Bob Turley went 21-7 with a .750 winning percentage in the 1958 regular season, won the Cy Young Award by a single vote over Warren Spahn, finished second in AL MVP voting behind Jackie Jensen, and then -- as if all that weren't enough -- delivered three consecutive World Series performances that rescued the Yankees' championship. A shutout, a save, and a relief win, back to back to back, with the season on the line each time. The Cy Young was the headline. What Turley did in October was the story.
The Transformation
Turley hadn't always been this guy. The Yankees acquired him before the 1955 season, believing his arm was better than his results. They were patient through stretches of inconsistency, watching the right-hander figure out how to match his raw stuff with command. By 1958, the investment paid off in full.
He anchored the rotation alongside , who led the AL with a 2.01 ERA. Ford was the artist -- precise, economical, impossible to hit cleanly. Turley was the power arm, the guy who could reach back for something extra when the game demanded it. Together they gave Casey Stengel two aces at the top, which is all any manager needs if the rest of the staff can hold its weight.
The Regular Season
Twenty-one wins against seven losses. A .750 winning percentage that led the American League. Turley wasn't just winning games -- he was winning them in a rotation that didn't need him to carry it alone, which meant his numbers reflected genuine dominance rather than volume. Ford, Art Ditmar, and the rest handled their share. Turley was the finishing touch that made the pitching staff elite.
The Cy Young Award was still young in 1958 -- first given in 1956, and at that point honoring a single pitcher across both leagues (not one per league, as it would later become). Turley beat Spahn by one vote, which tells you how close the race was. Spahn went 22-11 for the Braves that year -- more wins, but a lower winning percentage. The voters gave the edge to Turley, and October proved them right.
| Record | 21-7 (.750 W%) |
| Cy Young Award | Won by 1 vote over Warren Spahn |
| AL MVP | 2nd place (behind Jackie Jensen) |
| World Series MVP | 2 W, 1 SV |
| WS Game 5 | Complete-game shutout (elimination game) |
| WS Game 6 | 10th-inning save |
| WS Game 7 | 6.2 IP, 2 H relief (championship win) |
October: Three Games, Three Roles, One Championship
The World Series is where Turley's 1958 became something beyond a great season. The Braves had taken a 3-1 series lead, and the Yankees were staring at elimination for the second time in two years against Milwaukee.
Game 5 (October 6): Turley threw a complete-game shutout. Elimination game, everything on the line, and he gave the Braves nothing. The Yankees survived.
Game 6 (October 8): Two days after the shutout, Turley came out of the bullpen in a 4-3 game and recorded the save in the 10th inning. Two days' rest. Didn't matter.
Game 7 (October 9): Don Larsen -- the -- started but couldn't get through the third. Turley replaced him and threw 6.2 innings of two-hit relief while the offense rallied around him. 's eighth-inning double and Moose Skowron's three-run homer off Lew Burdette turned a 2-2 game into a 6-2 championship clincher. Turley earned the win.
Three games. Three roles. One man holding the whole thing together.
A lousy pitch. It was a slider -- the same thing he looked bad on before -- but this one I got in too high.
The Legacy of a Single Season
Turley won the World Series MVP, which was the right call and probably the easiest selection the voters ever made. His three-game stretch belongs in the same conversation as any individual postseason pitching performance in history -- Madison Bumgarner in 2014, Curt Schilling in 2001, and Turley in 1958. Different eras, same refusal to lose.
The Cy Young Award, the near-MVP, the World Series MVP -- Turley packed an entire career's worth of accolades into one season. He never reached those heights again (injuries caught up with him in subsequent years), which only makes the 1958 campaign more striking. Some seasons are so complete that they define a player entirely, and Turley's is one of them.
Season Opens
Turley enters the 1958 season as the Yankees' power arm alongside Whitey Ford. The two form one of the best 1-2 combinations in the American League.
Pennant Clinched
The Yankees clinch their fourth consecutive AL pennant. Turley's 21-7 record anchors the pitching staff's dominance.
Game 5 Shutout
Turley throws a complete-game shutout in an elimination game, keeping the Yankees alive against the Braves with the series at 3-1.
Game 6 Save
Two days after the shutout, Turley records a save in the 10th inning of a 4-3 Game 6 victory, forcing a deciding Game 7.
Game 7 Relief Win
Turley replaces Don Larsen in the third inning and throws 6.2 innings of two-hit relief to earn the Game 7 win. Yankees clinch their 18th championship.
Cy Young and WS MVP
Turley wins the Cy Young Award by one vote over Warren Spahn and is named World Series MVP. He finishes second in AL MVP voting behind Jackie Jensen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Bob Turley win the Cy Young Award in 1958?
Yes. Turley won the 1958 Cy Young Award with a 21-7 record and .750 winning percentage, beating Warren Spahn by a single vote. At the time, the Cy Young was a single award covering both leagues, meaning Turley was honored as the best pitcher in all of baseball.
What did Bob Turley do in the 1958 World Series?
Turley delivered three consecutive critical performances: a complete-game shutout in Game 5 (an elimination game), a 10th-inning save in Game 6, and 6.2 innings of two-hit relief to win Game 7. He earned the World Series MVP for carrying the Yankees through a 3-1 series comeback against the Milwaukee Braves.
How did Bob Turley compare to Whitey Ford in 1958?
Turley and Ford formed one of the best pitching tandems in the American League. Ford led the AL with a 2.01 ERA and went 14-7, while Turley led in winning percentage (.750) with his 21-7 record. Turley won the Cy Young and World Series MVP; Ford was the steadier presence across the full season.