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Today we welcome a guest contribution from Len Ferman with an interesting essay about the game in 1951 when Jackie Robinson survived a rundown off third base while trapped by five Phillies players! I know it’s hard to believe, but Len has researched the game, and apparently, it’s true. It’s hard for us who never saw Jackie play to comprehend just how athletic and skilled Jackie was, but after reading Len’s essay, there can be no doubt that he was one of the best. I think you’ll find Len’s essay interesting. Please note that this is a condensed version of a more detailed article Len has written. The complete article can be found on Len’s Substack site. –GL
The Jackie Robinson Rundown!
BACKGROUND
I recently came across the picture above. The man in the blue circle is Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie is surrounded by five players from the opposing team. Jackie Robinson will score on this play.
Wait, what?
Jackie Robinson scored on this play! How is that even remotely possible? As The Sports Time Traveler, this is just the type of journey I love. I had to go back in time, virtually, to find this game and determine what happened.
EBBETS FIELD – June 1, 1951
Last night I was in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (virtually). The Dodgers were hosting the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Dodgers led 3 – 2. With one out, Jackie Robinson hit a grounder to the Phillies’ shortstop, Granny Hamner, and he beat it out for an infield single. Hamner is one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. But Jackie Robinson beat out the throw to first base.
Robinson Safe at First!
The infield hit raised Jackie’s batting average to a major league leading .407, and nearly 30 points higher than anyone else. With Jackie on first base and one out, Gil Hodges stepped up to the plate. But Jackie Robinson didn’t wait for Hodges to drive him in. He took off for second base. He was safe and now in scoring position if Hodges could drill a single.
Robinson Safe at Second!
On the mound was Russ Meyer. He had been a 17-game winner for the Phillies in 1949. But Meyer may have been distracted by Robinson’s presence on the basepaths. Jackie was always a threat when he was on base. He had scored the fourth most runs in the majors over the prior four seasons. Meyer hit Gil Hodges.
Now with Robinson on second, and Hodges on first, and one out, right fielder Carl Furillo stepped up to the plate. Meyer threw a pitch that bounded before the plate, according to Dick Young in the Daily News. Andy Seminick, the catcher, smothered the ball, which did not get past him. But that moment was all Jackie Robinson needed. Robinson dashed for third base. Seminick threw to Puddin’ Head Jones, covering the bag. Jackie made it into third safely.
Robinson safe at third!
On the play, Gil Hodges moved up to second. Now with runners on second and third and still just one out, Dodgers’ manager Chuck Dressen called for a suicide squeeze bunt in which Jackie would dash for home. However, Furillo missed on the bunt attempt. Jackie Robinson, who was gunning for home on the daring squeeze play, was now caught off third base.
The Rundown Begins
In the picture, you see the following players from top to bottom as the rundown begins:
- Puddin’ Head Jones is closest to third base, just next to the umpire
- Jackie Robinson is in the blue circle. He is the only Brooklyn Dodgers player in the picture.
- Andy Seminick, #21, is just below Robinson.
- Granny Hamner, #2, is the first of three Phillies guarding the path to home plate
- Russ Meyer, #34, is behind Hamner
- Jimmy Bloodworth, #5, is standing with his foot on home plate.
Note that the picture caption indicates Eddie Waitkus is in the rundown, but Waitkus, the regular first baseman for the Phillies, did not play in the game. Bloodworth played for Waitkus at first.
The caption also indicates that Chuck Dressen is at the bottom of the picture, but Dressen is actually the man coaching at third base. Dressen, the Dodgers’ manager, frequently coached at third base during games.
What a sight! Five Phillies are chasing down one Dodger. But this Dodger, Jackie Robinson, was the ultimate Dodger, one of the best, if not the very best, ever at dodging a tag on the base paths.
Joseph Sheehan in the New York Times reported the beginning of the play this way:
“Trapped off third when Carl Furillo missed the ball on an attempted squeeze bunt, Robinson jockeyed back and forth in his wondrously agile fashion, with the Philadelphia infield and battery in hot pursuit.”
Dick Young in the Daily News wrote,
“Jackie, however, was his old masterful self on the base lines. He jockeyed back and forth while Seminick and Jones, and Hamner flipped the ball over Jackie’s head five times. Jackie worked closer to the plate with each toss.”
Jackie’s Dash
Suddenly, while Puddin’ Head Jones was holding the ball, Jackie Robinson made a bold move. Stan Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Robinson broke past Seminick.”
Sheehan described it with more flair,
“After innumerable feints in both directions, Robinson finally maneuvered himself into position to make a dash for home.”
Puddin’ Head Jones then whipped the ball down to Russ Meyer, who was near home.
Joseph Sheehan in the Times described the play, “
Meyer, covering the plate, dropped Willie Jones’ throw as Jackie approached. The ball trickled out of his glove for an error and on to the infield grass. Moving in that direction, Meyer collided with Robinson, who sought to evade him, and threw the baseball equivalent of a brush block at the Dodger star. After a bit of a scuffle, Jackie broke loose and continued on to the plate.”
Jackie Robinson was not going to be denied. He touched home plate and scored the insurance run the Dodgers needed to make the score 4 – 2 Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth.
Robinson Safe at Home!
An AP photo ran in only a few newspapers that were outside of New York and Philadelphia. I found it in the News Tribune on the other side of the country in Tacoma, Washington. The picture here shows Jackie Robinson touching the plate as he is turned back towards Russ Meyer.
The Mission Impossible Was Completed!
Jackie Robinson had done the impossible. He had scored despite being caught in a rundown against five Phillies’ players.
Jackie Robinson was already 32 at this time, yet he still possessed world-class quickness. It’s not that surprising, given that his older brother, Mack Robinson, had pure world-class speed. Mack Robinson won the silver medal in the 200-meter dash at the 1936 Olympics, finishing in second place to Jesse Owens. Jimmy Powers, the famous sports columnist in the New York Daily News, was so moved by Robinson’s feat that he wrote on this day,
“If Jackie Robinson had entered the pro game in his teens, he would have become one of the truly great second basemen of all time.”
Robinson put the Dodgers ahead 4–2 in what turned out to be the winning run, as the Phillies scored 1 run in the ninth and the Dodgers won the game 4–3.
Len Ferman, The Sports Time Traveler
Other books by Len Ferman: Great Golf Tournaments, The 1973 Mets – You’ve Got to Believe, and The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers – My Dad’s Team
Reviews of Len’s book, The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers – My Dad’s Team:
“You’ve done a great job paying tribute to your father, putting together this well-written, interesting account of that extraordinary year.” –Peter O’Malley, owner and president of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1970 – 1998 (and son of Walter O’Malley, president and owner of the Dodgers from 1950 – 1969)
“Terrific research, wonderful memories. Your book will have a special place on my shelf.” Peter Bavasi, son of Buzzie Bavasi, 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers GM. Peter Bavasi is also the former president of the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians
Website: www.thesportstimetraveler.com (link to all articles & podcasts)
POSTSCRIPT
In my recently published book, The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers My Dad’s Team, I have more stories of Jackie Robinson’s base-running prowess. Even at age 36, in 1955, Jackie could still disrupt a game when he was on base. The book makes for a great Father’s Day gift. Here is a link that takes you directly to the listing for the book on Amazon: Amazon Listing
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Very interesting essay. Can’t wait to order the book. Jackie Robinson & the Brooklyn Dodgers hold a special place of my interest in baseball history. On a local basis, Nashua, NH holds a piece of history in the integration of baseball. The city was what was then a Class B minor league affiliate of Brooklyn in 1946.
Branch Rickey signed Robinson in October of 1945 and was assigned him to their top farm team in Montreal for 1946. But this was not just a let’s see what happens situation. Rickey’s use of Clyde Sukeforth to scout additional Negro League players focused on Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe to be signed in the Spring of ‘46.
After a somewhat convoluted pursuit of the two (Campanella thought Rickey was trying to sign him for a “Black Dodgers” team in a segregated league), both signed in March of 1946. The issue was where to assign them. Rickey did not want to assign them to their lower level affiliates in the South. After much internal strategy, they were assigned to Nashua, a blue collar small town city. What makes it even more interesting is the General Manager of the team was Buzzie Bavasi and the Manager was Walter Alston. Needless to say, the outcome in Nashua was a success. Both players were treated well in their time in Nashua.
The other item of personal interest in the 1955 Dodgers (other than it was their only WS victory) is the hero of that series was Johnny Podres. Podres lived in Queensbury, NY. One of my best friends grew up in that town and has regaled me with stories over time of his father’s stories about how personable he was and stories about the car he won as MVP of the Series. It was the first year of the award by Sport magazine and it was a cream colored Corvette with a red interior.
If anyone is interested in more details on Newcomb Campanella impact, here are three books:
“Dem Little Bums” by Steve Daly
“The Chosen City” by Bill Ranauro
“Walter Alston” by Alan H. Levy ( has an extensive narrative in the book about Alston’s managing days in Nashua with Newcombe/Campenella including the story of Alston being tossed from a game and assigning Campanella as the manager for the rest of the game.