THE WORLD SERIES WHERE HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS INVARIABLY CLASH

By Edwin Cooney

Since October of 1903, baseball's World Series has, at least, dominated America's sub-headlines. This year is quite special because the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, at least in the public's mind, will seek to settle old scores going back to 1941 when Joe McCarthy led the Yankees and Leo Durocher led the boys from Brooklyn. (Note: Leo had played shortstop for Babe Ruth's 1920’s Yankees and neither thought much of the other.)

Beginning in 1941, the Yankees prevailed covering  ’47, ’49, ’52, and ’53 until 1955 when Brooklyn finally conquered the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. In each of those World Series, something out of the ordinary happened.

In 1941, Dodgers catcher Mickey Owen missed a curveball thrown by pitcher Hugh Casey with two out in the ninth of Game 3 that led to a Yankee victory that turned the series around.

In 1947, Yankee pitcher Bill (whose given name was Floyd) Bevens no hit the Dodgers at Ebbets Field but lost to the Dodgers when Cookie (Harry) Lavagetto hit a pinch-hit double that led to a 2 to 1 Dodger victory. (Ironically, Bevins, who barely avoided the glory realized by Don Larsen 9 years later, never pitched another game for the Bronx Bombers.)

In Game 1 of the 1949 series, Yankee outfielder Tommy Henrich  (“Old Reliable”) hit a dramatic 10th inning homer off Dodger pitching great Don Newcombe to spoil an almost sure Dodger triumph.

In 1952, with the Yankees winning 4 to 2, Jackie Robinson came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a high pop-up that neither the first or third baseman could see. In fact, neither could Yankee pitcher Bob Kuzava see it. However, Billy Martin came tearing in from second base and caught the ball knee high for the out that ended the inning.

In 1953, Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine struck out 13 Yankees in Game 4, but again Billy Martin came out hitting over .500 with two homers and 8 runs batted in to win the series for the Yankees as well as the MVP award for the 1953 World Series.

In the 1955 World Series, the first one I could comprehend, the Yankees won the first two games, but the Dodgers came roaring back to win it all. The final game at Yankee Stadium was a shutout for young Johnny Podres. It survived a near homer by Yogi Berra which was caught by left fielder Sandy Amoros because he was wearing his glove on his right hand instead of his left. As the Dodger's bus moved out of the Stadium, the Bronx streets were empty, but when the bus reached Brooklyn, the Dodgers got off the bus and joined the delirious crowd.

The year 1956 saw Yankee Don Larsen pitch a perfect game. The series ended with a 9-zip Yankee victory led by a Yogi Berra homer.

Space doesn't allow a series by series description, but the Dodgers swept the Yankees in 1963 and the Yankees won in 1977 led by Reggie Jackson's 3 homers in the sixth and final game. The Yankees won in '78, but the young phenomenon Fernando Valenzuela (who just passed away at age 63) beat the Yankees in 1981 in six games.

Who would ever believe that during the 1946 series, both Ted Williams of the Red Sox and Stan Musial of the Cardinals would both hit below par. Williams who had suffered an injury to his right elbow only hit .204 while Musial would bat a mere .222. That was the last World Series for both Hall of Famers. No one even imagined that would occur!

Who can forget those “amazing” Mets of 1969 who beat the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in five games following their first game loss to the O’s?

As I write this, the Dodgers, thanks to the bat of Freddy Freeman's grand-slam, lead the Yankees by one game. There could be as many as six games remaining which would allow Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton to catch fire.

Three second basemen, Bobby Richardson and Bill Mazeroski in 1960, Chuck Shilling of the Giants in 1962, and Al Wise of the 1969 Miracle Mets have hit dramatic series home runs.

Since the 1903 Boston Americans or Pilgrims, who today masquerade as the Red Sox, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in 5 games to 3, Americans have matched their hopes and expectations with the fans of an opposing team. Although not until 1992 was there an international flavor to the “Fall Classic,” millions of Americans believe that —after all — America is the world!

Even more to the point, don't expect American baseball fans ever to declare that “the world won the World Series!” The “world” can’t win, because America owns the world — doesn’t it?!

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY