University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters University of Nebraska Press Spring 2013 Bridging Two Dynasties Lyle Spatz Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Spatz, Lyle, "Bridging Two Dynasties" (2013). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 163. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/163 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Bridging Two Dynasties Buy the Book Memorable Teams in Baseball History Buy the Book Bridging Two Dynasties The 1947 New York Yankees Edited by Lyle Spatz Associate Editors: Maurice Bouchard and Leonard Levin Published by the University of Nebraska Press Lincoln & London, and the Society for American Baseball Research Buy the Book © 2013 by the Society for American Baseball Research A different version of chapter 22 originally appeared in Spahn, Sain, and Teddy Ballgame: Boston’s (Almost) Perfect Baseball Summer of 1948, edited by Bill Nowlin (Burlington ma: Rounder Books, 2008). All photographs are courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York, unless otherwise indicated. Player statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. Final standings in chapter 60 are courtesy of Retrosheet.org. All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bridging two dynasties: the 1947 New York Yankees / edited by Lyle Spatz; associate editors, Maurice Bouchard and Leonard Levin. pages cm. — (Memorable teams in baseball history) Includes bibliographical references. isbn 978-0-8032-4094-0 (pbk: alk. paper) 1. New York Yankees (Baseball team)—History—20th century. I. Spatz, Lyle, 1937– gv875.n4b75 2013 796.357'64097471—dc23 2012044734 Set in Sabon by Laura Wellington. Buy the Book Table of Contents Acknowledgments . ix 16. Ray Mack . 60 Introduction . xi Joseph Wancho Marty Appel 17. Bobby Brown . 64 1. The Yankees’ Ownership . 1 Mike Huber Mark Armour and Dan Levitt 18. Rugger Ardizoia . 68 2. How the 1947 Team Was Built . 5 Bill Nowin Lyle Spatz 19. Ken Silvestri . 72 3. The Hiring of Bucky Harris . 7 Joseph M. Schuster Art Spanjer 20. Mel Queen . 76 4. Yankees Spring Training in 1947 . 10 Marc Z Aaron Walter LeConte and Bill Nowlin 21. Timeline, May 23–June 12 . 79 5. Yankees Involvement in the Suspension of Lyle Spatz Leo Durocher . 13 22. Al Lyons . 82 Jeffrey Marlett Mike Richard 6. Bucky Harris . 17 23. Tommy Henrich . 85 John Contois Rob Edelman 7. Charlie Dressen . 22 24. Frank Colman . 91 Mark Stewart Tom Hawthorn 8. Red Corriden . 27 25. Tommy Byrne . 95 C. Paul Rogers III Jimmy Keenan 9. Timeline, April 14–April 29 . 31 26. Aaron Robinson . 101 Lyle Spatz Mark Stewart 10. Yankee Stadium . 33 27. Timeline, June 13–June 30 . 105 Chris Kemmer Lyle Spatz 11. Spud Chandler . 36 28. Billy Johnson . 108 Mark Stewart Cort Vitty 12. Don Johnson . 42 29. Randy Gumpert . 112 Nicholas Diunte Steve Ferenchick 13. George McQuinn . 46 30. Charlie Keller . 116 C. Paul Rogers III Chip Greene 14. Allie Reynolds . 52 31. Ted Sepkowski . 122 Royse Parr Jack V. Morris 15. Timeline, April 30–May 22 . 57 32. Frank Shea . 126 Lyle Spatz Don Harrison Buy the Book 33. Johnny Lucadello . 131 52. George Stirnweiss . 211 Richard Riis Rob Edelman 34. Timeline, July 1–July 21 . 136 53. Jack Phillips . 217 Lyle Spatz Charles F. Faber 35. Vic Raschi . 139 54. Phil Rizzuto . 221 Lawrence Baldassaro Lawrence Baldassaro 36. Reynolds and Raschi, Building Blocks of a 55. Timeline, August 29–September 19 . 226 Dynasty . 143 Lyle Spatz Sol Gittleman 56. Sherman Lollar . 230 37. New York Yankees in the 1947 All-Star John McMurray Game . 147 57. Butch Wensloff . 234 Lyle Spatz Christine L. Putnam 38. Bobo Newsom . 148 58. Dick Starr . 238 Ralph Berger James Lincoln Ray 39. Bobo in New York . 152 59. Lonny Frey . 241 Mike Ross James Forr 40. The Yankees’ Nineteen-Game Winning 60. Timeline, September 20–September 28 . 246 Streak . 154 Lyle Spatz Brendan Bingham 61. Bill Wight . 248 41. Timeline, July 22–August 7 . 158 Bill Nowlin Lyle Spatz 62. Frank Crosetti . 253 42. Johnny Lindell . 161 Tara Krieger Rob Neyer 63. Joe Page . 259 43. Karl Drews . 166 Mark Stewart Peter Mancuso 64. Mel Allen . 266 44. Yogi Berra . 170 Warren Corbett Dave Williams 65. Russ Hodges . 272 45. Johnny Schulte . 178 Curt Smith James Lincoln Ray 66. The 1947 World Series . 276 46. Allie Clark . 181 Tom Hawthorn Rick Malwitz 67. Bill Bevens . 282 47. Joe DiMaggio . 185 Peter M. Gordon Lawrence Baldassaro 68. Bill Bevens’s Almost World Series 48. Timeline, August 8–August 28 . 193 No-Hitter . 286 Lyle Spatz Joe Dittmar 49. Ralph Houk . 196 69. Larry MacPhail . 288 John Vorperian Ralph Berger 50. Dan Topping . 201 70. George Weiss . 293 Dan Levitt and Mark Armour Dan Levitt 51. Del Webb . 206 71. American League Most Valuable Player Dan Levitt and Mark Armour Award . 299 Lyle Spatz Buy the Book 72. American League Rookie of the Year Award . 300 Lyle Spatz 73. American League Cy Young Award . 301 Lyle Spatz 74. Yankees Attendance in 1947 . 302 Gary Gillette Epilogue . 306 Lyle Spatz Notes and References . 309 Contributors . 341 Buy the Book Buy the Book Acknowledgments This book is the result of the work of many mem- Rugger Ardizoia, Dr. Bobby Brown, Allie bers of the Society for American Baseball Research Clark, Don Johnson, Randy Gumpert, Mel Queen, (sabr). Mark Armour, chairman of sabr’s Bio- Phil Rizzuto, and Dick Starr, all members of the Project Committee, and Bill Nowlin, in charge of 1947 Yankees, were most generous in sharing their team projects, fi rst had the idea for books devoted remembrances of their careers, as were the friends to specifi c teams. and families of many of the players. I thank all the contributors, those who wrote The National Baseball Library and Archive player biographies and those who wrote arti- in Cooperstown, New York, provided various cles, for their patience and cooperation. I offer authors access to their subjects’ player fi les. Patri- my grateful appreciation to Len Levin and Maury cia Kelly, of the National Baseball Library and Bouchard. Len and Maury read every word of the Archive, furnished all the photographs that appear text and made numerous corrections to both lan- in the book except for that of Frank Colman. Scott guage and statistics. Tom Bourke researched the Crawford, of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame genealogical history of every player and in many and Museum, provided the Colman photo. cases spoke to their descendants. Stephan Saks of the New York Public Library helped track down some diffi cult-to-fi nd 1940s New York newspaper stories. Buy the Book Buy the Book Introduction Marty Appel The 1947 Yankees always seemed to stand “alone” self in baseball heaven, the Yankees. He had lost to me among the litany of champion Yankee twenty games three times. This was not a classic clubs — neither a Joe McCarthy team nor a Casey Yankee pickup. Stengel team, carrying over some wartime players Yet there was Bobo, thirty-nine, taking the and introducing some guys that, frankly, did not mound as a starting pitcher in his baggy gray New feel like Yankees. York uniform, starting Game Three of the 1947 I mean, what were George McQuinn (a St. World Series in Ebbets Field, the park where he Louis Brownie!), Bobo Newsom (who played had broken in at age twenty. His teammates then everywhere!), and Aaron Robinson (a catcher who included Dazzy Vance, Davey Bancroft, and Max was neither Dickey nor Berra) doing in Yankee Carey, and his manager was Wilbert Robinson, pinstripes? who broke in in 1885! He had more than fi ve thou- And for that matter, what was Bucky Harris sand professional innings under his belt, and there doing managing the Yankees? As Larry MacPhail he was—a Yankee starting pitcher in a World was remaking the team following his purchase of Series, surrounded by Joe DiMaggio, Tommy the club in 1945 (with Dan Topping and Del Webb), Henrich, and Phil Rizzuto. this made little sense. Harris was a career Amer- This would be the game in which Yogi Berra, ican Leaguer with little connection to MacPhail, pinch-hitting for Sherm Lollar, lofted a pinch-hit and even less a connection to the Yanks. This home run in the seventh inning off Ralph Branca, was the man who would manage the team? You which would, incredibly, be the first pinch-hit thought of Harris, and you thought of the Sena- home run in World Series history. tors. The Yankees? Yes, there was something very interesting about It all seemed so strange. this team. There was Snuffy Stirnweiss at second McQuinn, for example, was best known for base, a chance to prove he was not just a “war- holding down fi rst base for the pennant-winning time” player, as he paired with Rizzuto to form Browns in 1944—their only pennant—but even an excellent double-play combination. And there then, he was a .250 hitter of rather pedestrian were Allie Reynolds and Vic Raschi, not quite the skills. Reynolds-Raschi-Lopat trio who would prove so Newsom! Don’t get me started! He had this dominant in coming years, but enjoying their fi rst clownish nickname, and he was so un-Yankee, year as teammates and picking up World Series having started playing pro ball in 1928 and pitch- rings in the process.