1956 Index 1956 Post Season
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Wednesday, October 10, 1956, Milwaukee @
Cleveland – Cleveland Municipal Stadium
WERTZ CARRIES INDIANS TO WORLD SERIES VICTORY
Vic
Wertz crushed a pair of homeruns, including a tie-breaking three-run blast in
the sixth inning, to lift Cleveland to a 7-4 win over Milwaukee, and win the
World Series four games to two.
Wertz’
first homerun, and third of the series, came in the bottom of the first inning
after Milwaukee grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the inning. Bob Lemon struggled a bit at the outset,
issuing a couple of walks, then a run-scoring single to Joe Adcock, to give the
Braves the early lead. But Wertz
accounted for the first lead change of the contest after Bob Buhl walked Al
Smith after two were out. Wertz sent a
long soaring ball down the right field line easily reaching the seats for a
two-run homerun and a 2-1 Indians lead.
Milwaukee
responded immediately with a run in the top of the second to tie the game. A double by Billy Bruton followed two quick
outs by Del Crandall and Buhl, but Danny O’Connell delivered a clutch two-out
single to score Bruton from second base, making it a new game.
The
Indians retook the lead in the bottom of the third, with a little help from the
Braves. Buhl walked Gene Woodling to
give Cleveland a lead off base runner.
Buhl then drilled a hot-hitting Chico Carrasquel with a pitch in the rib
cage, giving the Indians two on with nobody out. After Al Smith followed with a line drive to
Hank Aaron in right field for the first out, Wertz pulled a sharp ground ball
to Adcock at first base primed to be turned into a double play. But Adcock’s throw to second missed the
target, and all hands were safe, loading the bases. Al Rosen made the error costly with a base
hit to center to make it 3-2 Cleveland.
Buhl regrouped to limit the damage by getting the next two batters, but
once again the Braves trailed on the scoreboard in a must win contest.
Aaron
took care of the one run deficit with a long homerun over the center field
fence in the fifth inning, his second of the series.
In
the sixth, Lemon got touched up again and the Braves grabbed the lead with
another longball, this time by Crandall, his first of the series.
Given
a 4-3 lead, Buhl was back on the hill to start the home half of the sixth. Jim Hegan and Lemon were retired quickly, but
Gene Woodling, making his first start in the series, worked Buhl for a
walk. Carrasquel, aching a bit from the
rib shot earlier in the game, got his revenge with a single to left center,
Woodling taking third base. Al Smith
then hit the first pitch he saw from Buhl and blooped a single into shallow
center field in front of a charging Bruton, scoring Woodling, knotting the
score up once again, 4-4. With the
hulking Wertz due up next, the Braves opted to bring in a left-hander, Lou
Sleater, who had yet to pitch in the series.
Wertz worked the count full against the Braves reliever, then hammered
the next pitch deep to right field.
Aaron retreated to the fence, but ran out of room as the ball sailed
over his head. The Tribe reclaimed the
lead at 7-4.
Lemon
pitched through the middle of the Braves lineup in the seventh and eighth
innings without incident, looking to close it out with a quick ninth. But the Braves were not ready to roll
over. Jack Dittmer came off the bench
and delivered a pinch hit single to right to lead off the inning. Frank Torre followed with a pinch hit single
through the left side, giving Milwaukee two runners with none out, and the top
of the order due up. The Indians made
their move to the bullpen for Ray Narleski.
The hard throwing right-hander got O’Connell on a comebacker, getting
the lead runner at third base on the force.
But Logan followed and worked a walk, loading the bases, and putting the
potential tying run at first base. Hank
Aaron stepped to the plate, and on the first pitch, hit a sharp two-hopper
toward Bobby Avila at second base. Avila
flipped to Carrasquel at second for the force, the relay to Wertz at first was
in time, and it was over, the Cleveland Indians were winners, 7-4, and World
Series champions.
Wertz’
fine performance in Game Six culminated an impressive series that produced
333/407/875 slash numbers (8-for-24) backed by a double, four homeruns and
eight RBI. Chico Carrasquel surprised
most with an outstanding World Series of his own, 500/556/625 (12-for-24) with
two RBI and four runs scored. The two Indians players shared the Most Valuable
Player honors for their contributions as World Series champions.
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 R H
E LOB DP
Milwaukee 1 1
0 0 1
1 0 0
0 4 9
1 8 0
Cleveland 2
0 1 0 0 4
0 0 x
7 7 0
9 2
Braves AB R H
BI AVG Indians AB R H
BI AVG
O'Connell 2b
4 0 2
1 .217 Woodling lf 3
2 0 0 .000
Logan ss 3
1 1 0
.333 Carrasquel ss 4
1 1 0 .500
Aaron rf 4
1 1 1
.385 Smith,A rf 3
2 2 1 .304
Mathews 3b
3 0 0
0 .130 Wertz 1b
5 2 2
5 .333
Adcock 1b
4 0 1
1 .160 Rosen 3b
4 0 1
1 .250
Covington lf 4
0 0 0
.214 Strickland 3b
0 0 0
0 .000
Bruton cf 4
1 1 0
.294 Busby cf 3
0 1 0 .263
Crandall c
3 1 1
1 .231 Avila 2b
4 0 0
0 .125
Dittmer ph 1
0 1 0 1.000
Hegan c 3
0 0 0 .067
Buhl p 3
0 0 0
.000 Lemon,B p
3 0 0
0 .000
Sleater
p 0
0 0 0 .000 Narleski p
0 0 0
0 .000
Jolly p
0 0 0
0 .000 32 7 7 7
Phillips,T p
0 0 0
0 .000
Torre ph 1
0 1 0 1.000
34 4 9 4
Braves INN H R ER
BB K PCH STR ERA
Buhl L 1-1 5.2
5 6 5
5 3 98
51 5.40
Sleater 0.0 1
1 1 0
0 6 3 99.00
Jolly 2.0 1
0 0 1
0 24 15 15.43
Phillips,T 0.1 0
0 0 0
0 6 4
3.86
8.0 7
7 6 6 3
134 73
Indians INN H R ER
BB K PCH STR ERA
Lemon,B W 1-1 8.0
9 4 4
3 5 124 78
7.20
Narleski S 1 1.0 0
0 0 1
0 12 5
2.08
9.0 9
4 4 4 5
136 83
Mil:
Dittmer batted for Crandall in the 9th
Torre batted for Phillips,T
in the 9th
Cle:
Strickland inserted at 3b in the 9th
E-Adcock.
2B-Bruton(1). HR-Aaron(2), Crandall(1), Wertz 2(4).
RBI-O'Connell(3),
Aaron(3), Adcock(4), Crandall(3), Smith,A(3), Wertz
5(8),
Rosen(3).
K-O'Connell, Adcock 2, Buhl 2, Rosen, Busby, Lemon,B.
BB-O'Connell,
Logan,
Aaron, Mathews, Woodling 2, Smith,A, Busby, Hegan, Lemon,B. HBP-Logan,
Carrasquel,
Smith,A. HB-Buhl 2, Lemon,B.
WP-Jolly.
GWRBI:
Wertz
Temperature:
57, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 3 MPH.
Attendance:
74,270
Game
Time: 2:37