Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 38

first major leaguer called up by the military to serve in the Korean “Police Action.” Two other pitchers became injury list material as Bubba Church had his face smashed by a lined shot off the bat of the Reds’ Ted Kluszewski, and Bob Miller hurt himself apparently picking up a suitcase the wrong way. And catcher Andy Seminick, who would bat .288 with 24 home runs, played in severe pain the rest of the year after taking the brunt of a home plate collision with the New York Giants’ Monte Irvin.

Leading by 7.5 games with 11 left to play, the Phillies managed

to nearly cough it up. They lost eight of those first 10, while the Dodgers, displaying an electrifying offense led by Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, and Roy Campanella, fired themselves up and whittled the lead down to a single game, with one contest remaining in the season. That contest - The Phillies and Dodgers

at Ebbets Field, a season settler that would be one of the most memorable in baseball history.

Robin Roberts was heavily relied on by the Phillies to win the pennant, starting three times in a five day stretch to end the year, including a 10 inning masterpiece in the final game at Brooklyn to give the Phillies the NL flag. Roberts, helping to

overcome the depleted Phillies rotation by starting his third game in five days, paired up with Dodgers ace Don Newcombe. Both