The Dodgers - The Golden Age (1950-1959)

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1950

Brooklyn

1953

Brooklyn

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1957

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1951

Brooklyn

1954

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1958

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Titles:

Top Dodgers Players of the Fifties

NL Champs 1952, 1953,1956 (Lost to Yankees each time)

World Champs 1955 (beat Yankees)

Pitchers:

World Champs 1959 (beat White Sox)

Don Newcombe (17.18) - 71

Carl Erskine (15.44) - 63

BallPark:

Preacher Roe (14.8) - 36

Ebbets Field (1950-57)

Johnny Podres (15.32) - 36

LA Coliseum (1958-59)

Don Drysdale (16.61) - 35

Clem Labine (12.64) - 34

Team Name:

Billy Loes (6.77) - 27

Dodgers

Roger Craig (8.49) - 14

Russ Meyer (0.93) - 13

Owner:

Sandy Koufax (5.16) - 12

Walter O'Malley

Joe Black (4.02) - 11

Ralph Branca (3.82) - 10

General Manager:

Sal Maglie (6.78) - 9

Buzzy Bavasi

Erv Palica (4.96) - 7

Jim Hughes (4.51) - 7

Managers:

Don Bessent (4.77) - 4

Burt Shotton (1950)

Ed Roebuck (2.22) - 6

Chuck Dressen (1951-1953)

Karl Spooner (1.63) - 3

Walter Alston (1954-1959)

Catchers:

No Hitters:

Roy Campanella (28.02) - 82

Carl Erskine (1952)

John Roseboro (2.42) - 18

Carl Erskine (1956)

Sal Maglie (1956)

First Basemen:

Gil Hodges (41.79) - 104

Hall of Famers:

Gil Hodges

Second Basemen:

Sandy Koufax

Jim Gilliam (21.62) - 58

Don Drysdale

Charlie Neal (10.31) - 28

Roy Campanella

Jackie Robinson

ShortStop:

Pee Wee Reese

Pee Wee Reese (32.61) - 74

Duke Snider

Don Zimmer (0.32) - 12

Rookie of the Year

Third Base:

Joe Black (1952)

Jackie Robinson (43.3) - 89

Junior Gilliam (1953)

Billy Cox (4.39) - 21

Don Hoak (2.71) - 9

MVP

Randy Jackson (2.17) - 6

Roy Campanella (1951)

Roy Campanella (1953)

Outfield:

Roy Campanella (1955)

Duke Snider (55.59) - 123

Don Newcombe (1956)

Carl Furillo (22.43) - 66

Sandy Amoros (7.94) - 15

Cy Young:

Wally Moon (5.48) - 11

Don Newcombe (1956)

Andy Pafko (4.98) - 9

Gino Cimoli (3.21) - 7

Notable Events:

Don Demeter (0.65) - 6

Gene Hermanski (2.07) - 4

1950 - The Golden Era in New York baseball ran from after the war (1946)

Shotgun Shuba (2.26) - 3

to the last year the Giants and Dodgers were in New York (1957), a twelve

year span. In the National League, during that span, the Dodgers won six

Notable Events:

pennants and one world title and the Giants won two pennants and one world

title. In the American League, the Yankees won nine pennants and seven

1954 - Twenty three year old lefthander Karl Spooner debuts and hurls

world titles. Every one of six Dodgers World Series was played against the

two complete game shutouts allowing only seven hits total.

Yankees with the Yankees winning five of them. The Giants and the Yankees

It looked like he and Cleveland lefty Herb Score would be the game's next

Giants and the Yankees played once with the Yankees winning. There Giants

great pitchers. Spooner hurt his arm the following year in spring training

other World Series was played against the Indians. All in all, only the 1946 and

and was essentially done. Meanwhile, Score's brilliance only lasted a

1948 World Series did not include a New York team during the Golden era.

couple of years longer before a line drive to the face in 1957 essentially

finished his career.

1950 - The Dodger team of the Golden Age was one of the best ever assembled

in baseball history. There was an eight player core of this team that was there

1955 - Lefty Sandy Koufax, 19, is a bonus baby. A Hall of Famer and one

pretty much throughout the entire twelve years. Three (Robinson, Campanella

of the greats of all time.

and Newcombe) were picked up from the Negro Leagues where GM Branch

Rickey was recruiting players well before most other owners.

1955 - The Dodgers finally win the World Series, beating the Yankees in

Two others (Hodges and Snider) were signed by Rickey as teenagers during

seven games. The Dodgers had lost the World Series in 1916, 1920, 1941,

World War II when most other owners were reticent to do so because they felt it

1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953 - the last five of those to the Yankees.

was a bad investment signing youngsters who were destined to become cannon

They will lose another one in to the Yankees in 1956.

fodder. Rickey took the risk. Two of the others (Erskine and Furillo) were signed

by Rickey shortly after the war was over. The eighth (Reese) was pilfered from

1956 - Righty Don Drysdale, 19, is a rookie. Forms a great one-two punch

the Red Sox by Larry MacPhail prior to Rickey's tenure.

with Koufax for another decade.

The awesome eight:

1956 - Second baseman Charlie Neal, 25, is a rookie. He was signed way

catcher - Roy Campanella - Hall of Fame - 1948 - 1957

back in 1950

first base - Gil Hodges - 7 consecutive 100 plus rbi seasons - 1946 - 1957

second base - Jackie Robinson - Hall of Fame - 1947- 1956

1956 - The Dodgers win the pennant, but lose the World Series to the

shortstop - Pee Wee Reese - Hall of Fame - 1946 - 1957

Yankees. Where have we seen this before?

outfield - Carl Furillo - .284 hitter or better in 11 of 12 seasons - 1946 - 1957

Don Larsen tosses a perfect game against the Dodgers in game five

outfield - Duke Snider - Hall of Fame - 1946 - 1957

as a punctuation mark

righthander - Carl Erskine - 117-71 W-L from 1948 - 1957

righthander - Don Newcombe - 123-60 W-L from 1949 - 1957

1957 - Jackie Robinson is traded to the hated Giants and promptly

quits baseball. With Jackie, it was personal.

1950 - The Dodgers lose the pennant to Phillies on the last day of the season

1957 - Catcher John Roseboro, 24, is a rookie. The heir apparent to Roy

1951 - Branch Rickey leaves for the Pirates to work for his friend, Pirates owner,

Campanella, he will be pressed into a starting role way too soon.

John Galbreath. It was a breath of fresh air for Rickey who battled and lost a

He had been signed in 1952

fight for control of the Dodgers with Walter O'Malley. Rickey was a baseball

genius, but was no match for the manueverings of lawyer O'Malley.

1958 - Walter O'Malley moves the Dodgers to LA after the 1957 season.

O'Malley wanted to build a new ballpark in Brooklyn to capitalize on the

1951 - O'Malley promotes Buzzy Bavasi to GM of the Dodgers. He had been

immense popularity of the Dodgers there, but failed.

GM of their top farm club in Montreal. While he was not Branch Rickey, nobody

At the time, nothing got built in New York without Robert Moses's imprimatur

was, Bavasi was an exceptional General Manager in his own right and the

and Moses wanted the Dodgers in Queens. This hardly makes the greedy

Dodgers were in good hands as he carried them forward

the O'Malley a saint in this saga, just slightly less of an ogre than the power

drunk Moses.

1951 - Dodgers lose the pennant in a three game playoff with the Giants as

The move literally cut the heart out of Brooklyn and, in many ways, Brooklyn

Bobby Thomson hits a three run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth

has never recovered. All involved should have been ashamed of themselves,

of game three to win it. To make things even worse, the Giants overcame a

as O'Malley should never have taken the beloved Dodgers out of Brooklyn

thirteen game deficit in August to make it to the playoff.

and Moses should have capitulated to Rickey's desires. Knowing the two

men's personalities, what ended up happening was pretty much inevitable.

1952 - The Dodgers win the 1952 and 1953 pennants only to lose the World

Series to the Yankees both years. The Dodgers had come thisclose to matching

1958 - Roy Campanella is paralyzed in a car accident after the 1957 season.

the Yankees' five straight pennants from 1949-1953. The difference, of course,

being that the Yankees also won all five of those World Series. Not only that,

1958 - The Dodgers ballpark is the Los Angeles Coliseum

when you add in that the Dodgers lost another playoff (with the Cards) in 1946

and that they also won the 1947 pennant, the eleven year run from 1946-1956,

1958 - LA brings up four youngsters who will be a big part of the club

they could have easily won nine pennants having won 6 titles, losing two

moving forward:

playoffs and losing one pennant on the final day of the season.

first baseman Ron Fairly, 19, signed in 1958

Now, that's a dynasty.

outfielder Frank Howard, 21, 6 foot 7 basketball All American at Ohio State

righty reliever Larry Sherry, 22, signed in 1953

1953 - Lefty Johnny Podres, 20, is a rookie. He was signed two years earlier

righthhander Stan Williams, 21, signed in 1954

1953 - primo utility man Junior Gilliam, 24, is a rookie.

1959 - Two more big time youngsters are brought up by LA, as the changing

He was signed two years earlier

of the guard from the Ebbets field sluggers to the LA speedsters gains

momentum:

1954 - Manager Chuck Dressen demands a three year deal to manage the

Outfielder Tommy Davis, 20, signed in 1956 - he would win two batting

Dodgers moving forward. Brooklyn had averaged a hundred wins in his three

titles with LA and shortstop Maury Wills, 26, originally signed in 1951

year tenure. Many owners would have capitulated, not wanting to mess with

with an odyssey taking him thru the Tigers and Reds organizations before

a good thing.

coming back to the Dodgers. Maury would revolutionize the game winning

Walter O'Malley hires unknown Walter Alston to a one year deal instead.

six consecutive stolen base titles including a record 104 steals in 1962.

Nobody bullies O'Malley (except Robert Moses)

1959 - Los Angeles and the Braves tie for first place. LA then beats the

Braves 2-0 in a playoff before proceeding to beat the White Sox

in the World Series 4-2