1954 World Series

The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since 1933, defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the regular season. The Series is perhaps best-remembered for "The Catch", a sensational running catch made by Giants center fielder Willie Mays in Game 1, snaring a long drive by Vic Wertz near the outfield wall with his back to the infield. It is also remembered for utility player Dusty Rhodes' clutch hitting in three of the four games. Giants manager Leo Durocher won his only title among the three pennants he captured in his career. As of 2009, it remains the last World Series victory for the Giants. The San Francisco Giants have never won a World Series since the 1958 move to the West Coast.
This was the first time the Cleveland Indians had been swept in a World Series and the first time the New York Giants had swept an opponent without qualification. They had won four games without a loss in the 1922 World Series, but there was also one tied game. Game 4 was the last World Series game at Cleveland Stadium; the Indians did not return to the World Series until 1995, a year after Progressive Field opened.

It was no surprise that a representative from the great city of New York was listed on the ticket stub to the 1954 World Series. However, it was surprising that the name that appeared printed was not that of the New York Yankees. After winning five consecutive Fall Classics, the "Bronx Bombers" had fallen short (despite winning one-hundred three games) and were replaced by the Cleveland Indians who boasted the strongest pitching rotation in all of baseball. Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia had dominated the American League (.721 winning percentage) and were clearly favored going into the '54 contest. Their opponents, the New York Giants, had rebounded after a fifth place finish in '53 for a five-game lead over the defending National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers. Willie Mays (National League-leading .345, with forty-one home runs and one-hundred ten runs batted in) had returned from the United States Army and Johnny Antonelli (with twenty-one wins) was acquired during the off-season for a formidable 1-2 combination. Still, many had predicted that the Indians would sweep the Series due to the Giants post-season debacles of the past and Cleveland's surprise dethroning of the perennial champion Yankees.

Game 1 was held at the Polo Grounds and the fans in attendance witnessed what is considered by many to be the greatest defensive play in World Series history. With the opener tied at 2-2 (in the eighth) and two Cleveland runners on base, Willie Mays made a spinning, over-the-shoulder catch (of a 460-foot smash from Vic Wertz) in deep centerfield and fired a bullet to the infield that held the runners from tagging up and scoring. Despite a comeback rally later in the game, the Giants held on for the 5-2 win after pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes (a .341 hitter in part-time duty) hit a three-run, tenth-inning home run off of Bob Lemon.

Rhodes continued to shine in Game 2 with a game-tying pinch single in the fifth inning and another homer in the seventh. Once ag...