The World Series, first played in 1903, has been the showcase for spectacular pitching by some of the greatest hurlers in baseball history, including Christy Mathewson. Babe Ruth, Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson. Two men, ironically both Chicago Cubs, pitched one-hit games, Ed Reulbach in 1906 and Claude Passeau in 1945. But no one had pitched a no-hitter as the 1947 Series, the first to be televised, opened.
The Setting for the 1947 Series
The often champion Yankees faced the Brooklyn Dodgers in a Subway Seriesrematch of the 1941 contest that had inspired the defiant cry of "Wait 'Til Next Year." Both teams had pitching aces at the top of their games, Brooklyn's Ralph Branca having compiled 21 wins, while Allie Reynolds had led the Yanks with 19. Rookie Frank Shea had given the Bronx team 14 wins and suddenly sensational Joe Page, a reliever, had 14 more. The Dodgers staff was a bit more erratic, but they, too, were backed by an outstanding reliever in Hugh Casey .Bucky Harris of the Yankees and Burt Shotton of the Dodgers had each won the pennant in his first year with the team. But their freshman attainments were clearly overshadowed by the participation of the major leagues' first black player, NL Rookie of the Year Jackie Robinson.
Game-by-Game in the 1947 World Series
With the best of the pitchers having been used early, the managers were forced to turn to lesser lights for the fourth game at Brooklyn's ancient Ebbets Field. Floyd (Bill) Bevens, a promising 16-game winner for the 1946 Yankees, had slumped to a 7-13 record in '47, while Harry Taylor, at 10-5, had pitched well in spots but had not established himself as a front-liner. Taylor was quickly gone in the first inning as the Yanks jumped off to a 1-0 lead, but there wasn't much offense on either side through eight innings. The New Yorkers picked up another run in the fourth inning and the Dodgers got one back in the fifth on two walks, a sacrifice and a ground-out.
But as the bottom of the ninth inning loomed, two developments seized the attention of the fans: Bevens had yielded no hits, but he had walked eight men, a trend that almost invariabky spelled trouble for pitchers. Bevens surrendered his ninth walk but retired two batters to come within one out of the first no-hit game in World Series history. Pinch-runner Al Gionfriddo stole second base. Manager Harris, in a subsequently much-debated move, ordered pinch-hitter Pete Reiser, one of two Brooklyn .300 hitters, intentionally walked. In doing so, he violated standard baseball practice by putting the potential winning run on base. Shotton then sent 34-year-old utility infielder Cookie Lavagetto, a veteran of the 1941 Series, up to bat for the pitcher. Lavagetto smashed Bevens's second pitch off the right field scoreboard for a two-run double. The no-hitter and the game were heartbreakingly gone.
The 1947 drama, though, was far from over. Rookie Shea pitched a brilliant 2-1 victory the next day, striking out Lavagetto for the final out. The Dodgers came back again for an 8-6 win in the sixth game highlighted by a sensational catch by Gionfriddo of a DiMaggio blast to the left field fence with two men on base. And, finally, after Shea and Bevens pitched the first four innings, Page climaxed his unparalleled year of relieving by shutting down the Dodgers for the last five innings and enabling the Yanks to win the game, 5-2, and the series, 4-3.
Bevens's frustrated bid for glory was his last chance. After his brief seventh game appearance, he never pitched in the big leaguesagain.
References: Baseball-Almanac
