| 1959 National League tie-breaker series | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Dates | September 28–29, 1959 | |||||||||
| Venue |
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| Umpires | Al Barlick, Augie Donatelli, Dusty Boggess, Jocko Conlan, Bill Jackowski, Tom Gorman | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Dodgers: Braves: | |||||||||
| Broadcast | ||||||||||
| Television | ABC | |||||||||
| TV announcers | George Kell and Bob DeLaney | |||||||||
| Radio | ABC Radio | |||||||||
| Radio announcers | Bob Finnegan and Tony Flynn | |||||||||
The 1959 National League tie-breaker series was a best-of-three playoff series that extended Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1959 regular season to decide the winner of the National League (NL) pennant. The tiebreaker series was necessary after the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves finished the season with identical win–loss records of 86–68 (.558) on Sunday, September 27, three games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.[1][2] It was the first tie-breaker in the majors in eight years, also in the National League.
The tie-breaker games were played on September 28 and 29. All the games were scheduled as day games, the opener on Monday was at Milwaukee County Stadium and the second on Tuesday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[2] The Dodgers won a coin flip late in the season that gave them home field advantage for the series (games two and three). If needed, the third game was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30. The Dodgers had hoped for night games in Los Angeles to take advantage of the Coliseum's seating capacity. The series was broadcast nationally by ABC television,[2] with George Kell and Bob DeLaney announcing,[3] and ABC radio, with Bob Finnegan and Tony Flynn announcing.
Following a rain-delayed start in Milwaukee, the Dodgers won the first game 3–2, with a solo home run in the sixth by John Roseboro breaking a 2–2 tie and providing the margin of victory. The next day in Los Angeles, the Dodgers took the series and the pennant with another one-run win; they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie and prevailed 6–5 in extra innings.[4][5] This victory advanced the Dodgers to the World Series, in which they defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games.
In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker series counted as the 155th and 156th regular season games for both teams.
- ^ Thisted, Red (September 28, 1959). "Braves tie for title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 1.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Los Angeles, Milwaukee tie for National crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 28, 1959. p. 12.
- ^ Miller, Tony (August 6, 2015). "When Two Announcers Were Too Many (Or Three Were Not Enough)". SABR Baseball and the Media Research Committee.
- ^ Thisted, Red (September 30, 1959). "'Comeback' L.A. champ!". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 1.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dodgers win National League flag in exciting, 6-5, 12-inning struggle". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 30, 1959. p. 17.
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