The 1950 New York Yankees have a record of 88-64 and two games left with the 1957 Milwaukee Braves.
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| courtesy baseball-refernce.com |
Left to right: Rizzuto, Berra, Dimaggio, Lopat, Reynolds, Raschi, Coleman, Ford, Bauer, Woodling, Mize, and Byrne.
The 1954 Cleveland Indians own a record of 88-65 and will play the final game on the calendar against those very same Braves.
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| courtesy baseball-refernce.com |
A tie at the end of the season would set up a best of three playoff.
Let's get to the games!
The Yanks send wildman Tommy Byrne (10-12) to the mound to face spot starter Bob Trowbridge (7-12) as the Braves' starter Gene Conley comes up lame in his last scheduled start of the year. Things look good for the New Yawkers as they score 2 in the second and another pair in the top of the third. Byrne, however, has trouble getting anyone out in the Milwaukee third, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks before yielding to Allie Reynolds. Big Chief Reynolds calmed things down but the Braves score 5 (including 3 on Hank Aaron's league-leading 45th HR) to take a 5-4 lead.
Yogi Berra sends the Yanks up again with a 2-run homer in the fourth and, for a while, it looks like those runs might be enough. Reynolds provides 5 innings of stellar relief but surrenders the tying run in the 6th, as Eddie Mathews doubled home Red Schoendienst. Meanwhile, a trio of Milwaukee relievers shut down the potent NY offense - Ernie Johnson, Juan Pizarro, and Don Mcmahon keep the Bombers scoreless through the 8th. Joe Ostrowski comes on for the Yanks - he's got a league-leading total of 20 saves on the year. The Braves tee off on Ostro for 4 hits and Bobby Brown commits an error all good for 2 runs and an 8-6 lead. Don McMahon completes the 9th without incident and the Yanks go down to defeat.
WP: Don McMahon 7-2
LP: Joe Ostrowski 5-8
NY 88-65
CLE 88-65
Tied with one game left for each team in the season.
The Yanks' last game of the year was a laugher. They jumped on hard-luck Braves' hurler Lew Burdette (4-22) and his second-inning replacement Dave Jolly for 11 runs. Vic Raschi cruised into the 9th but needed last out help from Tom Ferrick. Final score 11-6.
WP: Vic Raschi 15-11
LP: Lew Burdette 4-23
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| Lew Burdette - wondering how it could have gone so wrong this year! |
NY 89-65
CLE 88-65
Cleveland must win the final game of the season to force a playoff.
Ace Bob Lemon takes the mound for Cleveland while the Braves send 17-game winner Bob Buhl out to thwart the Indians. Lemon falters in the first, giving up 6 hits and 5 runs. This, combined with the fact that Cleveland is playing without their starting 2B (Bobby Avila), C (Jim Hegan), and LF (Al Smith) has quieted the visitors' dugout ... the season seems lost.
But the game must go on and Cleveland shows signs of life: Wally Westlake doubles and scores in the second, Larry Doby triples home Hank Majeski in the third, and Al Rosen singles and scores in the 6th. Meanwhile, Lemon has regained his composure and pitches 6 innings, leaving for a pinch-hitter in the 7th on the wrong end of a 7-3 score. Things go from bad to worse as Red Schoendienst homers in the bottom of the 7th, putting Cleveland down by 5 with just two innings to go.
In the top of the 8th, the Indians come alive, getting to Buhl for a series of hits. Westlake homers, scoring himself and Vic Wertz. SS George Strickland walks and scores moments later when backup catcher Hal Naragon triples. Dave Philley doubles home Naragon and, when Doby singles him home, it's 8-8!! The Indians have improbably stormed back and are very much alive in the pennant race as we head into the final few innings.
Ace reliever Don Mossi retires the Braves in order in the bottom of the 8th and Ernie Johnson duplicates that effort, quieting the Tribe in the 9th. Tied at 8, we go to the bottom of the 9th in the final game of this remarkable season!
Mossi retires Billy Bruton and Hank Aaron and it looks like we're headed for extra innings. Slugger Eddie Mathews is pitched to carefully; he works a walk. Andy Pafko lifts a short fly to center which drops in; first and second with 2 outs. Mossi faces yet another Braves' slugger in Joe Adcock. When Adcock walks, it loads the bases for SS Johnny Logan.
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| Just two of the Braves Fence Busters courtesy carboardconnection.com |
Mossi, and Cleveland fans everywhere, couldn't have asked for a better situation - given the depth of the Braves' potent offense (three Hall-of-Famers, six players who, at some point in their careers hit 25 homers in a season, five of whom reached the 35-homer mark), the prospect of facing Johnny Logan with the season on the line is pretty appealing. Mossi holds the ball and considers his good fortune.
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| Honestly .. one of the better pics available of the esteemed Mr. Mossi. |
Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, two out .... pennant on the line. An out extends the game, the season, and the hopes for Cleveland's fans. A hit, walk, or error ends it all with Cleveland one game back of the Yankees. A high-leverage moment, indeed.
Mossi reaches back and delivers to Logan. Logan drives it right back up the middle, past Mossi, between Majeski and Stickland and, as the ball bounces over second base, Eddie Mathews scores!!
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| Logan's Run ends the season and dashes Cleveland's hopes |
Final Standings:
| YEAR | TEAM | WINS | LOSSES | PCT | G.B. |
| 1950 | New York Yankees | 89 | 65 | 0.578 | 0 |
| 1954 | Cleveland Indians | 88 | 66 | 0.571 | -1 |
| 1962 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 81 | 73 | 0.526 | -8 |
| 1957 | Milwaukee Braves | 72 | 82 | 0.468 | -17 |
| 1962 | New York Mets | 38 | 116 | 0.247 | -51 |
