‘55 Boys of Summer sweep ‘71 Lumber Company

9/13-9/14 - Ebbets Field
GAME 1 - Dodgers 5, Pirates 4
The Duke of Flatbush greeted Bob Moose harshly in the bottom of the first with a 2 run homer to put 'dem Bums up 2-0.  Johnny Podres was nursing that lead until Richie "gravedigger" Hebner singled home Gene Clines with 2 outs in the 4th.  The score stayed 2-1 Dodgers until the 7th when the Lumber Company solved Podres and exploded for 3 runs to give Bob Moose a 4-2 lead.  Brooklyn answered right back in the bottom of the inning with 3 runs of their own thanks to shoddy fielding and poor pitching by Moose.  After Jackie Robinson and Sandy Amoros led off with singles Frank Kellert was sent up to pinch hit for Podres.  Kellert ripped a liner to third that Hebner knocked down, but then airmailed his throw to first, which allowed Robinson to trot home uncontested.  Pee Wee Reese bunted the runners up 90 feet into scoring position.  Junior Gilliam was given a free pass to create what Red Barber would call "Bases FOB" (Full of Brooks).  Jim Nelson was then brought on board to relieve Moose.  Nelson tried to be too cute in his pitch selection to "the Duke" and wound up walking him to tie the game.  Nelson was able to get Campanella to ground out to short, but Kellert easily scored the go ahead run on the transaction.  Clem Labine toed the rubber in the 8th and was able to get the heart of the Pirate order out without incident.  The top of the 9th started out nicely for Labine as he was able to get pinch hitter Milt May to ground out to Robinson at third and Manny Sanguillen to ground to Reese at short.  Shockingly, Pirate manager Mark Angle allowed reliever Jim Nelson to take his turn at the plate even though he represented the final out of the game.  Angle's hunch proved to be wise as Nelson lined a single to center to keep the inning going.  Rennie Stennett followed with a hit of his own and just like that the Flatbush faithful began to worry as if this was a game 7 in the fall classic.  Due up next was lefty Al Oliver, who would not have an opportunity to face Labine as lefty Karl Spooner was summoned from the pen to get the final out.  Once Spooner was announced into the game rookie Richie Zisk was announced to pinch hit for Oliver.  Spooner won the battle vs the overmatched youngster who grounded out weakly to Robinson at third to end the game.

GAME 2 - Dodgers 9, Pirates 7
Billy Loes (3-2, 3.67) received great offensive support as the Dodgers knocked around Pirate starter Dock Ellis (6 innings / 7 runs).  With the score 9-2 and the game seemingly in hand Loes was replaced by Russ Meyer, who did his darndest to let the Lumber company back into the game.  Pittsburgh posted 5 unanswered runs in the top of the 9th all with 2 outs.  After pinch hitter Milt May singled, Stennett and Hebner hit back to back triples.  Roberto Clemente followed with an RBI double and Willie "Pops" Stargell cranked his 11th homer of the season into the Mobil station on Bedford Avenue.  By this point pitchers were scurrying in the Dodger pen like sewer rats on McKever place.  Al Oliver was going to be Meyer's final batter of the day no matter what the outcome.  Thankfully for Hilda Chester and the rest of the Dodger Syn-pho-ny Meyer was able to get Oliver to ground out to Gilliam to end it.  Brooklyn escaped with a narrow victory in a game they should have put away easy.  Typically Brooklyn drama.  Don Hoak went 3 for 4 for the Dodgers and was a homer short of the cycle.

9/15- Three Rivers Stadium
GAME 3 - Dodgers 13, Pirates 0
Carl Erskine (2-3, 4.96) took the hill and had his legendary curveball working to perfection today.  "Oisk", who has had a feast or famine season was in total control from the get go.  Having a 8 run lead by the 4th inning didn't hurt Erskine's chances one bit.  Pirate starter Nelson Briles looked like he was tossing balloons for Home Run Derby contestants.  Gil Hodges, who raised his season average back to .400 hit his 6th homer and the ever so hot Duke Snider went 2 for 5 with 4 RBI's while clobbering his 7th round tripper.  The real story offensively was "Oisk", who not only authored a complete game shutout, but he went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI and a homer.  The hard throwing righty from Indiana more than earned his keep as he completely dominated the Bucs from the hill and the batters box.  NY Post scribe Dick Young couldn't  leave this happy moment alone.  The acerbic scribe had to tweak Dodger catcher Roy Campanella, by highlighting that his backup Rube Walker went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored in the 3 time MVP's absence.  Rest assured, there is no catching controversy in Brooklyn.  Campy is the man and Rube plays on occasion to rest the veteran backstop.  That Dick Young will stop at nothing to sell papers in Gotham city.