[jksander]

OCTOBER 10, 1956
WORLD SERIES GAME SIX
New York Yankees (2-3) @ Chicago Cubs (3-2)

1:05 PM -- Wrigley Field ... Attendance: 45,320
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 51 Degrees ... Wind blowing in from center at 10 miles per hour

NEW YORK STARTER: Whitey Ford (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 8.0 IP, 3 K’s, 0.88 WHIP)
CHICAGO STARTER: Saul Rogovin (1-0, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 11 K’s, 1.00 WHIP)

New York came out fired up, and Mickey Mantle hit his third homer of the series out into the bleachers, putting the Yankees up 2-0 in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, Kaline reached second on a throwing error with one out, Maris walked, and then Crandall hit a line drive into deep left, loading the bases. Rogovin popped one out to center, but it was deep enough for Kaline to score from third, and Poppell loaded the bases again with a walk, bringing up Rosen with a chance to do some damage. Alas, he struck out, and we went into the top of the third trailing still 2-1. Bottom of the fifth: Poppell hits one deep into the right field corner, high and slow to fall, and he had plenty of time to leg out a triple. But Rosen hit into a fielder’s choice, with Whitey Ford aiming squarely for Poppell, getting the tag out at home. Damn it! Banks reached base on a double in the bottom of the sixth, but again we came up empty. Rogovin struck out his 10th batter in the top of the seventh, and liked it so much he struck out two more around a single hit by McDougald, to get us into the stretch still trailing by one run.

Rogovin tied the NL Playoff strikeout record with his 13th K in the top of the eighth, but he’d thrown 155 pitches and we had to pull him with one out, men on first and second, bringing in Bob Porterfield to try and will us to the win. And he did his job, getting the last two outs by high flies out at center and left, giving us a shot heading into the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Willie Mays got a good hit off Ford for a single, and Banks then hit one deep into center, bouncing off the Ivy and giving Robinson time to make it to third! Kaline came up bat, still two outs, but Mantle made an easy catch at center and we went into the top of the ninth still down by one. Carl Erskine came out to pitch in the top of the inning, and with one out the Yanks bought some insurance -- Minoso hit a deep blast out at left and the Yanks had a 3-1 lead, though Erskine was able to strike out Mantle and Robinson to send us into the bottom of the inning needing two to tie, three to win. And we couldn’t find a hit. The Chairman of the Board shut us down and New York’s pushed us into a game seven with all the marbles on the line, beating us here 3-1.

Rogovin took the loss, but by God he gave us everything he had. The Yankees got eight hits off him and walked four times, but he struck out 13 batters, threw 155 pitches and gave up only two earned runs. Erskine allowed the only other hit, striking out a pair but giving up the final run of the game in the process. The Bronx Bombers outhit us 9-6 this time out, with Ernie Banks being the only man who could hit off Ford twice. Saul Rogovin batted in our only run of the game, and Al Kaline scored it. Ford wound up pitching a complete game, and the run he surrendered was unearned, so his World Series ERA this season will be just 1.06.

Hy Cohen will get his third start of the series on four days’ rest as we try and survive this latest challenge ... expect the unexpected, and a packed standing-room crowd, when game seven tips off tomorrow afternoon!