Our countdown on baseball’s 50 greatest teams (called the best 50 balls) today poured into the 18th place for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. Ranking from my new book The best team in baseball.
Here is a quick boilerplate note attached to each story I have in this series:
I compiled the best 50 by analyzing 2,544 major league teams from 1903 to 2024. (The historical percentile for a given club is the percentage of its other 2,543 teams.)
Please refer to my book to explain my TS calculations. The book also offers a separate breakdown of the best and worst clubs every decade, along with a comprehensive overview of the best 50 (including a position-by-position lineup and more information than you will find in this newsletter), and a similar summary of the 10 worst teams of all time.
Now enter today’s profile.
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Team: 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
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Team Score: 88.447
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Ranking history: 18 out of 2,544
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Historical percentile: 99.33%
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Seasonal record: 98-55 (.641)
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Season position: No. 1 in the National League
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Final identity: World Champion
Branch Rickey In late 1942, when he became president of the Dodgers, he announced a goal. “If our goal was to make Brooklyn the baseball capital of America,” he said thunder: “by Pastor Judah, we would do it!” He was willing to accept any strategy, no matter how radical it was, if that gave the Dodgers a championship. “My goal is to use anyone who can help me do it, including white, green, blue or black.” He signed up for the old guard who was a motorcycle baseball Jackie Robinson Break the color barrier.
Rickey had gone by 1955, a victim of front-end infighting – but his dynasty remained. The Dodgers won four national league titles between 1947 and 1954, with an average of 94.3 seasons of victory per year. Brooklyn’s 1955 team looks better, with 22 of the first 24 games.
The Dodgers led 9.5 games in the second place in the New York Giants on May 11. They raised their lead to 17 games before finishing their fifth NL title in nine years.
Get a complete low in 50 greatest (and 10 weakest) clubs of all time
The Dodgers never won the World Series, though they ended painfully in seven games with the Yankees in 1947 and 1952. Brooklyn fans remain optimistic, adopting “Wait until next year” as their motto.
The Yankees were once again the opponent of their series in 1955. The Dodgers lost the first two games and then won three straight home games. New York laid the foundation for the Bronx’s DO-OR-DIE finale with a 5-1 victory in Game 6. First baseman Gil Hodges Driving home Johnny Podres Working behind closed doors makes Brooklyn’s dream come true.
Midfielder Duke Snider There were four home runs and seven RBIs in the series, surpassing the Dodgers in both. “It’s so terrible, take that bus back to Ebert Stadium,” he said of returning home after Game 7. “There are confetti from all buildings in Manhattan, cross the Brooklyn Bridge and into Brooklyn.”
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pitcher Sandy KoufaxThis is a rookie who rarely played for the 1955 Dodgers, awe-inspired by the club’s veterans. He later said: “This is a team that has never made any mistakes.”
The Dodgers performed strongly in the middle, with the future Hall of Fame in the receiver (Roy Campanella), shortstop (Pee) and center (Duke Snider). Two corner infielders Gil Hodges and third baseman Jackie Robinson will also arrive in Cooperstown. “Not only can they hit the ball out of the park, they can all play their position with anyone,” Kufax said.
Campanella’s .318 hit average puts the team’s pace at rhythm. He is strong and quick behind the plate – nicknamed “Cat” – and he attracts everyone with his sunny personality. Snider provided the strength of 42 home runs and 136 runs, leading the national league in the latter category.
The only real weakness in Brooklyn is age. 31 birthdays have passed for five daily players. The elderly are Reese and Robinson, 37 and 36 respectively.
The first spin is from Don Newcombethe third black pitcher working in the country or the American League. Newcombe, who is six feet four, is willing to fight against opposing batsmen and his manager. Walter Alston He rarely used him in the first month of the season and the two had a dispute. The May 10th one-hit closure finally secured Newcomb’s slot in the rotation. He threw a 20-5 record beside the Arm soreness in September.
