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Formed in 1890, the Brooklyn baseball franchise boasted one of the game’s greatest fan bases. Known for their knowledge, passion, and loyalty to the team, Brooklynites supported their club through thick and thin.

The front office built competitive squads near the end of the Deadball Era, reaching the World Series in 1916 and 1920. They lost both times and had to wait more than two decades for their next postseason appearance.

In 1941 the top three finishers in MVP voting, Dolph Camilli, Pete Reiser, and Whit Wyatt helped the Dodgers capture the pennant. In the World Series they faced off against the mighty New York Yankees. Though Joe McCarthy’s team brushed aside Brooklyn in five games, a rivalry was born.

From 1941 to 1953 the two teams met in the Fall Classic five times. Each time the Yankees bested their crosstown foes. A familiar refrain echoed throughout Brooklyn, “Wait ’till next year.”

The Dodgers began 1955 by winning their first 10 games and 22 of the first 24. On June 11th their lead stretched to 10 1/2 games. The distance between the Dodgers and their challengers never again reached single digits. Brooklyn was simply dominant, leading the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed. They finished with the best record in baseball.

In the World Series it was once again the Yankees that stood in the way.

When Brooklyn dropped the first two games, another Yankee triumph seemed inevitable. Desperate for a win, Dodger skipper Walt Alston gave the ball to Johnny Podres in Game 3 . Pitching on his 23rd birthday, the southpaw went the distance and got the victory to get the Dodgers back in the hunt.

Brooklyn won the next two contests to put the Dodgers one win away from their first championship celebration. New York battled back to win Game 6 and force a deciding 7th game at Yankee Stadium. Winners of 16 of the previous 32 Fall Classics, the Bronx Bombers were confident.

With the season on the line, Alston once again turned to Podres. The young lefty responded with the game of his life, whitewashing the Yankees with a complete-game shutout.

Next year finally arrived. The Dodgers were at last the champions of baseball.

Podres was voted the Series Most Valuable Player, etching his name into the hearts of Brooklyn fans forever.

In the collection is this postcard from 1953, the left-hander’s first big league season. It is signed by Johnny Podres, the man who shutout the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series.

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Through their postmarks, government postcards provide context and provenance, aiding in the quest to prove authenticity.

Notice the postmark on the back side of the Johnny Podres autograph. It’s from Brooklyn and dated July 18, 1953 – Podres’ rookie season. Two months shy of his 21st birthday when he signed this, the southpaw wasn’t even old enough to drink.

The Dodgers had an off day on the 18th after finishing a four game series against the Cardinals at Ebbets Field. The last game against St. Louis on the 17th, Podres recorded his first career shutout in his 20th career appearance. He blanked a powerful St. Louis lineup that included Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Red Schoendienst.

Podres appeared in 33 games in ’53, made 18 starts and finished with a 9-4 record with three complete games and the lone shutout against St. Lou.

In ’54 and ’55 he won a combined 20 games. The World Series MVP in ’55, Podres tossed two complete games, including a Game 7 shutout.

Podres missed the entire ’56 season due to military service. When he returned in ’57 the lefty led the NL in ERA, shutouts, and WHIP. He finished his time in Brooklyn with a 41-30 record, with 24 complete games, and 11 shutouts. His best years came after heading west to Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

Though Podres’ signatures are plentiful, examples such as this from his first big league season are difficult to find.

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Though Johnny Podres is best remembered as the World Series MVP in Brooklyn’s only championship season, his best years came in Los Angeles. The Dodgers moved to the west coast after Podres put up a then-career high 12 wins for Brooklyn in ’57.

In Los Angeles he blossomed. From 1958 until 1963 he won won 88 games and made four All Star teams. Podres put up win totals of 13, 14, 14, 18, 15, and 14 during the run. A reliably solid workhorse, Podres complimented the strong Dodger staffs featuring Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

Podres added three more rings in LA as the Dodgers won it all in ’59, ’63, and ’65. In 6 career World Series starts he went 4-1 with a sparkling 2.11 ERA.

In May of ’66 the Dodgers traded Podres to Detroit where he went 7-6 in two seasons before getting released. The left-hander tried to find a job in ’68 to no avail. He made a comeback in ’69 with the expansion San Diego Padres. In his final big league season he earned 5 wins.

For his career, Podres tallied 148 victories, 136 of them with the Dodgers. Heading into the 2022 season he still ranks 10th on the franchise win leaderboard. Podres retired with a .561 regular-season winning percentage, 24 shutouts, 77 complete games, and 1,435 strikeouts.

A baseball lifer, Podres enjoyed more than 20 years as a pitching coach for the Padres, Red Sox, Twins, and Phillies. He left the game for good in the mid-1990s.

The four-time champion and MVP of Brooklyn’s only World Series title died in 2008.

Shown here is a 1961 Topps baseball card. Titled “Dodger Southpaws”, it features both Podres and Koufax and is signed by the Dodger lefties. At at the time the card was released, Sandy’s career record stood at 36-40. Podres, the former World Series MVP was a two time All Star with a career 81-66 mark.