Los Angeles Dodgers: The franchise all-time bracket
By Bill Felber
Los Angeles Dodgers: The All-Time Bracket
No. 4 vs. 5 seed
The 1955 Los Angeles Dodgers famously won Brooklyn’s first World Series, ending decades of recurring frustration. The cast was little changed from two seasons earlier: Campanella batted .318 with 32 homers and 107 RBIs, Snider hit .314 with 42 homers and 136 RBIs, and Furillo hit .314.
On the mound, Don Newcombe went 20-5 in 31 starts with 143 strikeouts.
The 1941 Dodgers launched a tradition of winning that has extended largely unbroken to this day. That club beat St. Louis in a pulsating pennant race, needing a 100-54 record to do it. Outfielder Pete Reiser hit .341 while veteran outfielder Joe Medwick batted .318. First baseman Dolph Camilli hit 34 homers and drove in 120 runs.
Kirby Higbe and Whitlow Wyatt led the pitching staff, each winning 22 games in a combined 586 innings. Hugh Casey pitched 162 innings largely in relief, winning 14 times.
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Game 1: The 1941 Dodgers had a 100-54 record, translating to a .649 winning percentage. The 1955 team went 98-55, a .641 percentage.
Game 2: The 1941 Dodgers lost the World Series in five games to the New York Yankees. The 1955 Dodgers famously beat the Yankees in seven games. This series is even through two games.
Game 3: With respect to OPS+, it’s hard to imagine a team better than the 1955 club, which produced a 109 OPS+. The 1941 team nearly matched it but stopped at 107.
Game 4: Behind Wyatt, Higbe, and Casey, the 1941 Dodgers compiled a staff 119 ERA+. The Newcombe-led 1955 Dodgers only managed 111, The series is even again through four games.
Game 5: The 1955 Dodgers generated 53.2 WAR. The 1941 team may be less recalled, but it was every bit as good. Its WAR hit 53.5, giving it a narrow victory.
Game 6: The 1941 Dodgers fielded .974, two points better than the National; League’s .972 average The 1955 team fielded .978, and that was also two points better than the league average. Carried out to extra digits, the advantage goes to the 1941 Dodgers.
Result: 1941 in six games