2012年2月14日火曜日

Who Won The Major League Baseball World Series In 1955

who won the major league baseball world series in 1955

The MLB Hall Of Fame Class of 1955. « On The Way Home

This year's MLB Hall of Fame class is quite large compared to the last few years; the class of 1955 includes six new members, which are: Frank Baker, Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnet, Ted Lyons, Ray Schalk, and Dazzy Vance.

Frank Baker: 3rd Baseman, Philadelphia Athletics

.307 average, 887 runs scored, 1838 hits, 96 home runs, 987 RBI, 235 stolen bases

Even though Frank Baker only hit 96 home runs during his 13-year career, he was known as "Home Run" Baker because he was one of the top sluggers in the MLB during a time when slap hitting ruled the game. He led the league in home runs four years in a row (1911-1914), won the RBI crown twice, enjoyed three seasons of 100+ RBI, two seasons of 100+ runs scored, hit over .300 six times, and was an important piece of the Philadelphia Athletics dynasty in the early 1900s. Baker played for legendary manager Connie Mack, helping the organization capture three World Series titles, as well as three more American League crowns. Not only a force at the plate, Baker made his home at the hot corner; he ranks 37th all time in career games at 3rd Base (1,548), seventh all time in career putouts at his position (2,154), and 35th all time in career assists (3,155).

Joe DiMaggio: Center Fielder, New York Yankees


The Official World Series Film Collection
Learn more

.325 average, 1390 runs scored, 2214 hits 361 home runs, 1537 RBI, 30 stolen bases

The 1955 class is headlined by one of the best ballplayers to ever play the game: Joe DiMaggio. The Yankee Clipper was known as one of the most graceful athletes of his time, making the game look effortless when he played it. He was well accomplished during his 13-year career with the New York Yankees; he was selected to 13 All-Star games, won 9 World Series titles, won the AL MVP three times, hit over .300 eleven times, and holds the MLB record for most consecutive games with a hit, at 56 games. There was a poll done in 1969 in conjunction with the centennial of professional baseball that actually nominated DiMaggio as the greatest living ballplayer. When DiMaggio was making his name known in the Pacific Coast League, he put together a 61-game hitting streak in 1933, a full eight years before he put together the streak that all Major League hitters are chasing today.

Gabby Hartnet: Catcher, Chicago Cubs

.297 average, 867 runs scored, 1912 hits, 236 home runs, 1179 RBI, 28 stolen bases

Gabby Hartnet was fortunate to play Major League Baseball for 20 seasons, with all but one season being with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs backstop hit over .300 six times, was voted to six All-Star games, and won the 1935 NL MVP by hitting .344 with 13 home runs and 91 RBI. Before Johnny Bench came around, Hartnet was considered to be the best catcher in MLB history due to his offensive and defensive prowess. He caught 1,793 games in his career (13th all-time), recorded 7,292 put outs (36th all-time), lodged 1,254 assists (21st all-time), caught 573 base runners stealing (52nd all-time), and his 55.7% caught stealing percentage currently ranks 2nd all-time. He helped the Cubs win four NL pennants, but it didn't yield any World Series titles. Former manager John McCarthy said it best when talking about Hartnet…"Gabby was the greatest throwing catcher that ever gunned the ball to second base. He threw a ball that had the speed of lightning, but was light as a feather."

Ted Lyons: Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

260-230 record, 3.67 ERA, 4162 innings pitched, 1073 strike outs

Ted Lyons played his entire 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox and didn't play an inning in the minors, jumping straight from Baylor University to a road trip with Chicago, gaining his first two career victories. He eclipsed the 20-win plateau three times, leading the league in wins twice. He enjoyed one of his best seasons at the tender age of 41, going 14-6 with a 2.10 ERA, while finishing all 20 of his starts. He was just another one of the pitchers during that time that enjoyed to finish games that he started; he finished his career with 356 complete games, which currently rank 24th all-time, his 4,162 innings pitched rank 37th all-time, and he faced 17,797 hitters during his career, which is the 35th highest total in history. Lyons was also a consistent fielder compiling 943 assists while on the mound (29th all-time) and 219 put outs while on the bump (77th all-time).

Ray Schalk: Catcher, Chicago White Sox

.253 average, 579 runs scored, 1345 hits, 11 home runs, 594 RBI, 176 stolen bases

Obviously, Ray Schalk's offensive numbers are not very impressive, but he made his living and sculpted a superb reputation behind the plate. He was the first catcher to make catching over 100 per season a regular occurrence, doing it 12 times, leading the league seven times, and finishing his career 16th all-time with 1,727 games caught. Schalk also led the league in put outs as a catcher nine times and fielding percentage eight times. At the time of his retirement in 1929 after 18 seasons in the MLB, he held records not only for games caught, but also put outs and double plays. Catchers also pride themselves on handling pitchers well, and Schalk was a master at it, becoming the first catcher to catch four no-hitters during his career.

Dazzy Vance: Pitcher, Brooklyn Dodgers

197-140 record, 3.24 ERA, 2967 innings pitched, 2045 strike outs

In his 16 seasons in the Major Leagues, Dazzy Vance played for five different organizations, but most of his time was spent with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He eclipsed the 20-win plateau three times, leading the league twice, led the league in ERA three times, and won the strikeout crown seven years in a row. His best year came in 1924, when he captured the NL MVP and also won the pitcher's triple crown by