Shuba recalls stadium fondly

By Greg Gulas

The former Brooklyn Dodger played three World Series at Yankee Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — With the curtain drawn on Yankee Stadium, Youngstown’s George “Shotgun” Shuba has some very fond memories of sports’ most famous park.

As a Brooklyn Dodger, Shuba played against the New York Yankees in three World Series — 1952, 1953 and 1955. He also played several preseason exhibition games there when the teams returned from spring training.

As the wrecking ball awaits its orders, ready to dismantle the imposing structure piece by piece, one thing that cannot be shattered or destroyed or for that fact taken away, are the fond memories of the many Yankee players who donned the famed pinstripes over the years.

Also, opponents like Shuba will vividly recall as well the very first time they stepped foot inside the legendary edifice, perhaps recalling a memorable hit that helped win a game or the reverse side of the coin when they failed to execute at the plate or in the field that proved costly in the end.

Shuba, the first National Leaguer (and the third overall) to hit a pinch-hit home run in the World Series, didn’t have to dig too deep into his memory bank when recalling that glorious day back in 1953.

His home run, a line drive off twirler Allie Reynolds, sailed over right fielder Hank Bauer’s outstretched glove and into the right field stands in the sixth inning of Game 1.

“The thing that I recall most is that we played in the afternoon back then, and around the fourth inning the shadows from the sun made their way halfway across the infield which made it really tough on the batters,” he said.

“We were in the shade and the pitcher in the sun, which was tough to begin with. The fans in center field, however, didn’t help matters because they created a terrible backdrop due to the white shirts that many were wearing,” Shuba noted.

“It was tough to see the ball and with Yankee catcher Yogi Berra chirping behind the plate, it became doubly tough for a batter to remain focused. I was just grateful that everything worked out for me during that particular time at bat,” he added.

While his home run in the ’53 Series might be his defining moment as a player, it was a catch by teammate Sandy Amoros in the ’55 Series that he says he remembers most.

“Our manager, Walter Alston had me pinch-hit for Don Zimmer in the sixth inning and to this day, Zimmer says if it weren’t for my pinch-hitting for him, then we might never have won our one and only World Series title while the team was based in Brooklyn,” he said. “Zimmer had started at second base and Junior Gilliam was our left fielder. The pitcher was Bob Grim and I proceeded to ground out to first baseman Moose Skowron on a hanging curve. When the inning was over, the entire team would have tackled me had I tried to go to left field.”

Instead, Alston moved Gilliam to second base and inserted Sandy Amoros in left field for defensive purposes. That move proved to be the undoing of the Yankees.

With Johnny Podres on the mound and Berra at the plate, Yogi swung at a fastball that was high and outside; almost as if he wanted to check his swing.

The ball sailed out to left field where Amoros was positioned perfectly and with the short area between the foul line and the stands, reaction time wasn’t an option. He instinctively went to his right at the crack of the bat and was able to make the catch.

“Since he was a lefty, his glove was on his right hand or he might not have made the play,” said Shuba. “That catch to me was more important than the catch the Giants’ Willie Mays made on Cleveland’s Vic Wertz in 1954 for it had a major impact on the outcome of the game.

Amoros’ catch and throw back to the infield to Pee Wee Reese, helped double up the Yankees’ Gil McDougald off first base.

Shuba noted that Amoros spoke no English, so reporters probably shied away from interviewing him about the catch.

In Shuba’s eyes it was one of two Yankee Stadium memories that he will never forget.

It remains to this day the single most important play that Brooklyn fans like to relive — especially when the postseason is about to begin.