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Home , Bobby Doerr, Charlie Wagner, George McQuinn, Joe Cronin, Joe Kuhel, Johnny Peacock

SPORTSMAN'S PARK IN ST. LOUIS

6 NOTES Neither -Reference.com nor .org has a box score for this game. Information about plays is W Vernon Tietjen, "Whitehead Pitches Six-Inning No- garnered from GEORGE MCQUINN HITS FOR CYCLE newspapers. Game and Wins, 4-o," St. Louis Star and Times, August 6, 1940: 15. 7 Charles P. Ward, "Rowe Wins Opener, 9-2. Rain Shortens Louis 9, Red Sox 3 Nightcap," Free Press, August 6, 1940: II. July 19, 1941: St. Browns 2 Associated Press, "Schoolboy Wins, Bridges Beaten," Battle Creek (Michigan) Enquirer, August 6, 1940: II. Tietjen. (Game One of ), at Sportsman's Park 3 Tietjen. 9 Ward. BY MICHAEL HUBER 4 W.J. McGoogan, "Browns to Bat Against Newsom in Night to McGoogan. Game," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 6, 1940: 'B. xr McGoogan. EORGE MCQUINN LED THE OF- station KWK. in St. Louis. A Boston scribe wrote, 5 George Kirksey, United Press, "Tigers Held Without Hits divided on Dizzy's descriptive abil- by Whitehead," Belvidere (Illinois) Daily Republican, August fense as the Browns swept the Boston "Opinion here is 6, 1940: 6. Red Sox, 9-3 and 4-3, in a doubleheader ity, his supporters claiming that the erstwhile great at Sportsman's Park on July 19, 1941. one's homespun philosophy will overcome the fre- G performance in the first game quent errors of identity he makes."5 McQuinn's 4-for-5 included the only batter's cycle of the 1941 season. After Wagner retired the first two batters in the McQuinn, considered the best defensive first bottom of the first innings, McQ_uinn "inaugurated baseman in the at the time, was the bombardment ... by whacking his nth round- member of the American League All-Star Team in tripper over the whole right-field works." The ball 1939 and 1940, and would be an All-Star three more sailed over the right-field pavilion roof. An inning times after that.' As a fielder he was compared with later Joe Grace homered, sending the ball bouncing , , and Hall of Famer George off the pavilion roof. In the third, McQuinn tripled Sisler.2 with two outs and scored on Wally Judnich's This pleasant Saturday afternoon was Ladies Day to right, making the score 3-o. After Wagner walked as Sportsman's Park. Women were admitted "with- , he was lifted for Jack Wilson, who out even having to pay tax and service charge and retired Grace on a grounder to second to end the everybody receiving a cloisonné lapel pin, or a radio inning. or a diamond wrist watch," a St. Louis sportswriter St. Louis was facing a lineup with five All-Stars,' noted with a chuckle.3 Nonetheless, the announced yet the 37-year-old Allen, a former 20-game winner attendance was a mere 2,62o. (Two weeks earlier, the who appeared to be on his last legs, cruised. His only Browns had combined Ladies Day, Stockholders Day, major hiccup came in the top of the fourth inning, Children's Day, and Soldiers Day to entice fans to the when Boston's led off with a single, ballpark. J. Roy Stockton, the baseball beat writer for raced to third on 's down the the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, commented, "You can see third-base line, and scored (and Spence advanced to what's wrong with the Browns. They just don't give third) on a by which away enough things. One day they gave away tickets, a Boston sportswriter opined could have been ruled five to each of the stockholders, and they won two a wild pitch.? Red Sox player- games. Then they gave away admission and radios stroked a double, his tooth hit of the season, driving and lapel pins and watches and they win two more."4) in Spence. followed with a walk, and he (r-5) and (6-11) were and Cronin advanced on a wild pitch. Allen retired the starting for the Browns, facing Broadway the next two batters, but Browns Johnny (4-5) and (3-8) of the Berardino misplayed Johnny Peacock's grounder third-place Red Sox. and Cronin scored the third for Boston to tie Future Hall of Famer was nine days the game. into his new job as the play-by-play broadcaster for The Browns immediately roared back, sending to Browns and Cardinals home game on St. Louis radio batters to the plate against Wilson and Nels Potter SPORTSMAN'S PARK IN ST. LOUIS HOME OF THE BROWNS AND CARDINALS AT GRAND AND DODIER

He did not play in the 1 0, or '42 games, but was the start- in the bottom of the fourth and scoring four runs, all and lost 70 (.545), and finished in second place, 17 939,4 ing in 1947 and 2948. after two men were out. They used four singles (one games behind the Yankees. In 15 seasons as manager by McQuinn), a walk, and a hit batsman to plate the Washington and Boston, Cronin's winning per- z C. Paul Rogers, "George McQuinn," sabr.org/bioproj/ for person/394ab9a8. runners, leaving the bases loaded. centage was .540, so this was a "typical" season. He J. Roy Stockton, "Allen and Auker Beat Red Sox, 9-3,4-3," St. The Browns put runners on base in every inning did win the American league pennant in 1933 with 3 Louis Post-Dispatch, July 20,1941: 35. except the eighth. McQuinn doubled off Potter with the Senators and in 1946 with the Red Sox. (Cronin 4 Ibid. one out in the sixth to complete the cycle. In the relinquished the managerial reins to become the Red Gerry Moore, "Browns Twice Top Faltering Red Sox," Boston bottom of the seventh, with the score 7-3, Grace general manager in 1948, and later served from 5 Sox Sunday Globe, July 20, 1941: 21. Dean had started broadcasting led off with a walk, then back-to-back doubles by 1959 until 1973 as president of the American League.) on July 10. See Joseph Wancho's biography of Dizzy Dean at Berardino and Rick Ferrell gave St. Louis two more Coincidentally, the previous time a player hit for sabr.org/bioproyperson/4obc224d. runs. There was no more scoring. The Browns pound- the cycle at Sportsman's Park, it was before a Ladies 6 The 1941 Red Sox had , , Joe Cronin, ed out 1z hits and drew six walks. Day crowd. The Cardinals' ohnny Mize did it against Jimmie Foxx, and Dom DiMaggio elected to the All-Star Game. Only Roy Cullenbine represented the Browns. After the Boston fourth, Allen allowed just four the Giants on July 13, 1940. The Cardinals singles and two walks the rest of the game. His wild swept a doubleheader that day, too." 7 Moore. pitch was his eighth of the season. By limiting the 8 On July 30,194.4 Johnny Allen was selected off waivers by the Red Sox to two earned runs, Allen lowered his ERA Postscript Brooklyn Dodgers, and spent parts of the next three seasons with Brooklyn. to 6.24. He made one more start for the Browns, on 'The author thanks Lisa Tuite of Gerry Moore, "Sox Again Lose Two to Browns," Boston Globe, July 24, before being placed on waivers.' 9 for her assistance with obtaining sources. July 21,1941: 2. McQuinn completed his cycle in four successive ,o Associated Press, "Browns Turn Back Red Sox, 9-3 and 4-3)" at-bats. The first baseman scored three runs and drove NOTES New York Times, July 20,1941: S3. in two in the first-game victory. He then had a i-for- McQuinn was an American League All-Star in 1939,1940,1942 is See " Triples, Scores and Earns a Cycle as 4 performance in the nightcap, which the Browns (all with the Browns) and in 1947 and 1948 (with the Yankees). Cardinals Sweep Giants with Walk-Offs" from July 13,1940. George McQuinn was a six-time All-Star first baseman in won, 4-3. McQuinn scored one of those runs. (Fans his 12-year career. After years of suffering on many poor would have to wait two years, until July 3, 1943, before Browns teams, he won a with the New the next cycle in the major leagues, by Red Sox rookie York Yankees on 1947. (National Baseball Hall of Fame, .) Cooperstown, New York) Like McQuinn, Roy Cullenbine drove in two runs was .322, but he tailed off considerably and finished in the July 19 twin bill. Cullenbine batted .378 in May the season at .297. and .352 in June, and at the end of the day he was In sweeping the Red Sox in two doubleheaders, hitting .358. He faded to a season-ending average of the Browns had won seven of their last eight games .317. For Boston, Ted Williams was .393 at the and "looked like a team that might make a loud noise end of the day on his way to a .406 , the remainder of the season,"'° though after the two the last major-league player to bat over .400. sweeps they were still deep in seventh place with a The next day, July zo, featured another double- 34-51 record, 241/2 games behind the league-leading header between the Red Sox and the Browns. Again . The Browns had been in seventh the Browns swept, 6-3 and io-o. All three Red Sox or eighth place in the American League since May T. runs in the first game came on a pinch-hit After the July 19 sweep, the Browns won 38 and lost by Ted Williams in the ninth inning, "all that saved 33, sneaking into sixth place. On June 5 the relapsing Red Sox from a double dose of white- had taken over as St. Louis manager, succeeding Fred wash."9 McQuinn hit three home runs in the twin Haney. His record for the remainder of the season bill, two in the first game and one in the second. For was 55-55• Sewell stayed at the helm through 1946, the twin bill, he was 5-for-8, with four RBIs and five taking the Browns to the World Series in 1944. For runs scored. His batting average at the end of the day the Red Sox, Joe Cronin was in his seventh of seasons as manager. In 1941 the team won 84 games