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Originally Posted by Merkle923
Don't know that I've ever seen him in color in a New York Giants' uniform.
Burnside had a rough time at four different stops in the majors, so his status as the '50s equivalent of an elite prospect is all but forgotten. So's his education. Burnside had just finished his freshman year at Dartmouth when the Giants signed him in 1949. He not only got his degree in 1952 but after his pitching career ended in Japan in 1965 he got a master's at Northwestern and then proceeded to teach and coach at his old high school until his retirement in the early '90s.
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Pete Burnside pitched in the first major league game I ever saw (9/25/1955 at the Polo Grounds, NYC). I believe it was his second or third game in the majors. On the final day of the 1955 season Burnside pitched against and beat Robin Roberts, who was finishing his sixth straight 20-win season. It was Game One of a rainout necessitated double header. Burnside pitched a Complete Game and nearly got a Shutout, but that was spoiled by a late inning Stan Lopata solo home run. Burnside was aided by Willie Mays' 51st home run of the season.The Phillies needed a sweep to finish above .500, but only got a split so they finished at 77-77 (4th place in an 8-team League)..Burnside was unknown to me before the game, but I certainly knew who he was after this brilliant performance.
Ted Kazanski hit a rare home run in Game 2 (he hit only 13 home runs lifetime and this one was an inside-the-park job) to pace the Phillies in Game 2 and Curt Simmons stymied Giants hitters to get the win and the doubleheader split for the Phillies..
There was still more momentous news than what I've already related. In Game 2, the Giants' Bobby Hoffman hit into a Kazanski (SS) to Bobby Morgan (2B) to Marv Blaylock (1B) Triple Play.
Finally, after winning the 1954 World Series, in 1955 the Giants dropped to a 80-74, 3rd place finish. Giants' management was deeply disappointed by this performance and before my parents and I had gotten back home to New Jersey, the news came on the car radio that the NY Giants' manager, Leo Durocher had been fired.