Johnny Podres
Posted by Andy on January 14, 2008
It was just announced that Johnny Podres passed away yesterday. I'm a bit embarrassed because for some reason I thought he died last year, which he definitely did not.
Podres had an interesting career and you can read about some of his achievements here.
Podres faced a whopping 37 Hall of Famers in his career, and actually some of them hit very well off him (hello, Frank Robinson) while others did not (Richie Ashburn, for example.)
I like the fact that Podres finished up his playing career (of course he was a coach for many, many years afterwards) with the Padres. Podres/Padres, get it?
He's not a Hall of Famer, but as both a player and a coach, Johnny Podres contributed a huge amount to the game we all love.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:28 am
So loved was this man that even today, he could be elected mayor of Brooklyn.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:00 am
It is sadly ironic, that the opposing pitcher in Game 7 of the 1955 WS just died a few weeks ago also.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Johnny Podres, I remember hearing his name for the 1st time. Guess what I thought? Is he the guy who started the San Diego Padres. As I found out he wasn't. Also, what I found out, he was the player that finally stopped the Yankees from beating the Dodgers in the World Series. As we look at it, the Yanks had domiinated the Dodgers up until Podres came along.In the history of both franchises, the Yanks had beaten the Dodgers 5 straight times in the World Series. The Yankees had won in 1941,1947,1949,1952 & 1953. Not only did Podres stop the suffering, he was named as the 1st player to win the World Series MVP. At present, he is the 1 of 5 Dodger pitchers to have won the award.Sandy Koufax has won it 2 times. Hats off to Johnny Podres, and may God bless his soul.
January 16th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I just finished reading Thomas Oliphant's Praying for Gil Hodges, a memoir of 1955 when he, as a 9-year-old only child in a somewhat-struggling New York City family, followed the triumph of his family's beloved Dodgers, climaxed (as noted above) by Podres's greatest game. It's a good read.