September 30, 1954 Once again, the visitors started quickly but could not hold their lead. Al Smith’s leadoff home run off Johnny Antonelli put Cleveland up 1–0. Early Wynn preserved that lead, pitching four perfect innings, but in the fifth inning, Willie Mays walked and Hank Thompson singled, and Dusty Rhodes, again pinch-hitting for Monte…
September 29, 1954 – Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians is doing a mighty stretch in an attempt to reach the ball as Wes Westrum slashed a bounding single into the left field corner in the second inning of the World Series opener at the Polo Grounds. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ [jetpack_subscription_form title=”Join the Community” subscribe_text=”We bring you…
In a game which will be best remembered for Willie Mays making a spectacular over-the-shoulder grab of a ball hit to deep to center field, robbing Vic Wertz of an extra-base hit, Dusty Rhodes becomes the second player in World Series history to end a game with a homer. The Giants pinch-hitter’s walk-off three-run home run off Bob Lemon beats the Indians 5-2 in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.
The first episode of NBC’s Tonight Show, featuring Steve Allen as the host along with announcer Gene Rayburn and bandleader Skitch Henderson, airs nationally for the first time. Giants center fielder Willie Mays, the NL’s leader in batting and eventual MVP of the circuit, appears as one of the first guests on the 90-minute innovative broadcast that will become a staple of late-night television.
On the last day of the season against the Giants, Phillies outfielder Richie Ashburn plays in his 730th consecutive game to establish a franchise record. The streak, which began on June 7, 1950, ends on the Opening Day of 1955 due to an injury sustained in spring training.
In his second start, rookie Brooklyn lefty Karl Spooner shuts out Pittsburgh, 1 – 0, on a Gil Hodges homer in the 8th. He fans 12 for a total of 27 strikeouts in his first two major league games, establishing a new record. Gil Hodges’s 8th-inning homer, his 25th at Ebbets Field (a new club record), gives him 42 for the season, tying him with Duke Snider for the most by a Dodger.
Going into the last day of the National League season, Don Mueller leads in hitting with .3426; Duke Snider is 2nd at .3425, followed by Willie Mays at .3422. The Giants win in 11 innings over the Phillies’ Robin Roberts, as Mays garners a single, double, and triple in 4 at-bats. He finishes at .345 while Mueller slips to .341, the same as Snider.
At Yankee Stadium, the A’s defeat the Bronx Bombers, 8-6, in the last game the franchise will play representing Philadelphia. Connie Mack’s Athletics, after spending the first 54 years of existence in the City of Brotherly Love, will play in Kansas City next season, after much legal wrangling, under the new ownership of Arnold Johnson.
Duke Snider joins teammate Gil Hodges in the 40-homer club, giving the Dodgers two 40-HR sluggers in two straight seasons. The Dodgers win, 10 – 5.
Although they lose 100 games, the same as in the previous season when the club was in St. Louis, the Orioles draw over a million fans.
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