The NL had a climatic finish to the 1956 pennant race. Going into the final weekend of the season the Braves were one game up on the Dodgers. But the Dodgers rose to the occasion by sweeping three games against the lowly Pirates while the Braves lost two of three to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a season long back and forth battle of three teams. The aging Dodgers versus the maturing Braves and the totally unexpected rise of the Redlegs. The Dodgers however had Don Newcombe. His 27 wins earned him the MVP and the first ever Cy Young Award given to the best pitcher in MLB
Duke Snider blasted a career high 43 HRs topping his 42 of 1955. Gil Hodges hit 32 and Jim “Junior” Gilliam batted .300 and stole 21 bases. Jackie Robinson, age 37, played less, primarily in a utility role at four positions. The young Sandy Koufax was still finding his way, 2 wins. He was joined by 19 year old rookie pitcher Don Drysdale who won five games.
There was little suspense in the AL as the Yankee’s dominance continued. They started the season winning seven of eight and took permanent possession of first place on May 16. This would be the seventh pennant in eight seasons under Casey Stengel. It was the year that Mickey Mantle blossomed into his great career by winning the Triple Crown and MVP, batting .353, 52 HRs and 130 RBIs. Alhough the Indians pitching staff led the league in wins, complete games, ERA, shutouts, and strikeouts, they could not keep pace.
The Yanks talented lineup included four positions players that hit more than 20 HRs – Mantle, Berra, 1B Bill Skowron and OF Hank Bauer. Stengel found two hidden gems in pitchers, Tom Sturdivant,16-6, and sophomore Johnny Kucks,18-9. Whitey Ford, 19-6, was their ace. OF Elston Howard provided some relief for Yogi by filling in behind the plate in 26 games.
1956 World Series
While all the hype of this Series was about Don Larsen’s Perfect Game in Game 5, it is sometimes forgotten what a great Series it was. Not to downplay Larsen’s masterpiece, the only perfect game in World Series history, the excitement did not stop there. The Yanks took control 3 games to 2, but in Game 6 Jackie Robinson hit a walk off base hit off of Bob Turley in the 10th inning to even the series. In Game 7 young Johnny Kucks went up against the MVP and Cy Young winner Don Newcombe. The 22-year-old Kucks threw a 3-hit shutout and the Yank’s bats exploded to win 9-0.