Before
listening to the game, here are a few things to know so that you can enjoy the
broadcast even more.
Home
Field
The game was
played at the Polo Grounds in New York. It was the home field for the Giants
from 1891 until 1957. It had an upper deck and a lower deck and had enough room
to seat about 55,000 fans.
The ball
park had a couple unique features. The distance from home plate to the wall in
center field was far. It measured 483 feet which is about the same length as 1
½ football fields. But down the foul lines in left and right field, the
distances to each wall were less than 280 feet giving the ballpark a shape that
resembled a bathtub!
Also, major
league bullpens today are usually found behind the outfield fences. But at the
Polo Grounds, the bullpens were located in left center and right center field.
In front of the fence! Which meant that players sitting on the benches in the
bullpen were actually in the field of play. So, when a ball was hit in their
direction, players had to scatter and get out of the way!
The Teams
The 1971
Pittsburgh Pirates were an excellent team. They finished the season with a
record of 97 wins and 65 losses.
In the World
Series, the Pirates faced the Baltimore Orioles. In the seventh game,
Pittsburgh beat the Orioles 2-1 to win the championship.
The 1954 New
York Giants were a strong team, too. They had a won-loss record of 97-57 to
finish in first place.
In the World
Serries, the Giants faced a powerhouse team from Cleveland. Everyone expected New
York to lose. Instead, the Giants swept Cleveland, winning the championship in
four straight games.
The
Players
In our game,
Steve Blass is the starting pitcher for Pittsburgh. He was a right-hander and
pitched with the Pirates for 10 years. In the 1971 World Series, he was the
winning pitcher in two games, including the all-important Game Seven victory.
Johnny
Antonelli will start the game for the Giants. The left-hander won 21 games during
the 1954 season. Six of his victories were shutouts. He pitched in the major
leagues for 12 seasons.
Roberto
Clemente will play right field for the Pirates. He was a Hall of Fame player
who could hit, run, field and throw. He played his entire career with
Pittsburgh. In the 1971 World Series, Clemente won the Most Valuable Player
Award.
Willie Mays is the center fielder for New York. Mays was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Like Clemente, he did everything very well. Simply put, Mays was a Hall of Fame superstar.
Other
Nuggets to Know
·
Both
teams played in the National League.
·
Danny
Murtaugh was the manager for Pittsburgh in 1971.
·
The Giants’ manager in 1954 was Leo Durocher.
·
In
1971, the Pirates played in Three Rivers Stadium on an artificial turf field.
·
Three
players in the Giants’ starting line-up started their careers in the Negro
Leagues: Monte Irvin, Hank Thompson and Willie Mays.
·
Willie
Stargell had a Hall of Fame career playing for Pittsburgh.
·
In
1954, players in the National League did not have to wear batting helmets.
·
At
the end of the 1957 season, the Giants left New York and moved to San Francisco.
While You
Listen
Can you pick
out the answers to these questions while you listen to the broadcast?
1. What was Willie Mays’ nickname?
2. What team did Roberto Clemente sign
with before he ended up with Pittsburgh?
3. What was the special pitch Hoyt
Wilhelm threw that sometimes made batters look foolish?
4. What was Pirates’ pinch-hitter Bill
Mazeroski famous for?
After You
Listen
Do some
digging to learn more about:
·
The
Negro Leagues
·
The
fabulous careers of Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell
·
Why
the Giants left New York and moved to San Francisco
Finally, take
a closer look at the photographs below.
What do you
notice?
What
questions come to mind?
Where can you look to find the answers to your questions?
 | ||
An odd-shaped ballpark, the Polo Grounds was nicknamed "The Bathtub". Source: thisgreatgame.com
|
 |
| The Giants needed to climb stairs in center field to access their clubhouse. Source: si.com/mlb |
 |
| The bullpens were in play! Source: si.com/mlb |
 |
A spacious center field gave Willie Mays enough room to make The Catch. Source: si.com/mlb |
 |
| Rhodes takes advantage of the short porch in right in Game Two of the '54 Series. Source: wikipedia |
 |
| The first night game played at the Polo Grounds on May 24, 1940. Source: si.com/mlb |
 |
| Roberto Clemente finished his illustrious career with exactly 3000 hits. Source: Getty Images |
 |
| Safe at home! Willie Mays beats the throw at the Polo Grounds in 1951. Source: Getty Images |
 |
| Willie Stargell crosses the plate after hitting one of his 475 lifetime home runs. Source: Getty Images |
 |
| Leo Durocher & Cleveland manager Al Lopez before the start of the '54 Series. Source: Getty Images |
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| Dusty Rhodes' home run just clears the wall in Game One of the '54 Series. Source: Getty Images |
 |
| Steve Blass & Manny Sanguillen celebrate the final out of the '71 Series. Source: issuu.com |
 |
| Monte Irvin beats Berra's tag in the '51 World Series. Source: New York Daily News |
We hope you enjoy the game!
Now let’s
play ball!
Books to Read
We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
Clemente! by Willie Perdomo
21 The Story of Roberto Clemente by Wilfred Santiago
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