‘55 Boys of Summer split home and home with ‘46 Redbirds, who clinch playoff spot

9/26-9/27 - Sportsman Park
GAME 1 - Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2
Solo runs in the second by both teams carried the day until the top of the 8th when Duke Snider hit a solo shot off of Howie Pollet (3-3, 3.39) to put Brooklyn up by 1.  Newk, who up until this point in the season, had done a great job of shedding his "choker" label.  The bottom of the 8th would be one of those innings that would dredge up those old accusations that have dogged the big man throughout his career.  After quickly getting 2 ground outs the inning looked over, but Whitey Kurowski singled and Musial walked.  Up came Enos "Country" Slaughter and that would be the end of Newk’s day.  Southpaw Karl Spooner, who is poison to left handed hitters came trotting in from the pen to face Slaughter.  Spooner quickly got an 0-2 count on the future HOF'er, then caught too much of the plate on a waste pitch and Slaughter cranked it into the right field corner for a 2 run triple.  Just like that a 1 run lead became a 1 run deficit for the visitors.  The top of the 9th saw Murry Dickson take over for Pollet.  Don Hoak grounded back  to the box to lead off the inning and pinch hitter George "Shotgun" Shuba lined a clean single to center.  The Captain, Pee Wee Reese worked out a walk to move Junior Gilliam, who pinch ran for Shuba, into scoring position.  Due up next was "the Gerbal", Don Zimmer.  Lefty hitting backup catcher Rube Walker was called upon to pinch hit for Zim and lined a one hop bullet to HOF glove man Marty Marion, who scooped the ball up with ease and turned an easy 6-4-3 DP to end the game.

GAME 2 - Cardinals 4, Dodgers 0
Red Munger (3-0, 2.35) danced in and out of trouble for 7 shutout innings vs the frustrated Brooklyn bats.  St. Louis scored a solo run off of Johnny Podres (3-2, 3.58) on a Whitey Kurowski two bagger.  A fielding error by Junior Gilliam at second prolonged the inning and allowed Kurowski to do his damage.  A 2 run shot by Terry Moore the following inning put the Cards up 3-0 and another error, this one by Jackie Robinson in the 6th, cost the Dodgers another run.  With the score 4-0 Mury Dickson again came aboard to pitch the final 2 scoreless innings.  Kurkowski was the hitting star for the Redbirds, going 4 for 4 with a double and a walk with 2 RBI.

9/28-9/29 - Ebbets Field
GAME 3 - Dodgers 8, Cardinals 3
After dropping the first 2 games on the road Dem Bums returned to Pigtown with their post season future on the line.  Mid season call up Roger Craig (2-0, 2.42) was charged with holding down the lefty laden Cardinal lineup.  This was a lot to ask of a young player on the rise, but it was a must win if Brooklyn hoped to keep pace in the Wild Card race.  The first 3 innings saw Brooklyn grab a 4-2 lead.  Both Craig and his opponent Ken Burkhart (4-5, 3.02) finally settled down and threw scoreless ball until the top of the 7th when St. Louis had Craig's back up against the wall with 2nd and 3rd and only 1 out.  Craig made a big pitch to get Kukowski to ground out to short, which allowed Terry Moore to score to make it 4-3 Brooklyn.  That would be all for Craig, who would give way to Karl Spooner who's job was to get lefty superstar Stan Musial out.  Nicknamed "the Man", by these fans right here in Brooklyn, Musial has spent the better part of his career terrorizing Dodger pitching.  Young Spooner probably wasn't too up on his history,  for if he was he'd surely have know the damage this fine ballplayer from the heartland could do.  Spooner was able to jam Musial just enough to get him to fly to Snider in deep center to end the inning.  That would be the lynch pin for the Dodger offense that scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning on a 2 out 3 run shot by Pee Wee Reese.  Roy Campanella would hit a solo shot to push the game to 5 runs in the 8th and Ed Roebuck would come on to toss a scoreless 9th to give Brooklyn a much needed win.

GAME 4 - Dodgers 7, Cardinals 3
Hal Brecheen (4-4, 2.44) and Billy "Never win 20" Loes (4-3, 4.34) were engaging in a 2-2 deadlock when the Cards took a 1 run lead in the top of the 5th on a Kurkowski solo homer.  The Dodger offense can never be counted out and sure enough they struck back big in the bottom of the frame.  Junior Gilliam singled to shallow center and two batters later Snider doubled off the right field wall to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.  Breechen had no ideas about pitching to Campy as the stocky Brooklyn catcher was given a free pass to load the bases and put the force play everywhere.  As the late great Red Barber might have said, "With the bases FOB (Full of Brooks), up steps Gil Hodges...the quiet man from Indiana.  With the count 2-1, Brecheen has to pitch to him and Hodges knows it.  With one might swing of his bat Hodges launches an opposite field shot off the scoreboard in right center".  Gil wound up with a bases clearing triple and would score minutes later when and aging Jackie Robinson dropped a perfect squeeze bunt.  Hodges would strike again with a solo shot in the 8th for his 4th RBI on the day.  Gil would finish the campaign with a .362 average and 7 homers.  Take that HOF veterans committee voters who do not think this man is worthy to grace the hallowed halls of Cooperstown !  By virtue of the series split St. Louis assured themselves the 1st wild card slot, while Brooklyn more than likely locked down the 2nd.  St. Louis would be scoreboard watching to see in last place Milwaukee could upset the Phillies and take at least 2 games in their series or the Phils would win the division.