National League Pennant 1956
Brooklyn's final pennant victory before the franchise relocated west.
The 1956 National League Pennant stands as the Brooklyn Dodgers' final hurrah in their historic home, a triumphant yet poignant chapter that bridged an era of dominance with the looming shadow of relocation. Under the steady hand of manager Walter Alston and led by legends like Jackie Robinson in his swan song, the team navigated a grueling race to secure their place in the World Series against their arch-rivals, the New York Yankees.
- Team
- Brooklyn Dodgers
- League
- National League
- Manager
- Walter Alston
- Regular Season Record
- 93-61
- MVP Award Winner
- Don Newcombe
- World Series Result
- Lost to Yankees (4-3)
Lore & Background
This season remains a bittersweet monument in Dodgers history, where on-field brilliance collided with the inevitable end of an era. Anchored by Don Newcombe's historic MVP and Cy Young double-crown and the dignified final campaign of Jackie Robinson, the squad carved out a National League title through sheer grit. Yet, their glory is forever framed by the haunting perfection of Game Five in Brooklyn, where Yankees pitcher Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in World Series history—a singular, heart-stopping moment that eclipsed the team's regular-season triumphs in collective memory.
Despite the October heartbreak, the 1956 squad solidified Ebbets Field as a fortress of National League dominance one last time. It was the final time the franchise would hoist the pennant trophy on the soil of Brooklyn; every victory that year carried the weight of a farewell to the borough's baseball soul before the move west reshaped the sport forever.
In Their Own Story
The air at Ebbets Field hung heavy with autumn chill and the scent of roasted peanuts, thick with an unspoken melancholy. Fans in wool caps watched the final out fall, sensing that history was being made even as the roster began to fracture. A father gripped his son's shoulder, whispering about Jackie Robinson's number 42, unaware that this celebration would soon curdle into a bittersweet memory of home before the coast called and the dream of Brooklyn baseball faded into memory.
Reader's Guide
The 1956 National League Pennant was clinched by the Brooklyn Dodgers following a hard-fought 93-61 regular season under manager Walter Alston.
This victory punched their ticket to the World Series, though they ultimately fell to the New York Yankees in a grueling seven-game saga. The pennant race remained razor-thin through September, demanding peak performance from every pitcher and position player to edge out the Milwaukee Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.
Significantly, this marked the franchise's final championship run while still based in Brooklyn before the 1958 relocation to Los Angeles. It featured Jackie Robinson's last full season and saw Don Newcombe etch his name in history as the first player ever to win both the MVP and Cy Young Award in the same year.
The subsequent World Series is forever defined by Game Five, where Yankees pitcher Don Larsen delivered a perfect game—one of only two in World Series history. While the Dodgers did not bring home the title, winning the pennant showcased the team's resilience during a turbulent era of franchise transition and shifting ownership dynamics.
Did You Know?
- This marked Jackie Robinson's final Major League season before retirement.
- Don Newcombe made history this year as the first player ever to win both the MVP and Cy Young Award in the same season.
- It was the last National League Pennant won by the Brooklyn Dodgers before the franchise relocated to Los Angeles.
- Game 5 of the 1956 World Series featured Don Larsen's perfect game, the only one ever thrown in a Fall Classic.