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Brooklyn Dodgers 1952-1957.gif Wednesday, September 28, 1955, Brooklyn @ New York - Yankee StadiumNYYankees15

 

MANTLE GRANDSLAM SENDS YANKEES TO VICTORY IN OPENER, 6-2

 

The Yankees took their first step toward redemption of their 1954 Fall Classic defeat at the hands of the Dodgers by rallying for five runs in the seventh inning off Don Newcombe, good for a 6-2 victory in the opener of the 1955 World Series.  

 

The biggest blow of the game came off the bat of Mickey Mantle, who hoisted a grandslam homerun off Newcombe that broke a 2-2 deadlock.  Mantle’s tape-measure shot reached the second deck in right field, and enabled Whitey Ford to emerge as the winner, despite a horrid fourth inning where a fielding lapse compounded by Ford’s own concentration lapses allowed the Dodgers to strike first.  

 

A scoreless game into the fourth, Pee Wee Reese led off the Dodger fourth with a base hit, and moved up on a free pass to Duke Snider.  Roy Campanella followed with a tailor-made double play ball to second, but Gil McDougald, in his haste to field the ball, let the ball go between his legs for an error to load the bases.  Carl Furillo then put up a spirited at bat to draw a walk and force in a run to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.  Gil Hodges followed by drawing Ford’s third walk of the inning, upping the lead to 2-0.  Ford regrouped to get Jackie Robinson on a force at the plate, then a double play grounder from Don Zimmer, to end the frame down 2-0, in what could have been a huge inning for the Dodgers.  

 

The Yankees cut the 2-0 deficit in half in the fifth, McDougald atoning for his earlier miscue with a run-scoring double that scored Phil Rizzuto from first base.  

 

Newcombe was still strong, however, as he mowed through the heart of the Yankee lineup in the sixth; retiring Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Bill Skowron on nine pitches, and looked every bit sharp to close the game out.  

 

But in the seventh, Andy Carey lined a one-out single and Phil Rizzuto beat out an infield dribbler to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Pinch-hitter Eddie Robinson then delivered an opposite field single to score Carey, and tie the game 2-2.  Newcombe struck out McDougald for the second out, but Irv Noren proved pesky for Newcombe for the third out, as he battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, loading the bases for the Yankees hometown hero.  Mantle swung at a 2-1 delivery to his liking and deposited it well into the second deck with a raucous crowd jumping in the stands with each gallop Mantle took around the bases.  

 

Tom Morgan finished off the Dodgers with two perfect innings in relief of Ford, and the Yankees had Game One by a 6-2 score.

 

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

Brooklyn               0  0  0  2  0  0  0  0  0     2  3  1     5  0

New York               0  0  0  0  1  0  5  0  x     6  9  2     5  2

 

Dodgers              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Yankees              AB  R  H BI   AVG

Gilliam           lf  4  0  1  0  .250    McDougald         2b  4  0  1  1  .250

Reese             ss  4  1  1  0  .250    Noren             lf  3  1  1  0  .333

Snider            cf  3  1  0  0  .000    Mantle            cf  4  1  1  4  .250

Campanella        c   4  0  1  0  .250    Berra             c   4  0  0  0  .000

Furillo           rf  2  0  0  1  .000    Skowron           1b  4  0  1  0  .250

Hodges            1b  3  0  0  1  .000     Martin           pr  0  0  0  0  .000

Robinson          3b  4  0  0  0  .000     Collins          1b  0  0  0  0  .000

Zimmer            2b  3  0  0  0  .000    Bauer             rf  4  0  0  0  .000

Newcombe          p   3  0  0  0  .000    Carey             3b  4  1  2  0  .500

 Spooner          p   0  0  0  0  .000    Rizzuto           ss  4  2  2  0  .500

 Craig            p   0  0  0  0  .000    Ford              p   2  0  0  0  .000

                     30  2  3  2           Robinson         ph  1  1  1  1 1.000

                                           Morgan           p   0  0  0  0  .000

                                                               34  6  9  6

 

Dodgers                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Newcombe         L 0-1           6.2  8  6  6  1  7 104  69  8.10

Spooner                          0.1  0  0  0  0  0   1   1  0.00

Craig                            1.0  1  0  0  0  1  16   9  0.00

                                 8.0  9  6  6  1  8 121  79

 

Yankees                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Ford             W 1-0           7.0  3  2  1  4  2 100  63  1.29

Morgan                           2.0  0  0  0  0  1  19  14  0.00

                                 9.0  3  2  1  4  3 119  77

 

NYA: Robinson batted for Ford in the 7th

     Martin ran for Skowron in the 8th

     Collins inserted at 1b in the 9th

 

E-Hodges, McDougald, Ford. 2B-McDougald, Carey. HR-Mantle(1). K-Reese,

Snider, Newcombe, McDougald 3, Mantle, Skowron, Bauer, Rizzuto, Ford.

BB-Snider, Furillo 2, Hodges, Noren.

GWRBI: Mantle

Temperature: 62, Field: wet, Sky: threatening, Wind: out to left at 16 MPH,

Rain Delays: 40 minutes.