The Difficulty in Winning World Series

by Dusty Writes

August 19, 2026

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Paul Semendinger's recent article about how difficult it was to win a pennant before playoffs started in 1969 was very impressive.

I always agreed with his opinion that pre-postseason playoffs, it was often more difficult to win a pennant than it is today. He is one of the very few writers, that I can remember who correctly presents this side of the story. I cannot remember any articles written by other writers who say it was sometimes more difficult to win a pennant in the pre-postseason days. Most fans also incorrectly assume that pre-postseason teams always had an easier path to the World Series.

There are times in which it sometimes is more difficult to win a pennant today than pre-postseason days. For example, the 1998 Yankees easily had the best record in all of MLB, yet had to go through two playoff rounds before winning the pennant. Compared to the 1953 Yankees who never had to play no postseason games to win the pennant, the 1998 Yankees had a much tougher path to the pennant.

In other instances, however, teams today have an easier path to the World Series. Many teams win pennants in recent years without having the best record in the league. In 2023, for example, the Rangers had nowhere near as many wins (90) as the Orioles (101), yet Texas won the pennant and World Series. There was no pressure for Texas to play great for the entire season and win the most games in the league. All Texas had to do was win enough games to qualify for the postseason.

Qualifying for the postseason is becoming increasingly easier as 2 of every 5 teams qualify for the playoffs today. Arizona in 2023 won the pennant with only 84 wins. The Braves that season won 104 games. The Mets won the pennant in 1973 with a 82-79 record. The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 with an 83-79 record. The Twins won the World Series with an 85-77 record in 1987.

The Braves won the 2021 World Series winning 88 games, while that season the Giants won 107.  The Braves had the luxury of not having to compete with the Giants 107 wins because winning the most games in the league is no longer a requirement to win the pennant.

The 1954 Yankees won 103 games in a 154-game schedule and didn't qualify for the World Series. It would be great if more media and more fans recognized how great those Yankees championship teams were pre-1969 and how difficult it was every season to have the best record in order to win all those pennants.

Some of the trades and acquisitions the Yankees have made throughout their history included players who made significant contributions to world championships. Some of these players are not well-known and their contributions are often not recognized.

The great Hall of Fame first baseman, Johnny Mize was acquired in August of 1949 from the Giants for only $ 40,000 according to Baseball Reference. When the Yankees acquired Mize he was toward the end of a fantastic career. Mize, with the Yankees, was no longer a star player and no longer a regular player. He was a part-time player/pinch-hitter as a Yankee. He still was a big contributor to the Yankees dynasty of 5 straight world championships (1949-1953). 

In Game 3 of the 1949 World Series vs the Dodgers, Mize's clutch pinch hit 2-run single in the top of the 9th inning was a big hit in the Yankees 3-run 9th inning as the Yankees won 4-3.

In 1950, in part-time role, Mize hit 25 homers with 72 rbis in only 274 at bats. In the 1951 World Series, in Game 5 vs the Giants, Mize scored a run and drove in a run in the Yankees win.

In the 1952 World Series, Mize hit a game-winning home run in Game 4 vs the Dodgers. In game 7 of that series, Mize had a big rbi single in a Yankees 4-2 win.

Mize also came through with some very big hits late in the 1949 season as the Yankees won the pennant on the last day of the season. In 1952 Mize had 29 rbis in only 137 at bats, many of those rbis played a big part in Yankees wins. In 1953 he had 27 rbis in only 104 at bats, once again many of those rbis were instrumental in Yankees wins.

Mize's contributions during the regular season were very much needed because the Yankees usually were in tight pennant races for almost all of their 5 straight world championships (1949-1953). The Yankees won the pennant by 1, 3, 5, and 2 games from 1949-1952. They won by 7 games in 1953.

Mize had one of the most incredible careers in history. His career can be divided into 2 parts. Part 1 was when he was a superstar, one of the greatest first basemen in history. Despite missing 3 full seasons due to military service in WW 2, he led the league in homers 4 times, in rbis 3 times, won a batting title and 4 slugging championships.

In 1947 and 1948 he hit more homers than he struck out! In 1947 he hit 51 homers and struck out only 42 times! In 1948 he hit 40 homers and struck out 37 times, according to Baseball Reference.

In 1950 the Yankees won the pennant by only 3 games. A key pitcher on that team was Tom Ferrick, who the Yankees acquired from the St. Louis Browns on June 15th of 1950 along with pitcher Joe Ostrowski.

Ferrick was a major contributor to the Yankees 1950 pennant-winning season as he won 8 games in relief with 9 saves. He also won a game in the 1950 Yankees World Series sweep vs the Phillies.

The other pitcher acquired in that trade was Joe Ostrowski. In 1951, Ostrowski, mostly in relief that season, won 6 games with 6 saves in 95.1 innings pitched.

One of the most amazing careers, yet largely unknown, was the career of Bob Kuzava. The Yankees acquired left-handed pitcher Kuzava from the Washington Senators, also known at the time as the Washington Nationals on June 15, 1951. Kuzava was a big contributor in both the 1951 and 1952 seasons and in the World Series in those 2 seasons.

In 1951, Kuzava won 8 games as a Yankee, losing only 4 with 5 saves. In the 1951 World Series, Kuzava pitched in one game, and he was put in a very tough position. In Game 6 vs the Giants, with the Yankees leading 3 games to 2. Kuzava came into the 9th inning with the bases loaded and no outs, and the Yankees leading 4-1. His first batter was Hall of Famer, Monty Irvin. Kuzava got Irvin to fly out as a run scored. Back in those days, batters weren't always awarded with a "sacrifice fly" and they were given a time at bat whereas in today's baseball, batters who hit a sacrifice fly do not get an at bat and their batting average stays the same.  The next batter, Bobby Thomson, also drove in a run with a long fly ball, but he also was given a time at bat. The game ended when Kuzava retired Sal Yvars on a fly ball as the Yankees were World Champions.

In 1952, Kuzava won 8 games with 3 saves as the Yankees narrowly won the pennant by 2 games. Kuzava both started games and was used in relief. In the 1952 World Series, Kuzava pitched only once, in game 7 at Ebbets Field. Pitching against one of the greatest lineups in history, loaded with Hall of Fame players, Kuzava pitched one of the greatest games as a reliever in World Series history.

In that pressure packed Game 7 in 1952, the Yankees led 4-2. The Dodgers had the bases loaded and only one out. Casey Stengel calls on Kuzava to get out of this jam. All Kuzava had to do is pitch to two Hall of Fame players, with the bases loaded.  Kuzava gets Duke Snider on a pop up. He retired Jackie Robinson on a pop up, in which Billy Martin raced in and caught the pop up in that classic World Series play. If Martin failed to catch that pop up, at least 2 runs would have scored to tie the game, and possibly 3 runs score to give the Dodgers the led. Kuzava in the 8th inning struck out Roy Campanella and in the 9th inning, retired yet another Hall of Fame player Pee Wee Reese. Kuzava pitched 2 and 2/3 innings and didn't give up a hit or run. In 1953 Kuzava made another nice contribution to the Yankees pennant-winning season winning 6 games with 4 saves. He also started games when needed.

What makes Kuzava's clutch pitching even more impressive was that he was a left-hander pitching against a mostly right-handed lineup at Ebbets Field. Ebbets Field and Fenway Park in the 1950s was as an intimidating a place as any ballpark for left-handed pitchers. Warren Spahn, a left-hander, one of the greatest pitchers in history, went many seasons where the Braves did not pitch Spahn in Ebbets Field. When he did pitch in Ebbets Field, it was on very rare occasions. Whitey Ford had no success at Ebbets Field. Stengel, however, had confidence that Kuzava could get out of that jam in Game 7 vs the Dodgers in Ebbets Field. 

Casey Stengel often didn't follow " analytics."

Another good acquisition by the Yankees was when they acquired pitcher Mike Torrez from the A's on April 27, 1977.  The Yankees won the division by only 2 1/2 games over the Orioles and Red Sox. Mike Torrez won 14 games as a Yankee that season and pitched 217 innings. In a winner-take all Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS vs the Royals, playing in Kansas City, Torrez pitched 5.1 innings of scoreless relief as the Yankees rallied in the 8th and 9th innings to win the pennant.

Torrez also won 2 games vs the Dodgers, including the game 6 clincher. Torrez the next season, as a Red Sox, gave up the famous home run to Bucky Dent. Unfortunately for Torrez, he gets so much negative publicity for giving up Dent's homer, but he never seems to get much credit for his great 1977 postseason as he was a major contributor to a World Series winning team.

It would be interesting for the SSTN staff and their readers to find out which career was the most satisfying in their opinion: Would it be Johnny Mize's years when he was in his prime, winning home run, rbi, batting titles, and slugging percentage titles but while doing so, never played on a pennant winning team--- or being a part-time, platoon player and pinch hitter, who didn't put up MVP numbers as his skills declined and didn't play on a regular basis, but was a big contributor on world championship teams?

Most of the time, the media and many fans focus on the spectacular events but don't give credit to many other players. For example, Reggie Jackson, gets a great amount of credit for his 3 homers in the Game 6 World Series clincher vs the Dodgers in 1977. He won World Series MVP that season. However, without Mike Torrez's great relief work in Game 5 of the ALCS, the Yankees don't win the pennant, and therefore Reggie doesn't hit those homers and win World Series MVP.

Several other players don't get enough credit because they didn't hit 3 homers in a World Series game or have a spectacular, headline type of game in the postseason.

The Yankees were three outs away from getting eliminated in the 1977 ALCS vs the Kansas City Royals. Losing 3-2 in the top of the 9th inning Paul Blair got a clutch leadoff single. Roy White, as a pinch -hitter, then drew a very big walk. Mickey Rivers then gots a clutch rbi single to tie the game, as Roy White advanced to third base. Willie Randolph drove in a run to give the Yankees the lead. The Yankees won the game and pennant by a score of 5-3.

Blair, White, and Rivers practically get no credit whatsoever from the media as these three players played a significant role in winning the pennant. There is no Reggie Jackson's spectacular 3- homer game in Game 6 of the World Series without the incredible clutch at bats by Blair, White, and Rivers.

The next season, Bucky Dent hit one of the most dramatic and clutch homers in baseball history as the Yankees won the Eastern Division and eliminated the Red Sox in game 163. Many fans and media incorrectly call this game a playoff game. This game was part of the regular season. Many fans and media also call Bobby Thomson's famous homerun a "playoff or postseason" homer. Thomson's homer was part of the extended regular season, as was Dent's homer.

While Dent's 3-run homer to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in that classic game at Fenway Park, gets most of the attention, there is no 3-run homer by Dent if Chris Chambliss and Roy White don't get clutch singles in that inning to put runners on base for Dent.

Without Roy White's incredibly clutch at bats in the 1977 post- season and in game 163 the next season, the Yankees probably don't win those 2 World Series. Roy White has always been underrated by many fans, media and the Yankees organization. White had many big hits during the Yankees championships seasons both in the regular season and in the postseason, while very rarely do fans and media mention Roy White's clutch at bats.