Sheppard…the alpha and the omega

By: Mike Sommer

Thanks to Mike F. for his response (see the comment on the previous post).

From LoHud’s Chad Jennings we get the beginning, and from Mike we get the end of  Bob Sheppard’s remarkably long run as the Yankees P.A. announcer.

Let me recap.

The Beginning, April 17, 1951
(H) signifies Hof, (M) MVPs (with # won)
The 1951 Yankees went on to win the World Series over the NY Giants in six games.
It was the middle WS Championship of a record five year run (1949-1953).

Jackie Jensen LF (M-1, 1958 for Boston)
Phil Rizzuto SS (M-1, defending MVP from 1950; H)
Mickey Mantle RF (MLB debut; 3 MVPs to come, H)
Joe DiMaggio CF (his last season; 3M, H)
Yogi Berra C (Would win his 1st of 3 M this year; H)
Johnny Mize 1B (H)
Billy Johnson 3B (would last just 15 games before being dealt)
Jerry Coleman 2B
Vic Raschi P (won 21 three cons. years 1949-1951)

Raschi won this game 5-0. Gil McDougald wasn’t in, but it was he—and not Mantle—who would win the 1951 ROY award.

Interesting who was opposite DiMaggio in this game. Not Woodling and Bauer, but Jensen and Mantle. Also note…when is the last time you saw a 19-year-old batting third in his major league debut? 

Mize never won an MVP. He finished 2nd in 1939 (Bucky Walters) and 1940 (Frank McCormick) and came in 3rd in 1947 (Bob Elliott).

Nice power on the team, eh? Mantle 536, DiMaggio 361, Mize 359 and Berra 358 HR.

Oh yeah, as mentioned previously, other Yankees on this team were Billy Martin (we know about his managing), Joe Collins, Bobby Brown (future AL president and noted cardiologist), Bob Cerv and Ralph Houk (manager). Houk had just five at bats; Cerv, 28, Martin 58.

I noted pitchers in the previous post. Johnny Sain pitched in seven games after being acquired late in the season. Reynolds, Morgan, Lopat… Tommy Byrne pitched in just nine games.

Whitey Ford (CYA-1, H) missed all of 1951 and 1952 due to military service (the Korean Conflict was in full bloom).

Now for the Omega. Per Mike F., Sheppard’s last game as P.A. announcer was almost 56 1/2 years later, Sept. 17, 2007.
The Yanks would win the wild card but be bounced in the ALDS three games to one by the Cleveland Indians.

As Mike points out, Phil Hughes started. 2 R, 6 H in 5 2/3 for the win, 8-5. Edwar (1 R) pitched 1 inning, Luis “Nobody Beats the Viz”caino went 1 1/3 scoreless. As Mike pointed out, Farnsworth(less) came in, gave up 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning and was booed off the mound. You-know-who had to come in to get the last out and the save. HR by Matsui.

The lineup that day:

Damon CF (borderline H; currently 2425 hits; if 3000?)
Jeter SS (we would assume a 1st ballot HOF with over 3500 hits?; no MVPs; 2nd once, 3rd 2x; currently at 2747 hits)
Abreu RF (currently .299, 256 HR)
Alex 3B (583 HR, 3 MVP; would say H but for the steroid revelation… where his hits and HRs wind up 3000+? 700+?)
Matsui LF (2009 WS MVP; of the 1951 lineup; Coleman 1950, Rizzuto 1951 were WS MVPs. Jeter was the 2000 WS MVP)
Posada C (borderline HOF)
Giambi DH (steroids and bad defense negate the 409 HR and a HOF; MVP-1)  
Cano 2B 
Mientkiewicz 1B

Shelley Duncan PR.

For the Orioles, who lost, they had 2002 MVP (steroids?) Miguel Tejada.

Interesting that Mike was at the last game. As I mentioned, I just so happened to be there when the Yanks honored Sheppard’s 50th season and dedicated his Monument Park plaque.

P.S. College football appears to be round-robin right now. It looks like Texas vs. the winner between FLA (no offense to Bowden [last season?] and Fla St.) and Alabama (with no offense to Auburn).

As for yesterday…a lot of snoozing after eating the bird. I can’t tell if it was the turkey or the Lions that made me snooze, but count me in as far as getting Detroit off the Turkey Day Game Schedule. Goodness are they dreadful and have been for years. We have to get something better than the Lions each T-giving.

 

Sommer Frieze is a blog dedicated (mainly) to the Yankees. I'll touch on other things as well and the blog (as much as possible) will not only have Yankees news but also follow the Yanks' farm teams. Come visit at Sommer Frieze.

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