Before Omaha

Before Omaha , it was played in Kalamazoo . Before there was an eight-team championship field, there was only two and before it became the College World Series, it was known simply as the NCAA Baseball Playoffs.  Yes, it was 61 years ago when Yale and California squared off for the first ever College World Series.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association had been reluctant to include national championship for any sport early in the 20 ^th century. In 1939, the NCAA finally decided to change their thinking and hold a national tourney for basketball. Six years later, baseball began having an annual East-West all-star game between the best players in college. However, legendary University of California coach Clint Evans wanted a championship much like the one being held for basketball. He convinced other coaches around the country to make a push for one as well and eventually, they proposed a plan to the NCAA.

The NCAA approved the playoff in May and outlined the operations for the first ever NCAA Baseball Playoffs, its name at the time. Four teams from the east and four from the west would square off in a regional playoff, with the winner of each bracket moving on to Finals. Yale would play host to the eastern playoff, which included itself, New York University, Clemson, and Illinois. The University of Denver would host the western showdown with Texas, Oklahoma, and California also challenging for a spot in the finals.

In New Haven, Yale and NYU both won their first game of the playoff, meaning the match up between the two schools the next day would decide which team would advance to the championship. Behind a supportive hometown crowd, the Bulldogs prevailed 6-4 over New York to earn a ticket to Kalamazoo. The western playoff had a little more excitement to it; you could say someone may have lit a fuse.

The first game was a thriller between heated rivals Oklahoma and Texas, with the Longhorns squeaking out a 10-9 victory. Then, future major league outfielder Jackie Jansen pitched an incredible game for California, as they defeated Denver 3-2. Then the weather made an appearance, and rain washed away the games on Saturday and it looked like it would on Sunday as well. With the ground very wet, the grounds crew decided to pour gasoline and topsoil on the diamond the help dry it up. However, when Coach Evans was helping spread gas in the outfield, someone lit the field by accident. Thankfully, the coach escaped without any injury and then would lead his team to an 8-7 walk-off victory over Texas to send his Golden Bears to the championship.

So off went Yale (19-8) and California (29-10) to Kalamazoo, Michigan to decide who would be crowned the king of college baseball. The Golden Bears were led by Jansen and slugger Jim Brown and while the Bulldogs boasted pitcher Frank Quinn and the future President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, who played infield Yale. The best-of-three series was being played in Kalamazoo because tournament chairman Judson A. Hyames was a graduate of Western Michigan College, located in the Michigan city. Also, the field was named after the chairman as Hyames served as a player, manager, and athletic director for the school since 1915.

The commissioner of Major League Baseball, Happy Chandler, was on hand to throw the opening pitch and the series got underway. Again, Mother Nature decided to throw rain at the teams and the downpour delayed the opening game 45 minutes. Once play resumed, California opened the scoring in the top of the first on a two-run triple off the bat of Brown that just missed leaving the ballpark. However, Yale scored three in their half of the inning to take the lead. The Bulldogs scored another run in the second to go up 4-2 before California pulled starting pitcher Nino Barnise and replaced him with reliever Dick Larner.

Larner and Yale starter Frank Quinn kept the game at 4-2 until the seventh, when the California offense began to come around. Yale began to boot the ball around in the field then back-to-back RBI singles by Bob O’Dell and Jensen tied the game a four. In the top of the eighth, after Jansen put two men on with two outs, Ed Sanclemente hit a two-run single to give California a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the eighth, Yale coach Ethan Allen lifted Quinn in favor for a pinch-hitter with men in scoring position. The pinch-hitter did not produce and the California offense took advantage of the new Bulldog hurler.

After the marathon top half of the ninth, the Golden Bears had put 11 more runs on the scoreboard to take a 17-4 lead. Larner pitched another scoreless inning to preserve the mammoth-sized victory. California was one victory away from becoming the first national champion in college baseball history.

June 28 ^th was a much different day than any other tournament day for the fact it was sunny. Yale had first at bat and jumped out to a 1-0 lead. However, California scored runs in each of the first four innings and jumped out ahead of Yale 7-3. But then their starting pitcher, Jensen – a 17 year old freshman, lost his composure and subsequently, his control. In the seventh, the Bulldogs capitalized on Jansen’s mistakes and tied the game up before he was relieved by Virgil Butler, a successful starter making his first appearance in relief of the season. Nonetheless, Butler successfully retired the remaining Bulldogs and the score was tied at seven apiece heading into the stretch.

In the bottom of the seventh, California again took the lead. John Ramos was standing at third base watching as Lyle Palmer drew a walk. On the next pitch, Palmer attempted to steal second, sliding into the bag as he watched the ball soar over his head into centerfield. Ramos practically walked home for the eighth Golden Bear run. It would turn out to be the game and series-winning run. On the final pitch of the game, Butler struck out the future 41 ^st President of the United States on a curveball. California had won the inaugural NCAA Baseball Playoffs.

Eight California players ended up signing professional contracts with major league clubs, none having more success than Jansen. He won the 1958 American League MVP with Boston and after his career, he returned to his alma mater to coach baseball for four seasons. Although his baseball career never advanced further than Yale, Bush did become the President, but the person who always knew it was his Yale baseball coach. Ethan Allan always used to tell him he was going to become president; coaches always know.

Yale would return to the World Series the next year in Winston-Salem and that would end up being the Ivy League school’s last appearance at the annual showdown. California has been back four more times, winning one other title in 1857.