Atlanta Braves Franchise History: 1957 World Series
By Fred Owens
Before they were the Atlanta Braves they were the Boston Beaneaters, Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves. While there’ve been a number of outstanding Braves pitching performances the best in Franchise History came in the 1957 World Series.
Most fans today remember the Atlanta Braves as the team the had 14 consecutive post season streak appearances. Prior to that run post season games were few and far between.
Franchise Post Seasons Before Atlanta
The Beaneaters (102-48) won a post season series against the Cleveland Spiders (93-56) in 1892 5-0-1. It wasn’t World Series because post season games were considered exhibition games until 1903.
By 1914 the Beaneaters had become the Boston Braves and beat the Philadelphia Athletics in four straight games the franchise’s first World Series.
Most of you have now heard about the 1948 World Series ad nauseam by now, the Indians winning over Boston taking four games to two.
In 1947 the Yankees signed a skinny right-handed pitcher named Selva Lewis “Lew” Burdette out of the University of Richmond. Burdette made his i Major League debut with the Yankees in 1950 throwing 1 1/3 innings of relief.
In 1951 the Braves traded Johnny Sain to the Yankees for Burdette and $50000 in cash. Injury meant that Sain pitched just four and a half years for the Yankees and won just 33 games. Burdette appeared in only three major league games that year and spent most of the 1952 season as a reliever though he di d make nine starts in his 45 appearances.
In 1953 the Braves moved to Milwaukee with Lew Burdette as their closer. At that time a closer wasn’t the same as it is today, Burdette got nine saves that year by today’s standards but the team had only 16 so he did pretty good. He also made 13 starts going 7-5 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.278 WHIP striking out 32 but walking 23.
The Braves won 92 games but finished 13 games behind the National League’s powerhouse team at the time, the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1954 Burdette became a full-time starter and won 15 games posting a 2.76 ERA in 238 IP. His partnership with Warren Spahn who won 21 games with a 3.14 ERA that season gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch. The Braves won 89 games but finished eight back of the 97 win Giants and three in back of the 92 win Dodgers.
The 1955 season saw another second place finish for the Braves who had 85 -13 games behind Brooklyn – but 1956 saw them win 92 and finish standing on the Dodgers heels one game back.