History of the World Series – 1962 Entering the ninth, Tarry had allowed only two hits to the Giants — the first coming with two out in the sixth — and held a 1-0 lead. After pinch-hitter Matty Alou led off the inning for San Francisco by bunting for a base hit, Terry struck out…

History of the World Series – 1961 The American League champion New York Yankees still were smarting from their stunning Series loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960. Furthermore, the Yankees were coming off a 109-victory season that featured the home-run pyrotechnics of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle and the pitching wizardry of Whitey Ford….

History of the World Series – 1960 The Series rivals had used vastly different methods while fashioning a 3-3 standoff: The Yankees wielded a bludgeon, while the Pirates relied on finesse. After the Pirates won the opener, 6-4, at Forbes Field, the Yankees unloaded in Games 2 and 3. New York, led by Mickey Mantle’s…

History of the World Series – 1959 Times they were a-changing. Major league baseball underwent its first alignment switch in 50 years in 1953 with the transfer of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee, and then saw the St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore in 1954 and the Philadelphia Athletics shift to Kansas City in 1955….

History of the World Series – 1958 Burdette had taken Game 2, a wild affair in which the Braves’ pitcher capped the National League club’s seven-run first inning with a three-run homer. But while Burdette cruised until the ninth, allowing only two runs and three hits, he was shelled for three runs and four hits…

1957 World Series Highlights Manager Fred Haney’s big gun was outfielder Hank Aaron, who in his fourth big-league season pounded 44 home runs, knocked in 132 runs and batted .322. Third baseman Eddie Mathews bashed 32 homers and outfielder Wes Covington popped 21 in 96 games. (Milwaukee clubbed 199 homers overall.) The Braves were strong…

History of the World Series – 1956 While the Yanks had reason to wonder if their pitching would turn around, the Dodgers had reason to wonder how quickly they might be able to wrap up another Series. This from a team that only 12 months earlier finally had won its first fall classic. How quickly…

  Surely 1955 would be the year, Brooklyn partisans reasoned. The Dodgers won 10 consecutive games to start the season, built a 22-2 record in the first four weeks and cruised to the National League pennant with a 13 1/2-game spread over the second-place Milwaukee Braves. But despite the domination of their NL brethren, the…

  This October business simply wasn’t getting any easier for the National League, which this time would send out the New York Giants in an attempt to stem the tide. Fifth-place finishers in 1953, the Giants rode the superlative play of Army returnee Willie Mays and off-season acquisition Johnny Antonelli to a five-game triumph over…

History of the World Series – 1953 Carl Erskine led the pitching staff with 20 victories, Russ Meyer went 15-5 and Billy Loes 14-8. Preacher Roe posted an 11-3 record, boosting his three-year mark to 44-8. Clem Labine won 10 games in relief and 11 overall. And rookie pitchers Johnny Podres and Bob Milliken combined…