1955 Dodgers - Newking the National League

Don Newcombe is having the most incredible season

EBBETS FIELD - July 16, 1955

The Sports Time Traveler is continuing to follow the 1955 Dodgers day-by-day.

Yesterday the Dodgers played a mid-week day game at Ebbets Field that sadly only attracted 7,929 fans. This is quite astonishing. The Dodgers are having an unbelievable season. They came into the game with a 58 - 27 record and a 10.5 game lead in the National League over the Milwaukee Braves.

What’s more, Don Newcombe was the scheduled pitcher. Newk is having a phenomenal year. He entered the game with a gaudy 14 - 1 record.

How was it that the Dodgers couldn’t attract fans to watch this show?

What a Show it Was

Brooklyn fans who had better things to do yesterday missed out on something really special. The Cardinals were in town, and that meant they could have seen Stan “the man” Musial play.

34-year-old Stan Musial is having yet another solid season. He’s 2nd in the NL in RBIs with 67, although he’s not even in sniffing distance of the leader, Dodgers’ centerfielder Duke Snider who already has 90.

But Stan has something Duke doesn’t - the afterglow of hitting the most dramatic home run in All-Star game history. Stan did that this past Tuesday in Milwaukee when he led off the 12th inning with a walk off home run.

You can watch that home run here:

Newk faces Stan

But in yesterday’s game, Don Newcombe got Musial to strike out swinging to finish off a 1-2-3 side in the top of the 1st.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Newk singled and scored the Dodgers’ first run.

Newk faced Musial again in the top of the 4th. He got him to hit a grounder to retire the side again.

Newk had pitched to the minimum number of batters through 4 innings.

In the bottom of the inning, Newk had his 2nd at bat and he hit a double.

So now Musial was 0 for 2 and Newk was 2 for 2.

Dodgers 4 Cardinals 0 - End of 4 innings

Musial finally managed a single off Newk in the 6th. But Newk reached based for a 3rd time in the game in the bottom of the inning on an error.

In the top of the 8th, Newk got Stan to ground out again.

While in the bottom of the 8th Newk blasted a home run to deep right field.

Newk’s bomb put the Dodgers up 6 - 3. And it started a 6-run rally that sealed the game as the Dodgers’ led 12 - 3 after 8 innings.

A Home Run Record for Newk

This was Don Newcombe’s 6th home run of the season. That tied him for most home runs in one season by a National League pitcher, and it’s only the middle of July!

Newk’s home run prowess is so great that he now leads the majors in lowest at bat to home run ratio.

Newk now has 6 home runs in 70 at bats for an at bats to home run ratio of 11.7.

Ted Kluszewski, who leads the majors in home runs with 29, has had 361 at bats for an at bast to home run ratio of 12.5.

I find this statistic so unbelievable that I just have to dwell on this for another moment. A pitcher, who is on his way to holding a 15 - 1 record, almost unprecedented in baseball history, is also the most efficient home run hitter in baseball at the same time.

Images of Babe Ruth

This got me thinking did Babe Ruth ever have a season like this?

NO!

In none of the seasons in which Ruth started 20+ games did he ever hit more than 4 home runs.

In 1919, when he started 15 games and won 9, he hit 29 home runs. And his at bats to home run ratio that year was just 14.9.

Ruth never had a season like Newk is having here in 1955.

It Gets Better

If that wasn’t enough to draw more fans to Ebbets Field, here’s one more stat that really puts the icing on the cake.

In that 6 run 8th inning yesterday, Newk came up a 2nd time, and slashed a single to drive in the Dodgers’ 12th run.

With that single, Newk not only had his 2nd hit of the inning. He not only had his 3rd RBI of the game. He not only had reached base for the 5th time in 5 plate appearances. But Don Newcombe had raised his batting average to .406!

That’s right. Don Newcombe, the best starting pitcher in baseball here in 1955, who has just raised his record to 15 - 1, is also batting .406!

Of course, Newk doesn’t qualify for the batting title. At this point in the season, the official league leading hitter is Newk’s battery mate, Roy Campanella who has well more than the minimum 200 at bats. Campy went 3 for 4 in the game (almost as good as Newk was) and that raised his average to .345. Campy wasn’t quite as good as Newk in the game who was officially 4 for 5 (the time he reached base on error technically counted as an out).

And by the way, Newk held the great Stan Musial to just 1 for 4 batting in the game.

Will Brooklyn Please Support the Dodgers?

With Don Newcombe, Roy Campanella, and Duke Snider all having career years it’s no wonder Brooklyn is dominating the National League.

Now, someone has to get the word out in Brooklyn that fans need to actually come out and watch the games or the Dodgers just might have to consider re-locating somewhere else.

The Sports Time Traveler will continue following the 1955 Dodgers wherever they play.