MLB: 1958 and Beyond...

[Romdawg88]

Damn, not the performance the Blues needed out there. Well, there goes my prediction of Blues in 5 but I still know their going to win this thing.

[Jeff1787]

It will be tough without Banks, but I still think the Cubs will pull it off!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, not the performance the Blues needed out there. Well, there goes my prediction of Blues in 5 but I still know their going to win this thing.

I have to say the opening three games would have been real frustrating for a Blues fan. They should have won the opener, almost messed up at the end of game two and came closer than the score indicated in game three. They've been much more effective at the plate than I expected them to be and that's without much contribution from Colavito. Like I said, frustrating.

Originally Posted by Jeff1787

It will be tough without Banks, but I still think the Cubs will pull it off!

His loss should be huge but the funny thing is their offense woke up in game three. They're in the box seat right now and it would be quite an achievement to win it all without Banks.

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

MONDAY, 4 OCTOBER, 1959

CUBS ONE WIN FROM TRIUMPH
AFTER GAME FOUR VICTORY

Story by Brian Davison

The moment Chicago Cubs supporters have been waiting 51 years for could arrive as early as this afternoon after the team took a 3-1 lead in the World Series with yesterday's 6-2 victory. Led by fantastic performances from the two Andersons (pitcher Bob and leftfielder Harry) the Cubs triumphed in a matchup that, like every one in the series so far, was close and in the balance until the late innings. Having been the winning pitcher on the day of his birthday in the series opener Bob Anderson claimed his second victory with a complete-game gem. He allowed nine hits but just one earned run, striking out four batters on 127 pitches and being named the Player of the Game. Meanwhile Harry Anderson firmed in favouritism to be named the MVP of the Fall Classic with a 2-for-4, four-RBI afternoon. In the four games so far he's hitting .467 with a home run and nine RBI.

2nd baseman Bobby Adams gave the Cubs a great start when he smashed a home run down the leftfield line leading off the bottom of the 1st. The game then settled into a tense pitcher's duel, with Anderson retiring fourteen of the next seventeen batters he faced and Blues starter Don Ferrarese taking down twelve of fourteen. In the top of the 6th Cleveland's Willie Mays added to what has already been an incredible series for him with a game-tieing two-out solo home run to leftfield. It was his first homer of the series but a team-leading 6th RBI. The former National League MVP was 1-for-4 on the afternoon, the Cubs managing to contain him to that one blast after he'd recorded a trio of hits in each of the first three games. Mays is hitting a remarkable .526 in the series.

Chicago reclaimed the lead immediately, scoring twice in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Lee Walls walk, a Bobby Thomson single and Harry Anderson's double to left that brought both base runners home. They then pushed the lead out to five in a marathon 7th that saw the Cubs bat through their entire lineup. After Gordon Massa popped out to short and Bob Anderson went down swinging it looked like being a quick inning for Ferrarese. But he then walked Bobby Adams and was replaced by Cal McLish, who gave Sammy Taylor a free pass to 1st. Lee Walls singled to left to score Adams before the bases were loaded when Bobby Thomson was also walked. Harry Anderson produced his second 2-RBI hit of the game, a single to short centrefield that saw Taylor and Walls cross home plate. The bases were loaded once again when Dale Long became the fourth batter in the inning to be walked before Johnny Goryl filed out to rightfield to end it. The Cubs had a 6-1 lead and the crowd were going bananas.

The Blues had a glimmer of hope in the 9th. After Colavito popped out to start it Russ Nixon reached on an error by Dale Long at 1st. Billy Moran's single moved him to 2nd and Larry Doby's double to the gap in left-centre brought him home, also moving Moran to 3rd. Cleveland were down by four with one out and a runner at 3rd but Billy Harrell flied out and when pinch hitter Gary Geiger grounded out to short the game was over and the Cubs had themselves a 3-1 series lead.

"It's hard to believe we're so close," said veteran centrefielder Bobby Thomson. "It would mean so much to this city for us to finish this thing tomorrow, to end half a century of waiting. It's going to be quite a game."

In a career that started back in 1946 Thomson has been close to winning a World Championship on three previous occasions. He was a member of the Giants team that fell 4-2 to the Yankees in '51. Thomson was traded to the Milwaukee Braves before the start of the 1954 season, where the Giants defeated the Blues in the World Series. He was eventually traded back to the Giants on the 15th of June 1957, the Braves going on to claim their second World Championship three months later. If the Cubs can take a victory this afternoon it would end what has been a long wait for the popular Scotsman, also.

***

1959 Major League Baseball World Series,
Game Four Summary

Cleveland Blues
0 0 0, 0 0 1, 0 0 1 - 2 / 9 / 0
CHICAGO CUBS
1 0 0, 0 0 2, 3 0 X - 6 / 9 / 1

Batting leaders...

Willie Mays (CF, Cleveland Blues): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR
Russ Nixon (C, Cleveland Blues): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B

Bobby Adams (2B, Chicago Cubs): 2-for-4, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR
Sammy Taylor (C, Chicago Cubs): 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 R
Lee Walls (RF, Chicago Cubs): 1-for-3, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 RBI
Harry Anderson (LF, Chicago Cubs): 2-for-4, 4 RBI, 1 2B

Starting pitcher's lines...

Don Ferrarese (Cleveland Blues): (L) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 112 PI
Bob Anderson (Chicago Cubs): (W) 9.0 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 127 PI (PotG)

Team batting...

Cleveland Blues: 9-for-35 (.257), 2 R, 1 BB
Chicago Cubs: 9-for-33 (.273), 6 R, 5 BB

Time: 3:26
Attendance: 38,368 (Wrigley Field)

***

[kenyan_cheena]

***

THE 1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
WORLD SERIES, GAME FIVE

CLEVELAND BLUES
(AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS)

@

CHICAGO CUBS
(NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS)

WRIGLEY FIELD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
MONDAY 4 OCTOBER 1959

***

The Chicago Cubs stand on the verge of a historical triumph this afternoon, the ballclub just one victory away from its first World Championship in 51 years. Think about that. 51 years. Young children who were only just discovering the joys of baseball and who may have became Cubs fans back in that year of 1908 would now be in their late-fifties or early-sixties and have gone through the entire distance of their lives since, waiting for the day when their beloved team could be called Champions once again. There have been a number of near misses in those 51 years, in particular during the stretch from '29 through '45 when the Cubbies made five unsuccessful trips to the World Series. But if they can win this afternoon's game five matchup against the American League Champion Cleveland Blues the wait will finally come to an end...

***

(Following are selected excerpts from the broadcast of the game on Chicago radio station WGN 720 AM)

...and it's so fantastic to see Wrigley packed out for what I feel will be an afternoon to remember in Chicago Cubs history. The weather bureau has reported the possibility of rain and from the looks of those clouds approaching from the west I'd have to agree with their assessment. Cleveland's lead-off man Minnie Minoso is just about to step into the batter's box now and it's incredible to hear the excitement from this crowd as Bob Conley takes up his stance on the mound...

TOP OF THE 1ST - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...Conley with the 1-2 delivery and he strikes him out! Minoso caught looking at that one and Conley gets him with a pitch that just caught the outside of the plate.

* ...and Ward is swinging on the pitch and has a base hit. It just cleared the right side of the infield and it rolls out to Walls, Ward pulling up at 1st. He connected nicely on that and, looking at the numbers, has been one of Cleveland's better hitters in the series with a .294 average through the first four games.

* ...and Mays has gone down looking also! My, what a pitch from Conley! That's two strikeouts already for him and to get Willie Mays looking is quite an achievement!

* ...it doesn't need to be said that he was hoping to contribute much more than he has to his ballclub's efforts in this series. The 2-2 pitch now ... Colavito swings and it's a flyball to rightfield. Walls camps under it and makes the catch, ending the inning.

BOTTOM OF THE 1ST - CHICAGO CUBS

* ...Adams receiving a thunderous ovation as he makes his way to the plate. He comes into today with a .533 average in the series...

...swinging on it and it's a liner straight to Colavito in right. One down for the Cubs here in the 1st.

* ...and Taylor cracks it into rightfield! Base hit! It falls about five yards in front of Colavito and the Cubs catcher has himself a single.

* ...leading all players with nine RBI through the first four games. Anderson is swinging at the first pitch here and grounds it to 1st. Ward with the throw to 2nd and Taylor is out there.

* ...and Walls with a hard hit grounder to Avila. The throw to 1st and the inning is over. Both teams getting one man on board but the score remains 0-0.

-----
END OF THE 1ST - CLEVELAND BLUES 0, CHICAGO CUBS 0
-----

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

TOP OF THE 2ND - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...and he's had a great series for the Blues so far. Nixon swings at Conley's 1-1 pitch and grounds it to Adams at 2nd. The throw to 1st and that's one out.

* ...Avila getting right under that pitch, popping it up to Goryl at 3rd.

* ...Carrasquel with a weak grounder to 3rd. Goryl with the throw across the diamond ending a quick inning for the Blues.

BOTTOM OF THE 2ND - CHICAGO CUBS

* ...it would be so fantastic to see him finally win a Championship, right here this afternoon. Thomson swinging on Mossi's 1-2 offering and he cracks it to right! It falls between Colavito and Mays just a few feet from the wall! Thomson hustling into 2nd for a double!

* ...and that's ball four outside the plate! Long takes a walk to 1st and the Cubs have two on board with no one out.

* ...had the worst series at the plate of any player involved, but has been faultless in the field. Goryl grounds it to 3rd, Harrell scooping it up and tagging the base to get Thomson. He doesn't risk the throw to 1st and, oh my, Goryl is really hearing it from this crowd as he trudges back to the dugout. A .062 batting average can often lead to that kind of reaction. He's now a terrible 1-for-16 in the series!

* ...to say that he's done a reasonable job of filling in for Banks. The 1-1 pitch, Massa swings and it's a base hit! The ball through the gap between 2nd and 3rd and into left-centre! Long is rounding 3rd base, Willie Mays onto it and making the throw to home! Long beats it and the Cubs have a 1-0 lead! My, this crowd has erupted! Goryl took 3rd on the throw and Massa is in there at 2nd!

* ...and Conley does exactly that! A grounder to 1st and Goryl has scored from 3rd! Great work there from the Cubs starter, giving himself a 2-0 lead! Massa moves over to 3rd and we're back to the top of the order already here in the 2nd inning!

* ...but Adams grounds out to end the inning, the ball finding Carrasquel at shortstop. That's a great start for the Cubs, though, as they take a 2-0 lead into the 3rd!

-----
END OF THE 2ND - CLEVELAND BLUES 0, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

TOP OF THE 3RD - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...Harrell slaps a groundball to 3rd, continuing what has been a difficult series for him.

* ...and Conley strikes him out! Mossi looked like he had no idea about that one and Conley's now mesmerized three Blues batters with that pitch! Great work!

* ...Minoso connects nicely but it'll fall short of the wall, Thomson making the catch. Another quick inning whice really bodes well for the Cubs at this early stage. Conley's only thrown 38 pitches so far.

BOTTOM OF THE 3RD - CHICAGO CUBS

* ...Taylor grounding to 3rd for the first out of the inning.

* ...sharply hit grounder but Carrasquel makes a nice pickup there! Anderson out at 1st.

* ...but it's straight to Adams! Walls lining out to 2nd and that's another quick inning.

-----
END OF THE 3RD - CLEVELAND BLUES 0, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

TOP OF THE 4TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...and Ward leads off with his second hit of the game! That ball was smoked down the right field line and he pulls up at 2nd for a double!

* ...that pitch has gotten away from Taylor and Ward takes 3rd! A wild pitch there from Conley and the Blues are now in a great position to get on the scoreboard...

...and he's done exactly what they brought him to Cleveland to do. The 2-2 pitch and Mays follows Ward down the right field line! A base hit for the Blues outfielder and Ward has scored! Chicago's lead is now 2-1! My, what a series Willie Mays has had! That's his seventh RBI!

* ...but that's going to be caught by Anderson in left and Colavito's frustrations continue. He's had just a single hit in ten at-bats here at Wrigley.

* ...Nixon grounds it to 3rd, Goryl gets Mays at 2nd, the throw to 1st ... double-play! My, Adams' throw beat Nixon by half a step! What a way to end the inning!

BOTTOM OF THE 4TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...and that's going to fall safely in shallow left for a base hit! Thomson is 2-for-2 now after his double leading off the 2nd inning. A great start to the game for him!

* ...Long not quite getting onto that one and it's straight to Mays in centrefield. One down for the Cubs.

* ...Oh! What a grab by Carrasquel! The Blues shortstop went up for that one and came down with it! Goryl can't believe it and that's kind of cruel that a player who is struggling so much would fall victim to a catch like that.

* ...base hit for Massa! He slapped it over the infield and it drops a good twenty yards in front of Minoso. Chicago now has runners on 1st and 2nd! Let's see if Conley can come through here...

* ...that one's hit hard into right, but Colavito makes the catch a few yards from the wall. My, that would have been something if Conley had cleared the fence on that swing! Unfortunately the Cubs strand two batters but they still hold that 2-1 lead.

-----
END OF THE 4TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 1, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

TOP OF THE 5TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...Walls won't have any trouble pulling that one in, Avila flying out to start the frame for the Blues.

* ...that's not going to beat Massa, though. He guns it to 1st and Carrasquel grounds out for the second time today.

* ...swung on and hit, the ball into the gap in left-centre and ... falls safely just wide of Anderson. A base hit for Harrell. The Blues 3rd baseman hasn't had the happiest series but I'm sure that will help his confidence.

* ...and Conley strikes him out! Mossi taking a big cut at that pitch but swinging under it. That's the end of the inning for the Blues and Conley has been reliably fantastic so far today, giving up just four hits through the first five innings.

BOTTOM OF THE 5TH - CHICAGO CUBS

* ...Adams having no idea on that one and Mossi gets him looking!

* ...and Taylor has smacked that pitch into left! Back to the wall, oh! It rebounds off the bottom of the wall and Taylor has himself a double standing up! My, he got all of that ball! The Cubbies catcher is now 2-for-3 today.

* ...has been fantastic through the series but it hasn't been his day so far. Anderson now 0-for-3 after that flyball to Mays.

* ...straight to Carrasquel and the throw to 1st gets Walls to end the inning, the Cubs leaving Taylor on 2nd.

-----
END OF THE 5TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 1, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

(to be continued)

[kenyan_cheena]

(continuation)

...and those clouds have finally opened up and, yes, yes, they're calling the players from the field now, just as Conley was about to deliver the first pitch of the 6th inning...

...so in total a 48 minute rain delay but they're now ready to resume the game...

TOP OF THE 6TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...Conley strikes out Minoso, the outfielder going down swinging! That's the fifth strikeout for Conley and the second for Minoso this afternoon.

* ...Ward connects on that one but Anderson is under it in left and makes the catch.

* ...and that'll be ball four, down and away to Mays. He's on base for the second time in a row.

* ...Colavito just has not been able to get going here in Chicago, that grounder to Adams ending the inning for the Blues.

The Cubs are now just nine outs from triumph and Bob Conley is still in there, looking like he could go the distance.

BOTTOM OF THE 6TH - CHICAGO CUBS

* ...Thomson taking 1st base on four pitches there. He's reached each time he's stepped into the batter's box this afternoon and the look on his face tells you how much this means to him.

* ...that's a high pop up and Carrasquel is camped out underneath it, making the catch to get rid of Long. Thomson still in there at 1st.

* ...Thomson with a big lead at 1st and he's going with the pitch! It's outside and Nixon is up throwing ... got him! Thomson gunned out at 2nd! What a throw from the Blues catcher! That's two down now...

...a weak grounder to 3rd and Goryl's World Series nightmare continues, Harrell making the throw to 1st to end the frame.

-----
END OF THE 6TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 1, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

TOP OF THE 7TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

* ...Nixon grounding out to short. That was a solidly hit ball but Massa had little trouble gathering it in.

* ...and that's a base hit up the left field line for Avila! My, he smoked that ball and he's rounding 1st and pulls up at 2nd! A double for the Cleveland infielder and Conley looks really frustrated after that.

* ...Doby brought into the lineup to pinch hit in Carrasquel's place...

...the 1-2 pitch and it's a one-hopper to Massa, the throw to 1st and that's two out now for the Blues.

* ...it will be fascinating to see where he ends up during the off-season. Maris swinging at the 1-1 pitch, a hard grounder to Massa and OH! He bobbled it and it got behind him! Avila is safe at 3rd and Maris at 1st on an error by Massa! That would have been three putouts in the inning for him if he'd made the play but now the Blues have a great chance to level this!

Conley pacing away from the mound now and Geiger has replaced Maris on 1st base. Mossi coming to the plate for the Blues...

* ...and that's a wild pitch! Oh, the ball down and away in the dirt and Taylor couldn't get a handle on it! Avila scores from 3rd and we are all tied up at 2-2, folks! My, what a disasterous stretch for the Cubs! Geiger advances to 2nd and Cleveland is just a base hit away from leading. This crowd has fallen into a shocked silence...

...Mossi swings and it's a weak grounder to Massa, and this time he collects it and makes the throw to 1st, ending the inning. So he ended up making all three outs but he also made the error that led to the tieing run. What an eventful inning for him.

BOTTOM OF THE 7TH - CHICAGO CUBS

...the Blues now have Geiger fielding at 3rd and Billy Moran in at shortstop, Mossi still on the mound...

* ...Massa connects but it's straight to Minoso in left for the first out.

* ...Oliver to bat for Conley now, putting to an end my prediction that the Cubs starter would go the distance...

...flyball into left and Minoso makes the catch. An easy out for the Blues, that one.

* ...the full-count offering and Adams strikes out swinging! Mossi blew him away with that pitch!

And we move on to the 8th and this intriguing game is locked up at 2-2!

-----
END OF THE 7TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 2, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

TOP OF THE 8TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

...and John Buzhardt is the new pitcher for the Cubs. Conley's final numbers ... seven innings, five hits, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 105 pitches and that all adds up to an outstanding effort, I have to say...

* ...Minoso with a sharply-hit grounder to short and Massa makes a nice pickup! The throw to 1st and he's now made the last four outs for the Cubs.

* ...the 1-1 pitch and Ward grounds it straight to Adams at 2nd. This looks like being a quick inning, which is just what the Cubs need.

* ...and the full-count pitch is inside. Mays walked for the second time in a row.

* ...it was a very patient plate appearance from Colavito and as a result the Blues now have men on 1st and 2nd, although with two out. Colavito failed to reach in his first three at-bats so he's 0-for-3 with a walk now.

* ...base hit! Nixon hammered it into left and Mays is hustling round 3rd and making for home! Anderson's throw isn't gonna make it in time and it's cutoff by Adams! Mays scores and the Cleveland Blues have themselves a 3-2 lead! My, what a diabolical last two innings these have been for the Cubs! Nixon is at 1st and Colavito 2nd!

* ...and he gets Avila to ground it to Massa. Nixon is out at 2nd to end it but the Blues have put their noses in front and Chicago's going to have to respond, otherwise this series is heading back to Cleveland!

BOTTOM OF THE 8TH - CHICAGO CUBS

...and Mossi's done a fantastic job for his ballclub today, now into the 8th inning and still going strong. Acker is up and throwing in the bullpen though...

* ...that's a flyball from Taylor into left and Minoso makes the out.

* ...Anderson has cracked that pitch down the right field line and it's ... fair! It drops just inside the foul line and Anderson rounds 1st and pulls up at 2nd for a double!

...and Gordon is now making the trip out to the mound. He takes the ball from Mossi and gives him a pat on the back, this crowd showing great sportsmanship by applauding the Blues pitcher as he makes his way to the dugout. Mossi lasted 7.1 innings, allowed seven hits and two earned runs, walked two and struck out two on 103 pitches. Like his adversary Bob Conley, a brilliant outing. Tom Acker is the new pitcher for the Blues...

* ...and Walls freezes on the pitch, strike three! Oh, what a job Acker did on him!

* ...but that'll be ball four and Bobby Thomson continues what has been an absolutely fantastic afternoon for him! He's 2-for-2 with two walks, making for a perfect on-base percentage! The Cubs have runners on 1st and 2nd with two out now.

* ...Long with the hard grounder and Avila bobbles it! My, the ball bounced off his glove and Long reaches! Bases loaded now for the Cubs and wouldn't you know it, the man who has had perhaps one of the worst Fall Classics in history, Johnny Goryl, is about to step in the batter's box. The crowd are imploring him to come through and it will be absolutely huge if he does...

* ...Goryl swinging and he strikes out on a slider that tailed away from him! My, what drama here! Acker gets out of a loaded-bases jam by striking out Goryl and the Blues lead by one going into the 9th!

-----
END OF THE 8TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 3, CHICAGO CUBS 2
-----

(to be concluded!)

[kenyan_cheena]

(conclusion)

TOP OF THE 9TH - CLEVELAND BLUES

...Gene Stephens now out in left for the Cubs, surprising that Scheffing would replace Anderson as he's been one of their best and they might need him if we go to extra innings...

* ...Moran in just his third at-bat of the series ... and that's gonna be a base hit! He cracked that pitch to the gap in left-centre and he has himself a single!

* ...Geiger showing bunt, and he lays it down beautifully! The ball rolling towards 3rd and Buzhardt gets onto it, but too late! Geiger is safe and Moran is at 2nd! What a start to the inning for Cleveland! Two men on and no one out!

* ...and Buzhardt strikes him out! Brown caught looking at strike three and the pinch hitter is out!

* ...Minoso with a hard grounder but Goryl is onto it! What a pick-up! Geiger is out at 2nd and the throw to 1st ... double play! Avila beating Minoso by a step!

And now you see, folks, why Johnny Goryl is still in the game, despite having a horror stretch with the bat! He's a fantastic fielder and he's not even playing his prefered position at 2nd! What a way to end the inning! They really dodged a bullet there!

BOTTOM OF THE 9TH - CHICAGO CUBS

...and Gordon has brought in his closer Chuck Churn to try and finish things off here in the 9th. It's his first appearance in the series so far and he looks nervous as he throws a couple of warm-up pitches. He only made 46 appearances during the regular season and went 2-4 with an ERA of 3.29. He was also credited with eight saves for the Blues...

* ...Massa grounds that pitch to short and Moran guns him out at 1st! The Blues now just two outs from sending the series back to Cleveland.

* ...Tanner called on to pinch hit for Buzhardt now...

...grounder to 3rd and Geiger boots it! Oh, my, he went down to make the pick up and ended up booting the ball with his right foot out in front of him! Tanner is safe at 1st! Scheffing is taking him out immediately and bringing in the speedy outfielder Joe Hicks to run for him...

* ...Churn from the wind-up ... and it's in the dirt and gets past Nixon! Hicks scampers to 2nd and the Cubs now have the tieing run in scoring position! Adams clapping his encouragement to Hicks as he backs away from the plate.

Churn is shaking his head as he takes a walk away from the mound, Nixon coming out to talk to him...

...the 1-2 pitch, and he strikes out Adams! He took a big cut at that one but he was late on it! Two down now for the Cubs in the bottom of the 9th and this crowd is on the edge of their seats! Some of them can't even watch!

* ...2-2 on Taylor now ... and he just gets a bit of that pitch! Oh, that would have been all over otherwise! My, my!

...Churn delivers, Taylor swinging and it's a flyball to deep left! He creamed it and it's going back, back ... OH, MY GOD! MY GOD! HOME RUN!!! HOME RUN!!! Sammy Taylor with the two-run home run to left and THE CUBS WIN IT!!! THE CUBS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!

-----
END OF THE 9TH - CLEVELAND BLUES 3, CHICAGO CUBS 4
-----

...

As you can hear the crowd here at Wrigley have exploded in an outpouring of jubilation! The Chicago Cubs have ended 51 years of frustration, heartache and disappointment with a single swing of a bat! Sammy Taylor smashed a two-run homer into the stands in left and he's been carried around on the shoulders of his teammates, all of them in the middle of the diamond celebrating their victory!

Rocky Colavito, Willie Mays and Minnie Minoso are slowly making their way to the infield and Mays in particular looks really distraught. He produced a remarkable effort for his side throughtout the series but it hasn't been enough, and one could point to game one and say they should have won it. They were so painfully close to sending the series back to Cleveland here, and you have to say that if they'd achieved that they had a chance to replicate Milwaukee's effort from last year and come back from 3-1 down to win it. But it wasn't to be and, oh, what a great sight that is!

The Cubs players have brought the injured Ernie Banks out onto the field and they're parading him around on their shoulders! What a fantastic sight! Banks has tears streaming down his face and he's waving to the crowd! He was their star, the man that was most responsible for their success this year and it was a terrible shame that he wasn't able to play a World Series game at Wrigley, but they've won it for him and Ernie Banks can now be called a World Series Champion!

Bobby Thomson has a look of jubilation on his face that money could never buy as he hugs Cubs manager Bob Scheffing, Thomson finally winning a World Series after being so close before! What an incredible ending to an outstanding season of baseball this has been!!!

***

1959 Major League Baseball World Series,
Game Five Summary

Cleveland Blues
0 0 0, 1 0 0, 1 1 0 - 3 / 8 / 2
CHICAGO CUBS
0 2 0, 0 0 0, 0 0 2 - 4 / 8 / 1

Batting leaders...

Preston Ward (1B, Cleveland Blues): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B
Willie Mays (CF, Cleveland Blues): 1-for-2, 2 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI

Sammy Taylor (C, Chicago Cubs): 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR (PotG)
Bobby Thomson (CF, Chicago Cubs): 2-for-2, 2 BB, 1 2B
Gordon Massa (SS, Chicago Cubs): 2-for-4, 1 RBI

Starting pitcher's lines...

Don Mossi (Cleveland Blues): 7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 103 PI
Bob Conley (Chicago Cubs): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 105 PI

Team batting...

Cleveland Blues: 8-for-34 (.235), 3 R, 3 BB
Chicago Cubs: 8-for-35 (.228), 4 R, 3 BB

Time: 3:27
Attendance: 38,346 (Wrigley Field)

***

[Jeff1787]

What a great game...glad the Cubs won. Very good job KC!!

[kailnurah]

Now that's what you call a game...too bad for Mays, I've always been a fan, but that was some effort by Chicago!

[kenyan_cheena]

Thanks, guys. I don't think we could have had a more dramatic game to end the season. I was disappointed that the Blues couldn't get it back to Cleveland but having that kind of finish to the series was worth it.

I have to post some World Series stats, then a couple of posts relating to the Cubs celebrating theri win and the end of season awards. That will bring a close to what was an incredible 1959 season.

[Romdawg88]

Damn, just damn. Oh well, great stuff KC it was a fantastic season. I'm looking forward to the 1960 season I hear that there is a bunch of great rookies that will be showing up then.

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by Romdawg88

Damn, just damn. Oh well, great stuff KC it was a fantastic season. I'm looking forward to the 1960 season I hear that there is a bunch of great rookies that will be showing up then.

Thanks, Romy. It was an incredible season and if '60 is just as good we've got a lot to look forward to. I can't wait to see which teams all of the incoming rookies end up on.

[kenyan_cheena]

1959 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES

TEAM STATISTICS

TEAM BATTING

Chicago Cubs: 46-for-171 (.269), 28 R, 22 BB
Cleveland Blues: 54-for-181 (.298), 21 R, 12 BB

Batting leaders...

Chicago Cubs

Harry Anderson (LF): .421 (8-for-19), .500 OBP, 3 BB, 4 R, 9 RBI, 3 2B, 1 HR (World Series MVP)
Bobby Adams (1B): .400 (8-for-20), .478 OBP, 3 BB, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR
Bobby Thomson (CF): .389 (7-for-18), .500 OBP, 4 BB, 4 R, 1 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR
Sammy Taylor (C): .348 (8-for-23), .375 OBP, 1 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR

Cleveland Blues

Willie Mays (CF): .524 (11-for-21), .565 OBP, 2 BB, 6 R, 7 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR
Russ Nixon (C): .350 (7-for-20), .409 OBP, 2 BB, 2 R, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR
Preston Ward (1B): .333 (7-for-21), .348 OBP, 1 BB, 5 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B

TEAM PITCHING

Chicago Cubs ERA: 3.48
Cleveland Blues ERA: 5.27

Starting pitchers...

Chicago Cubs

Bob Anderson (2 games), 2-0, 3.07 ERA, 14.2 IP, 18 HA, 5 ER, 3 BB, 12 K
Bob Conley (2 games), 0-1, 2.13 ERA, 12.2 IP, 12 HA, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
Bob Purkey (1 game), 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 13 HA, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Cleveland Blues

Don Ferrarese (2 games), 0-2, 7.11 ERA, 12.2 IP, 13 HA, 10 ER, 7 BB, 10 K
Don Mossi (2 games), 1-0, 2.35 ERA, 15.1 IP, 12 HA, 4 ER, 5 BB, 8 K
Gary Bell (1 game), 0-1, 15.75 ERA, 4.0 IP, 8 HA, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER, 1959

CUBS PARADE WORLD SERIES
TROPHY THROUGH CHICAGO'S STREETS

Story by Brian Davison

The Chicago Cubs staged a fantastic celebration of their first World Championship in 51 years yesterday, with a motorcade parading the players, coaching staff and World Series trophy through the streets around Wrigley Field. Tens of thousands of fans were on hand for the joyous event and they lined the route, which eventually reached its destination at the famous home ground. Chicago's 4-1 series win over the American League Champion Cleveland Blues brought to an end what was a remarkable 1959 season. The year was highlighted by the Ohio ballclub's nail-biting pennant race with the Detroit Tigers but the brilliance of the Cubs in the second half of the campaign when they ran away with the National League title was also a standout.

MLB will announce their season award winners this coming Monday the 11th, the day to mark the official closing of the book on the season. It's more than likely that the Cubs will feature strongly in the NL awards with shortstop Ernie Banks an unbackable favourite to be crowned MVP and one of the team's ace pitchers a strong chance to be named Cy Young winner. Banks injured his knee during game two of the World Series and was unable to take part in any of the three matchups held at Wrigley and said yesterday that the disappointment of that is only going to drive him to do his best to help the team make a repeat journey to the Fall Classic in 1960.

"I've never experienced anything like this in my life," the 28 year-old said. "Never. Winning the World Series has been my dream for so long and to have finally achieved it is amazing. But at the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't heartbroken with not being able to walk on the field here at Wrigley for one of the games. I'll be pushing myself even harder next year to help this ballclub defend their title. The National League has the home field advantage next season so we'll host at least the opening two games if we win the pennant again. We have a fantastic group of players here so I see no reason why we can't do it."

The Cubs may have a great playing roster but a number of them are currently unsigned for next season and beyond. It's going to be a busy winter for the ballclub's administration as they go about the task of keeping the nucleus of the side that achieved glory this year in tact. World Series MVP Harry Anderson is one of those "off contract" players and there's no doubt he'll be looking for a hefty payrise after his exploits this year. The same goes for the starting pitcher trio of Purkey, Conley and Bob Anderson, who between them won 61 games and all had an ERA of 2.96 or less. All three of them are also off contract. Banks himself is signed through until the end of 1962, as is the veteran Scotsman Bobby Thomson.

Whatever the outcome of those negotiations it will be fascinating to follow the Cubs as they defend their title in 1960. But for now, they'll continue to celebrate the grand achievement of climbing to the top of the mountain...

[kenyan_cheena]

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

TUESDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 1959

BANKS AND CONLEY CLAIM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Story by Brian Davison

The Chicago Cubs have followed up their World Series triumph by claiming both the National League MVP and Cy Young Awards at a lavish dinner and ceremony held last night in New York City. The event was hosted by Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick and brought to a close an absolutely fantastic season. Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks was named MVP and 25 year-old Bob Conley claimed the Cy Young Award, fending off fellow starter Bob Anderson. Banks had a season to remember, hitting .340 (2nd in the NL) with 55 home runs and 144 RBI (1st in both categories). Banks also took out the Gold Glove Award for shortstop, something he was just as happy with.

"Yeah, the Gold Glove is pret