| 1955 Philadelphia Phillies | |
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| Owner(s) | R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr. |
| General manager(s) | Roy Hamey |
| Manager(s) | Mayo Smith |
| Local television | WPTZ WFIL |
| Local radio | WIP (By Saam, Claude Haring, Gene Kelly) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1955 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. It was the first season for Phillies' manager Mayo Smith. Prior to the season, the Phillies were seen to have strong pitching with ace Robin Roberts but did not have power hitters to match pennant favorites Brooklyn, New York, or Milwaukee,[1] behind whom the Phillies finished in fourth place with a record of 77 and 77.
Contents
Offseason[edit]
Prior to the 1955 season, the Phillies purchased the 50-foot-tall (15 m) Ballantine Beer electronic scoreboard from Yankee Stadium for $175,000 from the Yankees. It was placed in right-center field at Connie Mack Stadium. This scoreboard was used through the final year at the ballpark.[2]
Spring training[edit]
In March 1955, the Phillies began spring training play at Clearwater's Jack Russell Stadium. The stadium was dedicated on March 10, 1955.[3] Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, National League president Warren Giles, American League president Will Harridge, Clearwater mayor Herbert M. Brown, and other city dignitaries were in attendance.[4] The Phillies played their first game at the stadium on the day of the dedication. Robin Roberts started for the Phillies against the Detroit Tigers. The Phillies won 4–2 on a two-run double by Willie Jones before 4,209 attendees.
Notable transactions[edit]
- February 11, 1955: Peanuts Lowrey was signed as a free agent by the Phillies.[5]
- February 19, 1955: Jimmie Coker was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.[6]
- Prior to 1955 season: Ed Bouchee was purchased by the Phillies from the Spokane Indians.[7]
Regular season[edit]
Season standings[edit]
| National League | W | L | GB | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 98 | 55 | -- | .641 |
| Milwaukee Braves | 85 | 69 | 13.5 | .552 |
| New York Giants | 80 | 74 | 18.5 | .519 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 77 | 77 | 21.5 | .500 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs | 75 | 79 | 23.5 | .487 |
| Chicago Cubs | 72 | 81 | 26 | .471 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 68 | 86 | 30.5 | .442 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 60 | 94 | 38.5 | .390 |
Record vs. opponents[edit]
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1955 National League Records
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| Team | BR | CHC | CIN | MIL | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
| Brooklyn | — | 14–7–1 | 12–10 | 15–7 | 13–9 | 16–6 | 14–8 | 14–8 | |||||
| Chicago | 7–14–1 | — | 11–11 | 7–15 | 12–10 | 10–12 | 11–11 | 14–8 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 10–12 | 11–11 | — | 9–13 | 9–13 | 11–11 | 14–8 | 11–11 | |||||
| Milwaukee | 7–15 | 15–7 | 13–9 | — | 14–8 | 14–8 | 11–11 | 11–11 | |||||
| New York | 9–13 | 10–12 | 13–9 | 8–14 | — | 10–12 | 17–5 | 13–9 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 6–16 | 12–10 | 11–11 | 8–14 | 12–10 | — | 15–7 | 13–9 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 8–14 | 11–11 | 8–14 | 11–11 | 5–17 | 7–15 | — | 10–12 | |||||
| St. Louis | 8–14 | 8–14 | 11–11 | 11–11 | 9–13 | 9–13 | 12–10 | — | |||||
Notable transactions[edit]
- April 30, 1955: Smoky Burgess, Stan Palys and Steve Ridzik were traded by the Phillies to the Cincinnati Redlegs for Andy Seminick, Glen Gorbous, and Jim Greengrass.[8]
Roster[edit]
| 1955 Philadelphia Phillies | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats[edit]
Batting[edit]
Starters by position[edit]
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Seminick, AndyAndy Seminick | 93 | 289 | 71 | .246 | 11 | 34 |
| 3B | Jones, WillieWillie Jones | 146 | 516 | 133 | .258 | 16 | 81 |
| SS | Smalley, RoyRoy Smalley | 92 | 260 | 51 | .196 | 7 | 39 |
| OF | Greengrass, JimJim Greengrass | 94 | 323 | 88 | .272 | 12 | 37 |
Other batters[edit]
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorbous, GlenGlen Gorbous | 91 | 224 | 53 | .237 | 4 | 23 |
| Lowrey, PeanutsPeanuts Lowrey | 54 | 106 | 20 | .189 | 0 | 8 |
| Palys, StanStan Palys | 15 | 52 | 15 | .288 | 1 | 8 |
| Burgess, SmokySmoky Burgess | 7 | 21 | 4 | .190 | 1 | 1 |
Pitching[edit]
Starting pitchers[edit]
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts, RobinRobin Roberts | 40 | 305 | 23 | 14 | 3.28 | 160 |
| Dickson, MurryMurry Dickson | 36 | 216 | 12 | 11 | 3.50 | 92 |
Other pitchers[edit]
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuzava, BobBob Kuzava | 17 | 32.1 | 1 | 0 | 7.24 | 13 |
| Cole, DaveDave Cole | 7 | 18.1 | 0 | 3 | 6.38 | 6 |
| Ridzik, SteveSteve Ridzik | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 2.45 | 6 |
Relief pitchers[edit]
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meyer, JackJack Meyer | 50 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 3.43 | 97 |
| Miller, BobBob Miller | 40 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2.41 | 28 |
| Kipper, ThorntonThornton Kipper | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.99 | 15 |
| Mrozinski, RonRon Mrozinski | 22 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6.55 | 18 |
| Lovenguth, LynnLynn Lovenguth | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | 14 |
| Greenwood, BobBob Greenwood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.43 | 0 |
Awards and honors[edit]
- Del Ennis, starter, outfield
- Robin Roberts, starter, pitcher
- Stan Lopata, reserve[9]
Farm system[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ John Drebinger (April 10, 1955). "BASEBALL SEASON OPENS TOMORROW". New York Times. p. S1.
- ^ Joe Sixpack (October 28, 2009). "Joe Sixpack: Phillies have Yanks to thank for Ballantine sign". Philadelphia Daily News.
- ^ "Phillies". Miami Daily News. March 10, 1955. p. 12A.
- ^ Lewis, Allen (March 1986). "Philadelphia Clearwater '47 '86". 1986 Phillies Spring Training 40th Year in Clearwater (Clearwater, FL: Philadelphia Phillies): 4, 5.
- ^ Peanuts Lowrey page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Jimmie Coker page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Ed Bouchee page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Smoky Burgess page at Baseball Reference
- ^ http://baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1955as.shtml
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, N.C.: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
External links[edit]
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