The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies

The Whiz Kids Played the New York Yankees in the World Series

Oct 25, 2009 James Lincoln Ray

The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies, whose youth and enthusiasm earned them the nickname the "Whiz Kids," were the surprise team of the season.

When the 1950 baseball season began, Philadelphia Phillies fans were starving for a championship. In the team’s 67-year history it had only a single National League pennant and exactly zero World Series titles. Their futility was only magnified by the 9 American League pennants and 5 World Series titles won by their cross-town business competition, Connie Mack’s Athletics.

But in 1950, the Phillies had promise. The team finished in third place the year before and many of the squad’s young hopefuls were becoming stars.

A Team Full of Whiz Kids and One Valuable Veteran

The 1950 Phillies were a young team, 26 years old on average, and their best players were even younger than that. Staff ace Robins Roberts was 23, and he anchored a rotation that featured 21-year old Curt Simmons and 23-year old Bob Miller. Shortstop Granny Hamner and centerfielder Richie Ashburn were also just 23. Third baseman Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones was 24. The team’s top slugger was 25-year old outfielder Del Ennis.

The Phillies also had a reputation for being a “smart” ball club because they ran the bases well, played strong defense, and committed few mental mistakes. This unique combination of youth and baseball intelligence soon earned the team the nickname the Whiz Kids. It was a name that stuck.

The 1950 National League Pennant Race

After an up and down battle during the first half of the season, the Phillies moved into sole possession of first place on July 25, and gradually extended their lead to 7 ½ games over the Brooklyn Dodgers with a dozen games to play. The pennant seemed a certainty. But then the Phillies collapsed, losing 9 of their next 11 games. The Dodgers, on the other hand, won 7 out of 10, including a win over the Phillies on the second to last game of the season, which set up a head-to-head matchup between the Dodgers and Phillies on the season’s final Sunday at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Roberts started for the Phillies and Don Newcombe took the mound for Brooklyn. Roberts held the Brooklyn hitters (four of them future Hall of Famers) in relative check for nine innings, allowing just one run on a sixth inning home run by Pee Wee Reese.

Newcombe was equally impressive and the score was tied at one run apiece heading into the top of the 10th inning. But then he struggled, allowing two men to reach base and then surrendering a three run, back-breaking home run to Philadelphia’s Dick Sisler. Roberts held the lead in the bottom of the inning and the Philadelphia Phillies were National League champions for the first time since 1915.

The Phillies Play the Yankees in the World Series

In the World Series, the Phillies faced the defending world champion New York Yankees, a team whose batting lineup boasted future Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra and Johnny Mize.

The Series began at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. In a surprise move, Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer named reliever Jim Konstanty the Game 1 starter. Konstanty did have a brilliant regular season, but every one of his league-leading 74 appearances was in relief. Sawyer’s decision was heavily criticized before the start of the game, but he came through, giving up 4 hits and one run in eight innings.

Unfortunately for him, Yankees starter Vic Raschi was even better, throwing a complete game shutout that gave the Bombers a Game 1 win.

Game 2 pitted New York’s Allie Reynolds against Robin Roberts. The two conducted another pitching clinic, and after nine innings, the score was tied at one apiece. But in the top of the 10th inning, Yankee centerfielder Joe DiMaggio broke the tie with a long home run off Roberts that put the Yankees on top 2-1. When the Phillies couldn’t score in the bottom of the inning, the Yankees had a two games to none lead in the Fall Classic, and the Series returned to New York.

The Phillies fared no better in Yankee Stadium. They lost a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 3 when Granny Hamner’s error allowed Yankees second baseman Jerry Coleman to score. One inning later, Coleman’s two out single scored Gene Woodling and the game was over. The Yankees were just one win away from their second consecutive World Series title.

In the end, the Whiz Kids were done in by the 21-year old Whitey Ford, who shut down the Phillies for eight and two-thirds innings in Game 4. Only a dropped fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning allowed the Phillies to score two unearned runs. The Yankees won the game 5-2, and took the Series in a sweep.

The Whiz Kids Become the Fizz Kids after the 1950 Season

Although the Phillies were swept in the Series, it was still a time for optimism in the City of Brotherly Love. After all, their young, talented team had just won the National League. All they needed to do was take it one step further in 1951 . . .

It wasn’t to be. Over the next decade, the Phillies managed only two winning seasons and never made a serious run at another pennant.

But the Whiz Kids great year did launch the Hall of Fame careers of Roberts, who went on to win 286 games, and Ashburn, a lifetime .308 hitter.

It would be another 30 years before the Phillies made it back to the World Series. And for the loyal fans of the Fightin’ Phils, the wait continued.

The copyright of the article The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish The 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Richie Ashburn

Whiz Kids

shibe park