1950 World Series Photo Gallery
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Spotlight on the World Series: The Often-Overlooked 1950 Fall Classic!
Our tour through the World Series stops today in the 1950 series which featured the Philadelphia Phillies’ “Whiz Kids,” against the New York Yankees. In the great action photo below, beautifully colorized by our friend Don Stokes, we see Yogi Berra tagging out the Phillies’ Granny Hamner at home in the first game of the series. Old-timers like me fondly remember the great National League umpire from the 1950’s and ‘60s, Dusty Boggess, seen here making the call.
The 1950 World Series, won by the Yankees in a four-game sweep, was one of the few from this era that did not feature the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Yankees. From 1947 to 1956, the only ones that did not feature the Dodgers and Yankees were 1948, ‘50, ‘51, and ‘54. By the time this Series was over, the “Whiz Kids” had been turned into the “Wheez Kids” by the Yankees.
The Series was played from October 4 to October 7, with the Phillies, having home field advantage, opening the series at Shibe Park, the last postseason played at the great old stadium. The Phils, who won the National League pennant in dramatic fashion on the final day of the season, were making their first World Series appearance since 1915. Casey Stengel’s Yankees won their 16th pennant and 13th World Series championship. It was the second of a record five straight titles for the Yankees (1949–1953), all under Stengel. The two teams would not again meet in the Fall Classic for 59 years, until Charlie Manuel’s Phillies squared off against Joe Girardi’s Yankees in 2009.
The Phillies, led by manager Eddie Sawyer, went 98-56 (.636) in 1950, finishing two games ahead of the Dodgers. The Yankees compiled a 98-56 record (.636), three games ahead of the Tigers. Phillies ace Robin Roberts didn’t start Game One because he had made three starts in the previous five days including the pennant winner on the final day of the regular season. Curt Simmons, the Phillies’ 17-game winner, had been called to military duty in September and was unavailable for this Series. The Yankees’ postseason experience and their starting staff, which included Vic Raschi, Allie Reynolds, Tom Ferrick, and rookie Whitey Ford, proved to be too much as the starters gave up only three earned runs and combined for a 0.73 ERA. The Yankees’ line-up included such familiar names as Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Jerry Coleman, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize, and Tommy Henrich.
The games were televised on NBC with Jim Bitt and long-time Cubs’ broadcaster Jack Brickhouse in the TV booth; while the great Mel Allen and Gene Kelly handled the radio side. The umpiring crew included a lot of familiar names: Jocko Conlan (NL), Bill McGowan (AL), Dusty Boggess (NL), Charlie Berry(AL), Al Barlick (NL: outfield only), Bill McKinley (AL: outfield only).
Hall-of-Famers who appeared in the series were Yankees Casey Stengel (mgr.), Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Johnny Mize, and Phil Rizzuto; Phillies Richie Ashburn, and Robin Roberts; plus HOF umpires Conlon, McGowen, and Barlick.
Odds makers had the Yankees 2–5 favorites to win the Series. New York Times sportswriter John Drebinger proved to be nearly prescient making a pre-Series prediction of the Yankees in five, adding:
“The Stengelers simply have too much over-all pitching. They have the long range power. They possess rare defensive skill, and they have the poise and experience gained through the past four years which brought them two world championships and three pennants.”
-Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: Colorization by Don Stokes. Visit Don’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Don-Stokes-Old-Time-Baseball-Colorizations-923346241033508/photos.; All other photos found on Google search
Information: Excerpts edited from the 1950 World Series Wikipedia page. See more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_World_Series
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