth, two Pittsburgh errors extended the inning, and Sherm Lollar took advantage with a two-run triple to put the White Sox (12-20) in front 3-1. Gerry Staley closed it out for his sixth save. The teams split the four-game series.
1960 PITTSBURGH PIRA AB R H BI 1959 CHICAGO WHITE S AB R H BI
Bill Virdon 5 1 3 0 Luis Aparicio 4 0 1 0
Dick Groat 5 0 1 1 Nellie Fox 4 1 0 0
Bob Skinner 4 0 0 0 Jim Landis 4 0 1 0
Dick Stuart 3 0 1 0 Sherm Lollar 4 0 2 2
Roberto Clemente 4 0 0 0 Al Smith 4 0 0 0
Smoky Burgess 4 0 1 0 Earl Torgeson 3 1 1 0
Don Hoak 2 0 0 0 Bubba Phillips 3 0 0 0
Bill Mazeroski 4 0 0 0 Jim McAnany 3 0 1 1
Vinegar Bend Mizell 3 0 2 0 Dick Donovan C 3 1 0 0
Rocky Nelson 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 35 1 8 1 TOTALS 32 3 6 3
1960 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 100 000 000 -- 1
1959 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 010 020 00x -- 3
LOB--1960 PITTSBURGH PIRATES 10, 1959 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6.
ERR--Dick Stuart, Bill Mazeroski, Luis Aparicio. 2B--Bill
Virdon, Jim McAnany. 3B--Sherm Lollar. SB--Bill Virdon, Earl
Torgeson.
1960 PITTSBURGH PIRATES IP H R ER BB SO HR
Vinegar Bend Mizell [L] 8.00 6 3 1 1 8 0
1959 CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Dick Donovan C [W] 8.00 8 1 1 3 1 0
Gerry Staley AZ [S] 1.00 0 0 0 0 0 0
New York Yankees 10, Brooklyn 9
The Yankees (22-10) hit four homers, including a grand slam by Yogi Berra in a six-run third inning. Brooklyn (17-15) got a two-run double from Duke Snider in the third and a two-run homer by Billy Cox in the fourth that made it 6-4. The Yankees got a solo shot from Billy Martin in the fifth. In the sixth, Joe Collins and Hank Bauer went back-to-back to increase the Yankees’ lead to 10-4. It wasn’t over, as the Dodgers scored four times in the eighth, with three consecutive RBI singles by Billy Cox, Bobby Morgan and Jim Gilliam. They cut the deficit to one run in the top of the ninth on Carl Furillo’s two-out RBI single, then had runners on first and second before Allie Reynolds got the final out for his sixth save.
1953 BROOKLYN DODGER AB R H BI 1953 NEW YORK YANKEE AB R H BI
Jim Gilliam 4 1 2 1 Gil McDougald 5 1 2 0
Pee Wee Reese 4 1 0 0 Joe Collins 5 2 1 2
Duke Snider 5 0 1 2 Hank Bauer 4 2 2 2
Jackie Robinson 5 2 3 0 Mickey Mantle 3 1 0 0
Roy Campanella 4 1 0 0 Gene Woodling 4 1 2 0
Gil Hodges 5 1 0 0 Yogi Berra 5 1 2 4
Carl Furillo 5 1 2 1 Billy Martin 4 2 3 1
Billy Cox 5 2 3 3 Phil Rizzuto 3 0 0 0
Russ Meyer CY 2 0 0 0 Vic Raschi BYZ 3 0 1 1
George Shuba 1 0 1 0 Don Bollweg 1 0 0 0
Bobby Morgan 1 0 1 1
Don Thompson 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 42 9 13 8 TOTALS 37 10 13 10
1953 BROOKLYN DODGERS 002 200 041 -- 9
1953 NEW YORK YANKEES 006 013 00x -- 10
LOB--1953 BROOKLYN DODGERS 9, 1953 NEW YORK YANKEES 8.
ERR--Russ Meyer CY, Gene Woodling, Phil Rizzuto, Gil
McDougald. 2B--Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, George Shuba,
Yogi Berra, Billy Martin. 3B--Hank Bauer. HR--Billy Cox,
Yogi Berra, Joe Collins, Billy Martin, Hank Bauer. HBP--Phil
Rizzuto. SB--Jackie Robinson, Jim Gilliam.
1953 BROOKLYN DODGERS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Russ Meyer CY [L] 5.00 9 9 3 4 3 3
Bill Milliken BX 1.00 2 1 1 0 1 1
Clem Labine BZ 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 0
Jim Hughes BX 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 0
1953 NEW YORK YANKEES
Vic Raschi BYZ [W] 7.00 6 4 2 2 1 1
Bob Kuzava BX 0.33 4 4 3 1 0 0
Allie Reynolds BX [S] 1.67 3 1 1 0 1 0
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 