Podres, who pitched the deciding game in the 1955 Fall Classic to give the Brooklyn Dodgers their only World Championship, passed away this weekend at the age of 75. Richard Goldstein’s obituary in the Jan. 14 New Yorks Times, notes his place in the hearts that borough’s baseball fans.
Look in any retrospective of the Brooklyn Dodgers and you’ll find an extensive mention of the lefty.
Veteran sports columnist Maury Allen, author of Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers, shared his thoughts with The Bookshelf:
Johnny Podres was the most beloved pitcher in the history of Brooklyn baseball. He finally gave all of us Brooklyn kids pride when he beat the Yankees twice in the 1955 World Series for Brooklyn’s one and only Series triumph.
He was also a funny guy who saw that baseball was a joyous way to make a living. His father had mined iron ore in upstate New York and he knew he didn’t want to do that. He was signed by the Dodgers and as a rookie in 1953 manager Charlie Dressen taught him a changeup. It made his career.
Podres was hit by a batting cage when it was being pushed off the field in August of 1955 as he hit fungoes to teammates. He was out three weeks. Then he came back and saved the Dodgers in the Series. He won the third game 8-3 after the Yankees had won the first two and won the seventh game 2-0. Duke Snider asked him on the bus from Ebbets Field to Yankee stadium for the last game how many runs he needed. “Just give me one,” the cocky kid said. They gave him two, enough for the win.
After the victory, there was a great celebration at Brooklyn’s Hotel Bossert. Podres spotted a very pretty girl and offered her his hotel key. “How did I know,” he said later, “that she was the daughter of the farm director, Fresco Thompson, and she was only 15 years old.”
Podres always reminisced about his Brooklyn heroics throughout the rest of his career and in his coaching days. He always kept the same license plate on his car. It read,”MVP 55.” He was a lifelong smoker, an uncontrollable beer drinker and a constant visitor of horse racing tracks. “Pee Wee (Reese) used to bum cigarettes off me. When I asked him why he always did that, he said he was trying to stop smoking. “Yeah, I know, but this has been going on for three years.’ I don’t think he bummed another off me for a week.”
Johnny Podres won the biggest game in the history of Brooklyn baseball. He is gone now but for sure never forgotten.
Just about a year ago Bob, John and Robert Bennett published a full-length bio on Johnny Podres, Yankee Killer.
Perhaps he couldn’t bear the thought of the 50th anniversary of his team abandoning Brooklyn.
The Amazon Report:
Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers
Johnny Podres: Brooklyn’s Yankee Killer
is available on Amazon.com,
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