Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Damn Yankees
Page 40
Roberts pitched a perfect 10th to finish off the Dodgers, and the Whiz Kids finally secured the Phillies’ first pennant in 35 years.
While an upstart took command of the NL, the usual suspects continued to keep the American League predictable enough.
A year after bringing the Yankees back to the game’s pinnacle, manager Casey Stengel still felt he hadn’t made enough believers. “You won once, Case,” he might have heard time and time again. “Now show us it wasn’t a fluke.”
Stengel’s challenge was to deliver back to back AL pennants to New York for the first time in seven years, and that mission would be made difficult with a number of rivals taking their best shots.
The biggest thorn in the Yankees’ side would be the Detroit Tigers, who held first place for much of the year under the management of ex-Yankee Red Rolfe. In their quest to overtake the Tigers down the stretch, the Yankees embarked on a number of late season acquisitions that would tip the balance of power their way. The most significant roster move came with the promotion of 21 year old, happy go lucky southpaw Whitey Ford, who immediately displayed his confident knack for winning by taking his first nine decisions in the win column, before