Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 49

and was relegated to the bullpen. But in 1951, Branca won his way back into the rotation after springing out to a strong start.

Branca was the third main man in a Brooklyn rotation that included two 20 game winners; Don Newcombe at 20-9 and 36 year old Preacher Roe, who was particularly stunning with 22 wins and only three losses. But the Dodgers’ pitching was overshadowed by the team’s offense, which led the NL in almost every major category. First baseman Gil Hodges became the first Dodger ever to hit 40 home runs. His 103 runs batted in were joined by two others reaching the century mark, Duke Snider at 101, and

catcher Ray Campanella, whose 108 were part of a package that, with a .325 average and 33 homers, earned him the first of three NL Most Valuable Player awards.

Brooklyn shot out of the gate in 1951, eager to make up for its lost opportunity against Philadelphia on the final day of the 1950 season. While the Dodgers’ lead was not always prohibitive, their all-around strengths forged some mental resignation among those trailing behind in the standings.

Meanwhile, upriver from Brooklyn, the New York Giants were downtrodden. They plunged into a 2-13 start and became preoccupied with catching the .500 mark, let alone the Dodgers. Bad starts were becoming a bad habit for the Giants. They had to