Podres

When you think of the great rotations in Dodger history, Johnny Podres has to be included. His teaming with Koufax and Drysdale would help LA win two World Series. 1959 and 1963. Podres was born on the 30th of September in 1930 in Witherbee, New York. Witherbee is one of five hamlets in Moriah, New York. It is located in the Adirondack Mountains.

Podres is of Lithuanian and Polish descent. His grandfather Barney was an immigrant from Russia and settled in the Adirondacks. Which is an area known for its attraction to sportsmen. Podres spent much time in Port Henry, a 73 square mile outdoorsman’s paradise. His father was a miner. His father Joe, found an outlet on Sundays playing semi-pro baseball for 25 years.

Podres had 3 brothers, Thomas, Walter, and James, and a sister, Mary. He used to listen to Dodger games on the radio when he was a child. His mother would come in and tell him to turn off the radio because he had school the next day. He also had an uncle who was his teammate in high school. They combined for a 1-0 17 inning game to win the Essex County League title for Mineville High School in Witherbee in 1949.

In 1950, he pitched for the Burlington Cardinals of the Vermont Collegiate Summer League. That winter he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Podres was sent to Newport News in the Class B Piedmont League and was 0-2 in 7 games and then was sent to Class D Hazard team in Kentucky in the Mountain States League. There he went 21-9 with a 1.67 ERA in 26 games. 22 of those were starts. He also struck out 228 batters.

He was promoted to AAA Montreal of the International League for the 1952 season and went 5-5 with a 3.27 ERA in 24 games, 13 that he started. Brooklyn was pretty desperate for pitching that season with Don Newcombe being called to military service, and they gave Podres a look-see in spring training but decided he needed more seasoning. One of his teammates was Tommy Lasorda. Tommy got the save in Podres’s first win in AAA ball.

In 1953 at the age of 20, Podres made the Dodger roster and had a decent rookie campaign going 9-4 with a 4.23 ERA. He started game 5 of the World Series but was pulled in the third inning. The Yankees won 11-7 behind a grand slam by Mantle off of Russ Meyer, who had relieved Podres.

He had a nice sophomore year winning 11 and losing 7 in 1954. He made 21 starts and had an ERA of 4.27. But the Dodgers did not repeat as league champions. The Giants won the pennant and the World Series beating the favored Indians in a sweep. The Dodgers had a new manager, unknown Walter Alston who was handpicked by Buzzie Bavasi to replace Charlie Dressen who cut his own throat by demanding a multi-year deal. Alston would sign 23 one-year contracts and stay with the Dodgers as manager through 1976 when he retired.

In 1955, Podres regressed a little. His record was 9-10, but he pitched more innings than ever before and struck out over 100 for the first time in the majors. His ERA dipped a little to 3.95. But his biggest impact came in the 1955 World Series. Alston gave Podres the ball in game 3 with the Dodgers down 2-0. They won in Ebbets Field 8-3. They won the next 2 games there to go up 3-2. They lost game 6 in Yankee Stadium, and Alston gave Podres the start in game 7. Mantle was sitting out due to knee issues, but he pinch hit in the 7th and popped out. Podres later said that Campy called the greatest game ever. He would put his glove down and Podres would hit the spot. With Amoro’s game-saving catch on Berra’s drive to left, Podres shut out the Yankees 2-0 and the Dodgers won their first World Series.

Podres was named series MVP and won a Corvette from the Sporting News. In 1956, Podres finally was inducted into the service and spent the year in the Navy. Mostly playing baseball at his two duty stations. In October of 1956, he was discharged for a medical condition that made him unfit for service. He had some problems with arthritis in his back.

Back in Brooklyn for the 57 seasons, he went 12-9 with a 2.66 ERA. It was Brooklyn’s last year as the home of the Dodgers and Podres and the rest of the team got ready for the move west. Podres threw the first shut out in the Coliseum, a 3 hit gem against the Reds. He finished with a 13-15 mark. He defied the odds and won 11 of those games at the Coliseum and only 2 on the road. He later said he pitched more carefully in LA because of the short left field dimensions. It was a nightmare for lefty’s.

He improved in 1959, going 14-9 with an ERA just above 4. Podres got another win in the World Series as the Dodgers beat the White Sox, 4 games to 2. Another ring for his finger. In 1960 Podres won 14 and lost 12. Dodgers were out of the race early. Podres improved in 1961 winning 18 games and losing 5. But again, LA did not win the pennant. It was by the numbers, his best season.

1962 and Johnny went 15-13 to help the Dodgers tie the Giants for the lead in the NL. Podres started the All Star game and also pitched the first game in their new home, Dodger Stadium. He lost the game 6-3 to the Reds. In 1963 he again contributed to a pennant-winning team going 14-12 and beating the Yankees in game 2 of the Dodgers sweep at Yankee Stadium.

In 1964, an injury to his elbow kept him out most of the year. He had surgery in the off-season and came back to win 7 and lose 6 in 1965. He did not pitch in the series win over the Twins. Claude Osteen, who had been acquired in a trade with the Senators was now the 3rd man behind Koufax and Drysdale.

In May of 1966, he was sold to Detroit for 20,000 dollars. That was the waiver price. Bavasi had given him a choice, Boston or Detroit, and Podres chose the Tigers because Charlie Dressen was the manager. He went 4-5 with them in 66 and 3-1 in 1967. He was a swingman there. The Tigers released him after the season. He tried to get on the Mets with former teammate Gil Hodges managing the team, but Hodges wanted younger players.

He made a comeback attempt with the Padres in 1969. He went 5-6 in 17 games and that was it. His record as a Dodger is 136-104 with a career ERA of 3.66. He had a very good curveball and probably the best change-up in the NL. He won 148 games and lost 116 in his 15 years in the majors.

After his playing career, he became a pitching coach for the Padres, Red Sox, Twins, and Phillies and did that for over 20 years. He was 4-1 in World Series play, 3 of those wins in crucial games against the mighty Yankees. He also was not that bad of a hitter and hit .190 with 2 HRs in his career.

One of his students as a pitching coach was Curt Shilling. Podres and his wife retired to his home in Moriah where he raised his two sons. He did not marry until 1966. His hometown is about 160 miles from Cooperstown where there is a statue of Podres throwing a ball 60 feet 6 inches away from a statue of Roy Campanella commemorating the Dodger’s first World Series win.

Podres passed away on January 13th, 2008 at age 75. He was battling a leg infection along with kidney and heart issues. Kershaw wears his # 22 now. But when he first came up, he was wearing # 45. He did not change numbers until they moved to Los Angeles in 1928.