1944 World Series

1944 Major League Baseball championship series April 2014 March 2026 World 1944 St. Louis Cardinals (4) Billy Southworth 105–49, 105 49, GA: 14 1 2 St. Louis Browns (2) Luke Sewell 89–65, 89 65, GA: 1 October 4–9 Sportsman's Park Mutual Don Dunphy and Bill Slater Ziggy Sears (NL), Bill McGowan (AL), Tom Dunn (NL), George Pipgras (AL) Umpire: Bill McGowanCardinals:Billy Southworth (manager)Enos SlaughterStan MusialBrowns: none The 1944 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1944 season. The 41st edition of the World Series, it was an all-St. Louis affair matching the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park. It marked the third time in World Series history in which both teams had the same home field (the others being the 1921 and 1922 Series, both played at the Polo Grounds in New York City). It would be 76 years before another World Series had all of its games played in a single ballpark: the 2020 Series used Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas as a neutral site due to health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.foxsports.com/articles/mlb/column-remembering-the-last-series-to-be-played-in-one-park Column: Remembering the last series to be played in one park 1944 saw perhaps the nadir of 20th-century baseball, as the long-moribund St. Louis Browns won their only American League pennant. Some of the players were 4-Fs, rejected by the military for physical defects (such as one armed Pete Gray) or limitations that precluded duty.Silver 2007 Others divided their time between factory work in defense industries and baseball, some being able to play ball only on weekends. Some players avoided the draft by chance, despite being physically able to serve. Stan Musial of the Cardinals was one. Musial, enlisting in early 1945, missed one season. He rejoined the Cardinals in 1946. As both teams called Sportsman's Park home, the traditional 2–3–2 home field assignment was used (instead of the wartime 3–4). The Junior World Series of that same year, partly hosted in Baltimore's converted football stadium, easily outdrew the "real" Series and attracted attention to Baltimore as a potential major league city. Ten years later, the Browns relocated there and became the Orioles. The Orioles would go on to win the 1966 World Series, becoming the last of the AL's eight charter franchises to do so. Another all-Missouri World Series was played 41 years later, with the Kansas City Royals defeating the Cardinals in seven games. The Series was also known as the "Trolley Series," "Streetcar Series," or the "St. Louis Showdown." Coincidentally, this World Series was played the same year Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the musical film Meet Me in St. Louis. It remains one of two World Series played that featured two teams from the same city other than New York; the other was the 1906 World Series between the two Chicago teams. The 1989 World Series featured two teams from the San Francisco metropolitan area, but not the same city. It was also the first World Series in which both teams played west of the Mississippi River. This is currently the earliest World Series in which one of the teams (St. Louis Browns), has had no personnel eventually elected to the Hall of Fame. To date, the St. Louis Cardinals of 1942, 1943, and 1944 are the most recent National League team to appear in the World Series in three consecutive seasons. This is the only World Series to date in which neither team was credited with a stolen base.https://redbirdrants.com/2022/11/11/st-louis-cardinals-stan-musials-navy/ St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial's time in the Navy Kyle Jasper redbirdrants.com FanSided November 11, 2022 October 29, 2023 This would also be the final World Series where Kenesaw Mountain Landis was the commissioner of baseball. Landis died six weeks later on November 25. This was the only time the Baltimore Orioles franchise made the World Series (and by extension the postseason) while based in St. Louis. The next time they did either was in 1966, by which time the franchise had relocated to Baltimore. Background Major_League_Baseball_rivalries#St._Louis_Browns_vs._St._Louis_Cardinals St. Louis baseball rivalry Many of the game's best players were called away for World War II, and the result was a seriously depleted pool of talent.For a discussion and evaluation of how much difference this depletion of talent made, see Silver 2007. The top team in the American League was the perennial-doormat Browns, who collectively hit .252 en route to their only pennant in 52 seasons in St. Louis. They only had one .300 hitter in outfielder Mike Kreevich (who barely made it at .301), one man — shortstop Vern Stephens — who hit 20 home runs and drove in more than 85 runs (Stephens led the AL with 109 RBI). On the mound, the Browns boasted Nels Potter and Jack Kramer, who combined for 36 victories. The team squeaked into first place by winning 11 out of their final 12 games, including the last 4 in a row over the defending champion New York Yankees. The last victory, combined with Detroit's loss to Washington, enabled St. Louis to finish one game ahead of the Tigers in the American League. Their 89–65 record would be the worst for an AL champion until the Minnesota Twins won the pennant in 1987 with a record of 85–77 (coincidentally, defeating Detroit to win the pennant). On the other side of Sportsman's Park, it was business as usual for the Cardinals. The team won 105 games en route to their third-straight National League pennant, finishing 14 1 2 games in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manager Billy Southworth's Cardinals ran their three-year victory total to 316. The Cardinals were the first National League franchise with three consecutive 100-win seasons. The 1944 team featured league MVP Marty Marion and future Hall of Famer Stan Musial. Summary NL St. Louis Cardinals (4) vs. AL St. Louis Browns (2) St. Louis Browns – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 1 October 4 Sportsman's Park 2:05 33,242 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10040SLN1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 1 – St. Louis Browns vs. St. Louis Cardinals September 13, 2009 Retrosheet St. Louis Browns – 2, St. Louis Cardinals – 3 (11) October 5 Sportsman's Park 2:32 35,076 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10050SLN1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 2 – St. Louis Browns vs. St. Louis Cardinals September 13, 2009 Retrosheet St. Louis Cardinals – 2, St. Louis Browns – 6 October 6 Sportsman's Park 2:19 34,737 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10060SLA1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 3 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. St. Louis Browns September 13, 2009 Retrosheet St. Louis Cardinals – 5, St. Louis Browns – 1 October 7 Sportsman's Park 2:22 35,455 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10070SLA1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 4 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. St. Louis Browns September 13, 2009 Retrosheet St. Louis Cardinals – 2, St. Louis Browns – 0 October 8 Sportsman's Park 2:04 36,568 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10080SLA1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 5 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. St. Louis Browns September 13, 2009 Retrosheet St. Louis Browns – 1, St. Louis Cardinals – 3 October 9 Sportsman's Park 2:06 31,630 http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B10090SLN1944.htm 1944 World Series Game 6 – St. Louis Browns vs. St. Louis Cardinals September 13, 2009 Retrosheet Matchups Game 1 thumb|upright|George McQuinn Wednesday, October 4, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 St. Louis (NL) SLC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 7 0 Denny Galehouse (1–0) Mort Cooper (0–1) George McQuinn (1) George McQuinn hit the Browns' only home run of the series to put his team ahead in the fourth inning, while Denny Galehouse outpitched World Series veteran Mort Cooper, who allowed only two hits, to hold on for the win. Game 2 thumb|upright|Blix Donnelly Thursday, October 5, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 7 4 St. Louis (NL) STL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 7 0 Blix Donnelly (1–0) Bob Muncrief (0–1) Blix Donnelly came in as a relief pitcher in the eighth inning, and tallied no runs, two hits and seven strikeouts for the win. Ken O'Dea's pinch-hit single in the 11th scored the winning run. Game 3 thumb|upright|Jack Kramer Friday, October 6, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (NL) STL 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 7 0 St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 X 6 8 2 Jack Kramer (1–0) Ted Wilks (0–1) Jack Kramer struck out ten batters on the way to a 6–2 Browns triumph, the last World Series game the team would win until the 1966 World Series, as the Baltimore Orioles. Game 4 thumb|upright|Stan Musial Saturday, October 7, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (NL) SLC 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 12 0 St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 1 Harry Brecheen (1–0) Sig Jakucki (0–1) Stan Musial (1) Browns starter Sig Jakucki had been away from baseball for five years, but returned to win 13 games in 1944. He lasted only three innings giving up four runs. Stan Musial hit a two-run homer in the first, and the Browns never recovered. Harry Brecheen went the distance for the win despite giving up nine hits and four walks. Game 5 thumb|upright|Ray Sanders Sunday, October 8, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (NL) SLC 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 6 1 St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 Mort Cooper (1–1) Denny Galehouse (1–1) Ray Sanders (1), Danny Litwhiler (1) Mort Cooper recovered from his opening game loss to beat Galehouse with a seven-hit, 2–0 shutout. In the Cardinals' 1942–1944 stranglehold on the National League championship, Cooper had won 65 games and thrown 23 shutouts. Ray Sanders and Danny Litwhiler scored the game's two only runs by hitting one solo home run each, in the sixth and the eighth inning. Game 6 thumb|upright|Ted Wilks Monday, October 9, 1944 2:00pm (CT) Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis (AL) SLB 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 St. Louis (NL) STL 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 X 3 10 0 Max Lanier (1–0) Nels Potter (0–1) Ted Wilks (1) For Game 6, it was Max Lanier and Ted Wilks (who both had 17 wins and shared a 2.65 ERA) that wrote the final chapter to the Browns' "Cinderella season" with a 3–1 victory that wrapped up the Cardinals' second Series title in three years. Ted Wilks was brilliant in relief, retiring all 11 Browns he faced, clinching the Cardinals' fifth World Series title. Composite line score 1944 World Series (4–2): St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) over St. Louis Browns (A.L.) St. Louis Cardinals 3 0 3 4 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 16 49 1 St. Louis Browns 0 1 4 2 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 12 36 10 206,708 34,451 $4,626 $2,744http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wsshares.shtml World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares June 14, 2009 Baseball Almanac Notes See also 1944 Negro World Series St. Louis baseball rivalry References 1944 196–200 2152 December 9, 2007 Nate Silver Silver Nate 2007 1944 American League: The Home Front Steven Goldman (sportswriter) Steven Goldman It Ain't over 'til It's over: The Baseball Prospectus Pennant Race Book New York Basic Books 326–362 978-0-465-00284-9 Silver07 registration https://archive.org/details/itaintovertilits0000unse External links 1944 Category:World Series World Series Category:St. Louis Cardinals postseason Category:St. Louis Browns World Series, 1944 World Series World Series Category:Baseball competitions in St. Louis