Back Story: Baseball
series
feature team vs team, but make no mistake about this series being personal.
This would be the battle of Willie Mays
vs Hank Aaron. Most
times this matchup would be pretty much even, but we should make a note here
that in 1951 Willie Mays was a green rookie, who begged to be sent down to
Minneapolis. He was so afraid of his shadow that he actually would sleep in the
same bed with veteran Monte Irvin (get your minds out of the gutter) because he
was so homesick. Compare that to Aaron, who by 1958 was at the top of his
game. In '57 he actually won the NL MVP award. Either way, we are looking at
two of the best 5 tool players that the game ever had to offer. After the
series we will tally up to see who bested who and it it mattered in the series
outcome.
GAME 1 - Polo Grounds - MLN 16, NYG 4
Warren Spahn vs Sal "the Barber" Maglie
With all the hoopla surrounding this classic pitching matchup the final score
more closely resembled a Packers/Giants game then a Braves/Giants game.
Milwaukee broke a scoreless tie with a steady barrage of runs starting with 3
big ones in the top of the 3rd. Two more runs in the 4th spelled the untimely
departure of Maglie, who's famed curveball was hanging like a Picaso in the
Louvre. A bases clearing double by Hank
Aaron started off all the scoring in the 3rd thanks to an
untimely error by Giant shortstop Alvin Dark, which prolonged the inning. RBI
singles by Johnny Logan and Max Roach made it 5-0. New York would answer back
with a 3 run homer by the Say Hey Kid to make it 5-3, but reliever George
Spencer got shelled to the tune of 5 runs on 11 hits in 3 miserable innings.
His successor, Sheldon "Roadblock" Jones was more like a pylon that everyone
went around as he chipped in with 6 more runs over two forgettable innings.
Luckily for Jones it was raining steadily by the time he entered the game and
most fans began exiting out onto 155th street en route to the 8th Avenue local
train. New York was totally humiliated by a 25 hit outburst by their guests
from the mid west. Every batter in the the Brave
lineup had at least 2 hits, except for Eddie Mathews (1).
Warren Spahn went the distance
and gave up only 1 more run after Mays' 3 run shot in the 4th. Lost in the
shuffle, and there was a lot to shuffle, Del Crandall had 2 homers for the
Braves.
Braves lead series 1-0
Back Story: Aaron went 4-6 with a double
and 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Mays was only 1-4, but did have that big 3 run
shot that for the time kept the Giants in the game.
Decisive edge to Aaron.
GAME 2 - Polo Grounds - MLN 9, NYG 5
Lew Burdette vs Larry Jansen
Burdette, the 1957 World Series MVP, did not have much in the tank in this high
scoring affair. Luckily for Burdette and the Braves, Jansen had even less.
Milwaukee got on the board first when Eddie Mathews lifted a sack fly to the
deepest part of the ballpark (center field). In every other ballpark in the
league that would have been a homer. Mays caught the ball 4 strides short of
the clubhouse steps and didn't even bother to attempt throwing Max Roach out at
the plate. New York would answer back by taking its first lead of the series
thanks to a 1 out two run shot by Monte
Irvin. Don "Mandrake" Mueller would follow Irvin's blast with a
single and Mays would double him home to make it 3-1 New York. Mathews would
double home Frank Torre in the top of the 3rd to cut New York's lead to 1.
Alvin Dark’s solo shot in the 4th bumped New York's lead back up to 2 and after
scoring 2 more in the 5th New York had a comfy 6-2 lead. New York's comfortable
lead wouldn't even last a half inning as 9 men came to the plate for the Braves
in the 6th and 5 of them safely touched home. "Hammerin" Hank Aaron would have
his signature moment of the series with a bases clearing double that took the
Braves from being down by 1 run to being up by 2. Milwaukee's clutch
rightfielder cleared he bases with one mighty swing all with 2 out. Aarons big
hit came off of reliever Al Corwin, who replaced Jansen with 2 out. Corwin, a
lefty, did his job by getting Torre to pop out to short. He also did his job by
fanning Mathews to end the inning. However, he was completely overmatched
against the lefty killing Aaron, who he could not walk with the bases loaded.
Milwaukee would add 2 more runs in the 8th to make it 9-6.
Humberto Robinson would pitch the
final 2 innings and notch the save for Milwaukee as Burdette barely limped
through 7 innings. Milwaukee would head home needing just 1 more win to close
out the series. New York's fans were not amused. The few who remained in the
rain were heard in the 9th saying, "Youse guys stink".
Braves lead series 2-0
Back Story: Aaron went 2 for 4 with 3
RBI's, which included a game changing go ahead 3 run double. Mays was 3 for 5
with a double and a RBI, but Aaron's timely hit had more impact, so the edge in
game 2 goes to Aaron, who's BA was now .600 for the series.
GAME 3 - County Stadium - NYG 2, MLN 0
Jim Hearn vs Joey Jay
After two slugfests back in Gotham the series moved to the Midwest. New York's
hopes clearly rested on the right shoulder of
Jim Hearn, who had to be his
team's stopper or the series would be over in 3. Long story short: Hearn did
not disappoint as he went 8 shutout innings scattering 7 hits, but most
importantly not allowing a single run. For his part, Joey Jay was rock solid,
and on most days he would walk out of the ballpark a winner. The game was
scoreless until Monte Irvin led off the top of the 4th with a homer. New York
would add a valuable insurance run in the 7th when Willie Mays homered with 1
out to make it 2-0. Hearn would make it all the way to the 9th, but after
walking the leadoff man (Mathews) and giving up a solid single to Crandall he
was lifted in favor of reliever
Dave Koslo, who was
nothing short of brilliant. Joe Adcock came off the bench to hit for Bill
Bruton and flew out to Mays in center. Logan lined out to Dark at short and
pinch hitter Red Schoendienst grounded weakly to Eddie Stanky at second to end
the game. New York had to sweat this one out, but the lived to fight another
day.
Braves lead series 2-1
Back Story: Aaron was 1-4 and quite
possibly could have had an RBI in the 3rd if not for the fact that slow footed
Frank Torre was held at third in hopes of a big inning. Mays would go 1-3, but
his "1" was a solo shot that gave his team a huge insurance run. Mays also made
a nice diving stab on Adcock's sinking liner in the 9th, so the edge definitely
goes to the Say Hey kid in this contest.
GAME 4 - County Stadium - NYG 11, MLN
9
Sal Maglie vs Warren Spahn
A rematch of game 1's starters saw a reverse fortune for the two hurlers. Spahn
who pitched great in the opener, until the outcome was pretty much certain, had
nothing today. Spahnie limped into the 8th inning allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on
14 hits. Sal Maglie
reversed his game 1 fortune by going 8 innings and allowing just 3 runs. Maglie
was in and out of trouble all day, but found a way to make the big pitch when he
needed to. Heading into the 9th New York had a 6-3 lead and looked poised to
lock it down with Koslo on the mound and head the series back to the Polo
Grounds for a decisive game 5. In real life it is great to plan for the future,
but one should never look that far ahead in the wild and whacky world of
professional baseball. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th Frank Torre hit a
slow roller to third that Hank Thompson fielded with his bare hand. Thompson
should have realized that he had time to get the slow footed Torre hurried his
throw and pulled Whitey Lockman off of first, which allowed Milwaukee a
baserunner with 2 out. Aaron stepped up to the plate, and unlike most
superstars who would have tried to crank a meaningless homer, he slapped the
ball into right to put runners on 1st and second for HOF third baseman
Eddie Mathews,
known in these parts as Eddie Mattress. In most years Mathews would be a sure
thing at the plate, but not in 1958, where he uncharacteristically slumped to
.251 which was well off his HOF pace. Koslo, who had relieved Maglie and should
have been out of the inning, made a 2-2 pitch that hung over the inside part of
the plate. Balls that hang over the inside part of the plate are hung out to
dry when you throw them to hitters like Mathews who crushed it into the parking
lot in right center to tie the game at 6-6. Just like that New York blew a
"sure thing" win. Cancel the reservations back to Laguardia, we have some more
baseball to play in Milwaukee. Bob Trowbridge would start the 10th for the the
Braves and give up an opposite field single to pinch hitter Don Mueller. Alvin
Dark would follow with an opposite field single of his own to put runners on the
corners. Darks knock would come vs veteran reliever Don McMahon. Whitey
Lockman would step up to the plate and hit a humped back liner to right to score
Mueller and give the Giants and 7-6 lead. After Irvin grounded out to push the
runners up to 2nd and 3rd Bobby Thomson was mysteriously given an intentional
pass in order to face the nervous rookie Mays. In retrospect maybe Ralph Branca
should have done the same thing almost 60 years earlier, but that's another
story. Up stepped Willie Mays
to the plate.
Quickly
McMahon fell behind 3-1. On the call was Russ Hodges for NY's WMCA Radio:
"McMahon is in a jam. He toes the rubber. 3 balls, 1 strike. McMahon winds,
and the pitch, breaking ball, Mays cuts...line drive to left center. It's well
hit. Bruton racing back. He's running out of room. Grand Slam ! a 389 foot
homer. New York would now have themselves an 11-6 lead heading into the bottom
of the 10th. George Spencer would come on board to close it out and boy would
he make things interesting. With 1 out he would walk McMahon, who would get
doubled home by pinch hitter Joe Adcock. Bruton grounded out to first for the
2nd out of the inning, but Torre lined a double to left center to make it 11-8.
Aaron, who would go 3-6 on the day singled home Torre to make it a 2 run game.
Mathews was pitched around and walked and Del Crandall would end the game with a
one hopper to Dark at short. The series would head back to New York for an
decisive game 5.
Series tied 2-2
Back Story: Aaron was 3 for 6 with 2
RBI's. Mays was 2 for 6 with 4 RBI's. If you just look at stats you'd probably
say that it was a push, but Mays gets the nod here because his 10th inning grand
slam provided the margin for victory thanks to Spencer’s 3 run melt down in the
bottom of the inning.
GAME 5 - Polo Grounds - NYG 12, MLN 2
Lew Burdette vs Larry Jansen
No tougher place to play a game 5 or game 7 than
Gotham city. The fans are rabid and the press turns everything into a
fishbowl. Teams like the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees are used to this type of
pressure, while teams from smaller hamlets are not.
Larry Jansen, who was pitiful in
game 2 decided to pitch his butt off in this one. After giving up a solo run in
the first on a sac fly by Mathews and another solo run in the third on a Bruton
DP Jansen shut the door on the Braves. This was important, because his opposite
number (Burdette) was once again not pitching up to his MVP status. New York
would answer with 3 runs in the bottom of the first and put Burdette firmly up
against the ropes ready for the knock out punch. Dark led off the bottom of the
1st with a sure fire double only to be cut down at second by a beautiful throw
from Billy Bruton in center. Lockman followed with a clean single to center.
Irvin's one hopper to third was turned into a circus act by Mathews who booted
it back to the pitchers' mound to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Bobby
Thomsom wasted no time launching Burdette's 0-1 offering into the gap in right
center just beyond the reach of Bruton and Aaron. When all the dust cleared
Thomson was safe at third with a 2 run triple. With 2 outs Mays hit a bullet to
first that ate up Torre. Once Torre was able to corral it he was in a foot race
with the speedy Mays. This was a race that Torre would lose every time out. The
"Scottsman" would easily score from third to make it 3-1. Alvin Dark would
double home Stanky in the 4th, then score himself on Lockman's second single of
the day (he would have 4 before it was over).
Whitey Lockman's third single
would easily score Dark in the 6th after New York's shortstop tripled with 2
outs. A five run 8th would completely put the game out of reach and ensure that
this
team,
known as the kings of comebacks, would easily take game 5 and win the series
after spotting Milwaukee the two opening games. Jansen went the distance and
seemed to get stronger as the game went on as evidenced by him shutting out
Milwaukee's potent offense over the final 6 frames.
Giants win series 3-2
Back Story: Game, set & match to Mays who
was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and a huge hustle play in the first to cause Torre's
error, which allowed Thomson to score. Aaron had just a lead off single in the
4th in 4 trips. Aaron finished the series batting an incredible .500, but Mays
(.391) had the more timely and opportune hits along with his stellar defense.
Oct 8, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 3 2 2 0 1 2 6 16 25 0
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 1
58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave 51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave
Covington LF 6 2 2 0 0 1 .333 Dark SS 5 0 2 0 0 0 .400
Roach 2B 6 1 4 1 0 0 .667 Mueller RF 4 1 2 1 1 0 .500
Torre 1B 6 3 2 2 0 1 .333 Lockman 1B 5 1 1 0 0 0 .200
Aaron RF 6 2 4 3 0 2 .667 Thomson 3B 4 1 3 0 0 0 .750
Mathews 3B 6 1 1 1 0 1 .167 Mays CF 4 1 1 3 0 2 .250
Crandall C 4 4 3 7 1 0 .750 Irvin LF 3 0 1 0 1 1 .333
Bruton CF 6 1 3 0 0 0 .500 Westrum C 4 0 1 0 0 2 .250
Logan SS 6 0 3 1 0 0 .500 Stanky 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Spahn P 5 2 3 1 0 0 .600 Maglie P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
51 16 25 16 1 5 .490 Williams,D PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Spencer P 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Jones,S P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
37 4 11 4 2 7 .297
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Spahn W(1-0) 9.0 11 4 4 2 7 116 84 32 4.00 39 125 126
9.0 11 4 4 2 7 116 84 32 4.00 39
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Maglie L(0-1) 4.0 7 5 2 0 2 55 43 12 4.50 21 125 129
Spencer 3.0 11 5 5 1 2 73 43 30 15.00 19 70 75
Jones,S 2.0 7 6 6 0 1 59 37 22 27.00 13 75 75
9.0 25 16 13 1 5 187 123 64 13.00 53
NYG: Williams,D hit for Maglie in the 4th
E-Dark(1)
2B-Aaron(1) Covington(1) Crandall(1) Spahn 2(2) Torre(1) Mueller(1)
HR-Crandall 2(2) Mays(1) Mueller(1)
LOB-58 Milwaukee 10 51 New York (N) 8
DP-58 Milwaukee 1
GWRBI-Aaron
Game MVP:Del Crandall
Polo Grounds V, Time 3:23, 68ø, Light Rain
Oct 8, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 3 2 2 0 1 2 6 16 25 0
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 1
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Covington LF 1>K S,12 P4 6>L9 G43
2 Roach 2B S F9 S,3H,13 S 8>S
3 Torre 1B G46/fo,B1 E6,23,12,B1 Fs7 K S,12
4 Aaron RF K D,3H,2H,1H 5>S K S,23,12
5 Mathews 3B 2>F9 P4 P3 7>P3 K
6 Crandall C F8 4>HBP HR W D,3H,2H,13/1
7 Bruton CF G63 S,12 S S,12 P4
8 Logan SS 3>S S,2H,13 S,12/75 F7 F8
9 Spahn P B54/fo,B1 P4 D,13/92 D,2H,13 9>S
Ab6
1 Covington LF D,13/13
2 Roach 2B L4
3 Torre 1B D,3H,2H
4 Aaron RF S,23
5 Mathews 3B S,3H,12
6 Crandall C HR
7 Bruton CF G43
8 Logan SS G63
9 Spahn P
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Dark SS 1>S B14 5>G63 S F8
2 Mueller RF P3 L9 HR W,12 D
3 Lockman 1B L83/dp 4>S L7 F8 Fs8
4 Thomson 3B 2>S S,12 P6 8>S
5 Mays CF K HR 6>K23 F9
6 Irvin LF K W P6 S,12
7 Westrum C S,13 K F8 K
8 Stanky 2B F8 F8 7>K P4
9 Maglie P 3>F8
Williams,D PH F8
Spencer P K
Jones,S P 9>G63
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Spahn AB1-1 End
51 New York (N IN OUT
Maglie AB1-1 AB3-3
Spencer AB3-4 AB5-4
Jones,S AB5-5 End
Oct 9, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 2 0 9 15 1
1951 New York (N) 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 6 14 3
58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave 51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave
Covington LF 6 2 3 1 0 0 .417 Dark SS 5 1 2 1 0 0 .400
Roach 2B 4 2 3 1 1 0 .700 Lockman 1B 5 1 3 0 0 0 .400
Torre 1B 4 1 1 1 0 0 .300 Irvin LF 5 1 2 2 0 0 .375
Aaron RF 4 0 2 3 1 0 .600 Thomson 3B 4 1 2 0 0 0 .625
Mathews 3B 4 0 1 2 0 2 .200 Mueller RF 5 2 2 1 0 0 .444
Bruton CF 5 1 1 0 0 0 .364 Mays CF 5 0 3 1 0 1 .444
Crandall C 5 1 2 0 0 1 .556 Westrum C 4 0 0 0 0 2 .125
Logan SS 4 0 0 1 0 0 .300 Stanky 2B 3 0 0 0 2 2 .000
Burdette P 3 2 2 0 0 0 .667 Jansen P 2 0 0 1 0 0 .000
Robinson,H P 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Corwin P 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
40 9 15 9 2 4 .440 Koslo P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
39 6 14 6 2 6 .329
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Burdette W(1-0) 7.0 13 6 6 2 4 97 74 23 7.71 37 125 133
Robinson,H S(1) 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 28 18 10 0.00 7 15 17 +
9.0 14 6 6 2 6 125 92 33 5.00 44
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Jansen L(0-1) 5.2 12 7 6 1 0 82 60 22 9.53 31 125 131
Corwin 1.1 3 2 2 0 2 25 12 13 13.50 7 80 75
Koslo 2.0 0 0 0 1 2 37 23 14 0.00 8 75 75
9.0 15 9 8 2 4 144 95 49 10.50 46
E-Logan(1) Dark(2) Stanky 2(2)
2B-Aaron(2) Crandall(2) Mathews(1) Torre(2) Lockman(1) Mays(1)
3B-Thomson(1)
HR-Dark(1) Irvin(1)
SH-Burdette Jansen Thomson Westrum
LOB-58 Milwaukee 10 51 New York (N) 11
DP-51 New York (N) 1
GWRBI-Aaron
Game MVP:Del Crandall
Polo Grounds V, Time 3:00, 61ø, Light Rain, 10mph In from RF
Oct 9, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 2 0 9 15 1
1951 New York (N) 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 6 14 3
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Covington LF 1>Fd7 L5 5>S S,3H,12 S,12
2 Roach 2B W 3>F8 S,12 S,23,12 S,2H,13
3 Torre 1B E4,12,B1 D F8 P6 F7,3H/SF
4 Aaron RF S,23,12 F7 F8 D,3H,2H,1H W,12
5 Mathews 3B Fd8,3H/SF D,2H G54/fo K K
6 Bruton CF P6 F9 6>S 7>Fs8 E4,23,12,B1
7 Crandall C 2>S 4>E6,B1 D,13/13 K P6
8 Logan SS P2 F8 F9,3H/SF Fd9 9>F9
9 Burdette P B14,12 G143/dp S,23 8>S
Robinson,H P K
Ab6
1 Covington LF P4
2 Roach 2B
3 Torre 1B
4 Aaron RF
5 Mathews 3B
6 Bruton CF
7 Crandall C
8 Logan SS
9 Burdette P
Robinson,H P
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Dark SS 1>G43 E6,23,B1 HR G53 8>S
2 Lockman 1B D G43,12 S 6>S G54/fo,B1
3 Irvin LF HR G63 G53 S,12 F7
4 Thomson 3B P2 3>S 5>T B54,23,12 G53
5 Mueller RF S G13,12 S,3H G13 9>P4
6 Mays CF D,1H K S,12 F9 S
7 Westrum C G43 G13 B54,23,12 7>K K
8 Stanky 2B 2>W 4>K IBB G53 K
9 Jansen P B54,12 F7 B14,23,12,3H
Corwin P K
Koslo P
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Burdette AB1-1 AB5-1
Robinson,H AB5-2 End
51 New York (N IN OUT
Jansen AB1-1 AB4-4
Corwin AB4-5 AB5-2
Koslo AB5-3 End
Oct 11, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 2
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave 58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave
Dark SS 4 0 0 0 0 0 .286 Covington LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .375
Lockman 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .286 Roach 2B 4 0 1 0 0 1 .571
Irvin LF 3 1 1 1 1 0 .364 Torre 1B 3 0 1 0 1 0 .308
Thomson 3B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .417 Aaron RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .500
Mueller RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .385 Mathews 3B 3 0 1 0 1 0 .231
Mays CF 3 1 1 1 0 0 .417 Crandall C 4 0 2 0 0 0 .538
Noble C 2 0 0 0 1 1 .000 Bruton CF 3 0 0 0 0 1 .286
Stanky 2B 3 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Adcock PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Hearn P 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000 Logan SS 4 0 0 0 0 0 .214
Koslo P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Jay P 3 0 0 0 0 1 .000
30 2 3 2 2 6 .264 Schoendienst P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
34 0 7 0 2 3 .376
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Hearn W(1-0) 8.0 7 0 0 2 3 113 82 31 0.00 33 120 129
Koslo S(1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 14 8 6 0.00 3 65 75
9.0 7 0 0 2 3 127 90 37 7.00 36
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Jay L(0-1) 9.0 3 2 2 2 6 115 83 32 2.00 32 120 118
9.0 3 2 2 2 6 115 83 32 4.00 32
MLN: Adcock hit for Bruton in the 9th
Schoendienst hit for Jay in the 9th
E-Dark(3) Hearn(1)
2B-Torre(3)
HR-Irvin(2) Mays(2)
CS-Crandall
LOB-51 New York (N) 3 58 Milwaukee 9
DP-51 New York (N) 1
GWRBI-Irvin
Game MVP:Jim Hearn
County Stadium, Time 2:42, 61ø, 10mph In from LCF
Oct 11, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 2
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4
1 Dark SS 1>G53 G63 G31 Fs8
2 Lockman 1B K G63 6>P4 F8
3 Irvin LF W 4>HR F9 9>F7
4 Thomson 3B L7 F9 F8 K
5 Mueller RF 2>F9 S 7>P4 G53
6 Mays CF G43 G53,12 HR
7 Noble C W G63 K
8 Stanky 2B G63 5>F8 K
9 Hearn P 3>G43 K 8>K
Koslo P
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4
1 Covington LF 1>S F8 F7 8>L3
2 Roach 2B K 3>F9 L5 S
3 Torre 1B W,12 D Fd8 Fd7
4 Aaron RF F7 S,23 6>G63 P5
5 Mathews 3B S,23,12 F9/92 P4 9>W
6 Crandall C F8 4>S P3 S,12
7 Bruton CF 2>L9 CS2(26)K 7>G41
Adcock PH F8
8 Logan SS G53 P4 P4 L6
9 Jay P G1/e1,B2 5>E6,B1 K
Schoendienst PH G43
51 New York (N IN OUT
Hearn AB1-1 AB4-6
Koslo AB4-7 End
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Jay AB1-1 End
Oct 12, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
1951 New York (N) 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 11 19 3
1958 Milwaukee 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 9 15 3
51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave 58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave
Dark SS 6 1 4 0 0 0 .400 Covington LF 3 1 2 0 1 1 .421
Lockman 1B 6 1 3 2 0 0 .350 Adcock PH-LF 2 1 1 1 0 0 .333
Irvin LF 6 1 1 1 0 1 .294 Bruton CF 5 1 1 0 1 0 .263
Thomson RF 5 1 1 0 1 1 .353 Torre 1B 6 2 3 2 0 0 .368
Mays CF 6 2 2 4 0 1 .389 Aaron RF 6 1 4 2 0 1 .550
Thompson, H 3B 6 1 1 0 0 1 .167 Mathews 3B 4 1 1 3 2 1 .235
Westrum C 5 3 4 2 1 1 .385 Crandall C 6 0 0 0 0 1 .368
Stanky 2B 5 0 1 1 1 0 .067 Roach 2B 5 1 2 0 0 2 .526
Maglie P 2 0 1 1 0 0 .333 Logan SS 4 0 0 1 0 0 .167
Koslo P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Spahn P 3 0 1 0 0 0 .500
Corwin P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Trowbridge P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Mueller PH 1 1 1 0 0 0 .429 McMahon P 0 1 0 0 1 0 .000
Spencer P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 45 9 15 9 5 6 .365
48 11 19 11 3 5 .305
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Maglie 8.0 10 3 3 3 6 118 78 40 3.75 36 125 127
Koslo 0.2 2 3 0 0 0 19 14 5 0.00 5 15s 15 --
Corwin W(1-0) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 2 10.80 2 60s 60 -
Spencer 1.0 3 3 3 2 0 37 19 18 18.00 8 75 75
10.0 15 9 6 5 6 179 114 65 6.57 51
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Spahn 7.1 14 6 5 2 1 95 72 23 4.96 38 125 132 -
Trowbridge L(0-1) 1.2 1 1 1 0 3 34 22 12 5.40 7 25 30
McMahon 1.0 4 4 4 1 1 28 3 25 36.00 8 40 36
10.0 19 11 10 3 5 157 97 60 5.35 53
NYG: Mueller hit for Corwin in the 9th
MLN: Adcock hit for Covington in the 9th
E-Lockman(1) Thompson, H(1) Thomson(1) Bruton(1) Covington(1) Torre(1)
2B-Dark(1) Westrum(1) Adcock(1) Bruton(1) Roach(1) Torre(4)
HR-Irvin(3) Mays(3) Westrum(1) Mathews(1)
SB-Aaron(1)
SH-Maglie 2 Logan
LOB-51 New York (N) 11 58 Milwaukee 12
GWRBI-Lockman
Game MVP:Willie Mays
County Stadium, Time 3:45, 61ø, 5mph Out to CF
Oct 12, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
1951 New York (N) 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 5 11 19 3
1958 Milwaukee 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 9 15 3
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Dark SS 1>D F9 S,23 G54/fo S
2 Lockman 1B G43,23 3>P4 S,3H,13 6>G13 S,13
3 Irvin LF G53 HR G63 L6 K
4 Thomson RF P6 S 5>F7 L7 K
5 Mays CF 2>P6 F9 S+e7,B2 7>K 9>G43
6 Thompson, H 3B S F8 L8 L1 E3,B1
7 Westrum C S,12 4>W HR S K
8 Stanky 2B S+e8,2H,13,B F7 W F8 G63
9 Maglie P B54,3H B24,12 S,13 8>G31
Koslo P
Corwin P
Mueller PH 10>S
Spencer P
Ab6
1 Dark SS S,13
2 Lockman 1B S,3H,12
3 Irvin LF G53,23,12
4 Thomson RF IBB
5 Mays CF HR
6 Thompson, H 3B K
7 Westrum C D
8 Stanky 2B L7
9 Maglie P
Koslo P
Corwin P
Mueller PH
Spencer P
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Covington LF 1>S W,12 S K
Adcock PH-LF 9>L5
2 Bruton CF D,13/13 G63 G6u/fo 7>W G63
3 Torre 1B G43,3H,23 3>S 5>S P3 E5,B1
4 Aaron RF S,3H K S,12 L7 S,12
5 Mathews 3B SB2 G43,23 F9 K W,12 HR
6 Crandall C K P5 F8 P6 E3,B1
7 Roach 2B 2>S 4>D K 8>K P5
8 Logan SS B54,12 Fd9/e9/e9,3H 6>G53 G53 10>P4
9 Spahn P S,23/72 F9 P4
Trowbridge P G43
McMahon P W
Ab6
1 Covington LF
Adcock PH-LF D,1H
2 Bruton CF G31,23
3 Torre 1B D,3H
4 Aaron RF S,2H
5 Mathews 3B W,12
6 Crandall C G63
7 Roach 2B
8 Logan SS
9 Spahn P
Trowbridge P
McMahon P
51 New York (N IN OUT
Maglie AB1-1 AB4-9
Koslo AB5-1 AB5-5
Corwin AB5-6 AB5-7
Spencer AB5-8 End
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Spahn AB1-1 AB5-2
Trowbridge AB5-3 AB5-9
McMahon AB6-1 End
Oct 13, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 2
1951 New York (N) 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 5 - 12 19 0
58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave 51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave
Covington LF 4 1 3 0 0 0 .478 Dark SS 5 3 4 1 0 0 .480
Bruton CF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .261 Lockman 1B 5 2 4 2 0 0 .440
Torre 1B 3 0 1 0 1 0 .364 Irvin LF 5 3 2 3 0 0 .318
Aaron RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .500 Thomson 3B 5 2 4 2 0 0 .455
Mathews 3B 3 0 0 1 0 1 .200 Mueller RF 5 1 1 2 0 1 .368
Crandall C 3 0 0 0 0 1 .318 Mays CF 5 0 2 1 0 1 .391
Roach 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 .455 Westrum C 5 0 1 0 0 0 .333
Logan SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 .143 Stanky 2B 5 1 1 0 0 2 .100
Burdette P 2 1 1 0 0 0 .600 Jansen P 2 0 0 0 1 1 .000
Robinson,H P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 42 12 19 11 1 5 .337
Trowbridge P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Littlefield P 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
30 2 7 1 1 2 .345
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Burdette L(1-1) 6.0 12 7 5 1 1 75 58 17 7.62 31 125 121
Robinson,H 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 14 8 6 0.00 2 20 21
Trowbridge 0.2 5 4 4 0 2 32 19 13 19.29 7 15s 15 -
Littlefield 0.2 2 1 1 0 1 23 16 7 13.50 4 40 46
8.0 19 12 10 1 5 144 101 43 6.40 44
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Jansen W(1-1) 9.0 7 2 2 1 2 89 64 25 4.91 32 125 133
9.0 7 2 2 1 2 89 64 25 5.67 32
E-Mathews 2(2)
2B-Burdette(1) Dark 2(3) Irvin(1) Mays 2(3)
3B-Dark(1) Thomson(2)
HR-Irvin(4) Mueller(2)
SH-Jansen
LOB-58 Milwaukee 3 51 New York (N) 8
DP-51 New York (N) 3
GWRBI-Thomson
Game MVP:Willie Mays
Injury: Robinson,H(Oct 16)
Polo Grounds V, Time 2:36, 60ø, 10mph In from RF
Oct 13, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 2
1951 New York (N) 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 5 - 12 19 0
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4
1 Covington LF 1>S S,23 L6 S
2 Bruton CF S,12 G6u3/dp,3H 6>L6 G643/dp
3 Torre 1B S,23,12 F8 W 9>G43
4 Aaron RF P4 4>S F8 Fs8
5 Mathews 3B F8/SF/65 F8 K Fd9
6 Crandall C 2>F8 F7 7>K
7 Roach 2B Fs9 L9 F7
8 Logan SS F8 5>G63 F9
9 Burdette P 3>D G63
Robinson,H P
Trowbridge P 8>F9
Littlefield P
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Dark SS 1>D,6u G63,12 D,2H T S
2 Lockman 1B S G53 S,23,3H/64 S,3H S,12
3 Irvin LF E5,12,B1 3>D G43 G43 HR
4 Thomson 3B T,2H,1H L5 5>S 7>S S
5 Mueller RF K P2 G63,12 Fs9 HR
6 Mays CF G5/e5,3H,B1 D,2H P2 K D
7 Westrum C F8 G53 P6 S,13 F7
8 Stanky 2B 2>G53 4>S 6>G53 K K
9 Jansen P W B54,12 G43 8>K
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Burdette AB1-1 AB4-4
Robinson,H AB4-5 AB4-6
Trowbridge AB4-7 AB5-4
Littlefield AB5-5 End
51 New York (N IN OUT
Jansen AB1-1 End
Oct 8, 1953 Playoff Game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 3 2 2 0 1 2 6 16 25 0
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 1
58 Milwaukee AB R H BI W K Ave 51 New York (N AB R H BI W K Ave
Covington LF 6 2 2 0 0 1 .333 Dark SS 5 0 2 0 0 0 .400
Roach 2B 6 1 4 1 0 0 .667 Mueller RF 4 1 2 1 1 0 .500
Torre 1B 6 3 2 2 0 1 .333 Lockman 1B 5 1 1 0 0 0 .200
Aaron RF 6 2 4 3 0 2 .667 Thomson 3B 4 1 3 0 0 0 .750
Mathews 3B 6 1 1 1 0 1 .167 Mays CF 4 1 1 3 0 2 .250
Crandall C 4 4 3 7 1 0 .750 Irvin LF 3 0 1 0 1 1 .333
Bruton CF 6 1 3 0 0 0 .500 Westrum C 4 0 1 0 0 2 .250
Logan SS 6 0 3 1 0 0 .500 Stanky 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Spahn P 5 2 3 1 0 0 .600 Maglie P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
51 16 25 16 1 5 .490 Williams,D PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Spencer P 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Jones,S P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
37 4 11 4 2 7 .297
58 Milwaukee IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Spahn W(1-0) 9.0 11 4 4 2 7 116 84 32 4.00 39 125 126
9.0 11 4 4 2 7 116 84 32 4.00 39
51 New York (N IP H R ER W K Ct S B ERA BF EPC Act Stf
Maglie L(0-1) 4.0 7 5 2 0 2 55 43 12 4.50 21 125 129
Spencer 3.0 11 5 5 1 2 73 43 30 15.00 19 70 75
Jones,S 2.0 7 6 6 0 1 59 37 22 27.00 13 75 75
9.0 25 16 13 1 5 187 123 64 13.00 53
NYG: Williams,D hit for Maglie in the 4th
E-Dark(1)
2B-Aaron(1) Covington(1) Crandall(1) Spahn 2(2) Torre(1) Mueller(1)
HR-Crandall 2(2) Mays(1) Mueller(1)
LOB-58 Milwaukee 10 51 New York (N) 8
DP-58 Milwaukee 1
GWRBI-Aaron
Game MVP:Del Crandall
Polo Grounds V, Time 3:23, 68ø, Light Rain
Oct 8, 1953 Playoff Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
1958 Milwaukee 0 0 3 2 2 0 1 2 6 16 25 0
1951 New York (N) 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 1
1958 58 Milwaukee Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Covington LF 1>K S,12 P4 6>L9 G43
2 Roach 2B S F9 S,3H,13 S 8>S
3 Torre 1B G46/fo,B1 E6,23,12,B1 Fs7 K S,12
4 Aaron RF K D,3H,2H,1H 5>S K S,23,12
5 Mathews 3B 2>F9 P4 P3 7>P3 K
6 Crandall C F8 4>HBP HR W D,3H,2H,13/1
7 Bruton CF G63 S,12 S S,12 P4
8 Logan SS 3>S S,2H,13 S,12/75 F7 F8
9 Spahn P B54/fo,B1 P4 D,13/92 D,2H,13 9>S
Ab6
1 Covington LF D,13/13
2 Roach 2B L4
3 Torre 1B D,3H,2H
4 Aaron RF S,23
5 Mathews 3B S,3H,12
6 Crandall C HR
7 Bruton CF G43
8 Logan SS G63
9 Spahn P
1951 51 New York (N) Ab1 Ab2 Ab3 Ab4 Ab5
1 Dark SS 1>S B14 5>G63 S F8
2 Mueller RF P3 L9 HR W,12 D
3 Lockman 1B L83/dp 4>S L7 F8 Fs8
4 Thomson 3B 2>S S,12 P6 8>S
5 Mays CF K HR 6>K23 F9
6 Irvin LF K W P6 S,12
7 Westrum C S,13 K F8 K
8 Stanky 2B F8 F8 7>K P4
9 Maglie P 3>F8
Williams,D PH F8
Spencer P K
Jones,S P 9>G63
58 Milwaukee IN OUT
Spahn AB1-1 End
51 New York (N IN OUT
Maglie AB1-1 AB3-3
Spencer AB3-4 AB5-4
Jones,S AB5-5 End
series
feature team vs team, but make no mistake about this series being personal.
This would be the battle of Willie Mays
vs Hank Aaron. Most
times this matchup would be pretty much even, but we should make a note here
that in 1951 Willie Mays was a green rookie, who begged to be sent down to
Minneapolis. He was so afraid of his shadow that he actually would sleep in the
same bed with veteran Monte Irvin (get your minds out of the gutter) because he
was so homesick. Compare that to Aaron, who by 1958 was at the top of his
game. In '57 he actually won the NL MVP award. Either way, we are looking at
two of the best 5 tool players that the game ever had to offer. After the
series we will tally up to see who bested who and it it mattered in the series
outcome. 
