World Series: Did You Know?

Stan "The Man" Musial hit only one home run in the Fall Classic. The Man had a little growing up to do in his early years in baseball, but he got plenty of World Series experience.

Stan had been called up late in the 1941 season. While he batted .426 over the course of his twelve games, he couldn't get his St. Louis Cardinals past the Brooklyn Dodgers. The next year, it was different. Stan hit .357 to lead the National League, and the Cards were in the Fall Classic against the New York Yankees. Joe DiMaggio hit .333 to Stan's .222, but it was St. Louis with the win in just five games.

The next year, same two teams, but a different result. The Cardinals won 105 games and Stan hit a respectable .278 in the October Showdown, but it was the Yankees needing just five games themselves to win.

The Cardinals were favoured again the very next year, and it was the cross-town Browns who faced them. This was an all Sportsman's Park affair. But after three games, it looked like the Browns might pull off an upset. They led two games to one and were the "home" team in game four.

The Cards needed a boost and quick. And they got it! Stan was the man to do it. In the top of the first with one out, Johnny Hopp singled. Stan Musial came to the dish, and got a pitch he liked. Stan put the Cardinals out in front 2-0 with the four-bagger. He singled and scored in the top of the third, added a double and a walk later, and propelled the Cards to a 5-1 lead. The stunned Browns never got back on track in the Series.

The Cardinals won it all in six games, and Stan had one World Series left in him. The 1946 Fall Classic was hailed as a showdown between Stan and Ted Williams, but Stan hit what he had in 1942, .222, with no home runs. Williams hit only .200, and also failed to go deep. The Cardinals won in seven games.

It wasn't long after that Stan began to hit the long ball with regularity. In 1948 he hit a career-high 39. Five more times he was to pass the thirty home run plateau. Stan had taken his game to a new level, but try as he might, he couldn't get St. Louis back to the World Series. The 1946 Fall Classic proved to be his last, and Ted Williams only.

And, in one of the game's great irony's, Stan's team returned to the World Series in 1964, just one season after he retired with the second most hits behind Ty Cobb. Pete Rose passed Stan and Ty for that eventually, but Musial ranks near the top of many offensive categories. Stan Musial finished with 475 home runs. Just two days ago, David Ortiz hit # 476 to pass Stan for 29th on the all-time list.

But The Man and all his milestones can't be overshadowed by just one World Series home run.

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1943 Fall Classic began the tradition of highlight films presented. It was implemented as a way of showing the troops overseas the action that some of them had missed. Like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. A great way to boast moral!

So in '43, it was the Cards and Yankees in a rematch of the previous year's showdown. Stan Musial was there for St. Louis. New York wanted some revenge, and I'm sure if Joe DiMaggio got to see this he was thrilled. Nothing like seeing your buddies get revenge, eh?

The highlights started with Spud Chandler pitching to Lou Klein. Top of the first at Yankee Stadium. Klein got under one and sent it to Johnny Lindell in centre. Joe DiMaggio's position! The Yankees went on to win this game 4-2. It was not too exciting an affair, but at least it's there, on film. Preserved forever!

The 1943 World Series lasted just five games. The Yankees, led by Chandler's five straight strikeouts in the fifth game, took care of St. Louis. But, it was a very close Fall Classic. The only game not decided by one or two runs was New York's 6-2 win in game three. And the last two games, won by New York of course, were 2-1 and 2-0 pitcher's duels.

Neither team was playing with a full deck, and major league baseball would not be back to that until the 1946 season, when DiMaggio and Williams returned. Within two seasons, each would play in the Fall Classic.

The end of World War II did not see the end of these highlight reels, however. They would be shown in theatres, and in schools, and help make the World Series the big event that it is today. The 1943 film lasted just over twenty-two minutes, and was by no means a masterpiece. Although, they inserted a nice inspirational message from Babe Ruth himself to our brave folk fighting the good fight! But they soon found ways to make the World Series films more interesting. The films themselves would be narrated by such legends as Vince Scully, Bob Prince and Mel Allen. Highlights of All-Star games found their way in there. By 1958, it was in colour. 1982 saw them ditch the film, and go with television highlights. And, long before the day in age (ala DVD's) of different angles, the makers of these wonderful videos used alternative views. In the day and age before the satellite television, you could finally get a chance to see your favourite player on the grand stage. And you'd get some nice interviews, along the way! As baseball expanded the playoff formats to American and National League Series, they too, eventually made their way into these highlight packages!

The Fall Classic provides a distraction from the grim realities of some of our darkest times:

Think, 1989, San Francisco and Oakland, The Quake. Even though it was a sweep, it was something to watch and try to forget about all the devastation and deaths caused before the day of game three. A game that, of course, had to be delayed!



Think 2001, New York and Arizona, and the World Trade Center attacks.



The same was true during the second World War. Some of the players had to leave, but baseball wasn't about to go with them. The Show had to go on, as they say. And with the highlight reels finding their way overseas, baseball became prevalent during that tough time. Proof, once again, of baseball's enduring legacy of The National Pastime! Would you rather watch this, or see Babe Ruth again?

References

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

Fonseca, Lew, director. The World Series. Major League Baseball Productions, 1943. DVD.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. 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. 15 Mar. 2015.

World Series: Did You Know?

Sandy Koufax was not the first pitcher to fan five straight batters. Mort Cooper did it first in the 1943 World Series. 20 years before Sandy was dandy against the Yankees, Cooper was super against the Yankees.

Cooper took the hill in game five of the 1943 Fall Classic. He was trying to keep his St. Louis Cardinals in the hunt. But at this point, they were down three games to one. The Cards were at home. Would they get a return to New York? Cooper got them off on the right foot.

He started the top of the first with a strikeout of Frank Crosetti. Then get got Bud Metheny to go down swinging. When Billy Johnson ended the inning with a swing and miss, Cooper had three straight K's to start this off. Dandy!

Charlie Keller took a called third strike to start the top of the second for New York. When Bill Dickey fanned, Cooper had five straight K's to start the game. But, alas, unlike Koufax, Cooper could not keep it up.

He fanned Spud Chandler in the top of the third. That was the second out. But the next two batters got singles and Cooper had to get out of the jam. He did, but his mound opponent (Who, ironically enough, has the second highest winning percentage at .717. When Koufax tied Cooper for most consecutive K's in 1963, he did it against Whitey Ford, who is third all-time in W% @ .690!) was not about to let the Cardinals win.

Spud went all nine, gave up ten hits, but stranded them a-plenty. And amazingly enough, he ended the game with as many strikeouts as Cooper and his relief corps.

Cooper did not K another batter after fanning Chandler. He actually pitched one great game, giving up just five hits and two runs over seven innings. Alas, when it was all said and done, it was Chandler with a 2-0 win. New York had the 1943 World Series, four games to one.

The Yankees just seem to be like that. Winning means overcoming obstacles. Cooper pitched well against New York. Not only in the 1943 Fall Classic, but in the 1942 affair, as well. His mound opponent, Chandler, was sort of like the Whitey Ford of his time. Great winning percentage, good in the Fall Classic (1.62 ERA over 33 1/3 innings pitched), and even better in the clutch. Cooper didn't dominate like Koufax, but had a great winning percentage of his own, .631. Both he and Chandler had short careers, and it's easy to forget. But the way Cooper pitched in the Fall Classic, he made short work of the opposition, or at least made it look like he was about to!


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.

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.

“The Official Site Of Major League Baseball.” MLB.com, Major League Baseball. Web. 7 Jan. 2015 www.mlb.com/.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 7 Jan. 2015.

World Series: Did You Know?

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!

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.