Warren Spahn led all pitchers in the MVP vote, followed closely by Robin
Roberts. At age 33, it was probably the best year of Spahn's career. Incredibly,
Spahn was not even in mid-career; this was his fifth 20+ win season, and he
had eight more to go. He set a career high in wins, and a career low in ERA;
this was the third time he led the league in wins, something he did five
more times in his career.
Spahn began his career in 1942, pitching briefly
before entering the army. He returned and won his first game in 1946, and
would eventually win 363 in his career. Early in his career, Spahn and Johnny
Sain formed the backbone of the Boston Braves pitching staff; the Braves won
the pennant in 1948, and few people in Boston could remember the last time
that had happened. This year, the Braves moved to Milwaukee; the pitching
staff was much improved, but the offense needed needed help. The arrival of Henry
Aaron solved that problem, and the Braves would become one of the best
teams of the 1950's.
The other outstanding pitcher in the NL this
year was Robin Roberts. This was Roberts' fourth consecutive 20+ win season;
he didn't pitch as well as Spahn, but he threw an enormous number of innings,
80 more than any other pitcher in the NL. Like Spahn, Roberts pitched for
a team (the Phillies) that didn't score a lot of runs. Unlike the Braves,
the Phillies were on the way down, after hitting their peak in 1950.
Harvey Haddix was just a kid, 23 years old,
in his first full season. He had a great year, winning 20 games for the
Cardinals. Nicknamed "The Kitten", Haddix was not an imposing figure; he bounced
up-and-down most of his career, but usually pitched well and won 136 games.
He is most famous for a game he threw in 1959 against the Braves; Haddix
threw 12 perfect innings that night, the best ever performance by a pitcher
in a single game. Unfortunately, his team didn't score any runs, and Haddix
lost the game in the 13th inning on a Hank Aaron home run.
Carl Erskine had his best year for the Dodgers;
he too was very inconsistent for most of his career. Gerry Staley had his
best year as a starter, though he is best known for his years as the ace
of the White Sox' bullpen. Vinegar Bend Mizell was just 23 years old, and
had a good season as a power pitcher, but had an unremarkable career.
