Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Damn Yankees
Page 77
than two in a row the rest of the season, on its way to a 105-49 record; the best in Dodgers franchise history. Adding insult to injury, the Dodgers clinched the NL flag on September 12 with a win at Milwaukee against the Braves.
Offensively, the “Boys of Summer” prospered as a powerhouse in full bloom. Not only did the Dodgers lead the NL in every major hitting category, none of the other teams came close. Leading the titanic assault was Duke Snider; .336 batting average, 42 home runs, 126 RBIs; and Roy Campanella; .312, 41, 142; the first duo from any NL team to each hit over 40 homers. Gil
Hodges added 31 round trippers and 122 RBIs while batting .302. And for outfielder Carl Furillo, offseason eye surgery was obviously successful. He earned the league batting title at .344 a year after hitting a hundred points lighter.
On the mound, the Dodgers’ pitching staff was solid and stable enough to hold the big leads built up by the offense, though it clearly was not the team’s strength. Carl Erskine won 20 of 26 decisions and continued to be the substitute ace in the absence of Don Newcombe, wrapping up his two year tour of duty with the armed forces in Korea.
The race for the American League pennant was no less predictable. None of the seven AL teams outside of New York