Game 5 - "Bumbs Keystone Combo topples Mighty Quinn"

GAME 5

Loes vs Quinn

Dodgers 9, A’s 4

With their backs firmly pressed against the wall down 3-1 in the series the A’s put the ball in the hands of undefeated (8-0) Jack Quinn.  Brooklyn on the other hand went back to game 1 starter Billy Loes, a man known more for his quips (“Don’t win 20 games or management will expect you to keep doing it), than for his fastball.  Loes, who was the “sacrificial lamb” in Brooklyn’s strategy in game 1 vs Lefty Grove was out to prove that he could carry the load.  The Queens native, wanted nothing more than to win the big one 5 miles from his home.  One thing he could count on would be the fans.  Ebetts was at capacity.  Ole Whalebelly was busy counting the receipts and barely had time to get into the owner’s box for the opening pitch.

The A’s nicked Loes for solo runs in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th innings as the “unbeatable” Quinn looked just that…unbeatable.  Philly drew first blood when Joe Hauser hit his 17^th homer in the top of the 2^nd.  Ty Cobb singled home Joe Boley in the 3^rd to make it 2-0.  In the top of the Max Bishop ripped a triple down the left field line and scored on a Cobb grounder to make it 3-0.  Fans in the little ballpark in Crown Heights got real quiet.  In fact you could hear only the horns of the trucks passing by and the radios blasting on the nearby stoops on Bedford Ave and as far south as Empire Blvd.

Sometimes it has to get dark, before the light can shine through and that light came in the form of a 5^th inning lead off single off the bat of the “Quiet Man” Gil Hodges, a man so beloved in Brooklyn he was never booed in Ebbets Field.  A man so beloved that when he was in the midst of a horrific slump in the ’52 World Series, the Borough of churches actually prayed for him.  Gil, with his divine intervention (ask Met fans years later about that) would score immediately as Furillo doubled off the scoreboard in right.  Billy Cox walked, but was forced at 2^nd by a Loes ground out.  Up stepped touted rookie Jim “Junior” Gilliam, who cleared the bases with a triple down the first base line to tie the game at 3-3.  For good measure, the Captain, Pee Wee Reese would single home his keystone combo partner (Gilliam) to put Brooklyn ahead 4-3.  Just like that, Quinn went from unbeatable to unbelievable.  By the top of the 6^th reliever Ossie Orwoll was on the mound replacing Mr. Quinn.

Brooklyn increased its lead to 5-3 in the 7^th when Duke Snider tripled with one out and 1953 MVP Roy Campanella, known affectionately to his mates as Campy, singled him home with 2 outs.  Jim Clouser’s A’s did not travel 90 miles to roll over and die.  The aged, but not old Cobb…who was in his final season,  stroked a lead off triple to greet Loes’ replacement, Bob Milliken, who subsequently hit the backstop with a wild pitch that allowed the Georgia Peach to score and once again make it a one run game.

With tensions mounting and dem Bums holding on tightly to a 1 run lead that in years past would  Skooonj led off the 8^th with a single through the hole, then move to 2^nd on Cox’ slow roller to 2^nd.  Pinch hitter Wayne Belardi walked on 4 pitches and so did Junior Gilliam.  This set the stage for “The Little Colonel”, Pee Wee Reese, the longest serving Dodger to etch his mark on this wonderful post season run by the team that he has led for so long.  With the bases loaded and the count at 2-2 Reese pulled the ball sharply past the drawn in A’s infield.  When the dust finally settled Reese was standing on third with a grin and 3 Brooks were smiling near home plate.  The Crown Heights section of Brooklyn was louder than the patrons a Junior’s fighting over the last cheesecake on a Saturday night.  2 batters later, when Jackie singled home Pee Wee, the roar of the crowd was so loud you couldn’t even hear the crack of the bat.  These fans, who had suffered and endured so much knew that “Next Year” had finally arrived. 

evaporate like spit in the August air in the Arizona desert, this Boys of Summer team would once again open up the fire hose.

With a 5 run lead, heading into the 9^th no one was sitting in their assigned seats.  It wasn’t a matter of nerves at this point, it was a matter of anticipation.  With relief stalwart Clem Labine on the mound the A’s went down in order as pandemonium broke out at Ebbets Field.  There was “Bedlam on Bedford Ave”.  At Two Thirty PM in the Borough of Churches the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers were crowned King of Diamonds World Champions.  Parade is scheduled for noon time tomorrow on Flatbush Ave and Atlantic Ave.

Congratulations to the “Boys of Summer” for being one of those teams that even a manager like myself couldn’t mess up.  Time and time again they would comeback and do the unthinkable.  Special thanks and congratulations to AL Pennant winner Jim Clouser (28 A’s).  Jim managed his tail off with a team that blended in aging future HOF’ers and up and coming future HOF’ers.  Jim was a great opponent and I thank him for being so flexible with his schedule to work around my crazy schedule.

1953 Brooklyn Dodgers Win Series 4-1