Latest / Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History / 1958-1959 • Baseball Clip • Los Angeles Dodger Highlights

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1958-1959 • Baseball Clip • Los Angeles Dodger Highlights · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

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This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
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Big bouncer over the mound, over second base. Up with it is Mantia, throws low and wild.
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Hodges scores, we go to Chicago!
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The date, September 29, 1959. At precisely 5 minutes and 55 seconds after 5 o'clock Pacific Standard Time,
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Gil Hodges touched home plate and the fabulous Los Angeles Dodgers had won the National League pennant.
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Never in the history of baseball had a team finished seventh one year and come back to win the championship the following season.
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To trace the story of the Cinderella Dodgers, the starting point would be April 18, 1958.
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Good afternoon everybody, this is Ben Scully speaking to you from the Los Angeles Coliseum
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as opening day has finally come to Southern California.
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After spending more than half a century in Brooklyn, the Dodgers came west to settle in Los Angeles.
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Over 78,000 fans were on hand to see history in the making.
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The first major league game ever played in Southern California.
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Carl Erskine threw the first official pitch and the Los Angeles Dodgers began what proved to be a dismal season.
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The team finished in seventh place, although the novelty of Major League Baseball drew over 1,800,000 fans into the huge Coliseum.
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You know when the Dodgers started the 1959 season, most of the experts figured they'd wind up about fifth, at least no better than fourth.
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Well, the 59 team contained practically the same personnel as the 1958 squad,
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with the exception of Wally Moon, an in and out left handed batting outfielder.
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Wally was obtained from the St. Louis Cardinals in an off-season trade.
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But what a difference Mr. Moon made, as you will hear later on.
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The Dodgers got off to a good start in 1959, staying in contention right from the opening gun.
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Shortly after the season began, May the 3rd, 1959, President Walter O'Malley staged Roy Campanella Night at the Coliseum.
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The world champion New York Yankees came to town to play the Dodgers in an exhibition game,
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with all proceeds going to help Roy in his fight to recover from a serious automobile accident, which had left him paralyzed.
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Los Angeles fans responded to this great cause in such fantastic numbers that 93,103 paid their way into the Coliseum,
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making this the largest crowd in history to watch a professional baseball game.
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It was one of the most dramatic moments in sports when Roy was wheeled out on the field and surrounded by civic and baseball dignitaries
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and Yankee and Dodger ballplayers spoke to the huge gathering.
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I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
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This is something that I'll never forget as long as I live.
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I'd like to thank the Yankees, the players, Mr. Delwed, Mr. Dan Topping, for having their ball club participate in this game.
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I'd like to thank Mr. O'Malley and all of my Dodger teammates.
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It's a wonderful tribute, and I thank God that I'm here living to be able to see.
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Thanks a million.
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Before the first pitch, the 93,000-plus Coliseum fans gave Roy Campanella their personal salute.
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This is the way Vince Gulley described it.
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Friends, right now the Yankees have been asked to leave the field and the Dodgers are not out on the field.
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For right now, the Coliseum, all of the lights will be turned out as Pee Wee Reese wheels the chair that holds Roy Campanella
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across the first base foul line and heads him towards the pitcher's mound.
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The lights are going out.
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As a final tribute to Roy Campanella, the lights will be lowered and everyone at the ballpark, 93,000 people,
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are asked in silent tribute to light a match to Roy Campanella.
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And we would like to think that as 93,000 people light the match, that would be 93,000 prayers for a great man.
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The lights now are starting to come out like thousands and thousands of fireflies, starting deep in center field,
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glittering around to the left and slowly the entire ballpark, lighting up with individual lights.
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And Roy Campanella, as the years go back, standing off to the right is Pee Wee Reese.
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Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three. Three.
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Sea of Lights at the Coliseum, perhaps the most beautiful and dramatic moment in the history of sport.
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Let there be a prayer for every light.
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And wherever you are, maybe you, in silent tribute to Campanella can also say a prayer for his well-being.
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Roy Campanella for thousands of times made a trip to the mound to help somebody out.
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A tired pitcher, a disgusted youngster, a boy who's perhaps had his heart broken in
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a game of baseball.
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And tonight, on his last trip to the mound, the city of Los Angeles says hello to him.
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Listen.
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Few will remember the final score of that Yankee Dodger exhibition.
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But the thousands who were there and the many thousands who heard it on radio will remember.
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When the Dodgers moved west, so did the Giants.
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And if anyone thought this great baseball rivalry would suffer from the change, they
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couldn't have been more wrong.
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The date is May the 30th, 1959.
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Los Angeles and San Francisco met at the Coliseum in their first important series of the season.
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It's the top of the sixth inning.
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Orchards to Vin Scully for a magnificent description of one of the wildest rhubarbs
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baseball has ever known.
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Drysdale ready on the 1-1 pitch.
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Curveball cut on is a high fly ball right down the left field line.
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Right on the line hits the foul pole and kicks foul.
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That's just about as foul as you can get without being fair.
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Willie Mays hit the foul pole and it kicked off in foul ground.
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Rigney is telling Mays to trot all the way around.
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Soly Parker and Bill Rigney appealing to third base umpire Dusty Boggess.
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And now they're going to wave Mays around and here come the Dodgers after Boggess.
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If you know the Coliseum at all and you know the girder that supports the screen right
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down the left field line Willie Mays hit a fly ball that actually hit that girder and
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then kicked off into foul territory.
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At first Dusty Boggess called it foul but Rigney told Mays to go around anyway and after
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Rigney and Soly Parker got into the discussion Boggess suddenly rolled home run.
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The Dodgers came racing out of the dugout.
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A firecracker goes off back a home plate like to scare everybody out of 10 years growth.
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And the argument continues directly back of third base along the line.
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All four umpires along with a heated group of Dodgers and the rhubarb continues about
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30 feet down the line.
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So Willie Mays who is normally causing a lot of noise either at the Coliseum or SEAL Stadium
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has now really set off a bomb here at the Coliseum.
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When you look at that girder down the left field line there are many cables and wires
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that make it a very tough spot to look at.
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No doubt the Dodger contention is that the ball hit one of the wires to make it foul.
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But Boggess is now sticking to his guns.
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Drysdale is so mad he almost kicked 20 feet of the Coliseum out of the park.
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Gil Hodges right now is jaw to jaw with Dusty Boggess.
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Gil pointing first with his left hand then with his right hand.
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Drysdale appealing to the gods right now he just wants to holler at anybody who'll listen.
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Don Zimmer is arguing with Tommy Gorman.
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The other three umpires now leave Boggess alone and he is in the midst of lions.
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Don Zimmer, Don Drysdale, Walter Alston, Gil Hodges and Wally Moon are blistering Boggess
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and Dusty every now and then seems to punctuate a Dodger sentence by pointing with his left
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hand to that left field foul pole.
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At the very top of the foul pole there are two slanting guide wires.
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One goes from the top of the pole to the right down to the screen and the other one goes
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from the top to the left down to the floor of the stand.
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The Dodger contention is that the ball hit the guide wire going to the left and would
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be fouled.
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Alston and Hodges and Zimmer and Moon continue to appeal.
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Gorman now tells Hodges to walk away but Hodges goes right after Gorman.
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Zimmer will be hoarse in another two minutes.
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The veins on each side of his neck bulging out like the cable that actually holds up
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the left field screen.
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Boggess sticking to his guns the Dodgers continue to appeal but Mays has touched all the bases
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and will come in with a home run.
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Gorman who is the captain of this umpiring quartet has now summoned Bill Rigney out of
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the giant dugout and both Gorman and Sawley Parker are flanking Bill Rigney and of course
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Gorman doing all the talking.
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Meanwhile the Dodgers are still around Boggess at third but watching Rigney's reaction it
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looks like Gorman is going to call it foul and Rigney is about ready to eat his glasses.
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Alston has walked away like a Philadelphia lawyer who has just won his case.
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Rigney slams his hat down and the gray hair is glistening under the lights.
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Bill is now going jar to jar with Boggess now he kicks at the dirt hands on his hip
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left hand thrown high in the air Ed Sudol comes in to quiet the giant manager down.
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Rigney's left hand then his right hand up in the air now his hat is back on.
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So first the Dodgers appeal and walk away and now it's Rigney's turn to be on the griddle.
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All four umpires appear to be trying to placate Rigney presenting their case the giant manager
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now starting to walk around slamming his hands together pointing with the right hand then
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with the left now a big sweeping gesture with the left hand.
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Gorman comes after him now as if Rigney must have touched a nerve and Gorman goes chewing
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right back after the giant manager.
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Rigney now goes after Gorman points with his left hand to that girder.
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Gorman answers with a right handed gesture.
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Rigney bows at the waist with a sweeping right hand and Gorman and Rigney are really going
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at it.
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Bodges comes over and Rigney like a mad traffic cop now with a right hand indicating that
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all the umpires are mad.
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Rigney kicks at the dirt walks away with a hopeless gesture of bow hand.
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Willie Mays comes out Rigney drapes his left arm around Mays's shoulder and sounds him
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to go to second base.
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I'll meet you halfway and what a riot.
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First it was ruled foul then it was ruled fair then the Dodgers won half a case and
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got Mays to go to second base.
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As soon as we get the ground rules on this particular play off the back of a batting
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card we can pass them along.
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Willie Mays hits the loudest double ever heard in Southern California or in the United States
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for that matter.
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Rigney now comes to argue with the plate umpire Ed Soudal.
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Soudal pointing with his right hand towards the screen Rigney pointing with his right
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hand let's say towards the Dodger dugout.
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Now Sully Parker comes down and it's Rigney with his head just jerking a mile a minute
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and now Soudal wants to talk to third base umpire Dusty Bodges.
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It's a fight a blow by blow verbal battle.
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Rigney has Bodges on his left and Soudal on his right and right now Rigney is laying down
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the law and the umpires come right back with words and gestures.
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Sully Parker third base coach with his arms folded across his chest just listening right
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now.
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Rigney is concentrating his verbal fire on third base umpire Dusty Bodges.
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Soudal is now trying to draw some of the wrath of the giant manager but Bill wants to stay
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with Bodges.
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Now plate umpire Ed Soudal has hollered up to the press box that the Giants will play
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the ball game under protest and it must be announced to the crowd.
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Listen here comes the announcement.
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San Francisco manager Bill Rigney quickly forgot his protest because sad Sam Jones pitched
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a one hit two nothing shutout.
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On August 31st 82,794 fans came to the Coliseum to see the Giants in their final appearance
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of the year in Los Angeles.
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Little did they realize that baseball history was to be made that night and a young left
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hander named Sandy Koufax would attain baseball immortality.
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Koufax has struck out 15 San Francisco batters through eight innings.
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He had to strike out the side in the top of the ninth to set a new National League record
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and tie the all-time major league record.
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It'll be Eddie Bressoux the shortstop then Danny O'Connell and we'll see about Sanford
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spot.
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No one throwing in the giant bullpen.
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Bressoux this evening has popped a short fouled out and struck out batting 255.
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It's a 2-2 tie and Sandy Koufax who came within a whisker I believe of coming out of the ball
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game is now in it again.
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Sandy checking signs with Roseboro.
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Now nods in agreement goes to his windup and delivers curved ball for a strike.
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Sandy has struck out 15.
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He has numbered every giant in his strikeouts.
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The strike one pitch to Bressoux fastball fouled away 0 and 2.
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We'll repeat that note on Koufax we gave you earlier in the eighth inning.
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Sandy his last time out struck out 13 fills.
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Tonight he has struck out 15 giants a total of 28 strikeouts in two games.
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That sets a new National League record and ties Bob Feller's all-time record.
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Curved ball cut on and missed he's all by himself.
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Sandy Koufax has now established a major league record and boy that's something to go above
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the name Bob Feller in strikeouts.
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He has struck out 29 men in his last two games 16 tonight.
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One out here is Danny O'Connell walks struck out and doubled.
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Danny batting 244.
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Koufax's first pitch a fastball for a strike.
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Fess looks in to get his sign from Roseboro.
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The strike one pitch curved ball cut on and missed 0 and 2.
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This crowd is screaming to the skies.
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The strike two pitch fastball got him looking.
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Sandy Koufax strikes out Eddie Brassou and Danny O'Connell on six pitches and now has
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established another all-time record this one for at night games.
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He has struck out 17 men and here comes pitcher Jack Sanford.
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With his 17 strikeouts tonight he has tied a National League record established by a
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pretty good pitcher by the name of Dizzy Dean.
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Fastball cut on and missed.
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Koufax is shooting for all the marbles.
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Just to add spice if he should strike out Sanford he will tie the all-time record for the most
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strikeouts in one game.
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Curved ball inside one ball and one strike.
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So have you got it?
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Koufax with 17 strikeouts tonight establishes a night game record ties a National League
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record held by Dizzy Dean.
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The 1-1 pitch to Sanford cut on and missed strike two.
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Sandy now is one strike away from tying Bob Feller's record.
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This crowd just ready to lift the Coliseum.
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The 1-2 pitch.
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Fastball got him swinging.
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Boy I never thought he'd make it this far with a hit on Mr. And the Ball is competitive.
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Boy, I never thought I'd see it. I never thought I'd see a man strike out 18 major league players in a game.
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And Sandy Koufax did it. The end of 8 1⁄2 innings of play, it's a 2-2 tie.
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Koufax had set the record, but he had not won the ballgame.
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In the bottom of the ninth, Sandy got a single and moved to second on a sacrifice.
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Jim Gilliam was given an intentional walk.
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And with two on and one out, the amazing Wally Moon came to bat against relief pitcher Alan Worthington.
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Wally Moon, hitting 3-0-1, has struck out twice, bounced out and walked.
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Comes up with the ballgame on the line. Sandy Koufax, as Reese told him, took his lead and scratched the line in the dirt.
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Now looks over at the bag. Gilliam away from first. One out, ninth inning a 2-2 tie.
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The 1-1 pitch to Moon. Cut on is a high fly ball. The deep left field, it is done!
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The crowd goes wild.
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Wally Moon just hit a home run over the left field screen.
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82,000 people have gone wild. And wasn't it a wonderful touch that technically the winning run was brought over by Sandy Koufax.
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Oh, what a night. And by the way, the Dodgers are now one game out of first place.
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No doubt for a time, Dodger players missed those wacky, wonderful, delirious Brooklynites.
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But it didn't take long for them to discover a pretty fantastic species of Dodger fan in Los Angeles.
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The mad mobs who gathered at the Coliseum weren't content to just watch the game.
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They had a lesson too. And they came to the ballpark in droves with portables and transistor radios.
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On the night of September the 11th, the Dodgers were playing the Pirates at Twineye Doubleheader.
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The Giants were in San Francisco for a single game with the Phillies.
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By the way, we have direct control to SEAL Stadium now in San Francisco.
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Jackie Brandt was the first man up in the bottom of the ninth inning as a pinch hitter for the Giants.
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And Brandt popped up. So there's one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
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Willie Mays is up in the bottom of the ninth inning. He has just popped up.
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So there are two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning at SEAL Stadium. Philadelphia leading 1-0.
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Willie McCovey is up at the plate at SEAL Stadium with two out in the ninth inning.
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And Philadelphia leading 1-0.
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So Robin Roberts has already disposed of Jackie Brandt, the pinch hitter, and the always dangerous Willie Mays.
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Soon as we get a report about Willie McCovey up at the plate, you shall have it.
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So the Giants have one out left to them.
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Strike one on Willie McCovey up there at San Francisco.
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We'll try and follow that one for you.
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Ron Fairley is in center field.
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Wally Moon is now in left.
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And Carl Frillo is in right.
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We have direct wire now to San Francisco to count to Willie McCovey one ball and one strike.
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Two out, bottom of the ninth, 1-0 Philadelphia.
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We're in the sixth inning, 3-0 Dodgers.
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Green fouls it away, 0-1.
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Well, we're doing two ball games almost simultaneously.
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Next pitch missed to McCovey and they count two balls and one strike to Willie McCovey.
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Chery getting a sign from Fred Green.
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The right-hander delivers 2-1.
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The pitch fouled away, 2-2.
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Well, if somebody tunes in late feeling good, they're really going to get confused.
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Ball three to Willie McCovey.
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Three and one to count to McCovey.
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Two out, bottom of the ninth, 1-0 Philadelphia.
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Chery's pitch, a curve outside to Fred Green.
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Ball three.
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Well, it's confusing, but if you're a baseball fan, you ask for it.
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Ball four to Willie McCovey.
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Well, the Giants have a tying run at first base
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with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Philadelphia leads 1-0.
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Here's the pitch to Fred Green, cut on and missed.
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Strike three.
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Larry Chery has reached a career high of nine strikeouts.
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One out, here's Bob Skinner.
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The batter for the Giants with two out on the ninth inning is Orlando Cepeda.
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Willie McCovey is at first, and the crowd here at the Coliseum,
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many of them with transistors and the U's and the R's, really whirling around the saucer.
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We'll try and keep you right up to every pitch.
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Bob Skinner the batter, Chery's curve, a strike on one.
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Thanks to the ingenuity of our producer, engineer Clay Sanders,
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we're giving you every pitch in both ballparks.
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Curve ball to Skinner, a bouncer to Charlie Neal.
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He's up with it, throws him out.
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Orlando Cepeda has just hit a fly ball to the outfield,
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and it is caught. Philadelphia won it.
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Boy, don't we have fun.
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And understatement, Vinnie, Pittsburgh captain and shortstop Dick Groat was the on-deck hitter that night,
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and he almost jumped out of his uniform when that roar from the crowd went up.
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As the 1959 season came down to the wire, the Dodgers were faced with an eight-game road trip.
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When Walt Alston's warriors swept three straight from the Giants,
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the pennant fever reached a maddening pitch.
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After a two-game split in St. Louis, the Dodgers moved to Wrigley Field, Chicago,
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for the final three games of the season.
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There loomed the possibility of a three-way tie for the pennant among Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and San Francisco.
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The closing day of this pulsating pennant race saw the Giants fade away by losing a doubleheader to the Cardinals.
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The Braves and the Dodgers won their final games and wound up in a flat-footed tie.
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For the third time in National League history, the pennant was to be decided by a best two-out-of-three-game playoff.
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On September the 28th, on a gray overcast day at County Stadium in Milwaukee,
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the Dodgers shaded the defending champs 3-2 on Larry Sherry's brilliant relief pitching
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and Johnny Roseboro's sixth inning home run.
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Tuesday, September 29th, the playoff moved to Memorial Coliseum.
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The Braves behind Lou Burdette were leading 5-2 in the bottom of the ninth.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers come roaring back in the bottom of the ninth,
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and 36,000 people are roaring with them.
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Here in the ninth, Moon single, Snyder single, Hodges single, and Larkins single off the screen to drive in two.
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Runners at first and third, nobody out in the ninth, 5-4 Milwaukee.
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And the Dodgers ask Perillo to at least get Hodges over.
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High fly ball into deep right field, Aaron Goerner way back.
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He one-hands it. Hodges scores. It's a brand new ballgame.
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The Dodgers are one base hit away from Chicago.
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But the hit was not to come until the twelfth inning.
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The old pros were at it again. Hodges on second, Perillo at bat.
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Braves pitcher Bob Rush delivers.
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Big bouncer over the mound, over second base. Up with it is Mantia. Throws low and wild.
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Hodges scores. We go to Chicago.
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The Cinderella team of the National League.
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For the first time in history, a seventh-place club has come back to win the pennant the following year.
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And it had to be the Dodgers.
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In their third playoff, they finally win one and go into the series.
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It went as a base hit for Perillo and an error.
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And the crowd going wild as the fairy tale has come true.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the National League pennant for 1959.
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One of the more unbelievable stories in the wild and wacky world of baseball.
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Perillo hit a bouncer to Mantia, who threw late to first.
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It was a base hit, but his throw was in the dirt and got away from Torrey.
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Mantia got the error and the Dodgers got the National League pennant.
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So our suitcases that are down in the clubhouse are not there to idle out the night.
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They'll go on the plane and the Dodgers will meet head-on with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
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Well, one of the truly great stories, and I am sure the oldest member of the Dodger family as far as playing is concerned is Pee Wee Reese.
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And I would bet you that for Pee Wee, this would be the most satisfying pennant of them all.
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That's the ballgame. It took four hours and ten minutes and seemed like an eternity, but the Dodgers win it 6-5.