The World Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

World Series isn't remembered for that sweep; it's remembered for what
     is now simply called “the Catch.”
    The New York Giants had several strong players on their team, but their star player was twenty-three-year-old center fielder
     Willie “Say Hey Kid”Mays. Powered by his batting and fielding skills, the team won 97 games that year.
    In game one of the Series, he proved just how good he was. It was the top of the eighth inning. The score was tied 3–3. The
     Indians had runners at first and second, no outs, when their slugger, Vic Wertz, came to the plate. Wertz was three-for-three
     so far, including a first-inning triple that scored the team's first two runs. No doubt he believed he'd added a fourth hit
     when he socked relief pitcher Don Liddle's first pitch into deep center field. In fact, he and everyone else in the stadium
     believed he'd just hit a home run.
    Everyone, that is, except Willie Mays. The moment Wertz connected, the fleet-footed outfielder turned his back on home plate
     and ran. The outfield fence at the Polo Grounds in New York is 460 feet from home plate. Wertz's blast looked certain to clear
     it before Mays could get there.
    But unbelievably, Mays did get there! His back still to the plate, he reached up and snagged the ball out of the air. Instead
     of a home run, Wertz was out!
    Mays didn't stop to congratulate himself, however. He knew those two runners could tag up andhead home. So he whirled around and whipped the ball in, holding the runners on base. His speed, powerful throwing arm, and
     lightning-quick reflexes kept the Indians from earning three runs.
    “I had it the whole time,” Mays joked later. Spurred on by his remarkable catch, the Giants took the game and, three days
     later, the Series.
    The following postseason saw the Dodgers and the Yankees meeting for their sixth Subway Series. Brooklyn was the sentimental
     favorite; some baseball fans, including New York followers, were simply tired of seeing the Yankees win.
    Game one was played at Yankee Stadium before a crowd of nearly 64,000 people. After a hitless first inning, both teams posted
     a pair of runs in the second and added one more each in the third to make the score 3–3 going into the fourth.
    By the sixth inning, however, the Yankees had pushed across three more, two of which were home runs by first baseman Joe Collins.
     But the Dodgers weren't finished yet.
    At the top of the eighth inning, Dodger Carl Furillo singled, stood on first while Gil Hodges got out, and then advanced to
     third when the third basemanflubbed Jackie Robinson's hit. Robinson reached second on that error. The next batter hit a sacrifice fly for the second out,
     but Furillo made it home and Robinson was at third.
    In his heyday, Robinson had been notorious for stealing bases. But now, few believed the thirty-six-year-old veteran was the
     threat he had once been. Certainly pitcher Whitey Ford didn't think he was worth worrying about. He prepared to face the next
     batter with scarcely a glance at Robinson.
    That was a mistake. The moment Ford went into his windup, Robinson took off. He was attempting to steal home!
    The crowd went wild. Catcher Yogi Berra shouted to Ford. Ford threw. Berra stood to make the play. Robinson hit the dirt and
     slid feet-first toward home plate. Amidst a cloud of dust, Berra caught the ball, fell to his knees, and tagged Robinson.
    Both men froze and looked at the umpire. Time seemed to stand still. Then the umpire made his call.
    “Safe!”
    Jackie Robinson had stolen home! The Dodgers were within one run of tying the Yankees!
    Unfortunately for Brooklyn, they were still onerun behind when the game ended. They dropped the next game, too, giving New York a two-game lead in the Series. But in game
     three, the Dodgers proved they weren't pushovers — and Robinson proved that he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
    At the bottom of the seventh, Brooklyn was ahead 6–3. But Robinson knew that that