The Great NY Debate - 1958
The arguments are over. New York had entered it's awkward 4 year gap where there was the Yankees and nothing else. The Giants and Dodgers are gone to the west coast, another city claims the title of baseballs best team, New Yorkers don't know what to think. Willie Mays and Duke Snider are wearing mostly the same uniforms, it's the caps that only seem wrong. The familiar overlapping NY on Mays is now an SF, while the classic B on Snider is now an interlocking LA. Utter chaos!
No doubt Snider has had better cards but Mays has taken the transition to California in stride. Mantle remains the top option, even if he took a small step back from his back-to-back MVP seasons.
While the National League has a completely different look for 1958, the end result was the same as last year, as was the American League; the pennant winners were once again the Braves and Yankees.
The NYC dynasty was over, but there was still one team in the city determined not to let some other location dominate baseball. In a series that again went the full 7 games, the Yankees prevailed, avenged their defeat the previous year and brought glory back to the city one more time.
While the National League has a completely different look for 1958, the end result was the same as last year, as was the American League; the pennant winners were once again the Braves and Yankees.
The NYC dynasty was over, but there was still one team in the city determined not to let some other location dominate baseball. In a series that again went the full 7 games, the Yankees prevailed, avenged their defeat the previous year and brought glory back to the city one more time.
The following year, the Dodgers would beat the White Sox for the title, but for the people of NY, or more importantly the Brooklyn borough, it just wasn't the same. It had been an entire decade, but the 1959 World Series was the first fall classic in a long time to not feature any teams from NYC. The Dodgers were kings, but the parade of champions was destined for the other side of the country. If the Dodgers had remained in Brooklyn, then the streak would have continued for several more years for NY since the Yankees would rattle off 5 more pennants starting in 1960.
Elsewhere in baseball was Harvey Kuenn. The former Rookie of the Year had been a Shortstop for several years, but 1958 he found himself patrolling Centerfield regularly for the only year in his career. He would be regulated to the corner outfield spots after this while also making time in the infield for 3rd base.
