Strat-o-matic is a baseball simulation that began as a cards and dice game in the early 1960s before entering the computer age.
These featured games on Shoestring Catches are part of season replays or tournaments played with cards and dice.
Today’s game matches the Philadelphia Phillies at the New York Giants.
This game was the championship tilt from a single elimination tournament for all 16 teams from the 1955 season.
LOPATA CRUSHES GIANTS AS PHILLIES CLAIM TITLE
NEW YORK — Stan Lopata blasted three home runs as he led Philadelphia to 6-5 win over the New York Giants as the Phillies won the 1955 Tournament.
Lopata’s final homer of the contest was the difference as it came in the top of the 10th inning at the Polo Grounds.
The Phillies took an early lead with two runs in the first inning Del Ennis walked with the bases loaded and the other score was on a double play.
In the third, Lopata hit his first homer of the game off Johnny Antonelli to put the Phillies in front 3-0.
New York picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Wes Westrum had a RBI double, while Don Mueller had a run-scoring single.
Lopata’s second long ball in the fifth made it 4-2 before Mueller added his second RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
The Giants tied the affair at 4-4 on a sacrifice fly by Westrum in the sixth.
Earl Torgeson gave the Phillies a 5-4 advantage in the seventh when had a sacrifice fly.
Billy Gardner led off the bottom of the ninth for New York with a solo homer to send the game to extra innings to set up Lopata‘s heroics.
Robin Roberts tossed a complete game to get the win for the Phillies. He gave up all five runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts.
Antonelli got the loss for the Giants as he went the distance as well. He surrendered six runs on eight hits as he fanned six.
IN REAL LIFE: Stan Lopata played in the major leagues from 1948 to 1960. He began his career in Philadelphia and played for the Phillies until he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves prior to the 1959 season.
Lopata hit 116 long balls in his career and never had a three-homer game. He did have six contests where he blasted two homers. Johnny Antonelli gave up four homers in his career to Lopata.
An all-star in 1955, Lopata played in 99 games and batting .217 as he hit 22 homers with 58 RBI. Lopata was also an all-star the next season, which was the best of his career. He hit 32 home runs and knocked in 95 as he hit .267.
Antonelli had a down year in 1955 as he finished 14-16 for the Giants. The five-time all-star had his best season in 1954 when he was 21-7 with a league leading 2.30 ERA for the Giants as they won the World Series. The 12-year veteran was also 20-13 in 1956.