Warren Spahn was 36 years old; this was his eighth 20-win season, and
he still had five more to go. The Cy Young Award was only in its second
season, and there was still only one award for both leagues. Spahn was a near-unanimous
winner, and he also led all pitchers in MVP voting, followed by Jack Sanford and Bob Buhl.
Sanford had a great rookie year with the Phillies,
but had a very inconsistent career. A year later, he was traded to San Francisco,
where he managed to win 24 games in 1962. Bob Buhl had been with the Braves
for a few years, and this was his best season. How he was able to succeed without
good control I don't know; but he pitched for 16 seasons, and won 166 games
in his career.
But I think there is a better choice than either
Buhl or Sanford. Don Drysdale was a big blond kid from California, 21 years
old. Right from the start, big Don was a manager's dream, a big power pitcher
who was durable and who had good control. Pitching in tiny Ebbets Field in
Brooklyn, I think Drysdale was clearly better than either Sanford or Buhl,
better than anyone except Spahn. Next year, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles,
where Drysdale would become one of the most famous pitchers in baseball.
Another Braves pitcher who had a solid season
was Lew Burdette. Selva Lewis Burdette was 30 years old this year; his ERA was
higher than usual, and it wasn't really one of his best seasons. But in the
playoffs, he was a hero. The mighty Yankees beat the Braves in Game One;
in Game Two, Burdette beat the Yanks 4-2. In Game Five, with the Series
tied, Burdette beat Whitey Ford 1-0 with a complete game shutout. Lew came back
again in Game Seven, and beat Don Larsen 5-0 to clinch the Series. Three
starts, three wins, three complete games, two shutouts... it was one of
the greatest World Series performances ever by a pitcher.
