Next Year Finally Arrives in Brooklyn

On October 4, 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series for the first time, beating the New York Yankees 2-0 in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium. Johnny Podres, a 23-year-old left-hander from upstate New York, pitched a complete-game shutout on eight hits to deliver the championship that Brooklyn had been chasing since 1890.

The Dodgers had lost the World Series to the Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953. Each October brought a new heartbreak, and the phrase "Wait till next year" became Brooklyn's unofficial motto. Podres made sure 1955 was that year.

The pivotal play came in the sixth inning. With the Dodgers leading 2-0 and two Yankees on base, Yogi Berra sliced a fly ball down the left-field line that looked like it would drop for a double. Sandy Amoros, a Cuban-born outfielder who had entered the game as a defensive replacement, sprinted from left-center and caught the ball at full stretch near the foul line, then fired to Pee Wee Reese, who relayed to Gil Hodges at first to double up Gil McDougald. The play preserved the shutout and broke the back of the Yankees' rally.

When the final out was recorded, Brooklyn erupted. Bars gave away free drinks. Strangers hugged on Flatbush Avenue. Car horns blared until the small hours of the morning. The celebration was both joyful and bittersweet, though nobody knew the second part yet. The Dodgers would play just two more seasons in Brooklyn before owner Walter O'Malley moved the franchise to Los Angeles after 1957. The 1955 title remains Brooklyn's only World Series championship.