1954 Indians flashback: 6-1 week vs. Tigers and Orioles; Al Rosen profile

A hot streak of 11-3 only netted the Indians two and a half games in the standings. But they now had a four game lead, their largest lead since July 8. This week was a short trip to Detroit to take on the Tigers and then heading back home to face the Baltimore Orioles.

August 10-12 1954

August 10: Indians 0, Tigers 4

August 11: Indians 2, Tigers 0

August 10: Indians 10, Tigers 1

The Indians headed to Tiger Stadium with Early Wynn first up, against Ned Garver. The offense never did figure out Garver, as they were limited to just five singles, and no walks. They did get three of them back to back to back in the eighth, but Dale Mitchell was thrown out trying to stretch to third. Wynn gave up a solo shot in the fourth and three runs in the eighth in the losing cause. The modest four game win streak was over.

The second game was just as much of a pitching duel as the first, this time with Mike Garcia facing Steve Gromek. The Indians plated two in the second on two unearned runs from an error by shortstop Harvey Kuenn. Luckily they scored that inning because Gromek gave up just three hits and three walks in eight innings. Garcia matched him by only giving up four hits and three free passes in his complete game victory.

The finale was the lone blowout of the series. The offense teed off on George Zuverink, with the big blow being Al Rosen's twentieth homer, a three run blast to make it 6-0. Bob Lemon was the beneficiary, scattering seven hits over eight innings.

August 13-15 1954

August 13: Orioles 4, Indians 9

August 14: Orioles 3, Indians 4, 11 innings

August 15 (game 1): Orioles 2, Indians 5

August 15 (game 2): Orioles 1, Indians 3

Back at home, the Orioles came a calling. Bob Feller got the benefit of a five run first inning to cruise to his tenth win of the season. Dave Pope had a two RBI double and Sam Dente a two RBI single to chase Bob Turley, who had pitched well earlier in the year. Pope hit a solo shot in the third and Rosen and Dente both had RBIs in the fifth to make it 8-2.

Wynn dueled Don Larsen on Saturday, both putting up zeroes until the eighth. Wynn blinked first by giving up three solo home runs. Bobby Avila tied it back up in the bottom half with a three run bomb of his own. Bob Chakales, who was dealt for Vic Wertz earlier in the season, took over in the eighth. In the eleventh, Pope led off with a walk, was sacrificed over by Dente and scored on a single by Hal Naragon.

The first game on Sunday was another duel, until the sixth. That is when Art Houtteman gave up a pair. Larry Doby countered with a three run jack in the bottom half to take a 3-2 lead. Rosen added two insurance runs in the eighth on a single as Ray Narleski got the three inning save.

In the second game, the Indians plated solo runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh for Garcia. Avila homered and doubled in a run while Garcia also singled in one. Garcia cruised, only giving up six hits and one walk in his eight innings, the only blemish a Cal Abrams solo homer in the eighth.

Player of the Week

Bobby Avila was great this week, hitting 444/483/704 with two home runs and five RBI. But this week belonged to Mike Garcia. He gave up just that one run on a home run in 17 innings, ten hits, four walks and ten strikeouts. He picked up his fourteenth and fifteenth victories and tossed his league leading fifth shutout of the year.

Player Spotlight

Third Baseman Al Rosen

Rosen was another member of the LGT Top 100, placing #16 in the pantheon of Indian greats. In 1953, he had been awarded the league MVP after slugging 45 home runs, driving in 145 and had a league leading 180 OPS+. In this 1954 season, he was still very good, just not crazy good. He cranked 24 home runs, drove in 102 and slashed 300/404/506; good enough for a 147 OPS+. He did miss some time due to injury and also played one third of his games at first. But he still finished fifteenth in MVP voting.

Transactions/Moves

Manager Al Lopez switched up the corner outfield spots this week. He let Dave Pope play in left and moved Al Smith to right. That put both Dave Philley and Wally Westlake on the bench for the time being.

Summary

A fantastic 6-1 week, ending with a six game win streak did not net the Tribe any ground in the standing. In fact, they lost a game as the Yankees were perfect in seven games against the Athletics and Red Sox. The White Sox finally dropped off the pace, making it a two team race for the time being. Next week, the Indians faced the exact same two teams, only flip flopping stadiums.