1954 World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1954 World Series matched the National League
champion New York Giants
against the American League
champion Cleveland Indians
. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the regular season. The Series is perhaps best-remembered for "The Catch", a sensational running catch made by Giants center fielder Willie Mays
in Game 1, snaring a long drive by Vic Wertz
near the outfield wall with his back to the infield. It is also remembered for utility player Dusty Rhodes' clutch hitting in three of the four games. Giants manager Leo Durocher
won his only title among the three pennants he captured in his career. After moving West, the San Francisco Giants
would not win a World Series until the 2010 season
.
This was the first time the Cleveland Indians
had been swept in a World Series and the first time the New York Giants
had swept an opponent without qualification. They had won four games without a loss in the 1922 World Series
, but there was also one tied game. Game 4 was the last World Series game at Cleveland Stadium
; the Indians did not return to the World Series until , a year after Jacobs Field opened.
As a result, this World Series held the distinction of being the most recent World Series to host the final World Series game of its two venues, a distinction it lost to the 1959 World Series
after the original Comiskey Park
closed down at the end of the 1990 Major League Baseball season
and Dodger Stadium
opened in .
, by winning the American League
pennant, kept the Yankees
from winning their sixth straight series. The last time the Yankees had not won the series or pennant beforehand was 1948, when, again, the Indians kept them out (although that year, they won the Series). It was also the only World Series from 1949 to 1958 which did not feature the Yankees.
The Indians easily won the 1954 pennant on the strength of the American League's top pitching staff, leading the AL in team ERA at 2.72 and complete games with 77. Pitchers Early Wynn (23–11, 2.73 ERA) and Bob Lemon (23–7, 2.72 ERA) were in top form, with solid contributions from Mike Garcia (19–8, 2.64) and Art Houtterman (15–7, 3.35). Bob Feller, at age 35, could only make 19 starts, and finished at 13–3. Cleveland also had potent hitting, leading the AL in home runs (156) and finishing second in runs scored (746), although the team managed just 30 stolen bases in 63 attempts. Bobby Avila led the offense with 112 runs and a .341 average, while Larry Doby (.272 avg, 32 HRs, 126 RBIs) and Al Rosen (.300 avg, 24 HRs, 102 RBIs) provided the power. Defensively catcher Jim Hegan made only four errors in 134 games and threw out 44% of would-be base stealers.
The New York Giants entered the World Series with a top flight pitching staff as well, with Johnny Antonelli (21–7, 2.30 ERA), Rubén Gómez (17–9, 2.88), and 37-year-old Sal "The Barber" Maglie (14–6, 3.26). The Giants relied more heavily on relief pitching with Hoyt Wilhelm (12–7, 2.10, 7 saves) and Marv Grissom (10–7, 2.35, 19 saves) rounding out a staff that led the NL in team ERA at 3.09 and shutouts with 17. Manager Leo Durocher used a solid, consistent lineup with all his starters, except for the catching position, playing in at least 135 games. Willie Mays (.345, 41 HRs 110 RBIs) led an offense that also featured Don Meuller (.342 avg), Al Dark (.293, 98 runs), Hank Thompson (26 HRs, 86 RBIs) and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dusty Rhodes (.341 avg).
in Manhattan, New York
in Manhattan, New York
in Cleveland, Ohio
in Cleveland, Ohio
(N.L.) over Cleveland Indians
(A.L.)
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
champion New York Giants
1954 New York Giants (MLB) season
The New York Giants season was a season in Major League Baseball. The Giants won the National League pennant with a record of 97 wins and 57 losses and then defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.-Offseason:...
against the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
champion Cleveland Indians
1954 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series for the first time in six years. It was the team's third American League championship in franchise history...
. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the regular season. The Series is perhaps best-remembered for "The Catch", a sensational running catch made by Giants center fielder Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
in Game 1, snaring a long drive by Vic Wertz
Vic Wertz
Victor Woodrow Wertz was a Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a seventeen year career from 1947 to 1963. He was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers in 1942 and played for the Tigers, St...
near the outfield wall with his back to the infield. It is also remembered for utility player Dusty Rhodes' clutch hitting in three of the four games. Giants manager Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
won his only title among the three pennants he captured in his career. After moving West, the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
would not win a World Series until the 2010 season
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
.
This was the first time the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
had been swept in a World Series and the first time the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
had swept an opponent without qualification. They had won four games without a loss in the 1922 World Series
1922 World Series
In the 1922 World Series, the New York Giants beat the New York Yankees in five games...
, but there was also one tied game. Game 4 was the last World Series game at Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
; the Indians did not return to the World Series until , a year after Jacobs Field opened.
As a result, this World Series held the distinction of being the most recent World Series to host the final World Series game of its two venues, a distinction it lost to the 1959 World Series
1959 World Series
The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...
after the original Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
closed down at the end of the 1990 Major League Baseball season
1990 Major League Baseball season
-Awards and honors:*Most Valuable Player**Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics **Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates *Cy Young Award**Bob Welch, Oakland Athletics **Doug Drabek, Pittsburgh Pirates *Rookie of the Year...
and Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
opened in .
Background
The Indians1954 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series for the first time in six years. It was the team's third American League championship in franchise history...
, by winning the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennant, kept the Yankees
1954 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the team's 52nd season in New York, and its 54th overall. The team finished in second place in the American League with a record of 103-51, finishing 8 games behind the Cleveland Indians, who broke the Yankees' 1927 AL record by winning 111 games. New York was...
from winning their sixth straight series. The last time the Yankees had not won the series or pennant beforehand was 1948, when, again, the Indians kept them out (although that year, they won the Series). It was also the only World Series from 1949 to 1958 which did not feature the Yankees.
The Indians easily won the 1954 pennant on the strength of the American League's top pitching staff, leading the AL in team ERA at 2.72 and complete games with 77. Pitchers Early Wynn (23–11, 2.73 ERA) and Bob Lemon (23–7, 2.72 ERA) were in top form, with solid contributions from Mike Garcia (19–8, 2.64) and Art Houtterman (15–7, 3.35). Bob Feller, at age 35, could only make 19 starts, and finished at 13–3. Cleveland also had potent hitting, leading the AL in home runs (156) and finishing second in runs scored (746), although the team managed just 30 stolen bases in 63 attempts. Bobby Avila led the offense with 112 runs and a .341 average, while Larry Doby (.272 avg, 32 HRs, 126 RBIs) and Al Rosen (.300 avg, 24 HRs, 102 RBIs) provided the power. Defensively catcher Jim Hegan made only four errors in 134 games and threw out 44% of would-be base stealers.
The New York Giants entered the World Series with a top flight pitching staff as well, with Johnny Antonelli (21–7, 2.30 ERA), Rubén Gómez (17–9, 2.88), and 37-year-old Sal "The Barber" Maglie (14–6, 3.26). The Giants relied more heavily on relief pitching with Hoyt Wilhelm (12–7, 2.10, 7 saves) and Marv Grissom (10–7, 2.35, 19 saves) rounding out a staff that led the NL in team ERA at 3.09 and shutouts with 17. Manager Leo Durocher used a solid, consistent lineup with all his starters, except for the catching position, playing in at least 135 games. Willie Mays (.345, 41 HRs 110 RBIs) led an offense that also featured Don Meuller (.342 avg), Al Dark (.293, 98 runs), Hank Thompson (26 HRs, 86 RBIs) and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dusty Rhodes (.341 avg).
Summary
Game 1
Wednesday, September 29, 1954 at Polo Grounds (IV)Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in Manhattan, New York
Game 2
Thursday, September 30, 1954 at Polo Grounds (IV)Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in Manhattan, New York
Game 3
Friday, October 1, 1954 at Cleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Game 4
Saturday, October 2, 1954 at Cleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Composite box
1954 World Series (4–0): New York GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(N.L.) over Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(A.L.)
Records
- Hank Thompson set a World Series record for bases on balls received during a four-game series with seven and Bob LemonBob LemonRobert Granville Lemon was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976....
set a World Series record for bases on balls given up during a four game Series with eight.