1955 Tournament: Pirates at Phillies

Editor’s note: Tournament games are played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice.

The 1955 Tournament field is down to four teams after the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 at Connie Mack Stadium.

Murry Dickson tossed a complete game for the Phillies as he limited the Pirates to four hits.

Two of the hits against Dickson came in the first inning. Johnny O’Brien led off the contest with a single and he raced home on a RBI double by Roberto Clemente.

Dickson surrendered another single to O’Brien in the third, while Clemente got the final hit for the Pirates with a single in the fourth.

The Phillies got going offensively in the bottom of the second with four runs against Pittsburgh starter Vern Law.

Willie Jones began the rally with double before Andy Seminick blasted a two-run homer to give the Phillies the lead. Earl Torgeson capped the frame with a single that drove in two runs.

In the fifth, Jones RBI single put the Phillies on top 5-1. Stan Lopata‘s sacrifice fly in the sixth produced another run for Philadelphia.

The Phillies added their final tally in the eighth thanks to an error by the Pirates.

Philadelphia Phillies travels to Chicago to take on the White Sox in the semifinal round.

1955 IN REAL LIFE: Dickson finished the season with a 12-11 for the Phillies with a 3.50 ERA in 1955, which was his best season in Philadelphia.

Dickson began his career in 1939 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched in the World Series for St. Louis in 1943 and after serving in the military, he returned to the Cardinals in 1946. He was 15-6 that season as the Cardinals won the World Series.

The Cardinals sold Dickson to the Pirates before the 1949 season. He would stay in Pittsburgh until 1953 and make the all-star team in his final year with the Pirates.

Dickson was traded to the Phillies before the 1954 season. Philadelphia would send him back to St. Louis early in 1956. Dickson would end up playing with the New York Yankees in the 1958 World Series before finishing his career with the Kansas City A’s a year later.

In his 18 seasons, Dickson posted a 172-181 record with a 3.66 ERA.

Semifinal Schedule

(3) New York Giants at (1) Brooklyn Dodgers
(4) Philadelphia Phillies at (3) Chicago White Sox

Second Round Results

Upper Bracket
(1) Brooklyn Dodgers 6, (5) Cincinnati Reds 4
(3) New York Giants 5, (7) St. Louis Cardinals 0
Lower Bracket
(3) Chicago White Sox 5, (7) Baltimore Orioles 3
(4) Philadelphia Phillies 7, (8) Pittsburgh Pirates 1

First Round Results

Upper Bracket
(1) Brooklyn Dodgers 4, (8) Washington Senators 0
(5) Cincinnati Reds 7, (4) Boston Red Sox 3
(3) New York Giants 2, (6) Kansas City Athletics 1
(7) St. Louis Cardinals 6, (2) Cleveland Indians 1
Lower Bracket
(7) Baltimore Orioles 6, (2) Milwaukee Braves 1
(3) Chicago White Sox 8, (6) Chicago Cubs 4
(4) Philadelphia Phillies 3, (5) Detroit Tigers 1
(8) Pittsburgh Pirates 3, (1) New York Yankees 2