1958 World Series

The 1958 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball for the 1958 season. It was the 55th time the World Series had been played and was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League champion New York Yankees and the National League champion Milwaukee Braves. The Yankees had lost to the Braves the year before, but in 1958, they came back to win the series in seven games, earning their 18th title.

This victory was special because the Yankees were able to come back from being down 3–1 in the series, which is a tough thing to do. Only one other team in baseball history had managed to do this before them. With their win, the Yankees showed they were one of the strongest teams in the sport. These two teams met again in the World Series much later, but by then, the Braves had moved to a new city, Atlanta. As of 2026, the 1958 World Series remains the last time these two teams faced each other in the World Series right after both had won it the year before.

Background

This was the first year that people in New York had only one local team to cheer for. Both the Giants and the Dodgers were now playing their home games far away in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Milwaukee Braves easily won the National League with an eight-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The New York Yankees also did well, finishing ten games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the American League. Because neither league had a close race, the managers, Casey Stengel of the Yankees and Fred Haney of the Braves, could rest their best players getting ready for the World Series.

Summary

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Milwaukee Braves (3)

The 1958 World Series was the big championship game for Major League Baseball that year. It was the 55th time this special series happened. The New York Yankees played against the Milwaukee Braves. The Yankees won after seven games, earning their 18th championship title. This was their seventh win in just ten years.

Matchups

Game 1

Casey Stengel chose Whitey Ford to start Game 1. Fred Haney chose Warren Spahn for the Braves.

Bill Skowron scored first with a home run, but the Braves came back to take the lead. Hank Aaron helped the Braves score, and they led for a while. Later, Hank Bauer hit a home run to give the Yankees the lead. The game went into extra innings, and the Braves won it with a single run in the bottom of the 10th.

Game 2

The Braves' Lew Burdette started, and the Yankees' Bob Turley started.

Burdette began nervously, allowing an early run. But the Braves scored seven runs in the first inning, with Bill Bruton hitting a home run and Lew Burdette hitting another. The Braves went on to win comfortably.

Game 3

At home, the Yankees hoped to get their first win. Don Larsen pitched well for the Yankees, and Hank Bauer drove in several runs to help the Yankees win this game.

Game 4

Warren Spahn pitched a strong game for the Braves, shutting out the Yankees 3–0. Some tricky plays in the sun helped the Braves score.

Game 5

The Yankees scored six runs in one inning, with Hank Bauer and Mickey Mantle leading the way. The Yankees won 7–0, cutting the Braves' lead to 3–2 in the series.

Game 6

The Braves needed to win two games to repeat as champions. Hank Bauer scored early for the Yankees, but the Braves took the lead. The game was tied in the sixth, and the Yankees took the lead in the 10th. The Braves tried to come back but fell just short, tying the series at 3–3.

Game 7

For the fourth year in a row, the World Series went to seven games. The Yankees scored early, but the Braves tied it. In the eighth inning, the Yankees rallied to win the game and the series. Bill Skowron hit a big home run to help secure the victory. The Yankees won their 18th World Championship.

Composite line score

The 1958 World Series was the big baseball championship of that year. It was the 55th time this event happened, where the best team from the American League played against the best team from the National League. This time, the New York Yankees from the American League played against the Milwaukee Braves from the National League. The Yankees won the series in seven games, earning their 18th championship title. This was also their seventh win in just ten years.

Records

Eddie Mathews struck out 11 times, which was a record for the World Series. Later, another player named Willie Wilson also broke this record. The Braves struck out 56 times in total during the series, another record. Two players from the Braves, Eddie Mathews and Del Crandall, each struck out 10 times, which was very unusual.

Casey Stengel won his seventh world championship with this victory, tying him with another famous manager, Joe McCarthy, for the most championships won. The New York Yankees came back from being behind 3–1 in the series, which was a first for a team from the American League.

Aftermath

The Yankees returned to the World Series two years later but were surprised by the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. They won their next championship in (/wiki/1961_World_Series) against the Cincinnati Reds in five games.

This was the last time the Braves appeared in the postseason while based in Milwaukee, as the team moved to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves first appeared in the MLB postseason in (/wiki/1969_Major_League_Baseball_postseason), but were swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS. The Braves later reached the World Series again in (/wiki/1991_World_Series), losing to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. They won the championship again in (/wiki/1995_World_Series) against the Cleveland Indians in six games.

This was the second most recent World Series held in Milwaukee. The expansion Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series in (/wiki/1982_World_Series), losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, which remains the most recent World Series in Milwaukee.