[jksander]

OCTOBER 11, 1956
WORLD SERIES GAME SEVEN
New York Yankees (3-3) @ Chicago Cubs (3-3)

1:05 PM -- Wrigley Field ... Attendance: 45,271
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 49 Degrees ... Wind blowing in from right at 11 miles per hour

NEW YORK STARTER: Harvey Haddix (1-0, 4.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 5 K’s, 0.89 WHIP)
CHICAGO STARTER: Hy Cohen (1-0, 3.46 ERA, 13.0 IP, 11 K’s, 1.54 WHIP)

Nothing like hearing 45,000 Cubs fans screaming as Cohen strikes out Mickey Mantle to end the top of the first in a game seven. But Haddix is no pitching slouch, and we knew going in, this game was not going to be easy. Top of the third, the Yankees drew blood first, Hank Thompson hitting a ball straight out of the park at left to put them up 1-0. Poppell reached base on a walk in the bottom of the inning, quickly stealing second and third, and Rosen hit into right field -- Poppell thought it was deep enough, but Howard made a killer throw and took him out at home plate. Damn it! Minoso hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth that drove Haddix in from second to add to the lead for the Yanks, but Willie Mays hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to tie us up 2-2, and it stayed that way into the stretch.

The Yankees pulled Haddix after seven, bringing out Dick Littlefield to close out the game. Kaline led off with a line drive into left in the bottom of the seventh, legging out a double, but we couldn’t get him anywhere, but Cohen stayed sharp as a box of tacks, setting their batters down one, two, three in the top of the eighth to keep it knotted! Cohen got us out of the top of the ninth on a double play to keep it tied into the bottom of the inning, but Littlefield shut us down and just like that we’re headed for extra innings. Sandy Koufax came out to pitch in the top of the 10th, striking out Yogi Berra, and getting Howard to pop out to center. Two outs, c’mon let’s do this! Pinch-hitter Kermit Wahl grounded to third, with a quick throw to first for the final out and we had a chance to walk this off! Poppell walked with one out, but Rosen batted out to center, and Mays grounded out to first to keep the game going. And the Yankees took the lead in the top of the 11th, Mays making a throw to pick off John Hunton as he came around from third ... headfirst slide, bobbled throw, and he was safe, with Minnie Minoso now safe on first. Minoso stole second, but Mickey Mantle popped out to center for the final out, sending us into the bottom of the 11th with work to do. Jackie Robinson got us started with a lead-off hit, hitting it deep into center but not deep enough to go for a second base ... he took first and Banks came up to the plate. And Banks made himself into an all-time Cub hero for life, absolutely HAMMERING a ball straight out of the park at center, a walk off homer that gave us a 4-3 win and the World Series win for our second year in a row!!! It’s pandemonium here as the fans rush the field and it’s official -- these Cubs are letimiately building a dynasty!

Hy Cohen set everyone up perfectly by pitching nine innings with seven hits, four strikeouts and just the two earned runs, earning Player of the Game honors, and Koufax came in to win it, lasting two innings with a hit, a walk, a strikeout and an earned run, giving him a 2.08 ERA through 4.1 playoff innings! Each team had eight hits in this 11-inning final game for the ages; Ernie Banks’ homer won the game, the only runs he batted in the entire series! Willie Mays added two hits, a run and two RBIs. Jack “Jackrabbit” Poppell walked twice and stole two bases as well, and though he never scored a run in the game, his energy kept the team focused and determined to win this one at any cost.