1958 World Series

The 1958 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1958 season. The 55th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the National League (NL) champion and defending World Series champion Milwaukee Braves. In a reversal from 1957, the Yankees defeated the Braves in seven games to win their 18th title, and their seventh in 10 years. With that victory, the Yankees became only the second team in Major League Baseball history to come back from a 3–1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series; the first was the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925 (the 1903 Boston Americans came back from a 3–1 deficit in a best-of-nine affair). These teams would meet again in the fall classic 38 years later—by that time, the Braves had moved to Atlanta. As of 2026, this is the most recent World Series featuring the two previous Series winning teams.

This was the first year New Yorkers had only one local team to root for; both the Giants and the Dodgers were now playing their home games more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) away (in San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively). Both returnees to the Series had no problems repeating as league champions during the regular season. Milwaukee coasted to an eight-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League and the Yanks bested the Chicago White Sox by ten games in the American. With no pennant race in either league, managers Casey Stengel of the Yankees and Fred Haney of the Braves could rest their aces in preparation for an exciting repeat of the 1957 World Series.

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Milwaukee Braves (3)

Casey Stengel called on 14-game winner Whitey Ford (14–7, 2.01) to start Game 1. Although teammate Bob Turley had a better regular season record at 21–7, the experienced, perennial winning southpaw Ford had five post-season victories under his belt. Fred Haney countered with a lefty of his own, 22-game winner Warren Spahn.

Bill Skowron started the scoring with a home run in the top of the fourth inning, but the Braves came storming back with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. Hank Aaron walked and quickly took second on a Yogi Berra passed ball. When Joe Adcock grounded out to third, Aaron held second but advanced to third on Wes Covington's groundout. Then came three straight singles, Del Crandall to left scoring Aaron, Andy Pafko to center, and Warren Spahn to left-center scoring Crandall, to put the Braves up by one.

In the top of the fifth, Spahn retired Tony Kubek on a flyout to left but walked the opposing pitcher, Ford. Leadoff hitter Hank Bauer then deposited a Spahn fastball into the left-field bleachers to give the Yankees a 3–2 lead. Milwaukee would tie the game in the eighth on an Eddie Mathews walk, Aaron double and sac-fly by Wes Covington on a deep fly-out to Mickey Mantle in left-center.

With no runs in the ninth, extra-innings were played, the Yankees going down 1–2–3 with Spahn still on the hill for the Braves. Ryne Duren, who came into the game to pitch the eighth inning, took his turn at-bat in the 10th and grounded out to the pitcher. Aaron started the bottom of the 10th by striking out and was barely thrown out at first base by Yogi Berra on a dropped third strike. Adcock followed with a clean single to center but Covington made the second out on a fly-out to left. Crandall then singled up the middle, sending Adcock to second base. Bill Bruton, who came into the game pinch-hitting for Pafko in the ninth, lined a single into right-center, scoring Adcock with the game-winning run.

Lew Burdette (20–10, 2.91), who won three games in the 1957 World Series, took the mound for the Braves while the Yankees went with righty Bob Turley (21–7, 2.91), who won 20 games for the only time in his career during the regular season.