The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-10-05
BEHIND HOME PLATE
By Doug Stewart

Dodgers, that the Phillies won in the
tenth inning to give them the Ma
tional League pennant and sent them
into the World Series against the
New York Yankees.
think the game, without question,
was one of the greatest games that
has ever been played in organized
baseball. With the championship
hanging on every pitch, it would be
only natural to expect that the boys
on both sides would be so keyed up
that errors would be inevitable but,
as it turned out, the game produced
some truly remarkable fielding and
there was not even the semblance of
an error during the entire ten in
nings.
In my book, Robin Roberts very
definitely outpitched Newcombe and
as a matter of fact, if it had not been
for that freak home run in the sixth
inning, when a normal two-bagger
off the bat of Peewee Reese landed
against the wire screening in right
field and then, instead of dropping
back onto the playing field, stuck in
the screen to give Reese a cheap
automatic four-bagger, Roberts
would have won the game in the
regulation nine innings by a score of
/ to O. A break like that would have
taken the heart out of a good many
pitchers but Roberts simply bore
down all the harder and showed real
pitching courage in the ninth inning
when he got out of hole that could
have wound the regular season up in
a tie.
After Roberts had opened the in
ming by walking Abrams, and Reese
had followed with his third hit, a
single to left that moved Abrams to
second, Snyder raped sharp single
to short center, but Richie Ashburn,
the centerfielder, charged in on the
threw strike to Lopata at the plate
and Abrams was an easy out In fact,
he was some fifteen feet away from
the plate when Lopata took the
throw.
But Roberts was still very much in
a hole, as Reese moved to third on
the play, Snyder went to second and
there was only one man out Mana
ger Sawyer then ordered Roberts to
walk Jackie Robinson, since first base
was open, and it was then that the
young pitcher showed the stuff that
champions are made of. Furillo was
up next, but it only took one pitch
to dispose of him, as he cut at the
first ball and sent an easy pop foul
that Eddie Watkins grabbed for the
second out Gil Hodges was the next
batter and Roberts forced him to hit
a fly to Del Ennis that retired the
side.
And of course you know what hap
pened in the tenth. But in case it
slipped your memory, Dick Sisler
slammed a four-bagger, with two
mates aboard, to put the Phils
ahead 4 to l and then Roberts re-
tired the Dodgers in order in the
bottom half without any trouble.
Ashburn's peg to the plate was
wonderful; Sisters home run was
tremendous; but that ten-inning
pitching job of Robin Roberts was
not only the real factor in winning
the ball game, but might be the
spark that could send the Phillies
on to become the Worlds champions.
PS. AS you read this l will be
up in Philly roofing for the Whiz
Kids to finally bring World Series
to the National League. That might
sound funny coming from one who
has always been a Yankee rooter,
but if there is one thing l admire
above everything else in young fell
lows it's courage and it is a long
time since l have seen a more
courageous team than Eddie Saw
yer's Whiz Kids.
On Sunday afternoon at Reservoir
Park, in the Y County Softball
League Friendly Market (winner OF
the second half) meets Pinesburg
| (winner of the first half for the
league championship. 1t will be g
best two-out-of- three series, with
the first and second games being
played on Sunday afternoon, starting
at o'clock, and then, if a third game
is necessary, it will be played the
following Sunday.
The winner of the play-of will be
awarded the presidents cup and in.
/ dividual player awards, while the
] losing team will win the Senior Nc
Faddin cup and individual player
awards. West End and Dargan, who
finished in third and fourth place
respectively, will also be awarded