Jimmie Wilson is the oldest catcher to steal a base. He was pressed into services in 1940, throught a series of unfortunate events. And Wilson's contributions to the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series that year went far beyond his pilfer.
Cincinnati had been swept by the New York Yankees in the 1939 Fall Classic, and waited one year to seek redemption. But it was one tough 1940 for the Reds. History shows they won the pennant by twelve games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. And Cincy didn't just win the pennant. They won exactly 100 games.
But all was not going well for Cincinnati. They were heading into the World Series shorthanded. Their excellent backup, Willard Hershberger, committed suicide during the regular season. Hershberger had been the perfect backup to Ernie Lombardi. In just 48 games in 1940, Willard hit .309 with 26 RBIs.
So what about Ernie Lombardi? The regular catcher was one awesome masked man. Twice, in his career, he topped the league in batting average. Did Lombardi have some power? Twelve times Ernie reached double figures in home runs. Sure, he was slow on the basepaths, but then again, there was Lombardi's .306 lifetime batting average. Then there was his outstanding ability to call pitches. There's no way you're gonna tell me that Ernie didn't have anything to do with Johnny Vander Meer being the only man to hurl back-to-back no-hitters.
But Ernie would be of little help to Cincinnati in the 1940 October showdown. Fate intervened during an easy win over Brooklyn on September 15th (Firs game of a doubleheader. The Reds' catcher twisted his ankle.
So enter Jimmie Wilson. Cincinnati turned to him and rookie Bill Baker for the rest of the year, calling pitches. Wilson turned 40 in July. He'd once been a pretty good player, but had really more of a coach than a player. Prior to September of 1940, Jimmie had played a total of three games that season.
And now, Cincinnati needed him (Plus a rookie) more than ever to get them through the finish line. But Wilson struggled. He was hitting .315 after going a combined 2-5 in the twin bill on September 15th. After that, Jimmie hit just .143 the rest of the season. Bill Baker fared only marginally better from September 16th on. He hit .167 to finish the season.
But it's worth noting just what Jimmie Wilson would provide, above all, in this Fall Classic: Experience! He'd previously been on the losing side in 1928 and 1930 with the St. Louis Cardinals. But, as part of the Gashouse Gang in '31, the team overcame the Philadelphia Athletics to win it all.
So, it was Cincinnati vs. Detroit in the 1940 World Series. The only Fall Classic matched between the Reds and Tigers. It was a bit of a surprise, given how good the Cleveland Indians had been that year. But Detroit trotted out unheralded pitcher Floyd Giebell to beat Bob Feller on September 27th. That 2-0 win gave the Tigers their American League crown.
Any thoughts of a breezy Fall Classic for the Cincinnati Reds quickly went out the door. Not only did Jimmie not get a hit, but his pals had all sorts of trouble all afternoon. Sure, the Reds got eight hits. But only two runs were scored by the home team. The Tigers got ten hits themselves. And seven runs.
It seemed to be that kind of Fall Classic for a while. Though Cincinnati evened things up with a 5-3 win in the second contest, Detroit was trouble. They managed just three hits, but still found a way to keep the game close. Jimmie Wilson almost matched that total himself. He got two hits of his own.
But Wilson was nowhere to be found at Briggs Stadium for game three. The home team wanted this game, and got it. They scored another seven runs, and won again. Cincinnati went back to Jimmie Wilson behind the dish for game four, which they really needed. He only got one hit, but the Reds won this biggie, 5-2.
You'd think that there was no way the Tigers could score seven runs again. And you're right. They didn't score seven runs in game five. They scored eight. The Reds? They didn't score at all. Their catcher could only pop out to his counterpart on Detroit, Billy Sullivan. Jimmie Wilson also allowed a pass ball in the fourth frame. The Tigers scored four times in that inning alone.
So, through five games, the Cincinnati veteran catcher hadn't done much. And his team was one win away from losing the World Series. But starting in game six, all that changed.
Up 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Reds were looking for some insurance. Jimmie Wilson followed Jimmy Ripple's single with one of his own. When Eddie Joost walked, the home team had the makings of a big inning. Billy Myers hit a comebacker that pitcher Johnny Gorsica went home on to nail Jimmy Ripple. Another grounder actually scored our boy, with Detroit failing to get the man at the dish.
It was 3-0, and the bases were back to being filled. The promise of more offence was not realized as Billy Webber hit into a 1-2-3 double play. But Cincinnati added a fourth run later in the contest. Meanwhile, behind the plate, Jimmie Wilson helped pitcher Bucky Walters to a complete game shutout of Detroit, forcing a winner-take-all finale. Jimmie Wilson ended the game 1-3, but had been robbed in the third inning of an additional hit by right fielder Bruce Campbell.
And in that final game, it was Wilson who tried to get things going for the home team. In the bottom of the second, Jimmie singled with two away. Trying to make something more of it, he stole second. It was the only stolen base by either team in the World Series of 1940.
But Wilson was stranded at second, and Detroit ended up breaking the ice in the top of the third. The score was still 1-0 for the Tigers when Jimmie Wilson made it 2-2 at the plate. The catcher starter the last of the fifth with a single. But nothing came of it as Eddie Joost hit into a double play and Billy Myers flied out.
Destiny called the Reds in the bottom of the seventh. A pair of doubles tied it. Jimmie Wilson then bunted, moving the go-ahead run to third. Ernie Lombardi then came up to the plate to bat for Eddie Joost, but Detroit put him on to set up a double play. Wilson's bunt proved to be huge. Billy Myers flew out, but with Jimmy Ripple on third rather than second, it enabled the Cincinnati outfielder to score.
The lead held up, as Paul Derringer ended up beating Bobo Newson in an excellent pitcher's duel that saw both hurlers go the distance. But when the smoke had cleared, it was neither pitcher who had grabbed the spotlight. Instead, it was Derringer's batterymate. Belying his 40 years, Jimmie Wilson finished this impressive World Series with a batting average of .353. Another plus: The only two attempts to steal on Wilson failed! It also proved to be his swan song as a player, because the old catcher moved on to managerial duties the next season with the Chicago Cubs. But for now, one of the most unlikeliest of heroes on this world championship team could bask in the glory of rolling back the clock one final time.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005.
Nack, William. “The Razor's Edge.” Sports Illustrated, 6 May 1991, pp. 52–64.
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990, pp. 179–183.
Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008.
Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. Chronicle Books, 1995.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 07 Apr. 2022.
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