The 1953 Yankees defeated the 1961 Yankees four games to two in their six game series. The '53 Yankees improved their record to 36-24 while the '61 Yankees dropped to 59-67 with five series left to play.
The '61 Yankees won the first game 11-3; Whitey Ford got the win on the mound and delivered three RBI at the plate. The '53 Yankees won the next three games in the series. In Game Three, they overcame a 3-1 deficit when Gene Woodling hit a three-run homer in the third for a 4-3 win. Ed Lopat pitched a two-hit shutout in Game Four for a 2-0 win. The '61 Yankees won a thrilling Game Five 8-6 in 10 innings; it was a game that featured five lead changes and multiple two-run dingers. Roger Maris hit a two-run blast in the 3rd inning to give them a 2-1 lead. Yogi Berra countered with a two-run tater of his own in the 5th to retake the lead for the '53 Yankees 3-2. The '61 Yankees have a Berra too, and he hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run 6th inning to give the '61 Yankees the lead back at 5-3. The '53 Yankees came back with three runs in the 8th inning, two by a pinch hit two-run blast by Don Bollweg to retake the lead again 6-5. That lead didn’t last long as Maris hit a sac fly in the bottom of the inning to tie the game 6-6. The '61 Yankees walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with another Berra blast, yes another two-run homer, for the 8-6 win. There was no drama in the final game as the '53 Yankees won 9-0 on a Jim McDonald five-hit shutout.
Woodling is hitting .332 with a .957 OPS. Mickey Mantle is hitting .323 with 16 homeruns, 52 RBI, 52 runs scored, and a .980 OPS. Hank Bauer is hitting .308 with 12 homeruns, 52 runs scored, and a .918 OPS. Berra has 11 homeruns and 51 RBI while hitting just .231. Lopat’s shutout improved his record to 7-1 with a 3.31 ERA. McDonald’s shutout improved his record to 6-3 with a 4.44 ERA.
Elston Howard leads the '61 Yankees in hitting at .332 with 32 homeruns, 87 RBI, 89 runs scored and a .941 OPS. Mickey Mantle is hitting .326 with 48 homeruns, 100 RBI, 115 runs scored, 105 walks, and a 1.140 OPS. Moose Skowron is hitting .245 with 24 homeruns and 84 RBI. Roger Maris is hitting .241 with 53 homeruns, 116 RBI, 95 runs scored, and a .967 OPS. Whitey Ford is 13-7 with a 3.81 ERA. Closer Luis Arroyo has 30 saves to go with a 4-5 record and a 3.08 ERA. The '61 Yankees will take on the 26-16 2009 Yankees in the next series.
