[jksander]

OCTOBER 3, 1954
WORLD SERIES, GAME 4
Chicago Cubs (0-3) at Cleveland Guardians (3-0)

1:05 PM -- Cleveland Stadium ... Attendance: 40,129
Weather: Clear, 62 Degrees, Wind blowing in from center at 12 miles per hour

CLEVELAND STARTER: Steve Gromek (14-12, 3.77 ERA, 227.0 IP, 107 K’s, 1.35 WHIP)
CHICAGO STARTER: Joe Dobson (10-6, 3.80 ERA, 123.0 IP, 66 K’s, 1.39 WHIP)

This one was tightly contested from the earliest moments, as Cleveland fought to complete the sweepa nd we fought to prove we’d deserved to be here, that our domination of the NL meant something. Cleveland toyed with us for a couple innings, and then Dobson melted down quietly in the bottom of the third, loading the bases and then surrendering a grand slam to Ralph Kiner, and we were completely demoralized. Ray Boone hit a solo blast to center seconds later, and our 5-0 hole was deep enough to bury us in. Meanwhile, we literally could not get a hit -- Gromek had a no-hit one walk game going through four. Al Rosen finally got a hit in the top of the fifth, but no one else joined him. Vern Fear came in for the bottom of the seventh and promptly loaded the bases for us, though he then got back to back to back outs to get us out of the inning, no runs, but our bats were completely neutered. We tried to rally in the top of the ninth -- Cavarretta got a single, followed by a Willie Mays double to give us two in scoring position, but Roger Maris popped up to the pitcher, and Ernie Banks flew out to left. Swept AND shut out, we lost this one 5-0 -- the same team that put up a +275 win differential let the Cleveland Guardians outscore us by ten runs over four games. And I’m at a loss to explain just what happened.

Dobson gave up eight hits in six innings, with five runs against three strikeouts and two walks. Fear had three hits and one strikeout, no runs, and Dorish pitched a near-perfect eighth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Guardians’ pitcher holding us to three hits as a team. Over the length of the series, Banks, Howard and Baker were held to .200 or less, with only Mays and Rosen managing to hit consistently. We’ll have to regroup in the offseason and figure out how to bolster this team to make sure if we make it back this kind of thing doesn’t become our identity.

- - - - -

OCTOBER 5, 1954 . . . It’s important to note that the season was more than just our World Series meltdown. We did win 110 games in the NL, dominating the league. We did build up our fan base, increasing home attendance by 26.2% to average over 18,100 fans per game in the friendly confines of Wrigley. We made it to the World Series five games ahead of schedule -- our owner had been more focused on building our farm system and looking toward consistently winning and bringing fans into the seats. And we did it while battling injuries amongst our starting pitchers, and we made trades down the stretch to ensure we’ll be a contender long term. So I made an effort to tell the guys they needed to think toward the future and not dwell on how miserable the last week has been.

Saul Rogovin officially was able to come off the IR today, and he will begin his winter rehab so as to be ready to return to action next season. Even at 30, Rogovin is still one of the best pitchers in the game, and we’re all hopeful he’ll be able to return to form. He was 9-1 with a 1.85 ERA through 97.1 innings this year before the injury, with 60 K’s and a 0.96 WHIP. He is arbitration eligible this year, and would be expected to get a bump to $35,000 on a one year extension, but we’re working on keeping him here longer term than that. I suspect he may want to take what he can get in arbitration and eventually hold out for free agency.

Johnny Klippstein, meanwhile, has suffered a setback in his recovery from a torn labrum. He has to have another surgery, and will now miss the entirety of the 1955 season. We still have the soon-to-be 27-year-old hurler on contract to earn $75,000 next year and $80,000 in 1956, He is extremely popular locally, and with his contract being guaranteed, I’m at this point willing to hold out hope he can return to form in ’56. It’s harder to wrap my head around the idea that, if this surgery fails, his career’s over before it really began.