Hero & Goat

Milwaukee's pitchers were even better than anyone had figured; Yankee hitters failed at crucial moments. The Braves' Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette had Yankee batters hitting impotent pop-ups and harmless grounders. Not only did they look bad at bat, the Bronx Bombers persisted in perpetrating boners on the baseline and afield. Seldom, if ever, had the New Yorkers botched a World Series so badly.

Aging ( 37 ) Lefthander Spahn, an Oklahoma cattle breeder in his spare time and winner of 246 games in a 14-year major-league career, might have been beaten in the opening game if the Yankees had not conspired so efficiently to beat themselves. Hank Bauer led off the first inning with a single, got ignominiously picked off base moments later. In the eighth inning, the same Bauer backed up for a routine line drive, overjumped it to make a double of a sure putout. With this help, Spahn took heart, got stronger and stronger (he retired 14 batters in a row), and the Braves won 4-3 in ten innings.

The second game was over in the first inning when the Yankees' star righthander, Bob Turley, winner of 21 games during the regular season, got gunned out in a seven-run Milwaukee assault. Bauer misplayed a fly ball for a double. Yankee Killer Lew Burdette added insult to injury with a three-run homer, breezed to a 13-5 victory for a record four straight series triumphs over the New Yorkers.

Yankee Manager Casey Stengel lost his composure ("I'm getting damned mad about this") and finally browbeat the Yankees into winning one. Don Larsen and Ryne Duren combined for a 4-0 shutout, but at that only four hits came from Yankee bats all day--three of them by the rejuvenated Bauer ("Being a good loser is the bunk"), who knocked in all four runs with his third series homer, two singles. He still managed to get picked off first once again.

But Spahn came back next day, and the Yankees rolled over and played dead --even Slugger Bauer, who had his record consecutive game hitting streak for World Series play snapped at 17. The hooknosed southpaw cleverly curved the Yankees until late afternoon shadows crept over the stadium, then opened up with a still hopping fast ball, retired 17 of the last 18 batters in fashioning a two-hit 3-0 shutout. Gloated Spahn: "Somebody got the impression that I can't throw anything but junk. Well, somebody is misinformed." Shortstop Tony Kubek let in the first Milwaukee run with an error, and Outfielder Norm Siebern played three fly balls into base hits.

In their dressing room, the Braves were jubilant. Crowed Manager Fred Haney: "Spahn had it right from the start." Though the bettors were still cautious, there was no doubt in Milwaukee minds that the championship was in the bag.

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