In 1954 the Cleveland Indians won 111 games, which was the highest winning percentage since the Chicago Cubs won 116 in 1906. We had a better percentage than the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees when they won 114 games in a 162-game schedule, even though the Yankees went on to win the World Series in four straight games. They had a very well-balanced ball club and so did we, but our team was beaten in four straight by the red-hot New York Giants. Sal Maglie, Willie Mays, and Monte Irvin all made us look bad. Rochester native Johnny Antonelli, whose pitches were unhittable, made us look especially bad because he kept our bats as silent as lambs. Al Smith, our first batter, hit a home run in the Polo Grounds, and that was the biggest noise we made the entire series.

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