[jksander]

JULY 15, 1956 . . . Heading into this two-day set against the Dodgers, we’ve got a 6-5 record against them, to go with a 5.5 game lead in the division as we’ve really started to pull away -- we’re 9-1 in our last ten, while they’ve gone 4-6 and just 1-2 since the All Star break. Hy Cohen (17-2, 1.70 ERA, 169.2 IP, 186 K’s, 0.77 WHIP) got the start this afternoon against Brooklyn’s Connie Johnson (13-2, 1.58 ERA, 153.1 IP, 145 K’s, 0.80 WHIP). So no one expected much hitting, especially with the wind blownig in from right at 11 miles per hour. Roy Campanella quickly took advantage of a misplaced fastball by Cohen in the top of the second, hitting it out of the park for two runs and the early lead. Ernie Banks doubled in the bottom of the inning, and Al Kaline singled to drive Banks to third with just one out, but Whitman and Crandall were easy outs for Johnson, and we went into the third inning trailing 2-0. And it stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh, when Ernie Banks hit a two-run double to tie things up, completely catching Johnson off guard. Jack Poppell singled to start the bottom of the eighth, but we completely stranded him, sending us into the top of the ninth still knotted up at 2-2. Cohen got three outs via contact, sending us into the bottom of the inning with a chance to pull a win out of our hats. Banks got a base hit, but Kaline batted out to left and Whitman struck out swinging, and Crandall popped out to left to send us into extra innings for the third time in four days. Cohen stayed out for the tenth, and the Dodgers took advantage ... he gave up an RBI double to Duke Snider that put the Dodgers up 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 10th. Ed Bouchee pinch hit for Cohen to start the frame, getting a hit into right field for a single, and Poppell beat out a bouncing infield ball to safely take his base and drive Bouchee into scoring position! Jackie Robinson got a hit into left, batting Bouchee in to tie it, and Poppell came all the way around from first as it rolled into the corner, scoring and giving us the 4-3 extra-innings victory!

Despite giving up the run in the top of the 10th, Cohen held tough and won the 10-inning complete game, allowing only six hits with five strikeouts, two walks and three earned runs, improving to 18-2 with a 1.75 ERA. We outhit the Dodgers 9-6, led by Ernie Banks with three hits and two RBIs, while Robinson had two hits, a run and two RBIs, and Poppell led off with two hits and scored a run. Dick Whitman still can’t seem to buy a string of hits, but he got two steals in this one, bringing his total to four on the year as he gave Roger Maris a much-needed afternoon off.

We now have a spectacular 11-2 record in extra innings games this year, which stands out considering we’re only 19-10 in one-run games.

JULY 16, 1956 . . . Camilo Pascual (5-7, 2.71 ERA, 109.2 IP, 78 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) pitched in our second game against the Dodgers’ Billy Loes (2-0, 2.40 ERA, 15.0 IP, 6 K’s, 1.40 WHIP). We loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, and Ernie Banks batted in a run with a sac-fly to left, giving us a 1-0 lead. Brooklyn tied us in the top of the second, when Bill Mazeroski reached first on a throwing error, taking second, advancing on a sac-bunt and then scoring via a Pee Wee Reese groundout at first. The Dodgers then took the lead in the top of the fourth with a homer by Hodges, Pascual’s first hit allowed in the game, but Willie Mays answered with his 33rd homer of the year in the bottom of the fourth to tie us back up at 2-2. Pascual hit a triple in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on a flyout by Rosen to make it 3-2 Cubs heading into the sixth. Carl Erskine came in for the top of the seventh, getting three quick outs to send us into the stretch still ahead by a run. Hersh Freeman came in with two outs and a man on second in the top of the eighth, getting a popout to center that ended the inning without a run scoring. Freeman got an out in the top of the ninth but then gave up a hit to Sandy Amoros, and we brought Koufax in to protect the lead. A wild pitch advanced Amoros to second, but Anthony Pint struck out swinging, bringing up Frank Thomas, who popped out to center as we won our ninth game in a row, this time by a 3-2 margin!

Pascual improved to 6-7 with a 2.65 ERA, thanks to a two-hit six inning effort with a strikeout, a walk and two runs (one earned). Erskine and Freeman each notched holds, and Koufax got his 12th save of the year, improving his ERA to 3.06 with just six pitches thrown. We outhit Brooklyn 9-4, led by Willie Mays with three hits, a run and an RBI thanks to his homer. Ernie Banks added a pair of hits and an RBI as well. Getting both wins by one-run margins really helps, as we’ve now got a 62-24 record and a 7.5 game lead in the division. We’ll now face the Philadelphia Phillies here at Wrigley, with their 46-39 record (15.5 games back) with a chance to really start to pull away.

JULY 17, 1956 . . . Tom Acker (4-2, 2.82 ERA, 70.1 IP, 48 K’s, 1.09 WHIP) got the start today against the Phillies, facing Don Newcombe (10-7, 2.73 ERA, 155.0 IP, 96 K’s, 0.90 WHIP). Ernie Banks hit a ball almost out to Waveland, batting in three runs with his 18th homer of the season to give us a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Del Ennis batted in a run in the top of the third to get the Phillies on the board, and then with the bases loaded, Acker gave up a grand slam to Smoky Burgess to suddenly put us in a 5-3 hole. Acker got out of the inning bruised and beaten, having thrown 60 pitches in three innings of work. Banks batted in a run with a sac-fly in the bottom of the third, and Roger Maris hit into a fielder’s choice, reaching first and driving in a run while Kaline was picked off at second, so we went into the fourth inning knotted up 5-5. Acker stayed out and got us through the fourth, but we brought Erskine in to pitch to start the fifth with the score still tied at five runs apiece. Erskine stayed out a little too long, giving up a two run homer with two outs in the top of the seventh to put Philadelphia up 7-5, with Bob Purkey getting the final out to get us into the stretch. Larry Jansen came in with an out and men on first and second in the top of the eighth, getting us out of the inning with a fantastic double play. But in the top of the ninth he gave up a homer to Earl Torgeson that inreased their lead to three runs, and Red Schoendienst doubled to drive in another pair. So we went into the bottom of the inning needing five runs, at least, With two outs, Poppell got on base by beating out an infield single, and then stole second and third, but Al Rosen grounded out to first to end this one as a 10-5 defeat.

Carl Erskine took the loss, falling to 3-2 with a 3.80 ERA, allowing two hits and two runs, with two walks and a strikeout through 2.2 innings of work. But it was Acker who left us needing to win a bullpen game, lasting four innings with four hits and five earned runs, striking out four but walking four as well. Jansen struggled in his 1.2 innings, giving up three hits and a walk to allow three earned runs, dropping his ERA to 4.64 through 33 innings over 25 appearances. Philly outhit us 11-10, with Robinson, Kaline and Maris each hitting twice. Poppell tried to spark a rally at the last second and now has 20 stolen bases this year in 25 attempts, jumping himself into the #3 spot overall in either league, behind only Luis Aparicio of the Giants, who has 21, and Boston’s Jim Rivera who has 23 -- and they’ve each done it while playing in more than three times as many games as he has.
 
JULY 18, 1956 . . . Saul Rogovin (12-2, 1.83 ERA, 162.1 IP, 209 K’s, 0.75 WHIP) pitched tonight against Philly’s Joe Nuxhall (10-5, 2 SV, 1.81 ERA, 129.1 IP, 82 K’s, 0.77 WHIP). Jackie Robinson tripled in the bottom of the first with two outs, his 13th three-bagger of the year, but was left stranded. But Roger Maris made up for it in the bottom of the second, hitting his 10th homer of the season to put us up 1-0. A botched pick-off attempt at first allowed Poppell to advance to second base in the bottom of the fifth, as Del Crandall scored from third to make it 2-0. Poppell stole third, scoring when Al Rosen batted one into center for an RBI single, and Ernie Banks cleared the bases with a three-run homer, his 19th of the year, to make it 6-0 Cubs heading into the top of the sixth, and Rogovin held tough from there, completing the two-hit shutout as we won 6-0.

Rogovin improved to 13-2, striking out nine and walking only one batter as he improved his ERA to 1.73. We outhit them 11-2, led by Jackie Robinson with three hits and a run, while Al Rosen added two hits a run and an RBI. Poppell hit and scored a run, stealing his 21st base, and Banks batted in three runs with his homer, though he struck out three times.

JULY 19, 1956 . . . Hy Cohen (18-2, 1.75 ERA, 179.2 IP, 191 K’s, 0.77 WHIP) pitched this afternoon against Robin Roberts (11-7, 2.10 ERA, 154.0 IP, 119 K’s, 0.75 WHIP). Jackie Robinson hit a two-run blast into the bleachers at center, his 18th homer of the season, to put us up 2-0 in the bottom of the first. Poppell hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second, driving Kaline around from second to score and extend the lead to three runs. Philly scored in the top of the sixth via an RBI double by Torgeson, and we went into the stretch leading 3-1. Jackie Robinson tripled in the bottom of the eighth, and Ernie Banks hit a three-run homer, his 20th of the season, to make it 6-1 Cubs! Cohen completed the game with three quick outs and we won this one by five runs, another dominant performance!

Cohen improved to 19-2 with a 1.72 ERA, allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts, but only letting them score one run. We had ten hits, led by Jackie Robinson’s three hit two run two RBI performance. He had a single, a triple and a homer, damned near hitting for the cycle. Earlier this season he scored his 1,000th run and stole his 200th base ... he’s now just one dinger away from his 200th homer. Poppell hit twice and batted in a run, stealing twice, and Al Rosen had a solid night with two hits and a run scored. Ernie Banks remained red hot as well, hitting a three-run blast to give him 20 homers and 53 RBIs.

We’ll close out this homestand with four games against the Giants (40-48) this weekend, having beaten them seven out of the nine times we’ve played so far this year. We’re now 64-25 and have gone 8-1 since the All Star break, leading the Dodgers by 7.5 games. The trade deadline’s coming up fast, but we’ve got our team right where we want it -- I don’t see anything happening at the deadline for our Cubs unless something absolutely marvelous slides across my desk.