World Series MVP Guide (1955-1979)

1955. Johnny Podres, Brooklyn Dodgers Pitcher (2-0, 1.17 ERA) . Podres won the inaugural World Series MVP award by pitching a complete game shutout to win Game 7, and bring home the only World Series trophy for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Two years later, the team moved to Los Angeles, and took with them the great memories of the 1955 victory over the New York Yankees.

1956. Don Larsen, New York Yankees Pitcher (1-0; 0.00 ERA). He pitched a perfect game in Game 5. Nuf Ced.

1957. Lew Burdette, Milwaukee Braves Pitcher (3-0; 0.67 ERA). Burdette threw three complete games, won all of them, and had an ERA of 0.67 as the Braves upset the New York Yankees.

1958. Bob Turley, New York Yankees Pitcher (2-1; 2,76 ERA). Bullet Bob Turley held down the Braves lineup in Game 7, pitching 6.2 innings, surrendering just one run, and winning the Series clincher.

1959. Larry Sherry, Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher (2-0, 0.71 ERA, .500 BA). Sherry mastered the light-hitting White Sox in two outing, and managed two hits in his four at-bats.

1960. Bobby Richardson, New York Yankees 2B (.367 BA, 1 HR, 12 RBI). Although Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win Game 7 will always be the indelible memory of this World series, the Yankees' Bobby Richardson was the real star of this series. In seven games, he picked up 11 hits, two doubles, two triples and scored eight runs.

1961. Whitey Ford, New York Yankees Pitcher (2-0, 0.00). Ford was in the midst of his record 33 straight scoreless World Series innings in 1961, and the Reds couldn't touch him. He won two contests as the Yankees hammered the Cincinnati Reds in five games.

1962. Ralph Terry, New York Yankees Pitcher (2-1; 1.80 ERA). Terry pitched complete game shutouts in Games 5 and 7 to win the Series and the MVP.

1963. Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher (2-0; 1.50 ERA). Koufax pitched two complete games against the 1961 World Series MVP, Whitey Ford, an dominated in both. In eighteen innings pitched, Sandy gave up just three earned runs, struck out 23 batters and walked only three hitters. The Dodgers swept the Series.

1964. Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher (2-1, 3.00 ERA). Gibson pitched three complete games, including a 13 strikeout masterpiece in Game 5 and a strong showing in Game 7 that clinched the Series and ended a run in which the Yankees had made fifteen World Series appearances in eighteen years.

1965. Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher (2-1; 0.38 ERA). Sandy Koufax was even better in '65 than he was in 1963. He pitched 24.0 innings and struck out 29 Minnesota Twins on the way to complete game shutouts in Games 5 and 7, both of which he pitched on two days rest.

1966. Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles 3B (.386, 2 HR, 4 RBI). Robinson proved that the Reds were wrong to trade him away before the 1966 season with this World Series performance.

1967. Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher. (3-0, 1.00 ERA). Gibby threw three complete game victories, one of them a shutout, all on three days rest. In this Series, Gibson proved that he truly was the most intimidating World Series pitcher in history.

1968. Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers Pitcher (3-0, 1.67 ERA). Lolich had two brilliant outings in Games 2 and 5 of the 1968 Series. Then, on just two days rest, he started Game 7 against the Cardinals instead of that year's 31-game winner Denny McLain, much to the chagrin of Bob Gibson and the Cardinals. Lolich hurled a complete game victory over the meanest pitcher in baseball and won the Tigers their first World Series in 33 years.

1969. Don Clendenon, New York Mets OF (.357, 3 HR, 4 RBI). Clendenon was the hitting and fielding hero of the Amazin' Mets who upset the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles team.

Check out the following World series MVP Guides: 1970-1984, 1985-2000 and 2000-2007.

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