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KenRaffensberger16 · 08-17-2014, 12:37 PM

Pete Burnside - pictured as an Oriole a couple of pages back on page 1104, section 22069 has a special place in my memory.
A rainout at the Polo Grounds on the next-to-last day of the 1955 season necessitated a season-ending Phillies-NY Giants doubleheader on 9/25/55. With a chance for two for the price of one my father decided it was time for me (who had just turned 6 years old) to see his 1st big league ballgame (make that plural - ballgames). - and what a day it turned out to be.
(I remember events if not the player names so I used The directory of major league seasons to fill in some details).
Burnside in his second or third major league appearance defeated the mighty Robin Roberts, who was going for his 24th win in the opener. Willie Mays homered (his 51st) and the Giants built a 5-0 lead. Burnside held the shutout until the ninth when Stan Lopata hit a two run homer, but Burnside held on and completed the game for his first major league win. The Phillies had needed a sweep to finish above .500 so in the nightcap they were trying to salvage a .500 season.
Game 2 was truly magical. Light-hitting, Phillies shortstop Ted Kazanski who hit a mere 13 home runs lifetime, hit an inside the park home run, but his real penchant for accomplishing rare achievements didn't surface until later. . Both pitchers Phila. Curt Simmons (7-8 in an injury-filled season ) and NYG Jim Hearn (14-15) needed a win to avoid finishing below .500. Simmons went 8 effective innings, leaving with a 3-1 lead. His replacement for the bottom of the 9th inning, Jackie Meyer, put the first two men he faced on base, however, jeopardizing the win for Simmons. To say that threat ended suddenly is the mother of all a major understatements as Giants 2B Bobby Hoffman smashed a dangerous liner towards left, but wait.....Kazanski at short leaps to spear the drive flips to 2B Bobby Morgan to force Joe Amalfitano and Morgan's relay to 1B Marv Blaylock catches Whitey Lockman off first as fans sat there stunned slowly realizing that they had just seen a game, doubleheader and season-ending TRIPLE PLAY.
What an introduction to big league baseball -it's no wonder I love the game.
If all that wasn't enough, before we reached home we learned from the car radio that with a disappointing third place finish for the Giants in 1955 after they had been World's Champions the previous year, that Giants' manager Leo Durocher had been fired. It was really quite a day - and it started with some unlikely pitching heroics by rookie Pete Burnside.

08-17-2014, 12:37 PM	#22102
KenRaffensberger16 Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New jersey most of my life; Gulf Coast Florida since 2010. Posts: 422	Pete Burnside - what an introduction to big league baseball Pete Burnside - pictured as an Oriole a couple of pages back on page 1104, section 22069 has a special place in my memory. A rainout at the Polo Grounds on the next-to-last day of the 1955 season necessitated a season-ending Phillies-NY Giants doubleheader on 9/25/55. With a chance for two for the price of one my father decided it was time for me (who had just turned 6 years old) to see his 1st big league ballgame (make that plural - ballgames). - and what a day it turned out to be. (I remember events if not the player names so I used The directory of major league seasons to fill in some details). Burnside in his second or third major league appearance defeated the mighty Robin Roberts, who was going for his 24th win in the opener. Willie Mays homered (his 51st) and the Giants built a 5-0 lead. Burnside held the shutout until the ninth when Stan Lopata hit a two run homer, but Burnside held on and completed the game for his first major league win. The Phillies had needed a sweep to finish above .500 so in the nightcap they were trying to salvage a .500 season. Game 2 was truly magical. Light-hitting, Phillies shortstop Ted Kazanski who hit a mere 13 home runs lifetime, hit an inside the park home run, but his real penchant for accomplishing rare achievements didn't surface until later. . Both pitchers Phila. Curt Simmons (7-8 in an injury-filled season ) and NYG Jim Hearn (14-15) needed a win to avoid finishing below .500. Simmons went 8 effective innings, leaving with a 3-1 lead. His replacement for the bottom of the 9th inning, Jackie Meyer, put the first two men he faced on base, however, jeopardizing the win for Simmons. To say that threat ended suddenly is the mother of all a major understatements as Giants 2B Bobby Hoffman smashed a dangerous liner towards left, but wait.....Kazanski at short leaps to spear the drive flips to 2B Bobby Morgan to force Joe Amalfitano and Morgan's relay to 1B Marv Blaylock catches Whitey Lockman off first as fans sat there stunned slowly realizing that they had just seen a game, doubleheader and season-ending TRIPLE PLAY. What an introduction to big league baseball -it's no wonder I love the game. If all that wasn't enough, before we reached home we learned from the car radio that with a disappointing third place finish for the Giants in 1955 after they had been World's Champions the previous year, that Giants' manager Leo Durocher had been fired. It was really quite a day - and it started with some unlikely pitching heroics by rookie Pete Burnside.