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Home , Al Lyons, Branch Rickey, Cal McLish, Dixie Walker, Eddie Stanky, Frenchy Bordagaray

REPLACEMENT PLAYERS IH WORLD WAR II 19

bond (purchased for $750) would have a value of close Daley suggested that"a sufficient number of traffic police- Merii-ComeredStar Bond8ase6a1/ Game to $13,400 in 2014 dollars. The $4,416,925 matured value men be installed at strategic points in order to avoid of war bonds purchased by fans in 1944 would be over snarls of various descriptions:5 by Mike Huber and Rachel Hamelers $59 million in 2014.

than $56 million was actu- Pregame Festivities OT EVEN THREE WEEKS AFTER THE games. The Giants were 32-29. They lost seven of their Even more astonishingly, more amount raised by fans, D-Day invasion by American forces in Normandy, a next nine games and tied another game against Pittsburgh. ally pledged. In addition to the An hour or so before the game, 500 wounded servicemen Mayor Fiorello La Guardia announced that special game took place in . All The Yankees finished on the 25th with a 31-29 record. New York were scheduled to arrive to watch the game. They were $5o million in war bonds. And the world was focused on the Pacific and European battle- They had won four consecutive games and would win the city would purchase recuperating at area hospitals, including Halloran bond purchase fronts, but on the homefront the War Bond two more after this interleague affair. Bond Clothing Stores made a $1 million Hospital, St. Albans Naval Hospital, and the Sports Committee was developing a series of unique in exchange for an autographed scorecard of the game. Naval Hospital. The events to support the cost of the war by selling war bonds. Tri-Cornered Game was the brainchild of Max Kase, the sports editor of The day also showcased other talents. A fungo-hitting One of these efforts featured baseball's ultimate the New YorkJournal-American. Kase Do the Math contest was held, and an 18-year-old for Brooklyn . had worked for the Hearst newspapers for most of his career and is widely credited with starting the Basketball On June 25, the day before the game, a New York Times named Cal McLish won the event with a 416-foot 5-inch, In the June 26, 1944 "Sports of the Times" column in the Association of America (forerunner to the NBA) and article said,"As starts its tenth week shot. It was McLish's rookie season; he would spend 1945 New York Times, columnist Arthur Daley wrote: with helping to create the franchise.' of its campaign, Greater New York's three local clubs will in military service, away from baseball. To his family, he In 1952 Kase won the Pulitzer Prize for exposing bribery pause in their serious pursuit of pennants for the more was known as Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma Baseball is more than a hundred years old. Generally and other forms of corruption in college basketball. serious pursuit of war bond dollars."3 Another article told McLish. 6 In a throwing-for-accuracy competition for speaking, youth is rash and often radical. The ancients However, his baseball legacy is linked to the Tri-Cornered fans, "The jig-saw puzzle of working out this procedure , the Dodgers' came closest to are the ultra-conservatives. But, despite its respectable Game of 1944. baffled the best minds of the game until they called upon throwing the ball from home plate into a barrel at second old age, the diamond sport is going completely haywire a mathematics professor at Columbia University, Paul base, besting five other backstops. There were three heats tonight. ... This is a three-ply offering involving The game was widely publicized. For example, the New A. Smith. Without scratching his head more than a few in a sprint contest. Each heat paired a runner who started Giants, Yankees, and Dodgers in a fantasticfray that York Times ran a story on May 24, 1944, a full month hundred times the professor came up with the following at home plate against a runner starting at second base. is certain of only one result. It will attract a gathering ahead of the event. The Dodgers had scheduled an exhibi- layout, which calls for 18 half- to be played, thus":4 The player who first reached the opposite base won. of more than 50,000 and will bring in a sale of ap- tion game with the Buffalo Bisons on June 26, but team z 2. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , who led the in stolen proximately $6,000,000 in war bonds.' president assured the Sports Committee Field DY DG YG YD GD GY DY DG YG bases in 1944, beat the Giants' ohnny Rucker, posting a that the nonleague contest would be postponed This fantastic fray did happen; three teams played in the Bat YD GD GY DY DG YG YD GD GY time of 7.8 seconds. Snuffy would also have the only or canceled. (See the below.) same game. That's right, one baseball game with three Rest GG YY DD GG YY DD GG YY DD in this historic game. Miskis different teams all fielding, hitting, scoring (at least in the In the other two heats, Dodgers sprinters Eddie chart, D denotes the Dodgers, Y the Yankees, and the case of the Dodgers and the Yankees), and trying to win Holy Cow! In the and Luis Olmo bested the Giants' and the title G the Giants. Two letters are listed in each inning, as Yanks' , respectively. of New York's best. The three New York teams The attendance plan for the Tri-Cornered Game called different teams played in different half-innings. For played at the Giants' ballpark, the , on a for each fan to buy a war bond as a ticket. There were to were Before the game, during practice, the self-styled Monday night to a crowd of 5o,000 example, in the top of inning, the Dodgers fans, injured veterans, be 40,000 unreserved tickets for those fans who pur- Clown Prince of Baseball, Al Schacht, entertained the and in the field, the Yankees were batting, and the Giants celebrities. Although the result did not count in the chased a $25 bond (the bond maturity value), 5,809 re- first frame, crowd. The former Washington Senators pitcher was official standings, three major-league rested in the dugout. In the bottom half of the teams from the served seats in the lower stands, for fans buying a $100 renowned for his shtick. During the war, Schacht traveled same city played in a the Yankees took the field, the Dodgers batted, and the game where only one team would bond, and 3,796 Indies, box seats for the $1,000 bond purchasers. the dugout. to Africa, New Guinea, Sicily, the Dutch East win and so become unofficial champion of the Giants remained riding the pine in Big Apple. That in itself added up to 49,605 fans. Tickets went on and the Southwest Pacific,' entertaining troops with his sale round-robin algorithm had each team come to bat "boisterously Each of the three teams stood with similar positions in throughout the five boroughs of New York City. This baseball pantomime routine. Milton Berle Macy's 18 half-innings, or a nine-inning fans.' the standings (all winning records) on the morning of alone sold 5,o oo unreserved tickets. The box six times, constituting ushered in" musical numbers to the roar of the score's entry for attendance was game. Each team batted three times against each of the program was furnished by June 26. The Brooklyn Dodgers had a record of 33-30. simply "5o,000." To put Music during the entire day's this amount defenses. With the exception of the Guard They entered the exhibition game riding a five-game in perspective, a $25 war bond in 1944 actually other two teams' the Beach-based United States Coast cost $18.75. inning, each of the three Mayor winning streak. After the Tri-Cornered Game, however, When it matured it could be cashed in for Yankees in the top of the first Band. Berle was followed by former New York City $25, which would be consecutive innings. In case anyone ceremonies and the Dodgers went on a sudden skid, losing 16 consecutive worth about $334 in 2014, factoring clubs would bat in two James J. Walker, who acted as a master of increases in the Consumer Price Index. Similarly, a $1,000 was confused with this scheme, Times writer Arthur

18 WHO'S ON FIRST? REPLACENEENIT 20 PLAYERS IN WORLD IVAll II 21

Owen. introduced a contingent of all-time diamond stars from walk and a , driving in The box score:'4 SOURCES teams, including , , singled to drive in Stanky, and the M.; • 1100.••••.••••••••^• the New York The box t.]).,34: Berger, Ralph.'Al Schacht." The SABR Baseball two more runs. Biography Project, sabr.org/ Otto Miller (all from the Dodgers), , Bill Dodgers had 000001110 YANKEE'S bioproj/person/ o4do1542. ab.r.b.pu, "... ib.r.h,p3.4 O. Dickey, and (from the Yankees), and Roger nord•rai, 3b,2 0 1 1 0 0 aeweiss. 24.1 1 1 1 8 0 In the eighth inning, batting against Frank Seward and Bravo, ib. .1 0 9 1 '3 0 Malhany, If. 0 0 0 4 Nicholson, William G."Three Dimensional Baseball;' Baseball Research Sown, ef....3 1 1 3 0 0 Nt rt in, a . 0 3 0 3 Bresnahan, George "Hooks" Wiltse, and Moose Journal. Volume 8 (1979),138-141. the Giants, Brooklyn's Luis Olmo stroked a , Jack is Galin. lt....1 0 1 1$ 0 t tr,,1.11, 1'1 1 1 0 had been Bastnekt,' os.2 0 1 3 1 0 Eaton. lb....3 3 0 3 0 0 McCormick (from the Giants). Walker, rt..1 0 1 0 0 0 Herna1o, 0, .,1 0 8 0 0 New York Daily News, May n, 2014, 79. Bolling tripled, and Stanky drove Bolling home with a Winer. rt...1 0 0 2 0 0 Oarbark., o...1 0 1.3 0 scheduled to appear, but he did not show. Olrno, 2b,1/..3 0 1 0 0 0 Oricsao, 0. .2 3 0 1 1 New York fly ball."Maybe the craziest thing about the game was we Owen. 0.....0 1 0 1 I 0 1.11Io's1rn. ss,2 0 0 1 1 6 Times, May 24,1944, 22. llaywortb. c..1 1 1 4 0 0 Lyons, „1 1 0 1 before it was over;' recalled the Dodgers' Branca."We rehult*. 10,4 0 0 1 0 0 Pear, 0 0 0 0 New York Times, June 23,1944,13. left Boiling, lb..2 1 1 2 1 0 Why? The Stanki.sa.2b 1 1 1 1 1 1 2.bt3J . 1,0141It1 New York The Game won and we weren't there to see it finish."'3 Greta. p...,1 0 0 0 0 0 Times,June 25, 1944, 3. Webber, D.. .104111 Dodgers had to catch a train to make it to Chicago for a New York Times, June 26, The Dodgers and Yankees squeezed into the visitors' p...1 0 0 0 0 0 1944, 59. June 28 doubleheader. Brooklyn had nine hits in its six IS 6 1 the Giants played from the home quarters. New York Times,June 27,1944,1, 20. dugout, while ITS 411ANTI Hal Gregg, Les Webber, and Ralph Branca h,po,ska. , and Leo innings. lb. r'. h. pet New York Times, June 27, 1944, 22, The three managers, Joe McCarthy, Ruck A 01 I 3 3 Letbsrdl, 1.1 0 0 combined for the Dodgers' pitching duties. The Yankees , 3 0 1 3 2 0 Xerr. oa....1 0 0 1 Durocher, promised to field the best nine players in order (M. rt. 1 0 3 1 0 0 Allan. p....1 0 3 0 0 mrudolf.tripod.comithreeway.html. Accessed April 2014. and Giants had to share a dugout, and they also shared 01143111. rt.1 0 0 1 0 0 Seward, p...0 0 0 3 0 to come out on top. Each team had lost players to the 31.dulctr. It .3 0 2 0 0 201944 ....,1000$0 frustrations in scoring runs. The Giants could muster W'traub,lb St 0 '1 0 0 news.google.cominewspapers?nid=86o&dat=19440626&id=PEgKAAAAI front, resulting in 16-year-olds playing beside 41-year-old Jura's, lb..1 0 0 0 2 0 Total 2 Li 4 BAJ&sjid=mUoDAAAAIBAJ8Cpg=5777,2181912. Accessed April 2014. only two hits and were shut out in their six innings at Illatt.od tor Savant 112 stabth. veterans. Ott even started the game for the Dodaors 13x 1 1 >c IS i• news.google.cominewspapersenid=1996&6t=19440504&id=5qciAAAAIB bat. Buddy Kerr made two errors for the Giants Tanhasi ...... 0 01 0 .0 11-4 Giants as their and made a . Brooklyn Wants ...... 3 0 s 0 0 x 0 4-4 AJ&sjid=Ya8FAAAAIBAJ&pg= 4504,2636596. Accessed April 2014. when the Yankees batted in the game's final frame, which Runs battik! 10-0P/sLtrr, Q, s r.1,7 2, l ds d tria, pitcher Ralph Branca, just 18 years old, was the third Bolting. cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/22,466897/just-because-june- the Yankees to score an unearned in the ninth Two-base wto—fit inky, /Tauascuann, Th.ta -bear pitcher for the Dodgers. Seventy years after the game, he allowed /IR—Boffins. tItotrn ba l‘kt I rawal4g. FlGubla 26-1944-dodgers-vs-yankees-vs-giants. Accessed April 2014. playa—StItnnelis. 11 iloaavich and Elton: OtInsaa the inning, as Snuffy Stirnweiss had singled and eventually and 121ton; 8tan1iy, B4441,41. and Bulling: ttsn- recalled, "We got a great crowd. For the players in wets' and Etton. Litt on basis-- 0),,,,igar a 0, came around to score thanks to Kerr's miscues. Yank») 4. Manta 3. ilialsa on bath —kV (I'“:0 game, what was happening was very strange: three teams 2, Alton S, T.,..yaul t, Iii•anna 3 fltsA“.---, NOTES Gross 3, Lyckfil 1. 1V,th t)tr 1, 11-/af,r5 3 Pndo 1. playing in one nine-inning game. But you couldn't beat Hitt I la 8 InnIndd. In New York Times, June 26, 1944,19. Presumably only a cause as big as funding World War II Ottill 2 In . I In 7. 1Stv.)za 1 Allan 4 In A. ar0 3 in the cause. In New York, the newspapers were writing all In 2, P0111 I I 2 could have brought together all the New York's major- plripa--Barr OCowart ( A. L.1, €'nnla.a tad. en.wikipectia.org/wilci/Max_Kase. Accessed March 25, 2014. about it:'9 Dick Young of the New York Daily News com- PL,araa Ti1S14 Gi Sang — .v5. league teams on one field for one unforgettable and tandanc"---30,, 00, 3 New York Times, June 25, 1944, 3. mented that the game was "the wackiest diamond battle probably unrepeatable game. 4 New York Times, June 25, 1944, 3. ever conceived;' and that spectators were "amused and 5 New York Times, June 26, 1944, 19. confused:'") Acknowledgments 6 New York Daily News, May n, 2014, 79. We thank Johnny Lindell took his position in center field for the Muhlenberg College's Ms. Abby Theofilis and 7 Ralph Berger, "Al Schacht," The SABR Baseball Biography Project, found Yankees, with Joltiri Joe DiMaggio in the military. The the reference student workers for their great assistance online at sabr.org/bioproj/person/o4do1542. Accessed May 23, 2054.

Giants' Phil Weintraub replaced the departed Johnny with microfilm research. 8 New York Times, June 27,5944, 22.

Mize at first base. In the end, Brooklyn bested its two 9 New York Daily News, May it, 2014, 79. In their six turns at the plate, the "Flock,"" as the rivals. so New York Daily News, May Is, 2014, 79. New York Times referred to the Dodgers, tallied five runs. 11 New York Times, June 27, 1944,1. The Yankees managed a single run, and the Giants were 12 New York Times, June 27, 1944, 22. shut out. The Times observed,"Opposed by the Yankees 13 New York Daily News, May u, 2014, 79. in the first inning, the Dodgers immediately got off on 14 New York the right foot by clipping Al Lyons for a run on a trio of Times, June 27, 1944, 22. singles by Goody Rosen, , and :'' (Walker pulled a leg muscle and had to leave the game. Future Hall of Famer replaced him in right field.) In the second inning the Dodgers batted again, this time against the Giants. With pitching for the New York Nationals, worked a