PTWSW #44: The 1947 New York Yankees

Manager: Bucky Harris
Record: 97-57
Ballpark: Yankee Stadium
Owners: Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb
GM: Larry MacPhail
Coaches: Red Corriden, Frankie Crosetti, Chuck Dressen, Johnny Schulte

Future Hall of Famers: Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto

All-Stars: Spud Chandler, Joe DiMaggio, Tommy Henrich, Billy Johnson, Charlie Keller, George McQuinn, Joe Page, Aaron Robinson, Spec Shea

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Joe DiMaggio, .315
OBP: George McQuinn, .395
SLG: Joe DiMaggio, .522
OPS: Joe DiMaggio, .913
2B: Tommy Henrich, 35
3B: Tommy Henrich, 13 (AL leader)
HR: Joe DiMaggio, 20
RBI: Tommy Henrich, 98
BB: Snuffy Stirnweiss, 89
SB: Phil Rizzuto, 11

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Allie Reynolds, 19
SO: Allie Reynolds, 129
ERA: Spec Shea, 3.07
IP: Allie Reynolds, 241.2
CG: Allie Reynolds, 17
SHO: Allie Reynolds, 4
K/BB: Allie Reynolds, 1.05
SV: Joe Page, 17 (AL leader)

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Bobo Newsom (b. August 11, 1907)

Youngest Player: Don Johnson (b. November 12, 1926)

First to Leave Us: Snuffy Stirnweiss (d. September 15, 1958). Stirnweiss tragically died in a Newark Bay commuter train accident at the age of 39.

Last Survivor: Seven are still alive as of the date of this post: Rugger Ardizoia, Yogi Berra, Bobby Brown, Allie Clark, Ralph Houk, Don Johnson and Dick Starr.

First in Majors: Bobo Newsom (debut September 11, 1929)

Last in Majors: Yogi Berra (final game May 9, 1965)

First to Play For the Franchise: Frankie Crosetti (April 12, 1932)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Yogi Berra (September 28, 1963)

Pre-union Team: The 1946 Indians had Sherm Lollar, Ray Mack, Allie Reynolds and Ted Sepkowski. The four players were acquired in three separate transactions.

Reunion Team: The 1950-51 Browns (Tommy Byrne (1951), Don Johnson, Sherm Lollar, Dick Starr and Snuffy Stirnweiss (1950)) and 1952 Senators (Randy Gumpert, Don Johnson, Bobo Newsom and Spec Shea) each had four.

Accomplishments

Joe DiMaggio, AL MVP

Season Summary

The previous two years had been a period of transition for the Yankee franchise. Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping and Del Webb purchased the team from the Jacob Ruppert estate in January 1945, and 1946 turned out to be a farewell tour for the old guard. Longtime manager Joe McCarthy resigned in May, iconic GM Ed Barrow severed his ties with the franchise in December, and veterans Bill Dickey, Joe Gordon, Johnny Murphy and Red Ruffing all played their final games in pinstripes that year. 1947 represented the beginning of a new era for the Yankees; it was the start of an 18-year run where they'd win an astounding 15 pennants and ten World Series.

As is Yankee tradition, the 1947 team had an incredible offense. Their 111 OPS+ was far and away the league's best mark, and they averaged half a run per game more than anyone else. They led the league in homers, batting average and slugging average. They trailed the AL in stolen bases, but their league-best 72 triples indicated that they had some good speed on their roster. They were a strong fielding team, with their fielding percentage and DER both trailing only the Indians. Their pitching staff both walked and struck out the most batters, but their K/BB ratio was good for second-best in the league. Overall, the Yanks allowed the fewest runs per game.

The Bronx Bombers got off to a decent enough start, but they found themselves behind the Tigers early on. On June 5, in a game against those same Tigers, the Yankees lost Charlie Keller, their leading home run hitter, to a spine injury. Fortunately, the Yankees had enough depth to overcome the loss. While he was no Keller, Johnny Lindell proved a capable substitute in left field for the rest of the season. On June 13 the Yankees were 27-23, only a game and a half out of first. They went an incredible 31-3 over the next month (capped by a 19-game winning streak) to put themselves 11.5 games ahead of the pack, and the rest of the season was a breeze.

The World Series featured a matchup that would occur six times over the next ten years: New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers. The showdown went an exciting seven games. Its most memorable moments were a no-hitter by Yankee hurler Bill Bevens broken up with two out in the ninth of Game 4, and an incredible catch by Dodger outfielder Al Gionfriddo which robbed Joe DiMaggio of a homer in Game 6. The Yankees got the go-ahead run in Game 7 on Tommy Henrich's fourth-inning single, and relief ace Joe Page allowed only one hit over the last five frames to ensure victory.

Immediately after the Yankees clinched the title, GM and part-owner Larry MacPhail announced he was retiring from the front office. At a championship party later, a drunken MacPhail started fistfighting with several guests, prompting Topping and Webb to buy out his shares that night. MacPhail's Hall of Fame baseball career was over, and the Yankees appointed another Hall of Famer as his successor: farm director George Weiss.

More Quizzes For You

Remember my Sporcle quizzes on the All Star third basemen? Well, I've just made two more! This time the All Star position is shortstop. Try your hand at both the National and the American, and feel free to let me know how you did!

PTWSW #43: The 1946 St. Louis Cardinals

Manager: Eddie Dyer
Record: 98-58
Ballpark: Sportsman's Park
Owner: Sam Breadon
GM: William Walsingham, Jr.
Coaches: Mike Gonzalez, Buzzy Wares

Future Hall of Famers: Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter

All-Stars: Whitey Kurowski, Marty Marion, Stan Musial, Howie Pollet, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Stan Musial, .365 (NL leader)
OBP: Stan Musial, .434
SLG: Stan Musial, .587 (NL leader)
OPS: Stan Musial, 1.021 (NL leader)
2B: Stan Musial, 50 (NL leader)
3B: Stan Musial, 20 (NL leader)
HR: Enos Slaughter, 18
RBI: Enos Slaughter, 130 (NL leader)
BB: Stan Musial, 73
SB: Red Schoendienst, Harry Walker, 12

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Howie Pollet, 21 (NL leader)
SO: Harry Brecheen, 117
ERA: Howie Pollet, 2.10 (NL leader)
IP: Howie Pollet, 266 (NL leader)
CG: Howie Pollet, 22
SHO: Harry Brecheen, 5 (NL leader)
K/BB: Harry Brecheen, 1.75
SV: Howie Pollet, 5

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Terry Moore (b. May 27, 1912)

Youngest Player: Joe Garagiola (b. February 12, 1926)

First to Leave Us: Al Brazle (d. October 24, 1973)

Last Survivor: Seven are still alive as of the date of this post: Bill Endicott, Joe Garagiola, Danny Litwhiler, Marty Marion, Stan Musial, Freddy Schmidt and Red Schoendienst.

First in Majors: Terry Moore (debut April 16, 1935)

Last in Majors: Stan Musial (final game September 29, 1963)

First to Play For the Franchise: Terry Moore (April 16, 1935)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Stan Musial (September 29, 1963)

Pre-union Team: The 1943 Blue Jays (Philadelphia, not Toronto) had Buster Adams and Danny Litwhiler, and the 1943-45 Braves had Red Barrett and Clyde Kluttz.

Reunion Team: The 1952 Pirates had six: Murry Dickson, Erv Dusak, Joe Garagiola, Red Munger, Howie Pollet and Ted Wilks. Branch Rickey was Pittsburgh GM by that time, and all six of those guys were signed by the Cards during his tenure in St. Louis. The 1947 Phillies are also notable with five (Buster Adams, Blix Donnelly, Freddy Schmidt, Emil Verban and Harry Walker).

Accomplishments

Stan Musial, NL MVP

Season Summary

In 1945 Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter wore military uniforms while the Cardinals finished in second place; in 1946 both were back in Cardinal uniforms and providing the majority of St. Louis' offense. Indeed, Whitey Kurowski was the only other Cardinal to post an OPS+ above 100 that year (unless you count Nippy Jones, who only made 14 plate appearances). The lowest of the three was Slaughter at 133, and the production that went with Musial's 183 OPS+ earned him his second MVP award. Despite a lack of lineup depth, the Cards led the NL in runs scored, doubles and batting average, and they were second in OPS+ and homers. Their pitching staff allowed the fewest runs per game and led the league in ERA+ and strikeout-to-walk ratio. They had depth to go with strength, as most of their key pitchers had an ERA+ above 100.

Most of the season was a two-way race between the Cardinals and Dodgers. The top two spots were occupied by those two teams almost from Day One. So close were the squads that they finished their schedules in a first-place tie, necessitating a best-of-three series to determine the pennant winner. The Cards proved their superiority by sweeping it in two games to earn the flag.

The experts didn't give the Cardinals much chance to beat the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The National League was seen as far inferior to the American at the time, and the Redbirds didn't have the look of an especially great club. As it turned out, the Series was a fairly even match. The Bosox and Cards alternated wins in the first six games, with only Game 4 being a blowout. Game 7 was a thriller that provided the Series' most memorable moment. With two out and the game tied in the bottom of the eighth, St. Louis had Enos Slaughter on first. When Harry Walker lined one into center Slaughter shocked everyone in the ballpark by running non-stop all the way around the bases to score the winning run. The play became known as "Slaughter's Mad Dash," and Harry Brecheen set down Boston in the ninth to win the game.

PTWSW #42: The 1945 Detroit Tigers

Manager: Steve O'Neill
Record: 88-65
Ballpark: Briggs Stadium
Owner: Walter O. Briggs
GM: Jack Zeller
Coaches: Art Mills

Future Hall of Famers: Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser

All-Stars: Hank Greenberg, Eddie Mayo, Hal Newhouser

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Eddie Mayo, .285
OBP: Roy Cullenbine, .398
SLG: Roy Cullenbine, .451
OPS: Roy Cullenbine, .849
2B: Roy Cullenbine, 27
3B: Doc Cramer, 8
HR: Roy Cullenbine, Rudy York, 18
RBI: Roy Cullenbine, 93
BB: Roy Cullenbine, 102
SB: Skeeter Webb, 8

(Note: Hank Greenberg would've led in each of the slash stats had he had enough at-bats to qualify.)

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Hal Newhouser, 25 (AL leader)
SO: Hal Newhouser, 212 (AL leader)
ERA: Hal Newhouser, 1.81 (AL leader)
IP: Hal Newhouser, 313.1 (AL leader)
CG: Hal Newhouser, 29 (AL leader)
SHO: Hal Newhouser, 8 (AL leader)
K/BB: Hal Newhouser, 1.93
SV: Stubby Overmire, 4

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Chuck Hostetler (b. September 22, 1903)

Youngest Player: Art Houtteman (b. August 7, 1927)

First to Leave Us: George Caster (d. December 18, 1955)

Last Survivor: Six remain as of the date of this post: Red Borom, Ed Mierkowicz, Les Mueller, Billy Pierce, Virgil Trucks and Milt Welch.

First in Majors: Doc Cramer (debut September 18, 1929)

Last in Majors: Billy Pierce (final game October 3, 1964)

First to Play For the Franchise: Tommy Bridges (August 13, 1930)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Virgil Trucks (September 9, 1956)

Pre-union Team: The 1935 Athletics with four: Al Benton, George Caster, Doc Cramer and Paul Richards.

Reunion Team: The 1948 Athletics (Skeeter Webb and Rudy York), 1952 Red Sox (Al Benton and Dizzy Trout), 1953-55 White Sox (Billy Pierce and Virgil Trucks), 1954-55 Indians (Art Houtteman and Hal Newhouser) and 1957 Orioles (Art Houtteman and Dizzy Trout) each had two. Perhaps not coincidentally, the White Sox and Orioles were managed by Paul Richards, who served as both catcher and interim manager for the 1945 Tigers.

Accomplishments

Hal Newhouser, AL MVP
Hal Newhouser, Pitching Triple Crown

Season Summary

By 1945 the war had depleted just about every roster in the Majors. Teams had to employ second-rate players and washed-up veterans just to get by. The Tigers were no exception: their middle infielders, Skeeter Webb and Eddie Mayo, were both 35 years old and center fielder Doc Cramer turned 40 during the season. Fortunately for Detroit, Mayo, known mainly as a glove man, put up a career-best 113 OPS+ and finished second in MVP voting. Hal Newhouser, the Bengals' ace of staff, finished first after an outstanding Triple Crown-winning performance.

The Tigers' only real team strength was pitching. Their 118 ERA+ and 588 strikeouts both led the league. They didn't have the best control, as their high wild pitch, walk and hit batsman totals can attest. Their offense scored the second-most runs per game, but their 94 OPS+ was only league-average thanks to the hitter's park they played in. Their DER was about average, though that may also have been attributable to the ballpark.

The pennant race was close all year long. The Tigers were never more than 2.5 games out of first, and once they finally got there themselves they never had a lead greater than five games. On July 1 the Tigers got a boost when Hank Greenberg returned from the war. He hit a home run in his first game back, and proved to be their best hitter in the half-season he played. After mid-August it was essentially a two-team race between Washington and Detroit. The Tigers held first place the entire time, but the Senators stayed hot on their trail. The Tigers went into the final game of the season (on the road in St. Louis) needing a win to clinch the pennant. A loss would force a playoff with the Senators. Like Greenberg before him, another star returned from the war to help out Detroit: Pitcher Virgil Trucks. Trucks started that final contest and allowed only one run in 5.1 innings before giving way to Newhouser. The Browns led 3-2 in the top of the ninth, but Greenberg, the veteran hero, came through with a grand slam which gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead and wrapped up the pennant.

The Tigers entered the World Series as underdogs (cats?) to the Chicago Cubs. Newhouser got shelled in Game 1, which the Cubs won 9-0 behind Hank Borowy. The Tigers won three of the next four to take a 3-2 Series lead, but they'd lose Game 6 in extras while Borowy held them scoreless the last four innings in relief. The Cubs started Borowy in Game 7 on only a day's rest, and the Tigers took advantage of his fatigue. Borowy lasted only three batters (who all singled) before being removed. Paul Derringer couldn't put out the fire, and the Tigers led 5-0 after the first half-inning. It was all they needed, as Detroit would win by a final score of 9-3.

PTWSW #41: The 1944 St. Louis Cardinals

Manager: Billy Southworth
Record: 105-49
Ballpark: Sportsman's Park
Owner: Sam Breadon
GM: William Walsingham, Jr.
Coaches: Mike Gonzalez, Buzzy Wares

Future Hall of Famers: Stan Musial

All-Stars: Walker Cooper, Whitey Kurowski, Max Lanier, Marty Marion, Red Munger, Stan Musial

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Stan Musial, .347
OBP: Stan Musial, .440 (NL leader)
SLG: Stan Musial, .549 (NL leader)
OPS: Stan Musial, .990 (NL leader)
2B: Stan Musial, 51 (NL leader)
3B: Stan Musial, 14
HR: Whitey Kurowski, 20
RBI: Ray Sanders, 102
BB: Stan Musial, 90
SB: Johnny Hopp, 15

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Mort Cooper, 22
SO: Max Lanier, 141
ERA: Mort Cooper, 2.46
IP: Mort Cooper, 252.1
CG: Mort Cooper, 22
SHO: Mort Cooper, 7 (NL leader)
K/BB: Max Lanier, 1.99
SV: Freddy Schmidt, 5

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Pepper Martin (b. February 29, 1904)

Youngest Player: Al Jurisich (b. August 25, 1921)

First to Leave Us: Mort Cooper (d. November 17, 1958)

Last Survivor: Five are still alive as of the date of this post: Bud Byerly, Danny Litwhiler, Marty Marion, Stan Musial and Freddy Schmidt.

First in Majors: Pepper Martin (debut April 16, 1928)

Last in Majors: Stan Musial (final game September 29, 1963)

First to Play For the Franchise: Pepper Martin (April 16, 1928)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Stan Musial (September 29, 1963)

Pre-union Team: The 1939-41 Giants had Harry Gumbert and Ken O'Dea.

Reunion Team: The 1946 Braves, under Billy Southworth, had five: Mort Cooper, Johnny Hopp, Danny Litwhiler, Ken O'Dea and Ray Sanders. Also of note were the 1947 Phillies (Blix Donnelly, Al Jurisich, Freddy Schmidt and Emil Verban).

Accomplishments

Marty Marion, NL MVP

Season Summary

Though World War II was going on, the Cardinals still had many of their stars on the roster in 1944. MVP Marty Marion, icon-in-the-making Stan Musial, the Cooper brothers, Max Lanier and Whitey Kurowski, all key players on the 1942 champs, remained with the club. Is it any wonder then, that the 1944 Cardinals were simply without peer? Their OPS+ of 108 was 10 better than the closest competitor and their 132 ERA+ was 14 better than the next-best team. They also led the league in homers, doubles, the three slash stats, pitchers' strikeout-to-walk ratio and DER. The pennant race wasn't close either. The Cards nearly led wire-to-wire, and their lead was already in double digits halfway through the season.

The 1944 World Series will always be remembered as the only instance of an all-St. Louis Fall Classic. The American League's Browns, with whom the Cardinals shared Sportsman's Park, won the only pennant in their history that year. The Browns were a comparatively weak team, with a sturdy pitching staff their only major strength. The Brownies led 2-1 after the first three games, their only loss being an extra-inning defeat in Game 2. The Cardinals used the next three games to prove that the Browns weren't as close in quality as they appeared, winning them all. The Series was dominated by pitching; the Cardinals outscored the Browns 16-12 in the six games, and both teams had cumulative ERA's below two.