Philadelphia's problems began on September 10. The first setback to their pennant hopes had little to do with what happened on the baseball field but much to do with combating the forces of evil. Former bonus baby left hander Curt Simmons' National Guard Unit was activated to help keep the peace in Korea and Simmons, who had won only 12 while losing 23 since he joined the Phillies in 1947 but who matured and won 17 and lost 8 with a 3.40 ERA in 1950, was gone.
Five days later, rookie pitching sensation Bubba Church was hit in the face by a Ted Kluszewski line drive. Church won 8, lost 6, and had a 2.73 ERA, allowing only 113 hits in 142 innings. As if that weren't enough, the Phillies other rookie right hander, Bob Miller, who had injured his back in August, came back too soon and developed a sore arm.
Catcher Andy Seminick, a major offensive force, was hurt in a collision at home plate during a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds on September 27. It was the tenth inning of the first game when the Giants' Monte Irvin barreled into the venerable Phillies' backstop. Irvin had led the inning off with a walk, Bobby Thomson, who would make history in a little over a year, then sacrificed Irvin to second. In those days, even the batter who was going to hit the most memorable home run in baseball history could bunt.
Alvin "Blackie" Dark singled to right field. Del Ennis fielded the hit and fired home but Irvin beat the throw and crashed into Seminick, who was knocked out cold for a few minutes. Dark's hit and Irvin's base running gave the Giants an 8-7 win. Jim Hearn shut out the Phillies in the second game to cut their first place lead over Brooklyn to 4 games.
The injuries and the schedule were killing the Phillies. On Monday, September 25, they split a doubleheader with the Braves. The team known as the "Whiz Kids" beat the Braves in a single game on Tuesday and then went to New York where they lost consecutive doubleheaders. The Phillies were off on Friday while the Dodgers swept a doubleheader from the Braves. On Saturday, the Dodgers beat the Phillies to set up the final game showdown.
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