[jksander]

JULY 6, 1955 . . . Saul Rogovin (12-5, 1.99 ERA, 158.1 IP, 175 K’s, 0.78 WHIP) pitched in the first game against Milwaukee, facing Bob Turley (6-10, 5.85 ERA, 95.1 IP, 74 K’s 1.85 WHIP). Maris got a hit to start the first inning, and Jackie Robinson hit his 27th homer to make it a 2-0 ballgame just ten minutes into the game! Milwaukee got a run back in the top of the fifth, a Dick Wilson groundout allowing Gene Woodling to to score and pull them within a run, but Maris hit an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to push Kaline all the way around to score, making it 3-1. But Rogovin had a rough sixth inning -- a Hank Aaron double scored Johnny Logan to pull the Braves back within a run, and Joe Adcock hit a two-run homer to give them the lead, his 16th of the year. Rogovin got us through the top of the ninth without further runs scoring, bringing Gene Baker up in the bottom of the inning with our Cubs trailing by a run. Bill Serena came in to pinch-hit for Rogovin with one out, and he hit a solo homer to knot the game up! UNBELIEVABLE! Kaline got a single into right, and then Maris hit into a fielder’s choice, taking his base while they picked off Kaline. That brought up Mays with two outs, the winning run on first, and he got a hit into deep left, coming out with a double and driving Maris over to third. They walked Robinson intentionally -- and I can’t say I blame them -- setting up the highest of high leverage at-bats ... reliever Ray Crone throwing to Ernie Banks, bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded, two outs and the score tied 4-4. And he .... WALKED IN THE WINNING RUN! What a crazy way to end this game, but we got the 5-4 win, improving to 68-17.

Saul Rogovin got the complete game win, giving up five hits and four runs but striking out 12 batters with no walks through 132 pitches! His record is now 13-5 with a 2.10 ERA, and he’s struck out 187 this season against just 29 walks! We outhit the Braves 7-5, led by Maris with three hits for two runs and an RBI, while Jackie Robinson had a hit and a walk for a run and two RBIs. Bill Serena had not batted in a game all season, and in his first at-bat he gets the tying homer ... that’s gotta go down in some Cubs lore someday. He’d built up 2.8 WAR playing down in AAA and hitting .341/.511/.629, so he’s earned the right to come back up and try and fight for some playing time.

JULY 7, 1955 . . . Hy Cohen (17-4, 1.36 ERA, 179.0 IP, 155 K’s, 0.69 WHIP) pitched today against Milwaukee’s Bob “Sarge” Kusava (2-5, 6.23 ERA, 56.1 IP, 22 K’s, 1.63 WHIP). The Braves were doing well until the bottom of the third, when two errors and a hit cost them a run when Al Kaline flew out to right but allowed Al Rosen to come around and score. They then quickly loaded the bases with a walk by Maris, and Willie Mays drove in a run with another walk. Jackie Robinson then hit a line drive to right, scoring two more with a single. Just like that it was 4-0 Cubs, and the Braves were melting down. Three walks and two hits, but combined with the pair of errors it was enough. Sid Gordon got the Braves on the board with a solo homer in the top of the fifth, but we got the run back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Rosen. Joe Adcock hit his 17th homer of the year to send the Braves into the stretch trailing again by three. But Robinson hit his 28th homer of the year, a three-run blast, that made it 8-2 and all but sealed the game. Cohen gave up a third solo homer in the top of the eighth, this time to Bill Bruton, but that was all they could muster. Cohen completed the game and we won 8-3.

Cohen has now gone 18-4 with a 1.44 ERA, giving up seven hits with nine strikeouts for three runs in this one, and he now has a win in all of his last 12 consecutive starts, as he nears his 16-game undefeated streak record from last season! Each team had just seven hits today, but we made the most of five walks and the two errors they committed, and Jackie Robinson remains blisteringly hot with three hits, two runs and five RBIs. He is now hitting .297/.360/.703 this year for us and the Dodgers, with 16 doubles, 11 triples and 28 homers with 4.7 WAR for the year. He now leads the majors in homers, one dinger up on Ted Kluszewski, is third overall in Batting WAR, and is leading the majors in triples, slug, runs and RBIs. Willie Mays may be leading the majors in WAR, but if Robinson keeps this up, it’s hard to imagine him not winning the NL MVP, which would be his first since winning it in 1949.

Three games remain before we reach the All Star break. All we have between us and the festivities is a trio of games at St. Louis (26-55).