October 6, 1950 World Series, Game Three – Yankees Hold off The Phillies in the Top of the Ninth

Remember when the World Series used to be played and concluded by early October? Of course you don’t unless you are over the age of 50.

The endless rounds of playoffs, a 162 game season and the elimination of scheduled doubleheaders during the regular season have lengthened baseball’s post-season to an interminable length. Baseball’s fall classic is moving closer to becoming a winter classic. If there is a game seven this year, the World Series will conclude November 2.

Maybe that’s okay if the game is played in Los Angeles, but if it ends up in Cleveland, Chicago or Boston you can rest assured the players will not be playing under the best possible conditions and the attendees will not be warm.

Let’s look back to a simpler time. The year was 1950. The date – October 6 and game three of the World Series was played at Yankee Stadium. The Philadelphia Phillies lost the first two games of the series to the New York Yankees by scores of 1-0 and 2-1. The sequence of photos from above capture exciting action that would probably be against the rules today as catchers cannot block the plate before they possess the ball.

The caption reads:

Stopping The In-Phil-Tration

Yankee Stadium: Cutting down the Phils last chance for victory, Yankee catcher Yogi Berra slaps the tag on the sliding Granny Hamner in the 9th inning of the 3rd game of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, Oct. 6. Hamner tried to score from third on Dick Whitman’s grounder to Joe Collins at first. Umpire Dusty Boggess gets set to bring up his right arm in the out sign. With Hamner called out, Berra whirls to hold Whitman on first. Yanks made it three in a row. (credit – Acme 10/6/50)

The Yankees completed their sweep of the “Whiz Kids” on October 7 with a decisive 5-2 victory. The Yankees winning rookie pitcher, called Ed Ford by contemporary news reports, allowed only two unearned runs and seven hits over eight and two thirds innings. That victory was the first of ten World Series wins for future Hall-of Famer Ed “Whitey” Ford.