October is World Series month, annually pitting the American League (AL) baseball champion against the National League (NL) winner. It is fitting that in 1952 the Series starts on the first day of October, a Wednesday afternoon.
Burt's team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, rebounded from losing the NL pennant the previous year to the hated rival New York Giants by winning it this year (finishing 5 games in front).
Unfortunately for Burt, Harvey's favorite team, the New York Yankees, are their World Series opponents. The Cleveland Indians finished second in the AL, two games behind the Yanks.
The Yankees had won the last three World Series championships in a row. In total, they had won 14 championships. The Dodgers, none. Is there any fairness in the world, thinks Burt?
Game one (best four out of seven) is at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. With home runs from Jackie Robinson, (Edwin) Duke Snider and (Harold) Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers win, 4-2. One down, three to go.
Five years before, Robinson, a UCLA graduate and a U.S. Army officer during WWII, was chosen by Dodgers' boss, Branch Rickey, to be the first black to play in the Major Leagues. He is joined on the Dodgers in 1952 by three other black ballplayers, Sandy Amoros, Joe Black and Roy Campanella. Is it a coincidence Harvey's favorite team has none?
The following day, Thursday afternoon, October 2, the Yankees even the Series by winning, 7-1. Their great young star, Mickey Mantle has three hits. He is the Yankee's new center fielder, replacing future Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, who retired after the 1951 season. Billy Martin contributes a three-run homer.
On Friday afternoon, October 3, the Series moves to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Led by Pee Wee Reese's three hits, the Dodgers win, 5-3. Two down, two to go.
That night, Harvey and Burt watch the Friday Night Fights on TV, featuring the undefeated Johnny Saxton from Newark, New Jersey against Ralph (Tiger) Jones from Yonkers, New York. Harvey chooses the favorite, Saxton, and Burt the underdog, Jones. In a two to one split decision, Harvey's man wins again. No justice, no fairness.
On Saturday afternoon, October 4, behind the shutout pitching of Allie Reynolds and a home run by Johnnie Mize, the Yankees even the Series (final score 2-0) at two to two.
On Sunday afternoon, October 5, with the help of a fifth inning two-run homer by Snider, the Dodgers take a 4-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the inning, with the help of a three-run home run, again by Mize, the Yankees go ahead, 5-4. On another Snider hit, the Dodgers tie the game. After nine innings, it's still tied.
The hero of the fifth game, Duke Snider doubles in the winning run in the top of the 11th. In the bottom of the inning, starting pitcher Carl Erskine strikes out (Larry) Yogi Berra to end the game. Three down, one to go.
With the sixth game the Series returns to Brooklyn on Monday afternoon, October 6. Burt believes it to be the key game of the 1952 World Series. If the Dodgers win, it's all over. They will have won their first championship.
However, if the Yankees win and tie the Series (three to three), they would regain the momentum and win it all in game seven (also in Brooklyn). It would be inevitable. The pressure is on the boys from Brooklyn (and Burt) on Monday afternoon.
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