1957 World Series

The 1957 World Series featured the defending champions, the New York Yankees (American League), playing against the Milwaukee Braves (National League). After finishing just one game behind the N.L. Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, the Braves came back in 1957 to win their first pennant since moving from Boston in 1953. The Braves won the Series in seven games, behind Lew Burdette's three complete game victories, and became the first team to win a championship after relocating.

The Yankees had home field advantage in the series. Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 were played at Yankee Stadium, while Milwaukee County Stadium hosted Games 3, 4, and 5. This was the first time since 1946 that the Series included scheduled off days after Games 2 and 5.

Of the previous ten World Series, the Yankees had participated in eight of them and won seven. This was also the first World Series since 1948 that a team from New York did not win.

This is the first of four Yankees-Braves matchups, and the only Series that was won by the Braves; they lost in 1958, 1996 and 1999, with the last two instances occurring in Atlanta.

Hank Aaron led all regulars with a .393 average and eleven hits, including a triple, three home runs and seven RBI.

As of April 2015, four original television broadcasts from this Series (Games 1, 3, 5 and 6) had been released on DVD.^[1]

Summary

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

Note: It was the Braves' first championship since the "Miracle Braves" of 1914.

Matchups

Game 1

In the third inning, the Yankees replaced first baseman Bill Skowron, who was complaining of back pain, with Elston Howard. In the fifth inning the Braves had a runner in scoring position after an error by Howard. The Braves did not manage to capitalize on this opportunity, as second baseman Red Schoendienst grounded out. By the end of the fifth inning, the Braves had left four men on base, with the score still tied at 0–0.

The Yankees broke through that inning with a leadoff single by Jerry Coleman, followed by two ground outs which moved the runner to third base, and then a triple by slugger Hank Bauer making the score 1–0. After three consecutive batters reached first base in the Yankees' half of the sixth inning, and a run scored on Andy Carey's single, Milwaukee manager Fred Haney pulled starter Warren Spahn and replaced him with Ernie Johnson.

The Yankees scored once more in the sixth inning when Coleman executed a squeeze play, allowing Yogi Berra to score from third base. The Braves managed to score only once, when Wes Covington scored in the seventh on a single by Schoendienst. Whitey Ford pitched a complete game for the Yankees.

Game 2

Hank Aaron led off the second inning with a triple, then made it safe at home on Joe Adcock's single. The Yankees responded with one of their own in the bottom half of the second. Again in the third inning, the Yankees and Braves each scored one run, leaving the score 2–2 heading to the fourth inning. Both managers were worried about their starting pitchers, and after three straight singles from Adcock, Andy Pafko, and Wes Covington and with two runs in, Yankees manager Casey Stengel replaced Bobby Shantz with reliever Art Ditmar. Ditmar had finished the regular season with an 8–3 record, a 3.25 ERA and six saves.

Ditmar was able to prevent the Braves from scoring any more runs, but the score was 4–2 in favor of the Braves. After that, Braves starter Lew Burdette's pitching improved significantly. He only gave up four hits for the rest of the game, two of them coming in the ninth inning. After a ground out, Tony Kubek singled to right to start things off. Stengel decided to pinch hit lefty Joe Collins, who was 30-for-149 (.201) that year and was playing what turned out to be his final year, for the right-handed Coleman, who was a better 42-for-157 (.263) and also playing in his final season, to face right-handed pitcher Burdette. Collins popped to Johnny Logan at shortstop for the second out. Then, Stengel again opted to pinch hit for the pitcher, Bob Grim. Howard came up in his spot and singled to advance Kubek to second. Bobby Richardson pinch ran for Howard. Burdette recorded the final out as he got Bauer, the next batter, to ground to short, where Logan forced out Richardson.

The Braves' win in Game 2 was the first World Series game won by a non-New York City team since 1948. In every World Series between 1948 and 1957, either both teams were from New York City or a New York City team won in a sweep (1950 and 1954).

Game 3

New York's Tony Kubek began the scoring with a one-out solo homer in the first inning. After that, things quickly fell apart for Bob Buhl, who had pitched quite well in the regular season (18–7, 2.74 ERA). He walked Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, then made an error attempting to pick Mantle off at second base. After a sacrifice fly by Gil McDougald and a single by first baseman Harry Simpson, manager Fred Haney pulled Buhl and brought in rookie Juan Pizarro. Pizarro got the final out in the first inning, and followed that with a solid second inning. In the third inning, however, the Yankees began to capitalize on their lead. After allowing hits from Mantle, Berra and Jerry Lumpe, and a walk to Elston Howard, who was pinch-hitting for Harry Simpson, Pizarro was removed from the game. Gene Conley was called in to finish the inning. He did get the last two outs, but gave up a two-run home run to Mantle in the fourth inning.

By the bottom of the fifth inning, the score was 7–1 in favor of the Yankees. Logan led off with a single, and Eddie Mathews flied to left. Hank Aaron stepped to the plate and hit one of his six postseason homers to make the game 7–3. After a Covington walk, Joe Adcock and Bob Hazle each made outs to end the fifth. Yankees relief pitcher Don Larsen had his comfortable lead cut down to just four runs.

In the seventh inning the Yankees secured their lead with a five-run inning against reliever Bob Trowbridge. The five runs started with a two-run bases-loaded single by Bauer and a three-run home run by Kubek. The score was 12–3 heading in to the bottom of the seventh.

There was only one more hit in the rest of the game, a single by Aaron in the ninth. Del Crandall made the last out and the series was on to Game 4 with the Yankees up 2–1. Left fielder Kubek was only the second rookie in history to hit two home runs in a World Series game. This was the first World Series game played in the state of Wisconsin.

Game 4

After a game with two homers and four RBIs, Tony Kubek led off the first inning for the Yankees. Kubek bunted, which ultimately led to a run after Mickey Mantle reached on a fielder's choice, Yogi Berra walked, and Gil McDougald singled.

The second inning started with a single by Hank Aaron and then a stolen base by Wes Covington, but they could not convert. The fourth inning began with a walk to Johnny Logan. Eddie Mathews doubled to right field, which sent Logan to third. Aaron then hit a three-run home run which completely cleared the stadium. The next batter, Covington, grounded out. This was followed by a solo shot off the bat of Frank Torre, a part-time first baseman who was giving Joe Adcock a day off. The Braves were then up 4–1 against Yankees starter Tom Sturdivant.

The next four innings for the Yankees were plagued by double plays. Warren Spahn was getting ground out after ground out and the Yankees looked helpless until the ninth. With two outs and a three-run deficit in the top of the ninth, New York found new life in two back-to-back singles. Spahn gave up one to Berra, followed by one to McDougald. With two runners on, Howard hit a three-run homer to tie the game.

Left-handed Tommy Byrne had replaced right-handed Johnny Kucks in the eighth inning for New York. This prompted Haney to pinch hit Adcock for Torre. Adcock grounded to shortstop and Milwaukee went 1–2–3 that inning. The game thus went on to extra innings.

Milwaukee starter Spahn came out for the tenth. Kubek got his second hit in the top of the tenth, followed by a triple by Hank Bauer to score a run. After Mantle flied to right, the Braves got ready for the bottom of the tenth down one. Spahn was due up first for the Braves, and Haney opted to pinch hit with Nippy Jones, who had played in just 30 games that year. In what turned out to be his final appearance, Jones was part of a pivotal play in the inning. A wild Tommy Byrne pitch bounced near Jones, but umpire Donatelli initially called a ball. After an argument hinging on a spot of shoe polish on the baseball, Jones convinced umpire Augie Donatelli that he was hit on the shoe.

The inning continued with Felix Mantilla running for Jones. Red Schoendienst hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Mantilla, who scored the tying run on a double by Logan. Mathews followed with a towering two-run home run to win it for the Braves, 7–5, and tied the series at two games apiece.

Game 5

With the opposing team's top two pitchers, Whitey Ford and Lew Burdette, facing each other, Game 5 was expected to be a low-scoring affair. However, the game started out with the Yankees looking to score in the first inning. After a leadoff single by Hank Bauer and a sacrifice bunt by Tony Kubek, Gil McDougald hit a line drive that turned into the second out of the inning. Yogi Berra then grounded out. After that, Burdette only allowed multiple Yankee baserunners in the fourth inning.

At the start of the sixth inning, the game was still scoreless. In the bottom of the sixth with two outs and nobody on, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, and Joe Adcock singled, scoring Mathews and giving the Braves a 1–0 lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.

The Yankees' best scoring chance came in the eighth inning after a hit by Jerry Coleman to right field. Mickey Mantle came in to pinch-run for Coleman, but was caught stealing at second base by catcher Del Crandall. Ford was then taken out and Yankee reliever Bob Turley came in, striking out two batters while giving up no hits in the inning.

Yogi Berra made the last Yankee out in the 1–0 complete-game by Burdette, and the Milwaukee Braves took the series lead three games to two.

Game 6

Bob Buhl started for the Braves but would not last very long. In the first two innings, no one scored, although there were some opportunities, including the Yankees' first inning when Enos Slaughter reached third and Yogi Berra got to second on Buhl's wild pitch. Fortunately, Buhl would strike out Gil McDougald to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Yankees scored two runs to take the lead on a Berra two-run homer, scoring Slaughter. After that Ernie Johnson would mercifully replace Buhl. Johnson then held the Yankees scoreless until the seventh inning.

The Braves cut the lead in their half in the fifth on Frank Torre's solo home run, his second of the series. The Braves then tied it in the top of the seventh with a solo homer by Hank Aaron, his third. The game was now tied and Braves' pitcher Johnson was holding the Yankees to just one hit in 3-1/3 innings. Leading off the seventh, pitcher Bob Turley was out on a bunt attempt with two strikes. Then, right fielder Hank Bauer hit a solo home run off the left-field foul pole, which would prove to be the game-winning hit, to give the Yankees a one-run lead.

In the Braves' ninth, after an Eddie Mathews walk, Turley got lefty Wes Covington to ground into a 1–6–3 double play to end the game and force a deciding Game 7.

Game 7

Lew Burdette was called in to start game 7 for the Braves on two days rest when the expected starter, Warren Spahn, was struck with the flu.

After two scoreless innings, the Braves broke through in the third, started by a Bob Hazle single and an error by Tony Kubek at third base; one of three Yankee errors in the game. The inning continued with a hard-hit Eddie Mathews double, which prompted Casey Stengel to take out starter Don Larsen and bring in lefty Bobby Shantz. Shantz then gave up an RBI single to Hank Aaron and a single by Wes Covington advancing Aaron to third. Frank Torre grounded into a fielders' choice which scored Aaron. Felix Mantilla then flied to Hank Bauer in right to end the inning, ending the Braves' scoring at four runs.

The Yankees' best chance came in the sixth, when they had runners on first and second with two outs after a Mickey Mantle single and an error by Mathews at third. Gil McDougald then grounded out forcing Mantle at third to end the inning and the threat.

In the ninth, after Milwaukee made it 5–0 on a Del Crandall homer, the Yankees attempted to mount a rally. With two outs and McDougald on first base, Jerry Coleman singled to right. Then, Tommy Byrne singled to load the bases for Bill Skowron. With the tying run on deck, Burdette retired Skowron on a ground out to third with Mathews making the final out.

In the game, the Yankees were limited to seven hits and one walk. Burdette was named the Series MVP after pitching three complete games and two shutouts. He was the first pitcher since Christy Mathewson to pitch two shutouts in a World Series.

Composite line score

1957 World Series (4–3): Milwaukee Braves (N.L.) over New York Yankees (A.L.)

MVP Lew Burdette's series statistics

• Games – 3
• Games started – 3
• ERA – 0.67
• Wins – 3
• Losses – 0
• Complete games – 3
• Shutouts – 2
• Innings pitched – 27 (3 complete games)
• Hits – 21
• Earned runs – 2 (both in Game 2)
• Strikeouts – 13
• Walks – 4

Notes

References

• Cohen, Richard M.; Neft, David S. (1990). The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 265–269. ISBN 0-312-03960-3. 
• Reichler, Joseph (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.). Macmillan Publishing. p. 2165. ISBN 0-02-579010-2. 

Further reading

• Kilma, John (2012). Bushville Wins!: The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 1-250-00607-4.

External links

• 1957 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1957 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1957 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1957 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1957 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.

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