1954 New York Giants

From BR Bullpen

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1954 New York Giants / Franchise: San Francisco Giants / BR Team Page[edit]

Record: 97-57, Finished 1st in National League (1954 NL)

Clinched Pennant: September 20, 1954, At Brooklyn Dodgers

World Series Champs

Managed by Leo Durocher

Coaches: Freddie Fitzsimmons, Herman Franks, Larry Jansen and Frank Shellenback

Ballpark: Polo Grounds IV

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1954 New York Giants were the last Giants team to win the World Series before the move to San Francisco, CA. Although their World Series opponents were the Cleveland Indians who won 111 games in the regular season while the Giants won only 97, nevertheless the Giants swept the Indians in four games.

The Giants were managed by Leo Durocher, who had managed the team since the middle of 1948 and would continue to manage them in 1955 before leaving the major league managerial ranks for more than a decade until 1966. He had previously won the 1951 National League pennant.

Willie Mays was the huge star on the 1954 Giants, at age 23, hitting 41 home runs with a .345 batting average. Hank Thompson added 26 home runs, Al Dark had 20 home runs and 35-year-old Monte Irvin had 19. Dusty Rhodes, outfielder and pinch-hitter, had a .341 batting average with 15 home runs in 164 at-bats, and was the big star of the World Series with some key pinch hits.

The pitching stars included Johnny Antonelli (21-7), Ruben Gomez (17-9), Sal Maglie (14-6), and top save man Marv Grissom, who had 10 wins and 19 saves. Reliever Hoyt Wilhelm had the lowest ERA on the team, 2.10, in 57 games.

By 1956 the team would sink to sixth in the National League, and in 1958 the Giants moved to San Francisco. Mays was still playing with the Giants in 1962 when the Giants made their next Series appearance, while Dark was the manager that year. Wilhelm had moved to the Baltimore Orioles where, at age 39, his 1.94 ERA was even lower than in 1954 and he would continue to pitch in the majors until 1972.

Awards and Honors[edit]

World Series[edit]

Main article: 1954 World Series
Game Score Date Location Attendance
1 Indians – 2, Giants – 5 (10 innings) September 29 Polo Grounds 52,751
2 Indians – 1, Giants – 3 September 30 Polo Grounds 49,099
3 Giants – 6, Indians – 2 October 1 Cleveland Stadium 71,555
4 Giants – 7, Indians – 4 October 2 Cleveland Stadium 78,102

Further Reading[edit]


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Giants over Indians (4-0)