Indians and Giants Across America

By David Marasco

The year is 1954. While the Cleveland Indians lost the first game to the Giants, they came storming back in the second with a 23-10 victory. David Pope was the hero of the slaughter with a pair of home runs. Larry Doby also reached the stands and had a triple as well. Things were turning Cleveland's way.

Wait a minute, everyone knows that the Giants swept the World Series in 1954. There was no 23-10 Tribe win, what's going on here? Old-timers will recall that the Indians and Giants used to barnstorm their way back from Spring Training every year. This tradition started in the mid-1930's and lasted until the Giants moved to the West Coast. When the two teams met in the 1954 Series they already had over 20 games against each other for the year. To the Wayback Machine Sherman!

We start on March 1, 1954. Two big names made news. In Sarasota Florida Ted Williams shagged flies for roughly 15 minutes on his first day of Spring Training before he managed to break his collar bone. The Kid would miss a lot of time that year, a big blow for the Red Sox. Not that the Indians would need any help that year, but it was one less thing to worry about. In the meantime young Willie Mays was being discharged from Fort Eustis, Virginia. After nearly two years in the Army the Say Hey Kid was returning to the Giants. While he hit .420 and .389 for the Army team, New York must have been worried about their star. He had fractured his foot the previous August playing basketball, and his only baseball since was was one game with Jackie Robinson's barmstorming tour. His first At Bat in Spring Training resulted in a monstrous home run. Willie Mays was back.

The Indians and Giants got the ball rolling in Tucson, Arizona. The citizens must have been waiting all winter, as the crowd was over 5,000. This called for a rope in the outfield to accommodate all of the fans. The Indians were not at full strength. Bobby Avila sat out the day with stomach miseries and Luke Easter had to deal with an infected toe. Nevertheless, going into the ninth things looked good for the Tribe, who enjoyed a 9-7 lead. This was immediately cut in half by a Foster Castleman home run. A single and a walk put the tying and go-ahead runners on the bases, causing Al Lopez to go to the bullpen. He gave the nod to a young farmhand from Tulsa, Don Mossi. Mossi stuck out Hank Thompson and had two strike on Bobby Hoffman before the first baseman doubled in a pair of runs. Larry Jensen came in and pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth for the Giants. A late-inning victory that portended the first game of the World Series.

After the afore-mentioned 23-10 game two, the teams played in Phoenix. Mike Garcia was matched up against Marv Grissom. Garcia's first showing of the Spring was not a good one. While he didn't get out of the third, he did hang around long enough to surrender a pair of home runs to Willie Mays. Garcia left the game down 10-0. While the Indians managed a rally, they ended up on the wrong end of a 13-5 score.

With the high-scoring games of late, the Giants and Indians must have been worn out for their March 13 encounter. Bob Lemon's first start of the Spring saw him face a collection of journeymen. The Giants scored only three runs off of Lemon, but going into the ninth they they possessed a 3-2 lead. Giants pitcher Al Corwin retired the first two men, but base hits by Doby and Dale Mitchell put runners on second and third. The best that George Strickland could come up with was a weak comebacker to the pitcher, and the game was over. Despite the win, the mood was somber for the Giants. The had received news that their old teammate Bobby Thompson had broken his ankle in Milwaukee's camp. While playing for the Giants Thompson had become expendable when Willie Mays took his job. His new injury would clear the path for Hank Aaron.

March 14th was an ersatz old-timer's day in Tucson. The pitching matchup was Bob Feller, the player with the most active major league service, against 37-year-old Sal Maglie. The Giants were not kind to Feller, pounding him for six runs over his three innings. Feller was replaced by longtime Detroit star Hal Newhouser, who gave up six runs of his own. Adding in the four runs charged to Early Wynn, the Giants scored 16 runs on 22 hits. Maglie was more effective, shutting out the Indians over his four innings. The Indians would scratch out runs here and there, but were never close in the 16-6 contest.

Five days later Las Vegas saw a Feller-Maglie rematch. This time both men were sharp. The Indians were on the good end of a 2-0 shutout going into the top of the ninth. Ray Narleski had given up one hit over his time in the seventh and eighth, but the first two men in the ninth singled. Monte Irvin hit a comebacker for an out, and the open base was given to Willie Mays. Once again Al Lopez went to Don Mossi. Hank Thompson beat out an infield hit for a run and things looked bad for Cleveland. Then Mossi settled down. Whitey Lockman lofted a short fly to left that couldn't bring in the trying run. Wes Westrum then foulled out to first for a Cleveland win.

The two teams went to Los Angeles, but saw a rare LA rainout. Bob Feller talk to a reporter about his opponents. "If the Giants's pitching gets straightened out, the other National League clubs will have to beware." On Mays, "Willie has a chance to be a good ballplayer. He'll have to use his head.... Mays is a little behind Mantle. Willie does not have as much power as Mickey has."

On the following day the skies cleared and they were able to get in a game. They played in Wrigley Field, the LA home of the Cub's PCL team. Before the game Hank Greenberg got a new two-year contract for his services as General Manager. Bob Lemon started and pitched well for the Indians. His replacements, Mike Garcia dn Art Houtteman, let the roof fall in. While Lemon left with a slim 1-0 lead, his teammates imploded for nine runs. The exhibition drew over ten thousand, far shy of the thirty thousand they were expecting for the game. Between the disappointment at the gate and the previous day's rainout, most likely the two teams took a loss on their California swing.

After a stop in Arizona to break camp, the Indians and the Giants started their run across the country in Oklahoma City. This game was televised nationally. Before the game the Giants had a scare. Sal Maglie took a nasty line drive off the bat of Mays during batting practice. X-rays proved negative, but Maglie got an angry bruise. It was the 250th game of the Indians-Giants Spring rivalry. Bob Feller drew the start and gave up four in the first. It would be all the Giants needed as they took the game 6-3.

The Indians and Giants spent a second day in Oklahoma City with similar results. Sloppy play on the part of Cleveland resulted in a 10-4 final. Of the squad's four error, two went to rookie infielder Rudy Regalado. While the USC product got errors at both second at third, he did wow with his bat. He blasted homers in both the first and ninth to raise his batting average to .481 with nine dingers. Willie Mays, who was considered to be on fire, had but seven home runs.

March 29 was a cold day in Tulsa. The mercury dipped into the 30's but despite that over 3000 turned out for the game, not bad for a Monday afternoon. A local principal called the ballpark, claiming that school attendance had suffered a mysterious dip. Larry Jansen started for the Giants and the Indians could manage only a pair of singles over his five innings. The Giants got to work on Bob Lemon right away. They had a pair of runs over the four frames Lemon toiled. Mike Garcia replaced Lemon and gave up a pair himself. Mario Picone came in to relieve Jensen in the sixth, and the Indians put together their biggest threat of the day. Avila led off with a triple and Dave Pope drew a walk. The first out produced a run, Rocky Nelson's fly was deep enough to score Avila. A Regalado single and Doby walk loaded the bases. Picone was able to right his ship by inducing a double play. Picone cruised the rest of the way and the Giants won yet again 4-1.

While the weather remained cold the Indians fortunes took a turn for the better in Wichita Falls, Texas. Sal Maglie started against Art Houtteman and both were magnificent. The Giants were able to manufacture a run in the fourth, and while that was their only tally, they were making it stand. Marv Grissom relieved Maglie in the sixth, and he took up where Sal left off. With two out in the eighth the Tribe had only one hit. Then they got serious. Bobby Avila sent a ball up the middle for a single. Dave Pope doubled to score Avila, and then Rocky Nelson sent another to left for the winning run. The Indians held on for a 2-1 win, their third to go against eight defeats against the Giants.

The barnstormers stayed in Texas, their next stop was Houston. The glove of Regalado again loomed large. His errors in the first indirectly lead to three Giant runs. The score was 4-0 in the fifth when the Indians made the scoreboard. There were two out and one on when Regalado's bat came into play. he doubled to put men on second and third. A Dave Philley double scored both men. That was the last time the Indians had a man in scoring position. Don Liddle shut them down for the rest of the day. In the eighth Mays made "the catch of the Spring," climbing the wall to rob Rockey Nelson. Again, a harbinger of the Fall Classic.

The next stop on the Texas swing was Beaumont. Here Early Wynn came to the Indians' rescue. In the longest effort by a Cleveland pitcher to that point, Wynn shut out the Giants through seven. The Tribe became the first team to shut out the powerful Giants lineup that Spring. Meanwhile the bats were not silent for the Indians either. In the sixth Dave Philley blasted a 375-footer over the fence in right. The Indians got another run that inning, and a third in the following frame for the 3-0 final.

The Giants paid back the shutout the next day with one of their own in Ft. Worth. Johnny Antonelli was the arm for the Giants, and while he gave up six hits in six innings, he kept them scattered and allowed no runs. Bob Lemon started for the Tribe and Mays reached him for a triple in the second. He came into score on Whitey Lockman's base hit. A three-run homer in the fifth by Davey Williams gave the Giants a more comfortable cushion, the last scoring by either team.

April 3rd found the tour in Dallas. This was another nationally televised game. Willie Mays rose to the occasion. He went 4-for-4 with a homer to raise his spring average to .420. Bobby Avila got things rolling in the Indian's first by singling and then moving around to third via smart baserunning. He came in on a Dale Mitchell single. But that was all she wrote for the Tribe. Liddle, Grissom and Hoyt Wilhelm held the Indians scoreless for the rest of the afternoon. The Giants went to work and picked up pairs of runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh. The last two were on back-to-back homers by Irvin and Mays.

The Giants and Indians played two in Dallas, meeting again the following day. The Giants jumped on Jose Santiago in the first, the telling blow a two-run homer by Alvin Dark. Luke Easter blasted a solo shot to cut the lead in half, but a Ray Katt homer pushed the Giants lead to 4-1. In the seventh the Indians tied up the game on a Westlake home run, so going into the top of the ninth it was 4-4. With one out Rocky Nelson drew a walk and was doubled to third by Regalado. Dave Philley got four wide ones to set up a game-saving double play. But Westlake again came up big with a two-run double to left. Al Rosen closed out the scoring with a two-run single. The Tribe now had a fifth win to go against eleven defeats.

Tris Speaker spent his 66th birthday in the Dallas pressbox watching the play of Willie Mays. The former Boston and Cleveland player was considered to be one of the greatest centerfielders who ever lived. Although Mays had only 155 regular season games under his belt, his legend was already growing. Speaker's expert opinion was sought. Speaker saw hustle, but also an unpolished game. On an Al Rosen flyout that Willie turned into a double-play, Speaker commented "No one can find fault with an outfielder whose throw makes a double play. But Willie's throw to third was on the fly. He should have bounced it so that if a cut-off was needed, it could have been made." When asked about Mays's chances at Cooperstown Speaker stuck his tongue into his cheek and answered, "Let's wait awhile on Mays. At least until August."

The two teams left Texas for Shreveport Louisiana. For the second day in a row the Indians won a late-inning thriller. Going into the eighth the Giants possessed an 8-2 lead, mainly due to a pair of Monte Irvin home runs. Picone came in to replace Hearn on the mound. After one out Westlake homered, closing the gap ever so slightly. A single, a double and a walk meant that the bases were full of Philley, who double in three runs. Philley would also be plated for the inning's fifth and final run. Going into the ninth it was 8-7 Giants. Singles by Easter and Glynn were followed by a monster blast to left by Hegan. The Tribe took the day 10-8.

Rudy Regalado's hot spring was rewarded when the Indians purchased his contract from Indianapolis. Meanwhile Bob Lemon had to leave the team as his father suffered a heart attack in California. Meanwhile, on the field the Indians kept rolling. In New Orleans they doubled the Giants 10-5. The New Yorkers were not looking sharp. A play in the eighth illustrates their troubles. With Regalado at second and Al Smith at first, Easter jacked a two-out hit to right. Don Mueller booted the ball for an error. Smith never stopped running, and when Davey Williams took the throw from the outfield his relay was thrown far above the catcher's head for another error. The pitcher, backing up on the play, saw Easter heading for second, and promptly tossed the ball into center for the play's third error. The highlight of the game for Giant's fans was a five-minute Leo Durocher confrontation with umpire Hank Sauer. He didn't win.

The Giants had lost three straight when they pulled into Birmingham, home of Willie Mays. He went 0-4 on the day, but New York didn't need him. Antonelli was the starter, and entered the ninth up 2-0. He was attempting to become the first Giant pitcher to go the distance that spring. He didn't make it, and the Tribe almost pulled a victory out of their hat. Regalado lead off with a single, and when Monte Irvin bobbled Pope's single there were runners at second and third. The Giants went to the bullpen and found Hoyt Wilhelm. Dale Mitchell pinch hit for Westlake and bounced a ball to first. A good throw and great tag nailed Regalado at the plate. Luke Easter was the next hitter, and the knuckleballer struck him out. Hegan's single broke up the shutout and put runners on first and second. Things looked good for Cleveland when Joe Ginsberg blooped a ball over second, but somehow Davey Williams tracked the bal down and nailed Ginsberg at first. With the 2-1 victory the Giants took an insurmountable 12-7 lead in the series.

The two teams were scheduled to play in Chattanooga on April 8, but the skies opened and the game was rained out. Across the state in Memphis a more important drama was playing out. Former Indian Minnie Minoso took the field for the White Sox against the Cardinals. This was the first time a black played baseball with whites in Memphis. Crowd reaction was muted. Even though 1954 was early in the Civil Rights struggle, it was seven years after Jackie Robinson crossed the Color Barrier. Slowly attitudes were turning. The Indians and Giants barnstorming series played a small part. Outside of Brooklyn no teams were more aggressive in integration than Cleveland and New York. Players like Doby and Mays showcased their talent as the two teams criss-crossed the South, and in many towns and cities these exhibitions marked rollbacks in segregation.

On April 19 the train pulled into Louisville. Many players headed directly for the Hillerich and Bradsby factory to pick up a fresh supply of bats. But it wasn't the bats that would to the speaking today. The Giants used Maglie and Jensen, while the Tribe countered with Wynn and Garcia. All were in mid-season form. It looked like extra-innings as the game entered the bottom of the ninth tied at zero. With one out Glynn tore the cover off the ball with a line drive double to right. Al Rosen then sent a screamer to left. Monte Irvin fielder the ball and sent a rocket home. Glynn just beat the throw for a 1-0 Cleveland victory.

After rain cancelled an Evansville Indiana contest, the barnstormers moved on to their final stop, Indianapolis. Again, a bulk of the excitement was late. With two outs in the ninth Hoyt Wilhelm was holding on to a 4-1 lead. Then things got bumpy. He walked Glynn, and after getting a pair of strikes, surrendered a single to Al Smith. Then Dave Pope walked up to the plate and sent a Wilhelm offering over the rightfield wall to tie the game at four. In the tenth Mays tripled and Mueller brought him home with a single. That would be it for the Indians and the 1954 Spring Tour.

The two teams played 21 times, the Giants taking 13 games. The Indians rebounded and went on to have one of the best seasons ever. The Giants had a decent but not dominating season and took the National League crown. They would go on to play in the World Series, but everyone knows how that turned out.