The 1957 Milwaukee Braves were more than just a championship team. They were the roadblock to one of the most dominant forces in baseball history. Boasting a solid offense and tremendous pitching, they dominated the National League. Yet, they are virtually unknown. The 1914 “Miracle” Boston Braves and the 1995 Atlanta squad are both rather fondly remembered. One for its dynamic infield, and the other for its dynamic rotation. But the 1957 team is often left in the dust of history. What made them special, and how did they defeat the nearly unstoppable New York Yankees?
A Fearful Offense
To begin, the offense was built on both steady contact and immense power. The Braves finished the year with 1,469 hits, good for second in the National League. Outfielder Hank Aaron led the team with 198 knocks, and shortstop Johnny Logan added 135 of his own. Third baseman Eddie Mathews had 167, and midseason pickup Red Schoendienst had 122. They also led the league in runs (772), triples (62), slugging percentage (.442), and total bases (2,411). Even more impressive is that they had three players in the top ten for WAR. Willie Mays just edged Aaron in that regard, 8.3 to 8.0.
But the true testament to the offense was the ability to hit the long ball. The Braves led the league in home runs with 199. The closest American League team had 166. Two future Hall of Famers led this barrage: Aaron led the league with 44 dingers, and Mathews followed with 32. Left fielder Wes Covington placed third on the team with 21, and catcher Del Crandall hit 15. First baseman Joe Adcock was relegated to the bench but still managed to hit 12 in 65 games.
On the road, the offense continued to produce. This was headlined by Aaron, who hit .338 with 26 home runs and 83 RBI. He also tallied 105 hits, 15 doubles, and a .656 slugging percentage. Mathews performed significantly better on the road, hitting .324 as opposed to .255 at home. He also hit 19 home runs, drove in 61 runs, and hit safely 100 times. All in all, the ’57 Braves struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers.
A Solid Pitching Core
In addition to the offense, the pitching staff was second-to-none. Warren Spahn and Bob Buhl put together particularly masterful campaigns. The 36-year-old Spahn went 21-11 with a 2.69 ERA and threw 18 complete games. He struck out 111 batters and only allowed 81 earned runs in 271 innings of work. Also, his ERA+ was 130. Buhl was equally impressive, going 18-7 with a 2.74 ERA and throwing 14 complete games. He led the team in strikeouts with 117 and gave up just 66 earned runs in 216.2 innings of work. As a result, he posted an ERA+ of 128. With Lew Burdette and Gene Conley having very respectable seasons, the rotation was one of the best in Braves franchise history.
Although the bullpen was not as impressive, it still boasted some solid pieces. Bob Trowbridge and Ernie Johnson had good seasons, with ERAs in the mid-threes. Trowbridge even started 16 games and completed three of them. Johnson finished 16 games and picked up four saves. Closer Don McMahon pitched to a 1.54 ERA and led the team in saves with eight. He also gave up eight earned runs in a little over 46 innings of work. The only issue in the bullpen lay with the two left-handed relievers: Juan Pizarro and Taylor Phillips. Both pitchers had middling seasons, but they were the only southpaw relief options the team had. Pizarro gave up 16 homers, though he did start 10 games. Phillips pitched to a 5.55 ERA and walked 40 men in 73 innings. However, he did post a winning record of 3-2.
Fortunately, the bullpen did not have to be called upon often. The combination of Spahn, Burdette, Buhl, and Conley threw 891.4 of the team’s 1,411 innings. That’s 63% of the total innings. Factor in starts from Trowbridge and Pizarro, and it becomes clear why the Braves led the league with 60 complete games and finished second in innings pitched. The starters were workhorses and proved it almost every time they made a start.
The Braves also had tremendous success on the road. Away from County Stadium, the team won 50 games. While most of the rotation did slightly worse on the road, Spahn pitched exceptionally well. He won 14 games and posted a 2.15 ERA. Eleven of his complete games came on the road, and he gave up a measly 36 earned runs in 151 innings.
The Braves’ New Foe
After winning the NL pennant by eight games, the Braves set their sights on the New York Yankees. The 1950s iteration of the Bronx Bombers seemed undefeatable. From 1949-1960, they went to the World Series nine times and won seven times. With Mickey Mantle leading the offense, Whitey Ford anchoring the rotation, and Casey Stengel at the manager’s position, they were a force to be reckoned with.
1957 was no exception, as they won the pennant by eight games. The offense led the American League in hits (1,412), runs scored (723), batting average (.268), slugging percentage (.409), and OPS (.747). Mantle hit .365 that season with 34 homers and 94 RBI. He also walked 146 times, leading to a 1.177 OPS. He was joined by Bill Skowron, who hit .304, and Yogi Berra contributed 24 dingers. Utility man Tony Kubek hit .297 in 127 games, and outfielder Hank Bauer hit 18 home runs.
The pitching core was also solid. Whitey Ford, Bobby Shantz, Bob Turley, and Tom Sturdivant finished with sub-three ERAs. Ford went 11-5 with a 2.57 ERA, a 1.291 WHIP, and allowed 37 earned runs in 129.1 innings. Shantz went 11-5 with a 2.45 ERA and a team-low 1.139 WHIP in 173 innings. Turley went 13-6 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.163 WHIP. He also led the team with 152 strikeouts in 176.1 innings. Both Turley and Shantz posted a team-high nine complete games. Finally, Sturdivant went 16-6 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.240 WHIP in 201.2 innings.
The Reason for the Braves’ Championship
Based on statistics, the Yankees should have won the 1957 World Series. The Braves tremendous offense suddenly shut down in the Fall Classic. As a consequence, they hit .209 as a team. Reliable players like Crandall, Covington, and Logan went quiet. Mathews also had a rough series, hitting .229 with one home run and four RBI. The team struck out 40 times in 62.1 innings and had a total of 0.20 WPA. But, there were bright spots. Schoendienst hit .278 with a double and two RBI, and Frank Torre hit .300 with two home runs and three RBI.
The pitching core had problems as well. While the team ERA of 3.48 doesn’t raise concern, some individual performances do. Buhl, Conley, Trowbridge, and Pizarro all had ERAs above 10. Even Spahn was shaky, going 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA and losing the first game of the series. However, there were some glimpses of brilliance in the bullpen. McMahon pitched five innings of three hit shutout ball during the series, and Johnson posted a 1.29 ERA.
There were two reasons for the Braves victory: Hank Aaron and Lew Burdette. Aaron was the cornerstone of the offense all season, and he kept the momentum throughout the World Series. He hit .393 (11-28) with three home runs, seven RBI, a triple, and five runs scored. His slugging percentage was .786, and his OPS came in at 1.200. He did not have a game where he didn’t get on base at least once. His best individual performance was in Game Three, where he went 2-4 with a homer, three RBI, and a walk.
But he did not win the series MVP award. That honor went to Burdette, who pitched three complete-game victories — two of those were shutouts. As a result, his ERA was a microscopic 0.67. He did give up 21 hits in 27 innings but only allowed two runners to cross the plate. He walked four men in the entire series and struck out 13. Overall, the Yankees were 21-99 against him, for an opponent’s average of .212. His average game score was 73.3.
The Braves won this World Series because these two stepped up when needed. If not for Burdette and Aaron, the team would have faltered. The 1995 team is spoken of because of its dramatic pitching performances. The 1914 team is spoken of because of its worst to first scenario. But those two squads won the World Series with relative ease. The 1957 team deserves to be remembered because of its impressive fight to win the World Series. Thanks to a massive regular season, and two spectacular performances in the series, the team found itself on top of the mountain.
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