It’s the last year of the 1950s on MLB Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series to bring a new take on the Fall Classic from the Best Coast. And surprise! The New York Yankees were not in the World Series this time around, after winning 10 of the last 12 American League pennants. Oh, yeah—the time’s they were a-changin’ in the world of professional baseball in the United States of America. About time!

1959 World Series MVP: Larry Sherry, P, Los Angeles (original, confirmed)

The Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox—playing in their first World Series since 1919—in six games to claim their second Fall Classic of the decade, after many years of futility. Los Angeles pitcher Larry Sherry won the MVP vote by going 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA and two saves. He basically was integral to all four Dodgers victories, notching a team-high 12 2/3 innings in the process and posting a 0.789 WHIP. That’s impressive.

Even against the offensively challenged White Sox, Sherry earned this MVP nod. Is there anyone on the L.A. offensive side to consider, though? Second baseman Charlie Neal (1.037 OPS, 2 HRs, 6 RBI) and first baseman Gil Hodges (1.025 OPS, 1 HR, 2 RBI) definitely had outstanding Series at the plate. Neal’s output was better, of course, and he hit 2 huge home runs in Game 2, after L.A. lost Game 1 by an 11-0 score.

In fact, the Dodgers were shutout in both their losses, by a combined 12-0 score. L.A. won Game 2 by a 4-3 score, before winning Games 3 and 4 as well to take control of the Series. With Neal’s heroics at the plate and Sherry saving Game 2, the whole matchup switched direction. We see them both as being huge factors in the Dodgers’ championship. But Sherry saved Game 3 and won Game 4, so we will give him the edge.

1959 AL MOTY: Al López, Chicago

The White Sox won the pennant by 5 games over the Cleveland Indians, and Chicago Manager Al López posted a league-best plus-8 PPP mark. That’s the daily double, so he clinches this award … again! This is his fourth nod from us in a six-season span with two different teams, so this is an impressive stretch of success for López. You have to wonder why Cleveland let him go after he won almost 62 percent of his games there.

1959 NL MOTY: Walter Alston, Los Angeles

We have the daily double in the senior circuit, too: the Dodgers won the pennant by 2 games over the Milwaukee Braves and 4 games over the San Francisco Giants. L.A. Manager Walter Alston finished with a plus-6 PPP effort, while both his adversaries in Milwaukee and S.F. finished in the negative. He literally was the difference maker here in the pennant chase, and this is his fourth nod from us in this category as well.