Nickname for the outstanding
Brooklyn Dodgers team of the late
1940s and early
1950s that perennially dueled with the
New York Yankees in the
World Series. In the ten years from
1947 to
1956 the Boys of Summer went to the Series six times (47,
49,
52,
53,
55, and 56), losing to the Yankees every year except for 1955. Because they kept coming so close to winning the Series, only to have the hated Yankees find some way to win, the rallying cry of the Dodgers' fans famously became "wait 'til next year," until "next year" finally arrived in 1955. The "Boys of Summer" dynasty over the
National League came to an end in
1957 when
Jackie Robinson retired. The next year, the Dodgers moved west to
Los Angeles, breaking the hearts of
Brooklynites.
The core members of the "Boys of Summer" were:
C Roy Campanella
1B Gil Hodges
2B Jackie Robinson
3B Jim Gilliam
SS Pee Wee Reese
Outfielders Duke Snider and Carl Furillo
and
pitchers Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, and Clem Labine