Back Story: Baseball 
series feature team vs team, but make no mistake about this series being personal. This would be the battle of Willie Mays vs Hank Aaron. Most times this matchup would be pretty much even, but we should make a note here that in 1951 Willie Mays was a green rookie, who begged to be sent down to Minneapolis. He was so afraid of his shadow that he actually would sleep in the same bed with veteran Monte Irvin (get your minds out of the gutter) because he was so homesick. Compare that to Aaron, who by 1958 was at the top of his game. In '57 he actually won the NL MVP award. Either way, we are looking at two of the best 5 tool players that the game ever had to offer. After the series we will tally up to see who bested who and it it mattered in the series outcome.
GAME 1 - Polo Grounds - MLN 16, NYG 4
Warren Spahn vs Sal "the Barber" Maglie
With all the hoopla surrounding this classic pitching matchup the final score more closely resembled a Packers/Giants game then a Braves/Giants game. Milwaukee broke a scoreless tie with a steady barrage of runs starting with 3 big ones in the top of the 3rd. Two more runs in the 4th spelled the untimely departure of Maglie, who's famed curveball was hanging like a Picaso in the Louvre. A bases clearing double by Hank Aaron started off all the scoring in the 3rd thanks to an untimely error by Giant shortstop Alvin Dark, which prolonged the inning. RBI singles by Johnny Logan and Max Roach made it 5-0. New York would answer back with a 3 run homer by the Say Hey Kid to make it 5-3, but reliever George Spencer got shelled to the tune of 5 runs on 11 hits in 3 miserable innings. His successor, Sheldon "Roadblock" Jones was more like a pylon that everyone went around as he chipped in with 6 more runs over two forgettable innings. Luckily for Jones it was raining steadily by the time he entered the game and most fans began exiting out onto 155th street en route to the 8th Avenue local train. New York was totally humiliated by a 25 hit outburst by their guests from the mid west. Every batter in the the Brave
lineup had at least 2 hits, except for Eddie Mathews (1). Warren Spahn went the distance and gave up only 1 more run after Mays' 3 run shot in the 4th. Lost in the shuffle, and there was a lot to shuffle, Del Crandall had 2 homers for the Braves.
Braves lead series 1-0
Back Story: Aaron went 4-6 with a double and 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Mays was only 1-4, but did have that big 3 run shot that for the time kept the Giants in the game.
Decisive edge to Aaron.
GAME 2 - Polo Grounds - MLN 9, NYG 5
Lew Burdette vs Larry Jansen
Burdette, the 1957 World Series MVP, did not have much in the tank in this high scoring affair. Luckily for Burdette and the Braves, Jansen had even less. Milwaukee got on the board first when Eddie Mathews lifted a sack fly to the deepest part of the ballpark (center field). In every other ballpark in the league that would have been a homer. Mays caught the ball 4 strides short of the clubhouse steps and didn't even bother to attempt throwing Max Roach out at the plate. New York would answer back by taking its first lead of the series thanks to a 1 out two run shot by Monte Irvin. Don "Mandrake" Mueller would follow Irvin's blast with a single and Mays would double him home to make it 3-1 New York. Mathews would double home Frank Torre in the top of the 3rd to cut New York's lead to 1. Alvin Dark’s solo shot in the 4th bumped New York's lead back up to 2 and after scoring 2 more in the 5th New York had a comfy 6-2 lead. New York's comfortable lead wouldn't even last a half inning as 9 men came to the plate for the Braves in the 6th and 5 of them safely touched home. "Hammerin" Hank Aaron would have his signature moment of the series with a bases clearing double that took the Braves from being down by 1 run to being up by 2. Milwaukee's clutch rightfielder cleared he bases with one mighty swing all with 2 out. Aarons big hit came off of reliever Al Corwin, who replaced Jansen with 2 out. Corwin, a lefty, did his job by getting Torre to pop out to short. He also did his job by fanning Mathews to end the inning. However, he was completely overmatched against the lefty killing Aaron, who he could not walk with the bases loaded. Milwaukee would add 2 more runs in the 8th to make it 9-6. Humberto Robinson would pitch the
final 2 innings and notch the save for Milwaukee as Burdette barely limped through 7 innings. Milwaukee would head home needing just 1 more win to close out the series. New York's fans were not amused. The few who remained in the rain were heard in the 9th saying, "Youse guys stink".
Braves lead series 2-0
Back Story: Aaron went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI's, which included a game changing go ahead 3 run double. Mays was 3 for 5 with a double and a RBI, but Aaron's timely hit had more impact, so the edge in game 2 goes to Aaron, who's BA was now .600 for the series.
GAME 3 - County Stadium - NYG 2, MLN 0
Jim Hearn vs Joey Jay
After two slugfests back in Gotham the series moved to the Midwest. New York's hopes clearly rested on the right shoulder of Jim Hearn, who had to be his team's stopper or the series would be over in 3. Long story short: Hearn did not disappoint as he went 8 shutout innings scattering 7 hits, but most importantly not allowing a single run. For his part, Joey Jay was rock solid, and on most days he would walk out of the ballpark a winner. The game was scoreless until Monte Irvin led off the top of the 4th with a homer. New York would add a valuable insurance run in the 7th when Willie Mays homered with 1 out to make it 2-0. Hearn would make it all the way to the 9th, but after walking the leadoff man (Mathews) and giving up a solid single to Crandall he was lifted in favor of reliever
Dave Koslo, who was nothing short of brilliant. Joe Adcock came off the bench to hit for Bill Bruton and flew out to Mays in center. Logan lined out to Dark at short and pinch hitter Red Schoendienst grounded weakly to Eddie Stanky at second to end the game. New York had to sweat this one out, but the lived to fight another day.
Braves lead series 2-1
Back Story: Aaron was 1-4 and quite possibly could have had an RBI in the 3rd if not for the fact that slow footed Frank Torre was held at third in hopes of a big inning. Mays would go 1-3, but his "1" was a solo shot that gave his team a huge insurance run. Mays also made a nice diving stab on Adcock's sinking liner in the 9th, so the edge definitely goes to the Say Hey kid in this contest.
GAME 4 - County Stadium - NYG 11, MLN 9
Sal Maglie vs Warren Spahn
A rematch of game 1's starters saw a reverse fortune for the two hurlers. Spahn who pitched great in the opener, until the outcome was pretty much certain, had nothing today. Spahnie limped into the 8th inning allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 14 hits. Sal Maglie reversed his game 1 fortune by going 8 innings and allowing just 3 runs. Maglie was in and out of trouble all day, but found a way to make the big pitch when he needed to. Heading into the 9th New York had a 6-3 lead and looked poised to lock it down with Koslo on the mound and head the series back to the Polo Grounds for a decisive game 5. In real life it is great to plan for the future, but one should never look that far ahead in the wild and whacky world of professional baseball. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th Frank Torre hit a slow roller to third that Hank Thompson fielded with his bare hand. Thompson should have realized that he had time to get the slow footed Torre hurried his throw and pulled Whitey Lockman off of first, which allowed Milwaukee a baserunner with 2 out. Aaron stepped up to the plate, and unlike most superstars who would have tried to crank a meaningless homer, he slapped the ball into right to put runners on 1st and second for HOF third baseman Eddie Mathews,
known in these parts as Eddie Mattress. In most years Mathews would be a sure thing at the plate, but not in 1958, where he uncharacteristically slumped to .251 which was well off his HOF pace. Koslo, who had relieved Maglie and should have been out of the inning, made a 2-2 pitch that hung over the inside part of the plate. Balls that hang over the inside part of the plate are hung out to dry when you throw them to hitters like Mathews who crushed it into the parking lot in right center to tie the game at 6-6. Just like that New York blew a "sure thing" win. Cancel the reservations back to Laguardia, we have some more baseball to play in Milwaukee. Bob Trowbridge would start the 10th for the the Braves and give up an opposite field single to pinch hitter Don Mueller. Alvin Dark would follow with an opposite field single of his own to put runners on the corners. Darks knock would come vs veteran reliever Don McMahon. Whitey Lockman would step up to the plate and hit a humped back liner to right to score Mueller and give the Giants and 7-6 lead. After Irvin grounded out to push the runners up to 2nd and 3rd Bobby Thomson was mysteriously given an intentional pass in order to face the nervous rookie Mays. In retrospect maybe Ralph Branca should have done the same thing almost 60 years earlier, but that's another story. Up stepped Willie Mays to the plate. 
Quickly McMahon fell behind 3-1. On the call was Russ Hodges for NY's WMCA Radio: "McMahon is in a jam. He toes the rubber. 3 balls, 1 strike. McMahon winds, and the pitch, breaking ball, Mays cuts...line drive to left center. It's well hit. Bruton racing back. He's running out of room. Grand Slam ! a 389 foot homer. New York would now have themselves an 11-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th. George Spencer would come on board to close it out and boy would he make things interesting. With 1 out he would walk McMahon, who would get doubled home by pinch hitter Joe Adcock. Bruton grounded out to first for the 2nd out of the inning, but Torre lined a double to left center to make it 11-8. Aaron, who would go 3-6 on the day singled home Torre to make it a 2 run game. Mathews was pitched around and walked and Del Crandall would end the game with a one hopper to Dark at short. The series would head back to New York for an decisive game 5.
Series tied 2-2
Back Story: Aaron was 3 for 6 with 2 RBI's. Mays was 2 for 6 with 4 RBI's. If you just look at stats you'd probably say that it was a push, but Mays gets the nod here because his 10th inning grand slam provided the margin for victory thanks to Spencer’s 3 run melt down in the bottom of the inning.
GAME 5 - Polo Grounds - NYG 12, MLN 2
Lew Burdette vs Larry Jansen
No tougher place to play a game 5 or game 7 than
Gotham city. The fans are rabid and the press turns everything into a fishbowl. Teams like the Giants, Dodgers and Yankees are used to this type of pressure, while teams from smaller hamlets are not. Larry Jansen, who was pitiful in game 2 decided to pitch his butt off in this one. After giving up a solo run in the first on a sac fly by Mathews and another solo run in the third on a Bruton DP Jansen shut the door on the Braves. This was important, because his opposite number (Burdette) was once again not pitching up to his MVP status. New York would answer with 3 runs in the bottom of the first and put Burdette firmly up against the ropes ready for the knock out punch. Dark led off the bottom of the 1st with a sure fire double only to be cut down at second by a beautiful throw from Billy Bruton in center. Lockman followed with a clean single to center. Irvin's one hopper to third was turned into a circus act by Mathews who booted it back to the pitchers' mound to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Bobby Thomsom wasted no time launching Burdette's 0-1 offering into the gap in right center just beyond the reach of Bruton and Aaron. When all the dust cleared Thomson was safe at third with a 2 run triple. With 2 outs Mays hit a bullet to first that ate up Torre. Once Torre was able to corral it he was in a foot race with the speedy Mays. This was a race that Torre would lose every time out. The "Scottsman" would easily score from third to make it 3-1. Alvin Dark would double home Stanky in the 4th, then score himself on Lockman's second single of the day (he would have 4 before it was over). Whitey Lockman's third single would easily score Dark in the 6th after New York's shortstop tripled with 2 outs. A five run 8th would completely put the game out of reach and ensure that this 
team, known as the kings of comebacks, would easily take game 5 and win the series after spotting Milwaukee the two opening games. Jansen went the distance and seemed to get stronger as the game went on as evidenced by him shutting out Milwaukee's potent offense over the final 6 frames.
Giants win series 3-2
Back Story: Game, set & match to Mays who was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and a huge hustle play in the first to cause Torre's error, which allowed Thomson to score. Aaron had just a lead off single in the 4th in 4 trips. Aaron finished the series batting an incredible .500, but Mays (.391) had the more timely and opportune hits along with his stellar defense.
