World Series: Did You Know?

Stan Musial and Ted Williams met in only one Fall Classic, 1946. It wasn't a good series for either. Ted hit .200 and Stan hit .222. The Kid and The Man would never return to the World Series. As it turned out, it was Ted Williams only Fall Classic.

Ted had two problems in 1946. He was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game that was played just before the Fall Classic. Boston had clinched and were playing a game against a team composed of the American League All-Stars. Plus, it was during that season that the Cleveland Indians and other teams started using a shift against him while batting. Against the Indians (Who'd actually used a similar shift again Ted in 1941), Ted had to get through four infielders on the right side of second base! Ted loved pulling the ball to right. But with four infielders, he'd have to give it a ride to get it out of there.

Stan had his problems, too, leading into this. His St. Louis Cardinals had ended the season in a tie with Brooklyn (Jackie Robinson was still a year away from joining them). They had to win a two-of-three playoff to get to Boston. But it was a harbinger of things to come for St. Louis. Boston knew that the New York Yankees would be back the next season. The Cardinals could not have guessed that Brooklyn was about to become a dynasty. While the Dodgers had won the pennant in 1941, it was the Cardinals with pennants in 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1946. Surely, they'd keep it going, right?

Boston won game one of the 1946 World Series. That was quite an accomplishment, as you will see. Right there in St. Louis, with the Cards ready to pounce on them. It was a gem of a game. They were one strike away from losing when the tying run scored (Hmmmm, one strike away, Boston...1986?) and then won it in the top of the tenth inning. Rudy York hit the home run to put Boston up for good. 3-2, Boston, final. The Cardinals, despite the loss, used a variation of the shift that Cleveland used in this game, and the remaining six. They put three infielders on the right side. Whitey Kurowski, the third basemen, was playing on the right side of second to stop Ted. There was also centrefielder Terry Moore, playing Ted to pull. Enos Slaughter stayed at his normal spot in right. There was an opening in centre. But Ted, was gunning for the hits to right!

Ted Williams got just one hit and then had more problems in game two. It was Harry "The Cat" Brecheen stopped Ted Williams and the rest of the Red Sox cold with a 3-0 shutout. The whole Boston team managed just four hits, while St. Louis had just six themselves. Williams had none. Stan Musial did not get a hit, but did get an RBI. He'd also gotten one in game one, so he was up on Williams in RBIs, 2-0. But the World Series itself was tied, 1-1.

But in Boston for game three, it was Dave Ferriss with a gem of a game. And a shutout of his own. Boston won, 4-0. Ted got a bunt hit, which was rare for him. He also walked and St. Louis made sure not to use the shift the at-bat after he bunted.



Alas, Ted fanned (Which was rare) as Kurowski stayed at his third base position. Still, St. Louis was not taking him lightly. They walked him intentionally in the bottom of the first. Rudy York then hit a three-run home run to foil that strategy.

Stan helped St. Louis knot this thing at two games in game four. He got only one hit, but added two more RBIs. His teammates were hitting the ball better than he was. They scored twelve runs to the Red Sox three. Musial did add a walk. Ted had a hit and a run scored.

Boston didn't seem to take that loss too badly. The came right back with a 6-3 win. So their offence was going strong. Ted got his first RBI. The bad part was he went just 1-5 and fanned twice. Stan did not collect and RBIs. He got just one hit and scored a run.

So it was, "Meet Me In St. Louis, Louie" in game six. But it was the Cards who squared things at three with a 4-1 win. The Cat pitched another great game. Harry Brecheen went the distance and held Williams to a hit and a walk, which actually wasn't bad for Ted. But, no RBIs for Ted, who was stuck on one for the entire Fall Classic. The Red Sox managed seven hits, but only two walks. St. Louis got only eight themselves. Musial got one hit and scored a run. But again, no RBIs.

In game seven, Ted hit the ball well not once but twice. In the top of the first, he got a hold of one and sent Terry Moore back for the catch. Boston was up 1-0 at the time. St. Louis rallied to take the lead. Stan Musial, meanwhile, got a hit and a walk. That hit, was a double in the bottom of the first. But, here we go again, no RBIs for this game. Williams sent Moore back in the top of the fourth, but again, Terry was there. Then he flied out to right in the top of the sixth. Musial came up with two on in the bottom of the fifth, but could only ground out. Then, he was the last out of the bottom of the seventh.

Boston, trailing 3-1, tied the game on a Dom DiMaggio double in the top of the eighth. But DiMaggio twisted his ankle rounding first, and had to leave the game. Ted followed with a pop fly to end the inning.

St. Louis got a single by Slaughter to start the bottom of the frame. Alas, the next two men were retired and Old Country was still stationed at first. Harry Walker hit a short double to left. Slaughter ran through a stop sign at third (He was told not to run home, but is Enos going to listen? Here's a guy who Casey Stengel later said, "Never stopped hustling) and beat the throw home. That ended up as the winning run of game seven. Boston put two men on in the top of the ninth before the last out was made.

Tough one for Ted and Stan. They were the two best players of the 1940s. Ted Williams is the greatest hitter to ever live. Stan isn't too far behind him. So how come they failed here? It just seems to happen. To two of the greatest? The Fall Classic isn't always predictable, you see. The 1946 World Series had good pitching that left two of the greatest in the ditch. Who would have thought we'd never see these two again here? Lost in all those Dodgers / Yankees World Series of the 40s, 50s and 60s were Williams and Musial. What fans in Boston and St. Louis would have given for another chance for both! Baseball is a sport played by men and kids alike, but "The Man" and "The Kid" would never played in the Fall Classic again, alas!




References


Baseball: A Film By Ken Burns. Prod. Ken Burns. PBS. 1994. Television. DVD.

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005. Print.

Golenbock, Peter. Red Sox Nation: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books, 2005. Print.

Johnson, Dick, and Glenn Stout. Ted Williams. Walker And Company, 1991. Print.

Linn, Edward. Hitter: The Life And Turmoils Of Ted Williams. Harcourt Brace, 1994. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David, and Scott Flatow. Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts. Toronto: Signet (Penguin Group), 2010. Print.

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.

Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

World Series 1946: St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox. Major League Baseball Productions, 1946. DVD.