1956 – The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the cross-town rivals, the Giants, for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Jackie, according to some accounts had already decided privately to leave the game to work for Chock Full of Nuts, publicly retires from baseball rather than accept the trade.
Robin Roberts gets his fourth victory in the past ten days when the Phillies beat New York at the Polo Grounds, 8-3. Philadelphia’s shortstop Ted Kazanski becomes just the fourth player in franchise history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
May 17, 1956 – In New York’s Polo Grounds, Warren Spahn outpitched Ruben Gomez for a 7-3 Braves victory. Spahn helped his cause by singling twice, scoring a run, and even stealing a base against a surprised Ruben Gomez.
On May 12, 1956, Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers hurls a no-hitter against the New York Giants. Erskine strikes out three and walks two. Erskine’s 3-0 masterpiece at Ebbets Field is the second no-hitter of his career. His first came in 1952 against the Chicago Cubs.
At Wrigley Field, the New York Giants (25) and Chicago Cubs (23) set a major league record with 48 players on the field in a 17-inning marathon finally won by the visiting Giants, 6 – 5. The two teams combine to intentionally walk 11 batters, also a record, with the Cubs contributing seven of the free passes. Losing pitcher Jim Brosnan chips in with four walks, all intentional. Cubs third baseman Don Hoak is not one of the strollers, as he sets a National League record with six strikeouts, all against different pitchers, while Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and Wes Westrum are twice walked intentionally. Whitey Lockman starts in left field, switches to first base, returns to LF, and finishes at 1B. Ex-Giant Monte Irvinis 0 for 5 against five pitchers. The game is six minutes shy of the 5:19 record set by the Dodgers-Bees in 20 innings in 1940.
1956 – “The Catch”, Part 2. A year and a half after one of baseball’s most celebrated moments, Willie Mays again robs Vic Wertz. New York Times beat writer Louis Effrat reports: “Those who saw Willie Mays of the Giants rob Vic Wertz of the Indians in the first game of the 1954 World Series should have seen what the Say Hey Kid did to the same man today. The occasion was a Cactus League expedition, which the Tribe won, 10 – 5. With the Giants five runs behind in the 5th inning, Willie ran from center to right center and reached a spot 400 feet away from home plate a fraction of a second before the ball would have hit the wall. Mays caught the ball in his gloved hand and cushioned his crash against the fence with his other hand. He lost his cap but held tightly to the ball for the third out. There were two Indians aboard, so Mays’ catch blocked a couple of runs.”
The New York Giants and Cleveland Indians cancel an exhibition game in Meridian, Mississippi, because of mass racial violence in neighboring Alabama.
In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan’s West Side. The estimated cost of $75 million for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham’s decision to move to San Francisco.
The Giants fail to renew manager Leo Durocher’s contract. He resigns and is replaced by Bill Rigney.
August 27, 1955 – In 11 innings at the Polo Grounds, the Braves completed a three-game sweep of the New York Giants on Danny O’Connell’s solo home run, his second of the game. It was the first time he hit two homers in a game.
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