It was a very close race in the NL this year. The Brooklyn Dodgers, defending World Champions for the first time in team history, won another pennant, edging the Braves by one game, and the Reds by two. The Dodgers weren't so successful in the World Series this time; they lost to the Yankees in seven games, and were victimized by Don Larsen's perfect game. This was the last pennant the Dodgers won in Brooklyn; they were moved to Los Angeles a year later.
        The Cy Young Award made its debut this season. The award was created because pitchers weren't getting a lot of support in the MVP vote. Only one award was given out this year, and it went to Dodgers' ace Don Newcombe, who ironically also won the MVP Award.

         Ten years after Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier, the Dodgers were still reaping the rewards of Branch Rickey's trailblazing. The Dodgers had many outstanding black players, including Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Jim Gilliam. But they also had Don Newcombe, the first outstanding black pitcher in the major leagues. Newcombe was a huge man for his day, listed at 6'4'', 225 lbs. He was Rookie Of The Year in 1949, and followed up with two more outstanding seasons before losing two years of his career to service in Korea
        Newcombe returned from the war, and picked up where he left off, winning 20 games in 1955, and 27 this year. Not only was the big guy tough to hit, he was one of the best control pitchers in the game. Surprisingly, he had an off-year with the bat, hitting just .234; Newcombe was a career .271 hitter, one of the best hitting pitchers ever. Though he was only 30, this was Newcombe's last big season; a sore arm ended his career prematurely. Remarkably, Newcombe won 149 games in his short career, and lost only 90.
        Warren Spahn was 36 years old, and was coming off a season in which he only won 17 games. For other pitchers, this might be a warning of decline; instead, Spahn recorded his first in a new string of six consecutive 20-win seasons. He also had some outstanding teammates, including Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl. The Braves' pitchers got some help from their home park, which at the time was the best pitchers' park in the league. But with 363 career wins, it is obvious that Spahn was a great pitcher in any park.