1959 World Series

The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years (since the 1919 Black Sox Scandal). They would have to wait until their championship season of to win another pennant. The Dodgers won their first pennant since moving from Brooklyn in 1958 by defeating the Milwaukee Braves, two games to none, in a best-of-three-games pennant playoff. It was the Dodgers' second World Series championship in five years, their first in Los Angeles, and marked the first Championship for a West Coast team. It was the first ever World Series in which no pitcher for either team pitched a complete game.

Vin Scully remarked at the beginning of the official World Series film, "What a change of scenery!" This was the first Series since 1948 in which no games were played in New York, breaking the streak of the city that documentary filmmaker Ken Burns later called the 1950s' "Capital of Baseball". The Yankees won the AL pennant every year from 1949 through 1964, except for 1954, when the Cleveland Indians finished first (lost to the New York Giants in the World Series), and 1959 when the White Sox finished first. Additionally, in five of the Yankees World Series appearances in this time frame, they would square off with their cross-town rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Al Lopez was the manager of both these teams.

The Dodgers found an unlikely hero when Chuck Essegian, who hit only one home run in 1959 and had only six in his career to that point, set a World Series record with two pinch-hit home runs.

Due to the best-of-three playoff, Game 1 was deferred from Wednesday, September 30, to Thursday, October 1. The normal travel days were retained between Games 2 and 3, and Games 5 and 6, resulting in the rare event of a Series with no Saturday game scheduled.

Games 3, 4 and 5 were:
 * The first World Series games ever played on the West Coast;
 * The first and only played in Memorial Coliseum;
 * The only games in World Series history to exceed 90,000 in attendance: Game 5 drew 92,706 fans (a major league record as of 2012, unlikely to be broken under current arrangements, as no current MLB stadium has a capacity of even 70,000)

Larry Sherry of the Dodgers was the fifth consecutive pitcher to win the World Series Most Valuable Player Award (in only the fifth year it was awarded), following Johnny Podres (Brooklyn, 1955), Don Larsen (New York, 1956), Lew Burdette (Milwaukee, 1957), and Bob Turley (New York, 1958). Sherry, who had been born with club feet, finished all four games the Dodgers won, winning two and saving two. His brother Norm was the Dodgers' backup catcher.

Ted Kluszewski played for the losing "Pale Hose", but still managed to drive in a World Series record ten runs, and became the first player to have double-digit RBI totals for any length Series.

The Dodgers became the second National League team to win a World Series after relocating (the 1957 Milwaukee Braves being the first).

This was the most recent World Series to host the final World Series games of its host venues, a "distinction" it lost to the 2003 World Series after the original Yankee Stadium (1923) closed following the 2008 Major League Baseball season and the Florida Marlins moved out of Sun Life Stadium after the 2011 season.

Game 1
Thursday, October 1, 1959 at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

Historic Comiskey Park is host to its first World Series in 40 years as Game 1 unfolds and Early Wynn opposes Roger Craig. After scoring twice in the first inning, the Sox pound across seven runs in the third and two more in the fourth on two titanic home runs by first baseman Ted Kluszewski. White Sox bang the ball all over the park and rout the Dodgers 11–0.

Game 2
Friday, October 2, 1959 at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

Game 2 features Bob Shaw vs. Johnny Podres. Again the Sox jump out to a quick 2–0 lead and hold it until the fifth when Charlie Neal homers for the first Dodger run of the series. During that home run, White Sox's left fielder Al Smith got an unexpected beer shower. With the game tied 2–2 in the seventh, Neal hits his second home run of the day to put the Dodgers ahead for the first time, 4–2. During a Sox uprising in the eighth against Larry Sherry, Al Smith doubles to left with two men on. However, in the bonehead play of the series, Sherm Lollar is thrown out by a mile at the plate trying to score, and the Dodgers still lead the game. (Wally Moon faked a catch, fooling Lollar completely. By the time he saw the ball still on the ground, it was too late to score.) This is the turning point of the Series, as Sherry closes the door in the ninth to notch a save and give the win to Podres.

Game 3
Sunday, October 4, 1959 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California

The tie-breaker playoff crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum (36,528) had fallen well short of the stadium's baseball seating capacity of 92,000-plus. In contrast, the three World Series games in the Coliseum would draw Series record crowds that will likely never be equalled. It's Dick Donovan vs. Don Drysdale in Game 3 and both pitchers throw goose eggs through six, with Donovan giving up only one hit. However, Donovan's control deserts him in the seventh inning, and with the bases loaded, Carl Furillo bats against reliever Staley and singles in two runs to put the Dodgers in front. After Drysdale gives up a run in the eighth, Sherry comes in to relieve and shuts down the Sox as the Dodgers win, 3–1.

Game 4
Monday, October 5, 1959 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California

Opening game pitchers Wynn and Craig face each other again in Game 4, a 5–4 Dodger victory. Lollar's homer caps a game-tying seventh inning for the Sox, but Gil Hodges blasts one only an inning later to give the Dodgers and relief pitcher Larry Sherry the win.

Game 5
Tuesday, October 6, 1959 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California

For the first time in series history, three pitchers combine for a shutout as White Sox starter Bob Shaw, Billy Pierce and Dick Donovan all stop the Dodgers 1–0 in Game 5, which sends the series back to Chicago. The game's only run scores in the fourth off starter Sandy Koufax, when Nellie Fox scores as Lollar grounds into a double play.

Game 6
Thursday, October 8, 1959 at Comiskey Park (I) in Chicago, Illinois

The victory in Game 5 gives the Sox hope heading home to again play in a "real ballpark", but the change in scenery is no help. Pitcher of the Year, Early Wynn, starting with only two days rest, squares off against Podres, but after scoring two runs in the third inning off him, the Dodgers break open the game with six runs in the fourth for an 8–0 lead. Podres, however, is also knocked out in the fourth by Chicago's last gasp, another towering home run by the leading hitter by the Sox in the series, Ted Kluszewski. In the ninth inning, Chuck Essegian sets a World Series record with his second pinch-hit homer of the series, and the Dodgers capture the World Championship, four games to two.

This would be this Comiskey Park's final World Series game. It would also be the last World Series game to be played in the Windy City until the White Sox returned in 2005.

Composite line score
1959 World Series (4–2): Los Angeles Dodgers (N.L.) over Chicago White Sox (A.L.)