1958 World Series

vs. 1958 World Series (4-3) New York Yankees (92-62, AL) over Milwaukee Braves (92-62, NL) BR 1958 World Series Summary

Introduction

The 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their 18th title, and their seventh in ten years. With that victory, the Yankees became only the second team to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series; the first was the1925 Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1903 Boston Americans came back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-nine affair.

This was the first year New Yorkers had only one local team to root for; both the Giants and the Dodgers were now playing their home games more than 3000 miles away (in San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA respectively). Both returnees to the Series had no problems repeating as league champions during the regular season. Milwaukee coasted to an eight-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League and the Yanks bested the Chicago White Sox by ten games in the American League. With no pennant race in either league, managers Casey Stengel of the Yankees and Fred Haney of the Braves could rest their aces in preparation for an exciting repeat of the 1957 World Series.

Records: New York Yankees (W: 92, L: 62, Pct: .597, GA: 10) - Milwaukee Braves (W: 92, L: 62, Pct: .597, GA: 8)

Managers: Casey Stengel (New York), Fred Haney (Milwaukee)

Umpires: Al Barlick (NL), Charlie Berry (AL), Tom Gorman (NL), Red Flaherty (AL), Bill Jackowski (NL: outfield only), Frank Umont (AL: outfield only)

MVP: Bob Turley

Television: NBC (Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy announcing)

Summary

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Milwaukee Braves (3)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance
1	Yankees – 3, Braves – 4 (10 innings)	October 1	Milwaukee County Stadium	46,367
2	Yankees – 5, Braves – 13	October 2	Milwaukee County Stadium	46,367
3	Braves – 0, Yankees – 4	October 4	Yankee Stadium	71,599
4	Braves – 3, Yankees – 0	October 5	Yankee Stadium	71,563
5	Braves – 0, Yankees – 7	October 6	Yankee Stadium	65,279
6	Yankees – 4, Braves – 3 (10 innings)	October 8	Milwaukee County Stadium	46,367
7	Yankees – 6, Braves – 2	October 9	Milwaukee County Stadium	46,367

Matchups

Game 1

October 1, 1958 at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
New York (A)	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	8	1
Milwaukee (N)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	10	0
W: Warren Spahn (1-0)  L: Ryne Duren (0-1)
HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (1), Hank Bauer (1)

Casey Stengel called on 14-game winner Whitey Ford (14-7, 2.01) to start Game 1 although teammate Bob Turley had a better regular season record at 21-7; the experienced, perennial winning southpaw already had 5 postseason victories under his belt. Fred Haney countered with a lefty of his own, 22-game winner Warren Spahn.

Bill "Moose" Skowron started the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the 4th inning but the Braves came storming back with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. Hank Aaron walked and quickly took second on a Yogi Berra passed ball. Joe Adcock grounded out to third for the first out. Aaron held second but advanced to third on Wes Covington]'s groundout to second for the second out. Then came three straight singles; Del Crandall to left scoring Aaron, Andy Pafko to center, and Spahn to left-center scoring Crandall, putting the Braves up by one. Red Schoendienst struck out to end the inning but the Braves were up early, 2-1.

In the top of the 5th, Spahn retired Tony Kubek on a flyout to left but walked the opposing pitcher, Ford. Lead-off hitter Hank Bauer then deposited a Spahn fastball into the left-field bleachers to give the Yankees a slim 3-2 lead. Milwaukee tied the game in the 8th on an Eddie Mathews walk, an Aaron double, and a tying sacrifice fly by Convington on a deep flyout to Mickey Mantle in left-center.

With no runs tallied in the 9th, extra innings were played with the Yankees going down 1-2-3 with Spahnie still on the hill for the Braves. Interestingly enough, Ryne Duren, who came into the game to pitch the 8th inning, took his turn at bat in the 10th and politely grounded back to the pitcher, Spahn. The Braves were not going to let opportunity get away and proceeded to peck away at Duren's deliveries. Aaron started the inning by striking out and was barely thrown out at first base by Yogi Berra on a dropped third strike. Adcock followed with a clean single to center but Covington made the second out on a flyout to left. Crandall then singled up the middle sending Adcock to second base. Bill Bruton, who came into the game pitch-hitting for Pafko in the 9th, lined a single into right-center, scoring Adcock with the game-winning run.

Game 2

October 2, 1958 at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (A)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	5	7	0
Milwaukee (N)	7	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	x	13	15	1
W: Lew Burdette (1-0)  L: Bob Turley (0-1)
HR: NYY – Mickey Mantle (1, 2), Hank Bauer (2)    MIL – Bill Bruton (1), Lew Burdette (1)

Looking to go up two games in the Series, manager Fred Haney wisely sent Lew Burdette (20-10, 2.91), who won three games in the 1957 World Series, to the mound for the Braves while the Yankees went with righty Bob Turley (21-7, 2.91), who won twenty games for the first, and only, time in his career during the regular season.

Burdette started shaky, giving up a lead-off single to Hank Bauer. Eddie Mathews fielded a grounder by Gil McDougald but threw wide to first, setting up runners on second and third. Mickey Mantle was then intentionally walked, loading the bases for cleanup hitter Elston Howard. But Howard grounded out, forcing Mantle at second while Bauer came in from third scoring the game's first run. Burdette calmed down enough to get the next batter, Yogi Berra, to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, from Red Schoendienst to Johnny Logan, to Frank Torre.

A shakier Bob Turley would last only a third of an inning as the Braves lighted up the scoreboard with seven 1st-inning runs sparked by a lead-off Bill Bruton home run; Bruton had only hit just three (long balls during the season. The inning continued with Schoendienst doubling to right while Eddie Mathews watched a third strike go by for the first out. Hank Aaron walked and dependable Wes Covington singled home a run to right-center. Mid-season pickup Duke Maas relieved Turley to get Frank Torre to fly to right for the second out. Catcher Del Crandall walked, loading the bases, with Johnny Logan keeping up the onslaught with a two-run scoring single. With the score already 4-1, pitcher Burdette helped his own cause with a three-run homer that left-fielder Elston Howard thought he had a bead on only to crash into the fence. Norm Siebern was summoned to take over for Howard and Johnny Kucks came in to pitch to try to stop the bleeding. The tenth batter of the inning, Bruton, lined to short but the damage was done as the Braves were staked to a 7-1 lead.

The Braves added to their lead in the 2nd inning on another Covington single this time scoring Eddie Mathews. Things would quiet down a little; Mickey Mantle's solo shot, over the center-field fence, in the 4th was the only other scoring until the 7th when the Braves scored twice more and then thrice more in the 8th. The Yankees found some life in the top of the 9th, scoring three runs off a tiring Burdette. Hank Bauer led off with a home run, followed by a Gil McDougald single to left and then Mantle's second homer of the game, into the left-center field bleachers, made it 13-5. Burdette showed some tenacity by retiring Berra, Bill Skowron, and Bobby Richardson, in order, for the win and a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3

October 4, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (N)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
New York (A)	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	x	4	4	0
W: Don Larsen (1-0)   L: Bob Rush (0-1)
HR: NYY – Hank Bauer (3)

Arriving at the Bronx for Games 3 through 5, the Yankees found themselves at home in hopes of their first Series win. Milwaukee should have saved some runs from Game 2 as they were shut down on a finely pitched game by Don Larsen with a little help from reliever Ryne Duren.

The Yankees needed this win to stay within striking distance of the seemingly runaway Braves. Hank Bauer drove in all the Yankee's runs going 3 for 4 with 4 runs batted in and scoring once. Bauer singled in Norm Siebern and Gil McDougald in the 5th, to extend his Series hitting streak to seventeen games, and then in the 7th hit a 400-foot, two-run homer into the left-field stands. Larsen went 7 innings on a 6-hitter, striking out 8 with 3 walks. Duren closed the game for his first save, pitching two scoreless innings with 3 walks and a strikeout. Bob Rush pitched well for the Braves but his loss helped the Yanks get back into the Series.

Game 4

October 5, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (N)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	3	9	0
New York (A)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
W: Warren Spahn (2-0)   L: Whitey Ford (0-1)

Warren Spahn was at his much-needed best, winning game four, 3-0, on a two-hit shutout over Yankee ace Whitey Ford. Yankee left-fielder Norm Siebern (playing for the injured Elston Howard), had trouble fielding with the afternoon sun blazing, losing fly balls in the 6th and 8th innings accounting for two Milwaukee runs.

It was a much-heralded pitching duel until the top of the 6th when Red Schoendienst led off by tripling into deep left-center, the ball slicing between Mickey Mantle in center and Siebern in left. Tony Kubek, who had 28 errors during the season, let a Johnny Logan grounder slip through his legs for an error, letting in the game's first run. In the 7th, Spahn blooped a single, scoring Andy Pafko who had just doubled to right. In the 8th, Johnny Logan was credited with a ground-rule double when Siebern lost a fly ball in the sun. Eddie Mathews followed with another double, scoring Logan with the game's final run. Up 3 games to 1, the Milwaukee Braves were on the cusp of back-to-back championships, but the indomitable New Yorkers would show that they had some fight left in them.

Game 5

October 6, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Milwaukee (N)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
New York (A)	0	0	1	0	0	6	0	0	x	7	10	0
W: Bob Turley (1-1)   L: Lew Burdette (1-1)
HR: NYY – Gil McDougald (1)

Game 2 starters, loser Bob Turley and winner Lew Burdette, returned with quite different results. Good-luck charm Elston Howard also returned to take his rightful spot in left field for the ineffective Norm Siebern.

The game did not start out very promisingly for the Yankees as the first six batters were retired without much fanfare. The Braves didn't fare much better as a walk and a single by Red Schoendienst in the 3rd was all they could muster. Second baseman Gil McDougald opened up the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd with a home run into the screen next to the left-field foul pole. Turley kept cruising, retiring the side in order in the 4th and 5th until his Yankee teammates opened the floodgates with a six-run 6th. Burdette could only get one out in the inning giving up 5 earned runs before being relieved by Juan Pizarro.

Hank Bauer led off that inning with a single to left. After Jerry Lumpe struck out bunting a third strike foul, Mickey Mantle singled to left-center advancing Bauer to third. Yogi Berra doubled into the right-field corner, scoring Bauer, Mantle stopping at third. Howard was intentionally passed, loading the bases but Moose Skowron kept the rally going with a short single to right, scoring just Mantle. Pizzaro relieved Burdette, who was responsible for all baserunners, and was greeted with a two-run double into the Milwaukee bullpen by McDougald. With runners on second and third, Tony Kubek struck out but had to be thrown out at first base by Del Crandall. Turley stayed in the game to hit and delivered a single to left, scoring runs #6, Skowron, and #7, McDougald. Hank Bauer was the third strikeout victim in the inning but six runs had crossed the plate. The Braves put runners on in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, but failed to score, giving the Yanks a 7-0 victory although they still led 3-2 in the Series.

Game 6

October 8, 1958 at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
New York (A)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	4	10	1
Milwaukee (N)	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	10	4
W: Ryne Duren (1-1)  L: Warren Spahn (2-1)   S: Bob Turley (1)
HR: NYY – Hank Bauer (4), Gil McDougald (2)

Milwaukee, back at home, had two chances, two games - one win, to sew up their second consecutive championship. Game 6 was an exciting affair that started strong, fizzled into a defensive battle, and ended in a disappointing, anticlimax for Fred Haney's Braves. Two of baseball's all-time greats and Game 1 and Game 4 starters, Whitey Ford, and Warren Spahn, were rarin' to go!

Top of the 1st, two quick outs by Spahnie, and then the man who would be the Series top hitter, Hank Bauer, stepped to the plate. Hank who would hit .323,with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs, hit his fourth homer of the Series, into the left-field bleachers, to give the Yanks an early 1-0 lead. The Braves answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning on a Red Schoendienst single, a sacrifice bunt by Johnny Logan, and a run-scoring single to left by Hank Aaron. Spahn settled in and retired the Yankees without a hit in the 2nd.

Pitching on only two days' rest, Ford quickly withered in the bottom of the 2nd. After striking out Del Crandall, Wes Covington singled to center on a trap by centerfielder Mickey Mantle. Andy Pafko singled to right advancing Covington to third. Spahn singled to right-center, scoring Covington for a 2-1 lead. An exhausted Ford walked Schoendienst, loading the bases, and Casey Stengel had seen enough. He motioned to the bullpen for reliever Art Ditmar. Ditmar faced one batter, Logan, who flied out to Elston Howard who in turn threw home with a perfect throw to Yogi Berra, doubling up Pafko trying to score on the potential sacrifice fly.

Milwaukee held on to its lead until the top of the 6th inning when the Yankees tied the score on a defensive replacement miscue. Bill Bruton had entered the game to play center for Pafko. After Mantle singled just over the reach of shortstop Logan's glove, Elston Howard followed with single to center, but Bruton fumbled the ball, allowing Mantle to reach third on the error. The great bad ball hitting Berra hit a sacrifice fly to center, Mantle scoring after the catch, to tie the game at 2 apiece.

Warren Spahn was still on the mound for the Braves going into the 10th, despite throwing 290 regular season innings and another 19 in the post-season. Gil McDougald, who was having a fine series himself, led off the 10th hitting a probably less-than-average Spahn fastball, over the left-field fence. Bauer almost went back-to-back but Bruton made the catch in deep center. Mantle grounded to second for the second out but Howard and Berra followed with singles setting up runners on first and third. Haney called on Don McMahon to replace Spahn, but may have waited a bit too long to change pitchers. Moose Skowron struck a single to right, scoring Howard for a two-run lead. Pitcher Ryne Duren stayed in the game to hit but struck out to end the inning.

The Braves made some noise in the bottom of the 10th but it wasn't enough to overcome the Yankee lead. With Logan on first after a walk and with two outs advanced to second on the defensive team's indifference (not a stolen base). The ever-dependable Aaron singled to left and the Braves were within one run of tying the game. Joe Adcock then singled, sending Aaron to third. Bob Turley came in to relieve Duren and Felix Mantilla pinch-ran for Adcock. Two outs, two on. Frank Torre, pinch-hitting for Del Crandall, lined-out to McDougald at the very edge of the outfield grass to end the game and Milwaukee's chance to win the game and the Series.

Game 7

October 9, 1958 at Milwaukee County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (A)	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	6	8	0
Milwaukee (N)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	5	2
W: Bob Turley (2-1)  L: Lew Burdette (1-2)
HR: NYY – Bill Skowron (2)    MIL – Del Crandall (1)

Trying to beat fantastic odds and come back from a 3-1 deficit, Yankee manager Casey Stengel again chose Don Larsen to start Game 7. Larsen had only lasted 2 1/3 innings starting Game 7 in the 1957 World Series and once again lasted 2 1/3 innings this year. Lew Burdette, who had pitched a complete game win in Game 2 but given up 6 runs in a Game 5 loss, started for Milwaukee.

The Yankees failed to score in the 1st while the Braves tallied a single run on some lack of control by Larsen. Red Schoendienst led off with a single to left, Bill Bruton walked and Frank Torre sacrificed to advance both runners, Jerry Lumpe to Gil McDougald, who was covering first base. Hank Aaron walked, loading the bases; things looking pretty good for the Braves thus far. Wes Covington grounded out to first but Schoendienst scored on the play. Eddie Mathews took an intentional pass but Del Crandall struck out, ending the threat.

The Yankees had a wake-up call and came out "swinging" in the 2nd inning. Clean-up hitter Yogi Berra led off with a walk. Slow-footed but hustling Elston Howard laid down a sacrifice and, incredibly, was called safe on a poorly tossed throw by Torre to pitcher Burdette. Jerry Lumpe grounded again to Torre, who again threw too high to Burdette for another error, loading the bases. The left-handed hitting Torre had got the start in place of veteran right-hander Joe Adcock; ironically, Torre was considered a defensive wizard, while Adcock was the one who genrally turned ground balls hit to him into an adventure. The next batter, Bill Skowron, forced Lumpe at second, scoring Berra and moving Howard to third. Tony Kubek lifed a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Howard giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead which would hold up until the bottom of the 6th.

Two singles in the bottom of the 3rd brought Stengel out to replace Larsen with a short-rested Bob Turley. The stocky right-hander escaped a bases-loaded situation and pitched superb ball the rest of the way. As was the case in Game 6, the score was tied 2-2 after six innings of play when, with two outs, Del Crandall homered into the left-field stands, giving the Braves fans a reason to cheer and promise of another championship.

But that hope would fade as the Yankees came to bat in the top of the 8th inning. With tiring Lew Burdette looking for another complete game victory, the "Bronx Bombers" started an improbable two-out rally. After a Gil McDougald flyout and Mickey Mantle looking at a third called strike, Yogi Berra stepped to the plate and doubled off the wall in the right-field corner. Howard followed with a run-scoring single to center. Andy Carey singled past the glove of Eddie Mathews. William Joseph (Moose) Skowron would then deliver the crushing blow with a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers to cap an incredible, storybook comeback. The Milwaukee Braves would not, could not recover, giving the New York Yankees their 18th World Championship.

Composite Box

1958 World Series (4-3): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Milwaukee Braves (N.L.)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
New York Yankees	2	2	1	2	4	7	2	4	3	2	29	49	3
Milwaukee Braves	9	2	0	2	0	2	3	5	0	2	25	60	7
Total Attendance: 393,909   Average Attendance: 56,273
Winning Player’s Share: – $8,759   Losing Player’s Share – $5,896

Trivia

• After Game 2, Lew Burdette had a four consecutive game win streak versus the Bronx Bombers, one that many fans said was due to pitching a spitball. Burdette addressed the issue, "I'd love to use it, if I knew how. Burleigh Grimes told me not to monkey around with it, but to let them think I threw it and that's what I've done."
• Hank Bauer (who was a nine-Series veteran) led with most runs scored (6), most hits (10), most home runs (4) and most runs batted in (8). He also topped the Yankees' sluggers with a .323 average. Despite less-than-stellar stats in his first four Classics (7 for 57 with a .123 avg.), he combined for 18 hits, 6 home runs, 14 RBIs and a .290 average against the Braves in 1957 and 1958.
• In Game 2, starting pitcher Lew Burdette went deep with two men on base becoming just the sixth pitcher to tit a home run in the World Series.

Pitcher          Team (League)       World Series

Jim Bagby        Cleveland  (A.L.)   1920 World Series
Rosy Ryan        New York   (N.L.)   1924 World Series
Jack Bentley     New York   (N.L.)   1924 World Series
Jesse Haines     St. Louis  (N.L.)   1926 World Series
Bucky Walters    Cincinnati (N.L.)   1940 World Series

• Eddie Mathews struck out eleven times, a record that would stand until the 1980 World Series, when Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals broke it with twelve. The Braves, as a team, struck out 53 times, also a new World Series record.
• This was Casey Stengel's 7th world championship, tying him with Joe McCarthy for the most World Series won; it would also be his last.
• The 3-1 deficit overcome by the New York Yankees was the first ever in a best-of-seven series by an American League team. The only other instance occurred during the 1925 World Series by the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates.
• This was the last World Series won by the Yankees during a Republican Presidential Administration. Dwight Eisenhower was president in 1958; their next nine World Series win have all come under Democratic party Presidents: John Kennedy (1961 and 1962), Jimmy Carter (1977 and 1978), Bill Clinton (1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000) and Barack Obama (2009).

Further Reading

• "Yankee Comeuppance in a Lousy Inning", Life, October 13, 1958, pp. 34-35 [1]
• Associated Press: "World Series Aftermath: Yankees' Duren Is Fined For Gesture", The Charleston News and Courier, October 14, 1958, p. 2-B. [2]
• Associated Press: "World Series Share Worth $8,759 Each To 32 Yankees; Braves Receive $5,896", The Altus Times-Democrat, October 17, 1958, p. 2B. [3]
• Jimmy Cannon: "World Series Only Proves Don't Bet Against Yankees", The Edmonton Journal, October 10, 1958, p. 10. [4]
• Mickey Mantle: "Fastball Pitchers Plenty Tough In Late Innings At Yankee Stadium", The Calgary Herald, October 4, 1958, p. 36 [5]
• David S. Neft and Richard M. Cohen: The World Series, 1st ed., St Martins Press, New York, NY, 1990, pp. 270-274.
• Joe Reichler: "Yankee Pitching Wins Them World Series Once More", The Lewiston Evening Journal, October 10, 1958, p. 15 [6]
• UPI: "Crandall Raps Braves' Fines As Being Unfair", The Altus Times-Democrat, October 14, 1958, p. 5. [7]

External links

• 1958 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• 1958 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1958 World Series at Baseball-Almanac.com
• 1958 World Series box scores and play-by-play at Retrosheet.org

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