Yankees vs. Phillies, 59 years ago
by OldSchool
It’s not over until it’s over, but it looks like it will be a Yankees-Phillies World Series. If that’s the case, let’s look back some 59 years, to the last time those teams met in the Fall Classic.
And a classic, it was. Sure, it was a four-game sweep for the Yankees in 1950, but three of those games were nail-biting high dramas.
The Yankees were overwhelming favorites, and had five future Hall of Famers: Whitey Ford, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra.
The Phillies were the Whiz Kids, but one of those kids — 17-game winner Curt Simmons — was unavailable for the Series, having been drafted into the Army.
The Phillies took a wild gamble in Game 1, starting their closer, Jim Konstanty (16-7, 22 saves, 74 games, all in relief). Konstanty held the Yankees to one run in eight innings, but the Phillies lost, 1-0. Vic Raschi threw a two-hit shutout for the Yankees.
In Game 2, the great Robin Roberts of the Phillies hooked up in a 10-inning pitching duel with Allie Reynolds. The Yankees won, 2-1, on DiMaggio’s homer in the 10th.
In Game 3, the Yankees tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth on three walks and an error by Phillies’ shortstop Granny Hamner. The Yankees won it 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth on Jerry Coleman’s two-out single.
The Yankees completed the sweep by winning Game 4, 5-2. It was their only “easy” win of the Series. It was their second of five consecutive World Series championships.
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Robert Rubino has been a daily copy editor for nearly 30 years and a weekly sports columnist for 15 years. 

I remember 1950 too well. I was 14 years old. I have despised the Yankees ever since. (They were, and are, just too good.)
I hope the Phillies can avenge the 1950 debacle this year.
by Bob Kaplan