SPORTSMAN'S PARK IN ST. LOUIS

Sportsman's Park, a 2-3-2 format was used and the Browns 8 "Donnelly, Relief , Is Also Magician," Cincinnati were the "road" team for Games One and Two. Enquirer, October 6,1944. THE BROWNS' 3 The 1921 and 1922 between the New York Giants 9 Lou Smith, "Big Hand Played by Donnelly," Cincinnati and were played at the , the Enquirer, October 6,1944- SUBDUES THE REDBIRDS Giants' home field. The Yankees played at the Polo Grounds 10 Dunkley. from 1913 through 1922. Yankee Stadium opened in 1923. 11 "Donnelly, , Is Also Magician." 6, 1944: St. Louis Browns 6, 4 J. Roy Stockton, "Tie Broken on O'Dea's Pinch ," St. Louis October Post-Dispatch, October 6,1944. 12 said of Donnelly's performance, "Without St. Louis Cardinals 2, at Sportsman's Park Donnelly's pitching and field, we would have 5 Charles Dunkley, "Donnelly's Firearm Act May Mean Starting been down three games because the Role," Detroit Free Press, October 6,1944. Browns won the third contest, 6-2, as Jack Game Three of the World Series Kramer beat ." Stan Musial, as told to Bob Broeg, 6 Heidenry and Topel, 96. Stan Musial. The Man's Own Story (New York: Doubleday, BY MICHAEL HUBER 7 Ibid. 1964), 81. 13 "Donnelly, Relief Pitcher, Is Also Magician." HILE THE NATION WAS STILL Cardinals as the home team. The Browns had taken heavily engaged in World War II, two Game One with only two hits, 2,-1, and the Cardinals teams from the Gateway City battled had rallied for an TI- walk-off victory, 3-2, in for the 1944 world championship in Game Two. In Game Three, two 17-game winners Wbaseball. The postseason was affectionately known faced off, Jack Kramer (17-13) for the Browns and as the "St. Louis Showdown"' and the "St. Louis rookie Ted Wilks (17-4) for the Cardinals, before a Streetcar World Series."' Historian Roger Launius packed crowd of 34,737. The Browns wore their white wrote, "The championship series certainly dripped home uniforms for the first time, and "a blazing sun with symmetry and irony. Both the Browns and had the thermometer on the playing field soaring in the Cards shared Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. the nineties."6 Moreover, with the wartime shortage of housing The "visiting" Cardinals scored first. In the top of the two teams' managers, the Browns' the first inning, reached on an by and the Cardinals' , shared an Browns . Two batters later, apartment in the city during the year."3 Further, singled to left, giving the Cardinals "the Cardinals had long been considered the best of an unearned . The Browns threatened in the the . Its roster was filled with stars bottom of the second, when Wilks walked the bases whose fingers were weighed down with champion- loaded, but he struck out his counterpart Kramer to ship rings. The Browns had long been the doormats end the inning. of the ."4 The Browns had clinched An inning later, the Browns' offense offered ample the American League on the very last day support to Kramer by mounting a two-out rally. Five of the 1944 season, winning only their 89th game. players (Gene Moore, Stephens, George McQuinn, Before 1944, only the White/Black Sox of , and ) hit consecutive 1919 made it to the World Series with fewer vic- singles. Three runs had scored, and Southworth tories.5 The Cardinals cruised to a 105-49 record, strode to the mound, trying to buy some time. Until securing the National League pennant. Had they Christman's hit, no one was warming in the Cardinals been in the National League, the Browns would ! Wilks appeared to have good stuff, but the have finished 16 games behind the Cardinals. Browns were hitting it, so Southworth replaced Because both teams called Sportsman's Park home, Wilks with another rookie, Freddy Schmidt. Schmidt there was no day off between games, since they did intentionally walked Red Hayworth, in order to pitch not have to travel. However, the Cardinals were actu- to Kramer. But he then uncorked a wild pitch, and ally tenants; Donald Lee Barnes, majority owner of Zarilla scored the fourth tally of the inning. Kramer the Browns, owned the ballpark. The first two games groundedgamespoi h, edub B Ir 904wn 4 s now had,,Fr a 4-I lead. In [Schmidt] were close, each decided by a run, with the 37 pitched nhisthe season,"Fred SPORTSMAN'S PARK IN ST. LOUIS HOME OF THE BROWNS AND CARDINALS AT GRAND AND DODIER never had cut loose with a wild pitch, but he chose runs (one in Game Four and one in Game Six). The , Naval Reserve, at youtube. this unhappy moment to do so."8 Cardinals would be tasting the champagne. The com/watch?v=M6WrnmkxNJE. Kramer was dominant. After the first inning he 1944 season was the only time the Browns won the was perfect for five , except for Stan Musial's pennant (out of 52 seasons in St. Louis), and this NOTES single in the third. In the top of the seventh, Ray game proved to be the last game they would win in ","baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr1944ws.shtml. Sanders led off with a single to right-center. Whitey World Series play. According to the New York Times, "The Great St. Louis Streetcar World Series of 5944," launiusr. Kurowski grounded to short. Stephens threw to "Despite their defeat in the third game today, the wordpress.comhomh2/o6/the-great-st-louis-streetcar-world- at second for the force out, but Cards remained favorites to take the world series. series-of-I944/. Gutteridge overthrew first trying for the They were quoted at 4 to 5 in the series and II to zo 3 Ibid. play, and Kurowski was awarded second base. Marty in tomorrow's game."14 4 Ibid. Marion singled past second, plating Kurowski, and The 1944 fall classic remains the most recent 5 In 1919, the won 88 games in an abbrevi- the Cardinals had their second unearned run of World Series played outside that fea- ated season. The 1926 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1938 Chicago games. the won the the game. two teams from the same city (as of 2016). The Cubs each won 89 In 1945, tured World Series after claiming the AL pennant with a record The Browns answered in their half of the seventh only other such Series to be played prior to 1941 was of 88-65. These do not include the , played on a pair of doubles and a walk. started the 1906 World Series between Chicago's White Sox between the Red Sox (75-51) and the the inning in relief of Schmidt. Gutteridge doubled and Cubs. It was also the first time in 22 years that (84-45); that wartime season no major-league team played more than 129 games with the season ending after Labor Day. off the right-field pavilion wall and moved to third all the games were played in the same ballpark. (In on Moore's groundout. Jurisich walked Stephens, 1922, the five World Series games between the New 6 John Drebinger, "Browns Win, 6 to 2, for 2-i Series Lead,"New York Times, October 7, 1944: I. and his fourth ball got away from Cardinals York Yankees and New York Giants were all played 7 J RoyStockton, "Kramerber II9s4Her . o of Third Game," St. Louis Cooper, who was known as "the premier catcher of in the Polo Grounds, including Game Two, which Post Dispatch, Octobero 7, 4: 7 the National League."9 Cooper was charged with ended in a 3-3 tie).'S Jack Kramer went 17-13 with a staff-low 2.49 EPA for the 8 Drebinger. a passed ball as Gutteridge scored and Stephens pennant-winning Browns in 1944. He produced a 95-103 Years later, Musial said, "The funny thing about moved to second. McQuinn then doubled to right record in parts of 12 big-league campaigns. (National that World Series (in 1944), the fans were rooting for 9 Ibid. field, driving in Stephens. The 6-2 score would hold Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York) the Browns, and it kind of surprised me because we io Stockton. as the final. drew more fans than the Browns during the season. n "Sewell Heaps Praise on Kramer; Jakucki to Face Brecheen out to and not allowing an in a complete- However, there was a little more drama to be had. The fans were rooting for the underdog, and I was Today," New York Times, October 7,1944:17. game victory. In the Cardinals' eighth inning, Hopp led off with a surprised about that, but after you analyze the situ- iz Ibid. For the Browns, McQuinn was a perfect 3-for- hard single to center, Musial smacked a line drive to ation in St. Louis, the Browns in the old days had 13 Drebinger. 3 plus a walk, scoring a run and driving in two. right that Moore caught at the wall, but Cooper dou- good clubs. They had great players like George Sisler 14 "Cards Still Favored,"NewYork Times, October 7,1944: 17. Stephens, who batted in front of McQuinn, was a bled to left, with Hopp taking third. After this "third and Kenny Williams, and the fans who were there 15 In 1922, the Browns had their best season ever (measured by table-setter, going I-for-2 with two walks and two straight drive of authority,"rn Sewell walked were older fans, older men, old-time Brownie fans. winning percentage), ending the season with a 93-65 record. runs scored. McQpinn had also been the hero of to the mound. Kramer told his skipper he wasn't tired But it was a tough series."" However, they finished one game behind the New York Game One, stroking a two-run to clinch Yankees in the American League race. and his catcher Hayworth echoed that Kramer's con- Fans can view a description with original footage the game. Through the first three games of the World 16 baseball-almanac.com. trol was good. Sewell told reporters, "After that, there from the six games, narrated in 1944 by Lieutenant Series, McQuinn was as hot as the weather, going was nothing for me to do on the mound, so I went 5-for-8 (.625), with four walks and four runs batted in. back to the bench."" Sanders struck out looking and For the Cardinals, Cooper and Marion had an RBI Kramer escaped the threat as Kurowski ended the and two hits each in Game Three. After the game, it inning with a fly ball to right. After the game, Musial was reported that Wilks had been in the hospital the praised Kramer, commenting that "he made us hit at day before the game, being treated for stomach ulcers, the bad ones."12 After a leadoff single, Kramer closed and the Browns' third-inning barrage "doubtless sent out the game in the ninth by striking out George Ted back to his sick bed."13 Fallon, getting pinch-hitter Ken O'Dea to ground The Browns' third-inning offensive was their only out and then fanning top-of-the-order batter Danny outburst of the Series. Over the final three games Litwhiler. He had silenced the Cardinals by striking of the World Series, they mustered only two more