SPORTSMAN'S PARK IN ST. LOUIS Sportsman's Park, a 2-3-2 format was used and the Browns 8 "Donnelly, Relief Pitcher, Is Also Magician," Cincinnati were the "road" team for Games One and Two. Enquirer, October 6,1944. THE BROWNS' JACK KRAMER 3 The 1921 and 1922 World Series between the New York Giants 9 Lou Smith, "Big Hand Played by Donnelly," Cincinnati and New York Yankees were played at the Polo Grounds, 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, Relief Pitcher, Is Also Magician." 6, 1944: St. Louis Browns 6, 4 J. Roy Stockton, "Tie Broken on O'Dea's Pinch Hit," St. Louis October Post-Dispatch, October 6,1944. 12 Stan Musial 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 Ted Wilks." 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-inning 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' Luke Sewell the first inning, Johnny Hopp reached on an error by and the Cardinals' Billy Southworth, shared an Browns shortstop Vern Stephens. Two batters later, apartment in the city during the year."3 Further, Walker Cooper singled to left, giving the Cardinals "the Cardinals had long been considered the best of an unearned run. The Browns threatened in the the National League. 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 American League."4 The Browns had clinched An inning later, the Browns' offense offered ample the American League pennant 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 Chicago White/Black Sox of Al Zarilla, and Mark Christman) 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 bullpen! 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 single 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 Bob Elson, United States 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 innings, 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 "1944 World Series,"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- Don Gutteridge at second for the force out, but Cards remained favorites to take the world series. series-of-I944/. Gutteridge overthrew first trying for the double 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 Chicago White Sox won 88 games in an abbrevi- the Cardinals had their second unearned run of World Series played outside New York City that fea- ated season. The 1926 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1938 Chicago games. the Detroit Tigers 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 1918 World Series, played on a pair of doubles and a walk. Al Jurisich started the 1906 World Series between Chicago's White Sox between the Boston Red Sox (75-51) and the Chicago Cubs 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 catcher 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 earned run 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.