1956 World Series

Once again, the eyes of the baseball world were on the bright lights of New York City (for the fourth time in five years) as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees met on familiar ground for the coveted World Series championship. The "Bronx Bombers" had bested "the Bums" in three out of the four meetings, but it was the Dodgers who had the last laugh by winning their first title off a dominant Game 7 in '55. Things seemed to pick up right where they had left off for Games 1 and 2 as eleven different members of the Yankees pitching staff were crushed by Brooklyn's bats. The result was a devastating 6-3 opener and an equally crippling 13-8 loss that put the defending champions up two games to none. However as sports often shows us, adversity and pride can turn a sinking ship around. Amazingly the Yankees aces rebounded for five consecutive complete-game performances from five pitchers who combined to allow the Dodgers six runs and twenty-one hits in 45 2/3 innings. In Game 3, a three-run homer by late-August acquisition Enos Slaughter and eight-hit pitching by "The Chairman" Whitey Ford had rallied the Yankees to their first victory, while Tom Sturdivant's six-hitter and homers by both Hank Bauer and Mickey Mantle highlighted the American Leaguers' triumph in Game 4.

Despite their back-to-back comebacks, Game 5 is the most notable Yankees performance of the '56 Series (and perhaps one of the most notable in all of baseball). The 64,000+ fans in attendance that day could never have predicted that they were about to witness the birth of a record that would stand into the next millennium or that their ticket stubs would mature into a $2,000.00 piece of sports memorabilia. The Dodgers couldn't have predicted the beating they were about to take either. During the first inning, the Yankees' twenty-seven-year-old right-hander Don Larsen went to his first and only "ball three" count on Pee Wee Reese. From then on, the modest pitcher and his pinstriped teammates worked together on both sides of the plate to deliver an instant classic. In the second inning, Jackie Robinson smashed a line drive that was deflected by Yankees third baseman Andy Carey to shortstop Gil McDougald, who threw out Robinson at first. In the fouth inning, Mickey Mantle hit a low line drive into the right field seats (just inside the foul pole) giving New York the 1-0 lead. In retrospect, "home field advantage" and a little luck sometimes pays off big. If the game had been at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, "The Mick's" hit would have likely been off the right field screen for a mere double.

In the top of the fifth, Gil Hodges (a thirty-two home run man during the regular season) drove a pitch deep into left-center field and right into the outstretched glove of a sprinting Mantle. The spectacular effort has been christened by some as "The Catch" and has been replayed in countless highlight films throughout the years. The next batter, Sandy Amoros, almost spoiled the masterpiece with a line drive toward the right field corner but it curved foul and just missed being a home run. It was a sign of the inevitable as the Dodgers would not get any other opportunities. As the game progressed, so did the anticipation of the crowd and the superstition of the players. Most of the Yankees avoided the pitcher completely in the dugout and even the Yankees' skipper got involved in attempting to preserve Larsen's marvelous momentum. As the ninth inning came to a close, Larsen got a called third strike on pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell to end the game and set off a wild celebration that began with catcher Yogi Berra leaping high into his arms for one of baseball's most photographic moments.

Brooklyn's Clem Labine went against Bob Turley for Game 6 and had his team's revenge with an "almost as impressive" 1-0, ten-inning shutout that ended after an Enos Slaughter error turned Robinson's bottom-of-the-tenth drive into a game-winning single. Don Newcombe, a standout on the Dodgers' staff and Johnny Kucks, a Yankee sophomore, matched for the decisive Game 7. Newcombe had just become the first recipient of the Cy Young Award after his twenty-seven victory season in '56, but still had yet to dominate a single postseason outing. Nothing changed in Game 7 as the veteran was knocked for a pair of two-run homers by Berra (who hit a grand slam off him in Game 2) and a bases-empty home run by Elston Howard. Bill Skowron stepped up to the plate in the seventh and finished the job with a grand slam of his own off of Roger Craig who had replaced Newcombe in relief. Kucks returned the favor and held the defending champions to just three-hits in a 9-0 triumph that completed the revival of the New Yorkers' pitching staff and returned the Yankees to post season glory.

No game would compare to Game 5 though and no other pitcher would even come close to Larsen's numbers. The Yankee ace pitched another three years in New York before bouncing from team to team over the final seven seasons of a fourteen year career. He retired in 1967 with a forgettable career record of 81-91, failing again to ever approach the heights he achieved on that October afternoon in 1956. Still, he is mainly remembered for being perfect where perfection is simply not possible and his record stands to this very day.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The Dodgers had their moments, all right, starting with a complete-game victory by Maglie in Game 1, continuing with a memorable comeback from a 6-0 deficit in Game 2 and ending with Labine's superlative effort in Game 6. But one of the special moments in baseball history, as supplied by Larsen, belonged to the New York Yankees. And so did another World Series championship." - The Sporting News

1956 World Series

1956 World Series Program

1956 World Series Official Program
New York Yankees Version

1956 World Series Program

1956 World Series Official Program
Brooklyn Dodgers Version

New York Yankees (4) vs Brooklyn Dodgers (3)

Game 1 Date / Box Score 10-03-1956
Location Ebbets Field
1st Pitch From To
Dwight D. Eisenhower Roy Campanella
Attendance 34,479
National Anthem Everett McCooey (Opera Singer)
Game 2 Date / Box Score 10-05-1956
1st Pitch From To
Adlai Stevenson II (Democratic Nominee for President) Undetermined (--)
Location Ebbets Field
Attendance 36,217
Game 3 Date / Box Score 10-06-1956
Location Yankee Stadium
Attendance 73,977
National Anthem Lucy Monroe (Yankees National Anthem Singer)
Game 4 Date / Box Score 10-07-1956
Location Yankee Stadium
Attendance 69,705
National Anthem Lucy Monroe (Yankees National Anthem Singer)
Game 5 Date / Box Score 10-08-1956
Location Yankee Stadium
Attendance 64,519
National Anthem Lucy Monroe (Yankees National Anthem Singer)
Game 6 Date / Box Score 10-09-1956
Location Ebbets Field
Attendance 33,224
National Anthem Gladys Gooding (Brooklyn Dodgers Organist)
Game 7 Date / Box Score 10-10-1956
Location Ebbets Field
Attendance 33,782
1956 World Series Fast Facts

1956 World Series
Game 1

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 1
Brooklyn 0 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 x 6 9 0
Whitey Ford (L)
Johnny Kucks (4th)
Tom Morgan (6th)
Bob Turley (8th)
Sal Maglie (W)
-
-
-
Mickey Mantle (1st)
Billy Martin (4th)
Jackie Robinson (2nd)
Gil Hodges (3rd)

1956 World Series
Game 2

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 12 2
Brooklyn 0 6 1 2 2 0 0 2 x 13 12 0
Don Larsen
Johnny Kucks (2nd)
Tommy Byrne (2nd)
Tom Sturdivant (3rd)
Tom Morgan (L, 3rd)
Bob Turley (5th)
Mickey McDermott (6th)
Don Newcombe
Ed Roebuck (2nd)
Don Bessent (W, 3rd)
-
-
-
-
Yogi Berra (2nd) Duke Snider (2nd)

1956 World Series
Game 3

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 8 1
New York 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 x 5 8 1
Roger Craig (L)
Clem Labine (7th)
Whitey Ford (W)
-
None
-
Billy Martin (2nd)
Enos Slaughter (6th)

1956 World Series
Game 4

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 0
New York 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 0 x 6 7 2
Carl Erskine (L)
Ed Roebuck (5th)
Don Drysdale (7th)
Tom Sturdivant (W)
-
-
None
-
Mickey Mantle (6th)
Hank Bauer (7th)

1956 World Series
Game 5

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
New York 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 x 2 5 0
Sal Maglie (L) Don Larsen (W)
None Mickey Mantle (4th)

1956 World Series
Game 6

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 0
Bob Turley (L) Clem Labine (W)
None None

1956 World Series
Game 7

Line Score / Box Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 2 0 2 1 0 0 4 0 0 9 10 0
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
Johnny Kucks (W)
-
-
-
-
Don Newcombe (L)
Don Bessent (4th)
Roger Craig (7th)
Ed Roebuck (7th)
Carl Erskine (9th)
Yogi Berra (1st)
Yogi Berra (3rd)
Elston Howard (4th)
Bill Skowron (7th)
None
-
-
-

1956 World Series

Composite Hitting Statistics

Hank Bauer
Yogi Berra
Tommy Byrne
Andy Carey
Bob Cerv
Jerry Coleman
Joe Collins
Whitey Ford
Elston Howard
Johnny Kucks
Don Larsen
Mickey Mantle
Billy Martin
Mickey McDermott
Gil McDougald
Tom Morgan
Norm Siebern
Bill Skowron
Enos Slaughter
Tom Sturdivant
Bob Turley
George Wilson
of
c
p-1
3b
ph
2b
1b-5
p
of
p
p
of
3b-1,2b-7
p
ss
p
ph
1b-2
of
p
p
ph
7
7
2
7
1
2
6
2
1
3
2
7
7
1
7
2
1
3
6
2
3
1
32
25
1
19
1
2
21
4
5
3
3
24
27
1
21
1
1
10
20
3
4
1
9
9
0
3
1
0
5
0
2
0
1
6
8
1
3
1
0
1
7
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
2
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
3
5
0
2
0
0
2
0
1
0
1
6
5
0
0
1
0
1
6
0
0
0
3
10
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
1
4
3
0
1
0
0
4
4
0
0
0
.281
.360
.000
.158
1.000
.000
.238
.000
.400
.000
.333
.250
.296
1.000
.143
1.000
.000
.100
.350
.333
.000
.000
0
4
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
6
1
0
3
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
5
1
0
6
0
0
3
3
0
1
1
5
6
0
6
0
0
3
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Totals 253 58 6 0 12 33 33 .253 21 43 2

1956 World Series

Composite Hitting Statistics

Sandy Amoros
Don Bessent
Roy Campanella
Gino Cimoli
Roger Craig
Don Drysdale
Carl Erskine
Carl Furillo
Jim Gilliam
Gil Hodges
Randy Jackson
Clem Labine
Sal Maglie
Dale Mitchell
Charlie Neal
Don Newcombe
Pee Wee Reese
Jackie Robinson
Ed Roebuck
Duke Snider
Rube Walker
of
p
c
of
p
p
p
of
2b-6,of-1
1b
ph
p
p
ph
2b
p
ss
3b
p
of
ph
6
2
7
1
2
1
2
7
7
7
3
2
2
4
1
2
7
7
3
7
2
19
2
22
0
2
0
1
25
24
23
3
4
5
4
4
1
27
24
0
23
2
1
1
4
0
1
0
0
6
2
7
0
1
0
0
0
0
6
6
0
7
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
2
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
5
0
5
0
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
1
2
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
4
0
.053
.500
.182
.000
.500
.000
.000
.240
.083
.304
.000
.250
.000
.000
.000
.000
.222
.250
.000
.204
.000
2
1
3
0
0
0
0
2
7
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
5
0
6
0
4
1
7
0
0
0
1
3
3
4
2
2
2
1
1
0
6
2
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Totals 215 42 8 1 3 25 24 .195 32 47 1

1956 World Series

Composite Pitching Statistics

Tommy Byrne
Whitey Ford
Johnny Kucks
Don Larsen
Mickey McDermott
Tom Morgan
Tom Sturdivant
Bob Turley
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
2
3
2
1
2
2
3
0
2
1
2
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0.1
12.0
11.0
10.2
3.0
4.0
9.2
11.0
0.00
5.25
0.82
0.00
3.00
9.00
2.79
0.82
1
14
6
1
2
6
8
4
1
8
2
7
3
3
9
14
0
7
1
0
1
4
3
1
0
2
3
4
3
4
8
8
Totals 4 3 16 7 5 0 2 61.2 2.48 42 47 17 32

1956 World Series

Composite Pitching Statistics

Don Bessent
Roger Craig
Don Drysdale
Carl Erskine
Clem Labine
Sal Maglie
Don Newcombe
Ed Roebuck
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
3
0
1
0
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
10.0
6.0
2.0
5.0
12.0
17.0
4.2
4.1
1.80
12.00
9.00
5.40
0.00
2.65
21.21
2.08
8
10
2
4
8
14
11
1
5
4
1
2
7
15
4
5
2
8
2
3
0
5
11
1
3
3
1
2
3
6
3
0
Totals 3 4 16 7 3 0 1 61.0 4.72 58 43 32 21
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

The Brooklyn Dodgers trampled the New York Yankees 13-8 at Ebbets Field during Game 2 of the 1956 World Series — a victory that took a World Series record three hours & twenty-six minutes (3:26) to play (the record was eventually broken during the 1979 World Series).

Did you know that shortly after the Perfect Game was tossed by Don Larsen, a band named Red River recorded a song in tribute called The Ballad of Don Larsen?

The records associated with the October 8, 1956 gem include: most consecutive hitless innings in a Series (11), most consecutive hitless innings in a Game (9), most consecutive innings not allowing a player to reach first base in a Series (9) and most conseuctive innings not allowing a player to reach first base in a Game (9).