1955 World Series: Whitey Ford Almost Beat the Brooklyn Dodgers Single-Handedly
August 26, 2011 · Harold Friend · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The fact that former Yankee great Whitey Ford failed to complete the first game of the 1955 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Yankee Stadium was a negative, but the New York Yankees left-hander still managed to hang on for a 6-5 victory.
Facing a powerful Brooklyn batting order in which Duke Snider was the only left-handed hitter, Ford allowed five runs (three of which were earned), nine hits and four walks. It was far from vintage Ford.
Brooklyn ace Don Newcombe was worse. He allowed two home runs to Joe Collins, one to Elston Howard, who was making his World Series debut, and also gave up all six Yankees runs in only 5 and 2/3 innings.
After eight innings, the Yankees held a 6-5 lead. Yankees skipper Casey Stengel then made a move that was prompted by his lack of confidence in Ford that day. Even today, Stengel’s move is what every manager whose starting pitcher, not named Roy Halladay, would make.
Right-hander Bob Grim, who had been the 1954 Rookie of the Year, took over for Ford to pitch the ninth inning. It was interesting that Grim came from Brooklyn, and also that his father operated a tavern in the greatest of New York’s five boroughs.
Grim closed out the game, retiring three of the four hitters he faced.
The Yankees won the second game behind rejuvenated left-hander Tommy Byrne to take a commanding lead in the Series. No team had ever lost the first two games of the World Series and then came back to win it all.
But the next three games were played in Brooklyn, and the Dodgers won all three.
Now it was up to Whitey Ford to stem the tide.
Ford brimmed with confidence. When legendary broadcaster Ed Sullivan, on his Sunday night show, asked Ford who was going to pitch the sixth game at Yankee Stadium, Ford gave him a typical Whitey Ford response:
“I am. And it will be Tommy Byrne in the seventh game on Tuesday.”
Ever since Ford became a Yankee in 1950, he exuded a quiet confidence in an inoffensive manner. He smiled, but lacked swagger.
Yankees pitching coach Jim Turner had almost as much confidence in Ford as the left-hander had in himself.
“Whitey is always best under pressure,” Turner told writer Joseph M. Sheehan. “He has been a winner all his life and he’s a hard man to beat, particularly when the chips are down.”
Brooklyn started left-hander Karl Spooner in place of an injured and exhausted Don Newcombe. Spooner had made a sensational debut late in 1954, pitching two shutouts and striking out a total of 27 hitters in his only two starts.
But Spooner would need knee surgery in November of that same year. He changed his motion during the following spring training, suffered from arm problems and never came close to reaching his potential.
Billy Martin was the only Yankee that Spooner retired.
The Yankees scored five runs in the first inning—the final three on a Bill Skowron home run. The Yankees didn’t score again, but the five runs were more than enough for Ford.
Whitey allowed only four hits and struck out eight, but his old bugaboo, walks, made his job more difficult. He hit Carl Furillo with a pitch in the second inning and then walked Gil Hodges, but he got a double play grounder from Jackie Robinson to end the threat.
In the fourth, Pee Wee Reese beat out an infield hit, Don Zimmer, batting for an injured Duke Snider, then struck out, and Ford followed this up by walking Roy Campanella. Reese scored when Furillo singled. But Ford got Hodges and Robinson on force outs, and that was it for Brooklyn.
Ford completed the game for his second win in the 1955 World Series. He was then 4-1 in World Series play with a 2.14 ERA.
Sadly for Yankees fans, Dodgers manager Walt Alston put Sandy Amoros into left field for defense in the seventh game. Amoros made a historic play on Yogi Berra’s bid for a game-tying double, and Brooklyn won its only World Championship.
Ford had almost done it, but the Yankees fell one game short.
References:
Confidence of ford well-founded. (1955, Oct 04). New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/113216545?accountid=46260
Yanks tie series, downing dodgers by 5-1 at stadium. (1955, Oct 04). New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/113195299?accountid=46260
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