Third of eight parts.
Johnny Podres spent 15 seasons as a player in the major leagues. He pitched in four World Series (helping to win three) and was the most valuable player in one of the most memorable ever.
Podres made three all-star teams and was the ERA king of the National League in 1957.
Later, as a pitching coach in the majors, he played a role in launching the careers of stars such as Frank Viola and Curt Schilling.
Clearly, Podres has had memorable experiences in a lifetime spent in baseball.
Being a teammate of Jackie Robinson's will always be one of the best.
"He was a great guy," Podres, 74, recalled one quiet morning this spring at the Phillies' training camp in Clearwater, Fla. "I was lucky to know him and play with him."
You want stories about Jackie Robinson? Podres can deliver.
Podres had grown up in Upstate New York (where he still lives and knows all the good fishing spots) and was a huge fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team with which Robinson made his historic debut in 1947.
Podres recalled his wide-eyed youth, going to camp with the Dodgers for the first time in the spring of 1952.
"When I got there, most of the social stuff was over with," he said, referring to the early challenges Robinson faced in becoming the first African American in the majors. "To me, he was just a ballplayer - a great ballplayer.
"I was 19 years old coming out of Class D ball. To walk into that clubhouse and see those guys - Jackie, [Pee Wee] Reese, [Gil] Hodges, [Duke] Snider, [Clem] Labine, Roy [Campanella], [Don] Newcombe, [Carl] Erskine.
"Hoo, boy, that was something."
Podres didn't make his debut in the majors until 1953. Two seasons later, he helped write the greatest chapter in Brooklyn Dodgers history. He beat the archrival New York Yankees in Games 3 and 7 to give the Dodgers their only World Series title in Brooklyn.
Though Podres was named MVP of that series, he still says it belonged to the veteran players on the team.
"I felt great for the Boys of Summer," he said. "That was their championship. I just happened to be the guy that pitched that day."
Robinson was a pillar of the Boys of Summer, a tight-knit group of longtime Dodgers who had lost to the Yankees in the World Series in 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953. Finally, in 1955, the Dodgers beat the Yankees, and the entire borough of Brooklyn celebrated.
"After that game, players were in tears," Podres recalled.
