“Get him out of here. Put in someone who can catch a fly ball.”
At the start of play on Sept. 26, 1956, the Brooklyn Dodgers trailed first place Milwaukee Braves by one-half game. The next day, Don Newcombe started against the Philadelphia Phillies‘ ace, Robin Roberts. It was Newcombe’s next to last start of the season.
Duke Snider hit an inside-the-park home run in the first inning to stake “Big Newk” to a one-run lead. Yes, it was possible to hit an inside-the-park home run at bandbox Ebbets Field.
The Phillies came back in the second when Del Ennis hit a slow ground ball on which Newcombe couldn’t make the play. Ennis was credited with a single. Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones hit a similar comebacker. Newk threw him out as Ennis moved to second.
Left-handed hitting Elmer Valo then hit a fly ball to left field that Sandy Amoros dropped for an error. It seemed that the sun and the wind were too much for him. The Phillies took advantage to score three runs off Newcombe, two of which were unearned.
In the seventh inning, with Don Bessent on the hill, Amoros failed to charge a Del Ennis single, allowing Stan Lopata to reach third and Ennis to take second. The lackadaisical play set up two more runs as the Phillies beat Brooklyn, 7-3
The Dodgers trailed the Milwaukee Braves by one full game.
Brooklyn manager Walt Alston excused Amoros.
“I can’t fault the little guy,” Alston told reporters. “He had a bad day, yes. But he has been hitting well and helping us to win games. And don’t forget that world-series catch he made in the last game. I’m keeping him in the line-up and who knows? He may help us win the games we need from now on.”
The Dodgers recovered and led Milwaukee by one game with one game left for each team. Don Newcombe started for Brooklyn, seeking his 27th win. He faced the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ Vern Law.
Leading off the sixth inning with Brooklyn ahead 6-2, Amoros hit a home run, but in Ebbets Field, the concept of “enough runs” didn’t exist.
When Amoros led off the eighth inning, the Pirates had pulled within one run—the run provided by Amoros’ sixth inning home run.
Amoros hit another solo home run. The final score was 8-6.
Brooklyn won its second consecutive pennant, Newcombe won his 27th game, but of greater importance, Newcombe learned to think before denigrating a teammate.
References:
By, A. D. (1956, Nov 27). Sports of the times. The New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 58. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/113576636?accountid=46260
By ROSCOE McGOWEN The New York Times. (1956, Sept. 27). Dodgers lose to Roberts of Phillies and fall one game behind idle Braves. The New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 45-45. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/113623937?accountid=46260
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