The Cooper brothers were battery mates from three straight Fall Classics from 1942 to 1944. The St. Louis Cardinals used the brother act to success in the early to mid 40s in baseball. Pitcher to catcher!
Facing the Yankees in the 1942 World Series, it was Mort pitching to Walker catching. Mort lost the game 7-4 to New York, despite a hit and run scored from Walker.
The Cardinals, however, used a two RBI from Mort and another from Walker, to win game four, 9-6. And then they took the next game, as well. Mort's loss in game one was the only setback St. Louis endured as they handed New York a five game Fall Classic defeat! Walker finished the Fall Classic with a batting average of .286. But he was just getting started.
New York took their revenge the next year, however. Despite two fine performances from Mort, it took New York just five game themselves to wrap this thing up. It was too bad, as Walker also had a fine Fall Classic. Collecting five hits (One less than Yankee Billy Johnson's Series-leading six), and hitting .294, he made it a fine effort overall. Behind the dish, he helped call the right pitches to more than just his brother. St. Louis posted a 2.51 ERA as a team in that Fall Classic. But it was not enough.
Facing their cross-town rivals the Brown in 1944, Mort took and unreal loss in game one. Giving up just two hits over seven innings, and then watching as reliever Blix Donnelly pitch a perfect eighth inning, the Cardinals should have been home free. Alas, one of those hits was a two-run home run by George McQuinn. The Cardinals had seven hits themselves, but did not score until the bottom of the ninth. It was just a single tally, however, and the St. Louis Browns had pulled off a surprise in game one.
Walker did not get a hit in game one, and got only one in game two. The good news was it was the Cardinals drawing even in the Fall Classic of 1944 with an extra-inning win. A loss in game three put 'em back in a hole. Still, Walker had two hits and an RBI. The Cardinals then took control and never let go.
Another two hits and RBI helped the Cardinals draw even in game four. And then, it was time for some of his brother's magic!
Mort went out in a crucial game five and blanked the Browns, 2-0. And hey, would you forgive Walker from going 0-4? I guess as long as the job gets done in game six. Walker and his 'mates had 'em by the horns right now and were looking for the put away!
The Browns scored the first run of game six on an McQuinn single in the top of the second. The Cardinals came back in the bottom of the fourth. Cooper started it all with a walk with one down. A single moved him to second. An error scored Walker! The Cardinals continued to come at 'em, too! Marty Marion popped up for the second out of the frame, but two more singles scored two more runs! 3-1, Cardinals. Cooper had some more to do!
He added a single in the bottom of the next frame, but ended up stranded at second. In the bottom of the seventh, he singled again. But he did not score. The Cardinals seemed destined to extend their lead the next inning, as they put two runners on with just one out. However, the runners both died there!
But, the Browns went down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and the Cardinals won the game 3-1, and the Fall Classic, four games to two.
Walker ended up hitting .316 and Mort posted an ERA of 1.13 despite the game one loss. The Browns were not in the Cards' class, but it had been a close World Series. If not for the Coopers, this thing could have gone to seven games, and you never know then, do you?
The Cooper brothers kept the Cardinals in almost every game St. Louis played in the Fall Classic with their hitting, pitching and defence. It's rare to have that "All In The Family". But around the Fall Classic time, it always helps. And if you can get it on your team from one family, more power to you!
Sugar, Bert Randolph, editor. "Relatives." The Baseball Maniac's Almanac. 3rd ed., Sports Publishing, 2012. Print. pp. 181.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.
Facing the Yankees in the 1942 World Series, it was Mort pitching to Walker catching. Mort lost the game 7-4 to New York, despite a hit and run scored from Walker.
The Cardinals, however, used a two RBI from Mort and another from Walker, to win game four, 9-6. And then they took the next game, as well. Mort's loss in game one was the only setback St. Louis endured as they handed New York a five game Fall Classic defeat! Walker finished the Fall Classic with a batting average of .286. But he was just getting started.
New York took their revenge the next year, however. Despite two fine performances from Mort, it took New York just five game themselves to wrap this thing up. It was too bad, as Walker also had a fine Fall Classic. Collecting five hits (One less than Yankee Billy Johnson's Series-leading six), and hitting .294, he made it a fine effort overall. Behind the dish, he helped call the right pitches to more than just his brother. St. Louis posted a 2.51 ERA as a team in that Fall Classic. But it was not enough.
Facing their cross-town rivals the Brown in 1944, Mort took and unreal loss in game one. Giving up just two hits over seven innings, and then watching as reliever Blix Donnelly pitch a perfect eighth inning, the Cardinals should have been home free. Alas, one of those hits was a two-run home run by George McQuinn. The Cardinals had seven hits themselves, but did not score until the bottom of the ninth. It was just a single tally, however, and the St. Louis Browns had pulled off a surprise in game one.
Walker did not get a hit in game one, and got only one in game two. The good news was it was the Cardinals drawing even in the Fall Classic of 1944 with an extra-inning win. A loss in game three put 'em back in a hole. Still, Walker had two hits and an RBI. The Cardinals then took control and never let go.
Another two hits and RBI helped the Cardinals draw even in game four. And then, it was time for some of his brother's magic!
Mort went out in a crucial game five and blanked the Browns, 2-0. And hey, would you forgive Walker from going 0-4? I guess as long as the job gets done in game six. Walker and his 'mates had 'em by the horns right now and were looking for the put away!
The Browns scored the first run of game six on an McQuinn single in the top of the second. The Cardinals came back in the bottom of the fourth. Cooper started it all with a walk with one down. A single moved him to second. An error scored Walker! The Cardinals continued to come at 'em, too! Marty Marion popped up for the second out of the frame, but two more singles scored two more runs! 3-1, Cardinals. Cooper had some more to do!
He added a single in the bottom of the next frame, but ended up stranded at second. In the bottom of the seventh, he singled again. But he did not score. The Cardinals seemed destined to extend their lead the next inning, as they put two runners on with just one out. However, the runners both died there!
But, the Browns went down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, and the Cardinals won the game 3-1, and the Fall Classic, four games to two.
Walker ended up hitting .316 and Mort posted an ERA of 1.13 despite the game one loss. The Browns were not in the Cards' class, but it had been a close World Series. If not for the Coopers, this thing could have gone to seven games, and you never know then, do you?
The Cooper brothers kept the Cardinals in almost every game St. Louis played in the Fall Classic with their hitting, pitching and defence. It's rare to have that "All In The Family". But around the Fall Classic time, it always helps. And if you can get it on your team from one family, more power to you!
References
Nemec,
David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of
Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications
International, 1993. Print.
Sugar, Bert Randolph, editor. "Relatives." The Baseball Maniac's Almanac. 3rd ed., Sports Publishing, 2012. Print. pp. 181.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.
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