Rookie of the year — John R. Tunis / John Roberts Tunis

The Brooklyn Dodgers finally have a shot at the pennant—if they can stay together as a teamIt’s Spike Russell’s second year in the majors with his brother, Bob, and the Brooklyn Dodgers are in the pennant race, thanks in part to rookie pitcher Bones Hathaway. Spike is finding it difficult to balance playing shortstop and managing the players, but he knows he’s up for the challenge. But when the club secretary, Bill Hanson, starts criticizing Spike’s managerial skills and implying that the young manager is running the team into the ground, the crew Spike had such high hopes for begins to fall apart. Spike will have to prove himself to his teammates to regain their trust and lead them to victory.