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This is Earl Gillespie, along with my smiling
sidekick, Blaine Walsh, inviting you to join
us in recapturing the spine -tingling excitement
of Milwaukee Braves baseball, the many memorable
moments which have provided thrill after thrill
for you fans. And it is to you, the loyal Milwaukee
Braves fans, that this nostalgia -packed album
is enthusiastically dedicated. Without your tremendous
and consistent support, our Braves might never
have risen to the great heights. Herein highlighted
and brought back for you to keep forever. The
Big Red Letter Day came on March 8th, 1953. The
news spread like wildfire. Milwaukee had become
Major League. Enthusiasm ran high. Civic celebrations,
parades, and welcome demonstrations were the
order of the day as impatient fans waited for
their big moment. And what a moment it was. Milwaukee's
first official Major League game. A tightly fought
duel between the Cardinals and Braves in jam
-packed Milwaukee County Stadium. An extra inning
affair that saw the score tied at 2 -all as the
Braves came up to bat on the last of the 10th.
Do you remember? Will you ever forget? Here's
Billy Bruton leading off for the Braves. Bullet
Bill, outstanding young rookie center fielder.
Jerry Staley on the mound for the Cardinals.
Gets his side. Starts it on the windup. Here's
the pitch. Billy cracks a long drive to deep
right field. Back, back. Enos Slaughter racing
back. Leaps high at the wall. The ball's off
Slaughter's glove. Out of the ballpark. Bruton
slides in the third. No, wait a minute. He's
being waved back to second. It's a ground rule
double. Whoops, here comes manager Charlie Grimm,
waving his arms, arguing with umpire Lon Warnicke.
Now the umpires are talking it over. Now Billy
is being waved around. And it's a homer. Home
run for Billy Bruton. The Braves win 3 -2. And
that fantastic beginning keynoted a season of
tremendous thrills and excitement. Spearheaded
by unbelievable fan support. The charging Braves
were thick in the pennant pursuit, along with
the Dodgers, Cards, and believe it or not, the
Philadelphia Phils. By June 3rd, the Braves led
the league by a game and a half. Warren Spahn
was enjoying a great year, which was to bring
him 21 victories. But the big surprise was roly
-poly Max Sirkant, who wrote a new record on
May 25th. Remember that cold and rainy night?
Max the Yaks really mowed down the Redlegs, fanning
seven Reds in a row when play was halted for
nearly 40 minutes. The delay failed to bother
Big Max. When the game resumed, he promptly proceeded
to strike out Andy Semenik to rack up a new record
of eight strikeouts in a row. A big night to
remember. Another big sensation was the buster
from Santa Barbara, 21 -year -old Eddie Matthews.
Off to a red -hot start, Matthews had 26 four
-baggers halfway through the season, but he was
still looking for a big first in the long ball
department. Then, on July 12th, at Busch Stadium
in St. Louis, it happened. Left -handed batter
Eddie Matthews. Bases are loaded and one out.
The pitch to Eddie, a ball that's outside. Ball
one and no strike. Hal White. A right -hander
warming up is going to be joined now by another
right -hander. Ed Herod, I believe. Ed Herod.
Two right -handers warming up for the Cardinals.
The first edition of the Milwaukee Braves was
a power -packed wrecking crew, and they put on
one of the greatest blasting exhibitions in baseball
history on August 20th in a Sunday doubleheader
at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Milwaukee
Maulers belted 12 home runs to set a new National
League record for homers in two consecutive games.
Were you listening? Do you remember? Don't want
to count on Adcock. Joe has nothing for three.
The pitch is swing and drive back in the deep
center field. Going back is Frank Thomas. Back
on this ball. Back, back. Against the wall. 436
feet. Here's the run scoring as Adcock runs second
base on his way to third. And he is going to
try to score. Here's the pipe coming in the home
plate. He scores standing up. Holy cow. They're
calling it a home run inside the park. And then
came that record -breaking blow by our old friend,
Sid Gordon. Besides Adcox and Gordon's blasts,
Jim Pendleton and Eddie Matthews each hit for
the circuit three times. Johnny Logan twice,
and Jack Dittmer and Del Crandall once each.
There were a lot of holy cows that day, Blainer.
And how the fans loved their Braves. As the season
drew to a close, Milwaukee and Wisconsin fans
set a new all -time National League attendance
mark of 1 ,826 ,397 patrons. So what if the Brooklyn
Bums copped the pennant? Milwaukee had a special
championship of its own. According to most baseball
experts, without the enthusiasm of the fans,
the Braves would not have achieved their fantastic
climb from 7th place in 52 to their strong 2nd
place finish in 53. Their first year in the beer
and baseball capital of the world. The following
year provided more and even bigger thrills for
Braves fans who continue to jam County Stadium
in unprecedented fashion. Well, the second chapter
of the Milwaukee story was primarily one of injuries.
Bobby Thompson, obtained in a big trade with
the Giants, suffered a broken leg in a spring
exhibition game. And popular Andy Pafko was beamed
on opening day. And so it went all season long.
Despite their miseries, the Braves put up a terrific
battle and furnished some new and spectacular
thrills, like this one, which took place on June
12th. Remember? Here's the wind -up, and the
3 -2 pitch, a swing, a line drive down the left
field line, and it's a foul ball! Holy cow! That
ball was fouled by about a foot. Willie Jones,
lines one foul, just outside the line. And Jim
Wilson is still standing on the threshold of
a Hall of Fame. It's ball three and strike two.
Two outs. ...on base here in the top half of
the ninth inning. Milwaukee leading 2 -0. Jones
takes his time coming back. That ball was fouled
only by about a foot. A liner down the left field
line. Ball three, strike two. Pendle gets down
behind the plate, giving out a very important
signal right now. Wilson wants a new baseball.
Infield is set. The outfield is set. Playing
Jones for a pull hitter. Ball three and strike
two on Willie. Right -handed batter lifts his
bat up over his head, loosening up his shoulders.
Now Jim goes down to the rosin sack. Gives it
a squeeze. Throws it down. Ball three and strike
two. Two outs. Here's the windup. And the big
pitch. A swing and a foul going upstairs to our
right. And it's still 3 -2 on Willie Jones. Dan
Schell is due to come up next. Jones backs out
of the batter's box momentarily. Leans over to
pick up a handful of dirt. Drives off his hand.
It's been a hot day here on June the 12th. Temperature
is 81 degrees. Here's the windup. And the 3 -2
pitch. A swing and a grovels hit to the second
baseman. Picks it up. There's the play. The first.
And Jim Wilson pitches a no -hit. Jimmy Wilson
has just entered the Hall of Fame with a no -hit
game against the tough Philadelphia Phillies.
Another memorable moment of 54 came on July 31st
at historic Ebbets Field. Joe Adcock provided
the thrills as he won on a batting binge, the
like of which had never been seen. Was your set
turned on when... Three home runs, a double,
four runs scored, and six runs batted in for
Joe. First pitch by Padres, the curveball is
high and outside for the ball. Ball one and no
strikes. The top half of the ninth inning is
12 -6. Into the windup. The fastball swung on
and drives back into the deep left center field.
It's going back towards the wall. It's a home
run. Joe Adcock has just tied a real major league
record with his fourth home run today. What a
one -man show by Jolton Joe. Adcock had also
homered and doubled the day before. then maintained
his extra base barrage by doubling the first
time up the following day. And then came the
beanball that sidelined the Cushota clubber for
a number of days. And that was another in a string
of injuries which included Eddie Matthews' split
finger. Despite this run of hard luck, the Braves
finished a creditable third, just seven and a
half lengths behind the pennant -winning New
York Giants. And again, Earl, it was the Braves
fans themselves who accounted for one of the
season's big highlights, breaking their own attendance
record and showing up two million strong at County
Stadium, the first time ever that a National
League team clicked the turnstiles to the tune
of two million. The 55 flag chase really started
with a flourish. Were you a fan in the stands
on that opening day which provided one of our
greatest thrills? Remember how it went? The Braves
trailed 2 -1 in the eighth, and the situation
called for a pinch hitter for Warren Spahn. And
thus it was that young Chuck Tanner made his
Major League debut. Now let's see if Warren Spahn
is coming out. I believe here comes Chuck Tanner.
Chuck Tanner is going to bat. For the pitcher,
Warren Spahn. A rookie up from Atlanta. Of the
Southern Association, where he had a tremendous
year. Chuck Tanner is making his first appearance
in a major league ball game. He's an awfully
nice shot. And a good hitter. He had a good spring.
Chuck, who last year hit .323 at Atlanta with
20 home runs and 101 runs batted in. A lieutenant
swinger with one out of nobody on base. Jerry
Staley, the right -hander, is ready. Here comes
the first pitch, and Chuck swings at the line
drive down the right field line, back towards
the wall. Home run, his first time up in the
Major League. How dramatic can things get? In
55, Milwaukee was all agog over hosting his first
All -Star game. And the Braves were well represented
by Del Crandall, Warren Spahn, Johnny Logan,
Ed Matthews, Henry Aaron, and lean, lanky Gene
Conley. Do you recall Conley's memorable mound
stint in the 12th inning? Two outs and nobody
on base. Conley's first pitch to Al Rosen. Swung
on and lane foul down the third baseline at strike
one. The National League outfield playing deep
and towards left for Al Rosen. Al was hampered
quite a bit last year by an injury to one of
his fingers. A strike one count. Five to five
in the top half of the 12th inning. Conley leaning
way over, getting his sign from Lopata. Strike
one count. The pitch to Rosen. Curve misses inside.
It's even up at ball one and strike one. Ball
one, strike one. Shadows lengthening out here
at Milwaukee County Stadium have now practically
obliterated the infield. The wind -up on the
one -and -one pitch. Rosen's trying to hold up
on his swing. It's a strike, and it's one -and
-two. Conley looks like he has that good curveball
breaking for him this afternoon. As the American
leaguers, the first three to face him here, have
been reaching out for the pitch. Ball one, strike
two. Two outs. Nobody on base. Rosen set on the
batter's box. Straightaway stance. The pitch.
Fastball is high and it's even up. Ball two,
strike two. 5 -5 ball game. Ball two and a strike
two counter. Now Rosen. Conley delivers. There's
a swing and a miss and he's stuck out the side.
There was no stopping the Dodgers that year,
and they won going away by 13 and a half games.
A significant note occurred at season's end with
the signing of Fred Haney as coach for the coming
year, a year which was to be marked by fun, frenzy,
and finally, frustration. The big moment of 56
came on June 17th when popular Jolly Chelly Grimm
resigned and Fred Haney took over the managerial
reins. Haney's debut was a dramatic one as the
Braves dumped the Dodgers in a doubleheader.
Again, Joe Adcock sets the pace with three homers,
one of them a real tape measure job. Adcock.
Big, powerfully built right -handed batter, and
Ed Roebuck's first pitch is way inside, comes
back to the screen, it's a ball. Ball one and
no strike. Oh, one of no strikes to come on Joe
Adcock. Outfield deep to the left. There's a
swing and a long one. That was way, way up there
and maybe on the roof. It's on the top of the
roof here at Ebbets Field. Up over the roof at
Ebbets Field, a double -deck. Boy, what a slam
by Joe Adcock, and it's 5 -4. And I think that's
the first time that's ever been done in the history
of Ebbets Field. The Braves went on to take 11
straight and became king of the hill. Bulwark
of the Braves' surge was ageless Warren Spahn,
who marked a major milestone midway in the final
month of the campaign. Warren Spahn, the left
-hander, stretches. The one -and -two pitch,
a swing and a ground ball to the third baseman.
The Pegas second base out. Over to first base,
double play, and there are two out. A double
play. Teddy Matthews to Danny O 'Connell to Joe
Adcock. And that's the gamble a manager will
take with his power hitter up there. And having
him cut away, there's the danger of the double
play ball, and then a hit into the double play.
Third to second to first. Now here is right fielder
Jim Greengrass, who homered in the second. Has
ground it out twice and walked. The 56th race
went right down to the wire, and on the second
last day of the season, the Braves met the Cardinals
in a must game. We came close. Oh, how we came
close. But it was not to be. Remember how you
felt the night of September 29th? At a very opportune
time for the St. Louis Cardinals. As he lines
a double to deep right center field. And that
is only the fourth base hit off Warren Spahn.
So St. Louis now has the winning run on second
base. It only went away. The batter is third
baseman Ken Boyer. And he is going to receive
an intentional walk. A time is called. By the
home plate umpire Frank Descoli. Boyer who. as
one for four is receiving an intentional walk.
It'll bring up the left fielder, Rip Rapolsky.
Now we're ready to go. Time back in. First pitch
high outside, ball one, as Moyer is receiving
the intentional walk with first place open. Ball
two. And ball four. So Spahn for the first time
since the sixth inning is in real trouble. That's
his second walk of the ball game. An 11 -1 third
inning. That's an intentional walk. Musial's
double forcing the walk. With Boyer up there.
Now here is Rip Rapolsky. And Rapolsky has nothing
for four. He has slide to right. Popped to the
first baseman, grounded his short, and was safe
on a fielder's choice. St. Louis runners at first
and second base with one man out. The first pitch
to Rapulski is high outside, a ball. 1 -1 in
the last half of the 12th inning. Ball one and
no strikes on Rapulski, Wally Moon on deck. New
Zealand second base. Ken Boyer on first base.
Spahn looks back over the left shoulder. The
1 -0 pitch is swinging a ground ball at deep
third. Gets off the leg of Eddie Matthews. Rolls
in a foul territory. Here is the winning run
scoring. And the ball game is over. And women
might go to National League credit for 1956.
Again, you fans showed your loyalty, turning
up 20 ,000 strong to welcome back the boys from
their ill -fated St. Louis jaunt. And on everyone's
lips were the words, Wait till next year. The
Hot Stove League blazed brightly that winter
as both the Braves and U fans champed to the
bit, waiting for the 57 season to roll around.
The Braves started off in typical fashion behind
the mound mastery of Lou Burdette. Burdett stretches,
delivers a swing, a ground ball to the shortstop.
Johnny Logan picks it up over to second base.
The ball game is over. And Burdett just hurled
a magnificent shutoff, duplicating his feat of
1956 when he shut off the Chicago Cubs. Here
in the ninth inning, for the Redlegs, no runs,
one hit, no errors, and one man was left on base.
As Wally Post forces Pete... wasn't it at second
base, Logan to Danny O 'Connell. So the final
score, Milwaukee won, Cincinnati nothing. The
57 race was a real dogfight with no less than
five teams hanging tough and tight. Again, the
Braves were hard hit by injuries, but they had
a golden touch in coming up with replacements.
Hero of the year was an unknown from Wichita
whose fabulous hitting spree kept the Braves
pen and hopes alive. Remember him? Remember a
guy called Hurricane Bob Hazel? Ball two, strike
one. And he's been doing just that. And, of course,
he has brought a smile and a big, wide smile
to the face of our general manager, John Quinn.
What is on first and second base with one out?
The 2 -1 pitch, a swing and a drive back in the
deep right center field, going back towards the
wall. Back, back it is. A home run for Bob Hazel.
to the right of it over the fence, a tremendous
drive. He now has six runs batted in today, and
Milwaukee has a 7 -0 lead. The hurricane continued
to howl in fantastic fashion. Bob Hazel, left
-handed batter, facing the right -handed Turk
Lown. A one -and -two pitch, and it's just outside,
ball two, at the end of. Six innings, Cincinnati
four, and the Cardinals one at the end of six.
Ball two, strike two. The pitch, a swing and
a drive, back in the right field, going back
towards the wall, is Wally Moore, and it's a
home run! Bobby Hazel just hit one out to give
the Braves the lead, eight to seven. With the
hurricane blowing up a mighty storm, the Braves
cyclone their way to a five -game lead late in
the season. Now it became a matter of magic numbers,
a matter of not if, but when. Now the date is
September 23rd, and the Cards are in town. What
a spot for sweet revenge. The game hand -sweats
its way into the 11th inning, and the hitter
is hammering Hank Aaron. The pitch to Henry Aaron,
a swing and a drive back into center field, going
back towards the wall. It's back at that fence.
And is it caught or not? It's a home run! The
Braves are the champions of the National League!
Henry Aaron just hit his 43rd home run of the
year! Holy cow! It was happy days for the Braves
and their legions of loyal fans. And now the
most delicious deal of all, the dream come true.
The Braves playing in the World Series against
the highly favored New York Yankees. Remember
how the Yankees called us Bush and how we made
them eat their words? The hated Yanks took a
one -game lead over the first three tussles.
And then came that dramatic fourth game at County
Stadium. The Yankees held a 5 -4 lead in the
10th inning. Bob Grimm checks with Yogi Berra.
Up on the rubber, goes into the stretch, arms
down. The 2 -0 pitch, a swing and a line drive
to left field. And now it's up to Eddie Matthews.
Here's the 2 -2 pitch. They swing and they drive
back into right field. Going back towards that
wall. It may be. It is a home run for Eddie Matthews.
The series seesawed to the seventh game and all
the chips were down. With only two days rest
and the winner of two big victories, Lou Burdette
took the mound in place of flu -stricken Warren
Spahn. And again, Burdette was nothing less than
brilliant. The Braves forged ahead. Carson's
ready. He fires and they swing a line drive to
right field. and is being waved around third
base. And then, Blainer, came that nerve -wracking
ninth inning. The Braves led 5 -0, but the ever
-dangerous Yankees staged a big threat. Faces
are loaded. Bill Skowron, the batter, 5 -0. The
Braves lead. There's a swing and a foul back.
One strike. Skowron, who just returned to the
lineup today, came on as a pinch hitter in the
fifth inning, and he's remained in the ballgame
at first base. He's 0 -2. The outfield around
to the left. McDougal is on at third. Coleman
is on at second. Tommy Byrne, the base runner
at first. Hank Aaron is pulled around in left
center field. The breeze is blowing across from
left to right. Burdett's pitch swung on. Line
grabbed by Matthews. It's set from third. And
the World Series is over and the Milwaukee Braves
are the new world champions of baseball. And
that was it. Baseball had a new world's champion
and Bedlam broke loose in Milwaukee. There was
dancing in the streets, and our town had the
world's happiest hangover. The Milwaukee Braves,
champions of the world. World champions. And
like Alexander of old, the Braves had no more
worlds to conquer. But in the great game of baseball,
each pennant chase is a brand new race. And your
Milwaukee Braves return to the wars in 58, determined
to make it two in a row. And once again, right
up in the front ranks was a young southpaw by
the name of Warren Spahn. Corner all the cliches
you can think of. Meal ticket, bellwether, stopper,
you name it, and Spahn -y is the answer. Take
the early part of the season, for example, when
Warren got the green light against his longtime
nemesis, those transported Dodgers. Count is
even now on the rookie outfielder, Chuck Esigian.
Ball two and strike two. One out here in the
last half of the ninth inning. Runners on first
and third. A swing and a ground ball to the third
baseman. Here's the peg to second base out. Over
to first base. Double play and Warren Spahn's
got his shutout. A double play in the last half
of the ninth inning. And Warren Spahn just registered
his 42nd shutout in a brilliant Major League
career. Another repeat in the 58 pattern. The
Braves' penchant for powdering the ball to kingdom
come. Few thrills can match the excitement of
a clutch hit. And the Braves provided many a
thrill on many an occasion. Do you recall this
one when Del Crandall climbed off the bench in
a 3 -3 battle with the Redlegs? It's been an
uphill battle for the Braves. They reached it
now as they've tied the Redlegs. A swing, a line
drive down the left field line, back towards
the wall. It is a full run over the left field
fence. Or here's that man again, Joe Adcock,
coming up as a pinch hitter. Tying run at first
base. Here comes the next pitch to Joe. A swing
and a drive back into left center field. Going
back towards the wall. Back, back. Who ran for
Joe at second of all. Game is over. And when
the big guns weren't bombarding, one of the lesser
lights often came through to keep the pot a -boiling.
Remember a young fellow named Hannah Brink? This
one happened in St. Louis. Small wonder they
called him Hairbreadth Harry. Come on, Harry.
Straighten it out. Ball went in. Boy, he hit
that ball. on top of the double -deck and right
about 15 feet foul. Braves now have two runs
on seven hits. The Cardinals only two runs and
three hits. Score is tied at two and two. Ball
one strike, one count on Hannabrink. Pitch to
Harry. A swing and a high drive back in the right
center field. Right back towards the wall. Hold
on. And so it went throughout the 58th season.
A continuing series of injuries failed to halt
the Braves' pennant express. Bob Buell and Joey
Jay were derailed, but young Carl Willey came
up from Wichita to put the Braves back on the
track. And of course, there was always Spani,
who on September 13th racked up his 20th win
for the ninth time in his career, a feat never
before accomplished by a Southpaw in the entire
history of our national pastime. Then on September
21st, another memorable day for the Milwaukee
Braves and their rabid Rooters. Were you listening
when it happened? Ed Bailey, the last chance
now for the Redlegs. Deep in the batter's box.
Here's the 2 -2 pitch. There's a swing and a
drive in the right center field. Rooten going
over, so is Henry Aaron. Dilley is calling. The
ball game is over. The Braves win. The National
League pen up there. Gathered around Don McMahon
in the mound now as he retired the side in order
in the last half of the ninth inning. on a fly
ball to Billy Bruton in right center field here
in the last half of the night. Three up, three
down. No runs, no hits, no errors. Nobody left
on base, and our Milwaukee Braves, again, are
champions in the National League. As they leave
the playing area, they're getting a wonderful
ovation from the Cincinnati fans who probably
are yelling, go take those Yankees down. Yes,
the Braves made it two in a row as Spahn notched
his 21st win despite heading for an early shower.
And now, once again, the cry was heard. Bring
on the Yankees. Milwaukee County Stadium was
the scene of the series opener. And what a ding
-dong battle it was. Remember that eighth -inning
rally that put us back in the game? Runner on
first, none out. 2 -1 pitch. A swing and a drive
back into right field. Going back as Hank Fowler
towards the wall. He leaps! This one is out there
for extra bases. Eddie Matthews on his second
base, on his way to third. Aaron goes into second
base. The throw gets away from the shortstop,
Kubek, but it's picked up by Carey. Wes Covington
then came through with a sacrifice fly to tie
the game, and we headed for overtime. Then, in
the 10th inning... Dern tugs at the cap, now
digs in against the pitching rubber. There's
a look back toward the runner at second. Joe
Adcock, the stretch and the pause. A one -on
-one pitch. Swung on with the right... The second
game was a cakewalk for Lou Burdette, who aided
his own cause with a long home run, as the Braves
footballed their way to a 13 -5 margin. The scene
then shifted to the house that Ruth built, and
the Yanks bounced back to take the third game.
In the fourth, manager Fred Haney led with his
ace, and Warren Spahn was again the master of
old, pitching a tremendous three -hitter to win
2 -0. But the Braves got quite a scare in the
fourth inning. Surely you remember that spine
-tingling moment. Ball two and a strike one count.
First baseman Bill Skowron due to hit next. Here's
a swing and a drive deep left center field. That
ball's going a long, long way. It is a off the
wall. Here is Aaron chasing it down as Mantle
on second base on his way to third. The peg into
the infield. He goes in standing with a tremendous
triple. Mantle held third as the second out was
made. Then, here is the windup. 2 -2 pitch. A
swing and a line drive. It is knocked down by
Shane East over to first. He is out of a great
play. Holy cow, what a play by Red Shane East
and Joe Adcock. Beautiful leaping try by Shane
East. He knocks them all down. It fell to his
feet. He picked it up. Adcock was coming over
to cover first base. He went back into that bag,
jabbed at the bag, made a scoop up of a low throw
as Barrow went diving head first in the first
base. On a great play to retire the side. Yes,
the old redhead, one of baseball's all -time
greats, and the man who helped make the Braves.
The rest of that 1958 series, well, the news
was sad, and there's no point in dwelling on
the Yankees' sweep of the final three games.
Time now to look ahead to 1959. And, Blainer,
like the preceding years, this one had a full
share of pages for the memory book. That night
of May 26th, for example, when you fans of the
stadium were treated to the greatest pitching
performance in all of baseball's long history.
Harvey Haddix was on the mound for the Pirates
as inning after inning after inning went by with
Nary a brave reaching base by any means or manner.
Meantime, Lou Burnett was matching horse collars
with Harvey the Kitten, and the game was a scoreless
tie through 11 electrifying innings. And in the
12th, Haddix in the motion. to two pitch. A swing
of ground ball to the third baseman's left. He
stabs it. Here's a throw to first base. He is
out and that retires the side. And Harvey Haddix
now has 12 perfect innings of brilliant, simply
magnificent pitching performance. Another standing
ovation. The tension mounted as Burdette blanked
the Bucs in their half of the 13th. And then...
Nobody on base, nobody out. Haddix delivers.
A swing of ground ball to the third baseman.
He's in fast. Big hop. The throw to first base.
A low throw. There's the first base runner. With
first base open, Aaron was purposely passed,
and the stage was set for Jolton Joe. All one
and no strikes to count on, Joe Adcock. The winning
run on second base in the last half of the 13th
inning. Into the stretch. Here is the pitch.
A swing and a high fly ball. Driven deep into
right center field. Going back towards the wall.
Back, back. And it's a win for Joe Adcock, and
the ball game is over. And Earl, that thrilling
windup. had us all up in the air. That's right,
Blaine. The situation didn't get straightened
out until the next morning when it was decided
that Adcock's home run was really a double and
that the Braves won by a score of one to nothing.
Well, in view of the immortal pitching performance
by Harvey Haddix, the Braves were happy to settle
for any kind of a win. The 59 season settled
down to a three -way battle among the San Francisco
Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Milwaukee
Braves. The battles with the transplanted East
Coast teams were always hard fought. And this
June game with the Dodgers was a typical Donnybrook.
Wise on third. Matthews on second, Aaron on first.
Andy Papko in the batter's box. Batting at 209,
Andy has nine hits and 43 at bats. One double
and two runs batted in. He swings at the ground
ball, a base hit! Braves management, always on
the lookout to improve the club and please the
fans, constantly maneuvered to bring in new players.
You'll probably recall that 1959 saw Bobby Avila,
Lee May, Ray Boone, and Country Slaughter appear
as new faces at the stadium. Bobby Avila made
a great debut, hitting a ninth -inning homer
to whip the Red Legs and end a seven -game losing
streak. But Bobby's biggest blow came later.
Come on, Bobby. Drive down that right field line
could win the ball game as it's wide open. Simoli's
way over towards right center. Now Simoli's moving
over to his left a couple of steps. Here's the
0 -2 pitch. Low, a ball. 1 -2. Ball one and strike
two on Avila. Ball one, strike two. A tremendously
important blast because, as things turned out,
every game was a must game. Every win a needed
win. The season's end found the Braves and Dodgers
deadlocked for first place. Here at home, the
Braves dropped the first game of the pennant
playoff 3 -2. And then came drama and disaster
at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The Braves put
on a stirring rally in the late innings, and
the score was knotted at 5 -all in the 12th inning.
Bob Rush was on the hill. Rush out in front,
ball one, strike two. Dodger runners on first
and second, but the Dodger runner of importance,
of course, is the guy on second base, Gil Hodges.
He represents the winning run of the ball game.
Five to five time, the last half of the 12th
inning. And so the Braves bid for their third
pennant in four years went by the boards, by
a whisker. But hope springs eternal in the hearts
of baseball fans, and a new season was coming
up. And with a new leader at the helm, Blainer,
astute Charlie Dressen became manager, and a
fired -up team was thick in the pen and chase
just about all season long. 1960 was the year
when everything went perfect for the Pirates,
but you Braves fans had some mighty exciting
times. Remember August 18th, the day Lou Burdette
joined the Hall of Fame? A strike to count on
Bobby Gene Smith. Two outs. Burdette has retired
26 consecutive batters. In the center of attraction
right now. Holding a great spotlight out there
in the mound. Strike two counts. Two outs on
Bobby Gene Smith. Ninth inning, Braves lead one
to nothing. Burdette has his sign. Here's the
windup. And here's the 0 -2 pitch. There's a
swing and a high fly ball to right. Come on,
Henry. He's got his no -hitter. Talk about embarrassing
moments. Lou's masterpiece was not a perfect
no -hitter because one Philly runner did reach
first. Chalk up an error for the Earl. So who
feels a thousand, Earl? The excitement of Burdette's
no -hitter had hardly died down when just a month
later, Warren Spahn took the mound in quest of
his 20th win. Again, it was the Phillies. And
talk about lightning striking twice. Warren Spahn
starts the motion. Here's the pitch. There's
a swing and a miss. He struck him out. 15 strikeouts
for Warren Spahn. 15 strikeouts tonight. Two
outs and nobody on base. We go down to the last
man now, Bobby Malkmus. Malkmus has ground to
the short, popped the short, and he's flied to
center field. Tremendous strikeout total tonight
for Spahn. But that's not the big story right
now. Ninth inning, two outs, nobody on base.
Malkmus 0 for 3, standing outside the batter's
box. The outfield's playing him around to the
left. So is the infield. Second baseman Chuck
Cotty on the edge of the outfield grass, lined
up with right center field. The veterans southpaw
spawn into the motion. Here is the pitch to Bobby
Malkmus. A swing and a drive. Hits off the glove.
Logan in fast. Up on the ball. Throws the first.
He is out. 16 years is a long time to wait for
anything, but Spani finally got his no -hitter.
Was anyone ever more deserving of such an honor?
The big win marked Warren's 12th season of 20
or more wins, another chapter for the record
books. And so our march of memorable moments
moves into 1961. As we record these highlights
for posterity, the season is still young. Many
things are yet to happen. Baseball takes many
twists and turns, but it never erases what's
in the records. And the early 61 season produced
two fantastic and fabulous highlights. Remember
the bitter cold night of April 28th? Perfect
for polar bears, but hardly fit for the precious
arm of a veteran southpaw. Spani's turn again,
and his opponents are the hard -slugging, power
-packed giants. Were you there? Were you listening?
Batter is a pinch batter. Mateo Alou. Mateo Alou,
brother of Felipe Alou, the Giants right fielder.
Mateo's been up three times. He has two hits.
He's batting at 667. And here is the first pitch.
He bunts one. A drag bunt on the first base side.
Spahn overthrows. He's out and a great play.
Lawrence Spahn and Joe Adcock. And it's two away
in the ninth inning. After that backhanded flip
to nip a loo, Spahn had one big out to get. Then...
This is Amal Fatano batting for Sam Jones. And
he's out in front of Warren Spahn. Ball two,
no strikes. Spahn, he starts his motion. 2 -0
pitch, a swing and a hearty ball to Roy McMillan.
He bobbles the ball, comes up, throws the first
base, and he is out! And Warren Spahn has pitched
another no -hitter! Warren Spahn has just picked
his second no -hitter in his second consecutive
year. And he's being mobbed out here behind the
mound. Roy McMillan took that hard shot. It bounced
off his chest. He picked it up and threw the
guy out at first base. And Warren Spahn has done
it again. As Mel Allen would say, how about that?
After years of waiting, Wiley Warren turns the
trick two seasons in a row. What more can be
said about this man among men? You know, Blaine,
it doesn't always happen that good pitching is
combined with stout hitting. And when the two
fail to click together, not even writing new
records can win the game. Consider that Pier
6 brawl against the Redlegs down Cincinnati way.
How well I remember, Earl. Spani was off the
mark that day, and when the Braves came to bat
on the 7th, they trailed 10 -2. Frank Bowling
continued his hot hitting with a line single
to left, and the hitter was Eddie Matthews. 2
-2 pitch. There's a swing, a long drive way back
in the right field. There she goes. Home run
for Eddie Matthews. Now it's Aaron at bat and
on the second pitch. There's a swing and a drive
to the left field line back towards the screen.
And this one is a home run for Henry Aaron. Line
drive up into the screen. And Aaron just picked
up his 10th home run of the season. Strategy
called for a pitching change, and in came Marshall
Bridges to replace the shell -shocked Jim Maloney.
Adcock at bat. There's a swing and a drive back
into center field, going back towards the wall.
It may be. It is a home run for Joe Adcock. Three
home runs in a row tie a major league record.
Wow, three in a row and more fireworks to come.
Popular newcomer Frank Thomas strides to the
plate. Never before in the annals of Major League
Baseball had any team cracked four consecutive
homers. And it was our battling Braves who did
it. Sure, we lost the game, but the four back
-to -back blasts typify the thrills and excitement
of Braves baseball. Well, as the saying goes,
Blainer, you win a few, lose a few, and a few
are rained out. But ever since hitting town in
53, the Braves have furnished the fans with untold
thrills and have consistently been in contention.
The passing parade sees stars come and go, but
new faces keep the picture bright and exciting.
A popular Andy Pathko reaches the end of the
line, but along comes a young Joe Torre to replace
him. Trades may see us say farewell to a Billy
Bruton or Joey Jay or Johnny Logan, but in their
places are stars like Frank Bowling and Roy McMillan.
The turnover is terrific, but the fun and excitement
go on and on, and it's always great to be at
Connie Stadium to see what will happen next.
Right you are, Earl, and in days and seasons
to come, we'll experience new thrills, see new
stars, and bask in the glory of more pennants
and world championships. Earl and I will be seeing
you and the Milwaukee Braves at beautiful Milwaukee
County Stadium.