1942 World Champions

versus

106-48
103-51

The Story of the 1942 Championship Season

The 1942 St. Louis Cardinals team is considered to be one of the finest team performances in the history of the game. The claim is not borne out by statistics, as the team batted a lean .268 (best in the league) and hit just 60 homeruns. The pitching was outstanding with a staff ERA of 2.55, lowest in baseball since 1919, and not outdone until 1967. But what was truly remarkable about this team was their unity, the single-minded purpose with which they took the field. Few clubs have ever attacked with such pure baseball sense, this esprit de corps derived in large part from the fact that virtually every man on the club had risen from the farm system, and had been trained to play, think, and react in a certain way. It was a young, hungry, daring team that refused to believe it could be beaten, and that in the end was not beaten, because they ran out every grounder, dove for every ball, and took every extra base.

And the 1942 World Series has to stand out as the most satisfying in team history. Most satisfying because 1942 was a war year only on the calendar, not in the competition between the lines. Few players had gone into the service, most certainly limited stars and none of the competing clubs. That meant, therefore, that the Yankees sought their ninth world championship without a loss during a period in which they had won 32 of 36 series games since Bob O'Farrell gunned out Babe Ruth for the last out in 1926.

The Cardinals were a young team in 1942. Shortstop Marty Marion had taken over the position in 1940. Outfielder Harry Walker and catcher Walker Cooper broke in shortly thereafter, as did pitchers Harry Brecheen, Ernie White, and Murry Dickson. Medwick was traded early in the 1940 season for virtually nothing in return. And manager Ray Blades was replaced with Billy Southworth within only a few weeks. The '40 season was a huge disappointment, as the club was expected to contend, but instead finished in third, 16 games behind the Reds.

The 1941 season proved to be a more critical turning point for the Cardinals. Despite a series of crippling injuries, Southworth's men fought a grueling season-long pennant race with Durocher's Dodgers that didn't end until the Dodgers clinched it in their 152nd game, ending with a 2 1/2 game margin over the Cardinals, who had won 97 games. The '41 season was a disappointment, no doubt. But it left the Cardinals feeling confident about 1942.

A great way to start your career...winning the W.S.!!! Another youngster, outfielder Stanley Musial, made his debut on September 17, 1941, in the heat of a pennant race. "Pressure?" Ernie White said when speaking of Musial. "I don't think anyone ever explained to him what it meant. We were fighting for our lives and this kid comes up cool as ice and starts hitting line drives that made the ball bleed." Years later, Johnny Mize echoed the feelings of many of the Cardinals when he said, "If they would have brought Musial up earlier we would have won the pennant in 1941."

1942 was a similar story with a different ending. "Let 'em pick the Dodgers and the Reds," Southworth said in the spring of 1942. "I hope they do -- all of them. Let 'em think we're a lot of weak sisters. Let 'em think we can't hit. Somebody's going to be surprised."

The Depression had disappeared without fanfare. Four months earlier, Japan had surprised the United States with an early-morning strike at Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt was calling it the War of Survival. On April 11, 1942, NL President Ford Frick said, "Baseball men are not worried about baseball. Their paramount concern is the war, winning the war, preserving our national liberties, our way of life, our country. Because as long as there's America, there will be baseball."

During Spring Training, a Chicago reporter called the Redbirds "the most interesting team to watch, whether the Cardinals are playing a game or not. They actually like this game. Maybe they won't win the pennant, though they're aiming at it every minute they're awake. Still, there's something about these Cardinals -- these running, laughing, sweating, playing Cardinals." By the time the season began, most of the baseball world had been convinced. The Cards had gone 21-9 in spring training and turned nearly 50 double plays. They, not their archrival Dodgers, became the favorite of most experts.

The 1942 Dodgers were a first-rate team, as tough and determined as the Cardinals. But in 1942 it was St. Louis that possessed the ultimate kick and stamina that characterizes the successful long-distance runner. The Dodgers led the league for much of the season, and in early August were up by 10 games. At this point, MacPhail came into the clubhouse and accused his players of complacency, warning them that the Cardinals had not given up. He was told not to worry.

But by the end of August the Cardinals had trimmed the lead to 7 1/2, with the Dodgers coming into St. Louis for a four-game series. Lanier, 5-2 against the Dodgers that year, won the opener. The next day Cooper and Whitlow Wyatt staged another one of their tense duels, with Cooper winning in 14 innings, 2-1. Beazley won the next day, but the Dodgers won the last game and left town with a 5 1/2 game lead.

By the time the Cards visited Ebbets Field for a two-game set on September 11 and 12, the Dodger lead had withered to two games. Cooper fired a 3-0 shutout to win the first game and Lanier followed with a 2-1 beauty the next day, both runs coming on a Kurowski homer. The teams were now in a first-place tie. The next day the Dodgers lost a double-header to the Reds while the Cardinals went into first place by sweeping the Phillies. From there on it was one rabbit chasing another. Both clubs played brilliantly down the stretch, but the Cardinals were never caught! At one point, the Dodgers won eight straight and still lost ground.

St. Louis, with a final margin of two games -- each of their five pennants had been won by the same margin -- had put on a blistering drive that actually consisted of one third of the season. They won 43 of their last 51 games (43-8). Their September record was 21-4, Brooklyn's was 20-5.

The Cards clinched the title on September 27, the season's final day, when they swept a doubleheader from the Cubs. Pitcher Ernie White, who battled arm trouble all season, tossed a five-hitter in the 9-2 triumph that sealed the NL Pennant. Southworth benched his regulars in the second game but Beazley still won 4-1, the 11th Cardinals victory in their final 12 games!

The club kept their momentum going into and right on through the World Series. Their opponents were Joe McCarthy's New York Yankees, an all-consuming lion's jaw of a team that had taken its sixth pennant in seven seasons. These were the Yankees of Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Charlie Keller, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Gordon, and strong pitchers like Red Ruffing, Ernie Bonham, Hank Borowy, and Spud Chandler. The New Yorkers were heavily favored to win.

1942 Regular Season Highlights

Manager:

Billy Southworth

	World Series Lineup
	1.	Jimmy Brown, 2B
	2.	Terry Moore, CF
	3.	Enos Slaughter, RF
	4.	Stan Musial, LF
	5.	Walker Cooper, C
	6.	Johnny Hopp, 1B
	7.	Whitey Kurowski, 3B
	8.	Marty Marion, SS
	9.	pitcher

Regular Season Offensive Performances

Pos.	Name	AVG	Hits	2B	3B	HR	RBI	Runs	SB	Notables
1B	Johnny Hopp Ray Sanders	.258 .252	81 71	16 17	7 2	3 5	37 39	41 37	14 2	Ray Sanders played 77 games at 1B
2B	Jimmy Brown	.256	155	28	4	1	71	75	4	shared some time with Creepy Crespi
SS	Marty Marion	.276	134	38	5	0	54	66	8	Doubles leader
3B	Whitey Kurowski	.254	93	17	3	9	42	51	7
LF	Stan Musial	.315	147	32	10	10	72	87	6
CF	Terry Moore	.288	141	26	3	6	49	80	10
RF	Enos Slaughter	.318	188	31	17	13	98	100	9	The offensive leader
C	Walker Cooper	.281	123	32	7	7	65	58	4
Team		.268	1,454	282	69	60	680	755	71	Several league leaders

Regular Season Pitching Performances

Pos.	Name	W-L	SO	Sv.	G	GS	CG	SHO	ERA	Notables
SP	Mort Cooper	22-7	152	0	37	35	22	10	1.78	Nice numbers
SP	Johnny Beazley	21-6	91	3	43	23	13	3	2.13
SP	Max Lanier*	13-8	93	2	34	20	8	2	2.98
RP/SP	Harry Gumbert	9-5	52	5	38	19	5	0	3.26
SP	Ernie White*	7-5	67	0	26	19	7	1	2.52
RP	Howie Krist	13-3	47	1	34	8	3	0	2.51
RP	Murry Dickson	6-3	66	2	36	7	2	0	2.91
RP	Howie Pollet	7-5	42	0	27	13	5	2	2.88
Team		106-48	651	15		156	70	18	2.55	Several league leaders

Team Accomplishments

League Leaders:	Runs (755), Hits (1,454), Doubles (282), Triples (69), Average (.268), OBP (.338), SLG (.379)
League Leaders:	Shutouts (18), Strikeouts (651), ERA (2.55), Opponents Avg. (.228), Fewest Hits (1,192),

Individual Accomplishments

Runs	Hits	Doubles	Triples
2nd - Slaughter (100)	1st - Slaughter (188)	1st - Marion (38)	1st - Slaughter (17) 3rd - Musial (10)
Total Bases	RBI	Runs Produced	Bases on Balls
1st - Slaughter (292)	3rd - Slaughter (98)	1st - Slaughter (185) 4th - Medwick (106)	5th - Slaughter (88)
Batting Average	On-Base Pct.	Slugging Pct.	Stolen Bases
1st - Slaughter (.318) 2nd - Musial (.315)	3rd - Slaughter (.412) 5th - Musial (.397)	3rd - Slaughter (.494) 4th - Musial (.490)	5th - Hopp (14)
Wins	Winning Pct.	Games	Complete Games
1st - M. Cooper (22) 2nd - Beazley (21)	2nd - Beazley (.778) 3rd - M. Cooper (.759)	4th - Beazley (43)	3rd - M. Cooper (22)
Shutouts	Saves	Innings Pitched	Hits / Inning
1st - M. Cooper (10)	5th - Gumbert (5)	2nd - M. Cooper (279)	1st - M. Cooper (6.68) 5th - Beazley (7.58)
Walks / Game	Strikeouts	Strikeouts / Game	ERA
5th - M. Cooper (2.19)	2nd - M. Cooper (152)	2nd - Lanier (5.2) 3rd - M. Cooper (4.9)	1st - M. Cooper (1.77) 2nd - Beazley (2.13)
Opp. Batting Avg.	Opp. OBP
1st - M. Cooper (.204)	1st - M. Cooper (.255)

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World Series Opponent

New York Yankees
Manager:	Joe McCarthy

	World Series Lineup
	1.	Rizzuto, SS
	2.	Rolfe, 3B
	3.	Cullenbine, RF
	4.	DiMaggio, CF
	5.	Keller, LF
	6.	Gordon, 2B
	7.	Dickey, C
	8.	Hassett, 1B
	9.	pitcher

Game Summaries

[Scorecards for each game can be seen by clicking the STL or NYY in the linescores]

Cardinal rookies Stan Musial and Whitey Kurowski drove in game-winning runs for the rookie-pitcher Johnny Beazley in Games Two and Five as the major leagues' youngest team upset the Yankees.

Game One

September 30 at Saint Louis (attendance: 34,769)

Yankees Starter: Red Ruffing (RHP), 14-7

Cardinals Starter: Mort Cooper (RHP), 22-7

NYY 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 2 7 11 0

STL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 7 4

Homeruns: none

WP: Ruffing (1-0)

LP: Cooper (0-1)

Yankees lead Series 1-0

Highlights:

Ruffing no-hit the Cards into the eighth inning. The four St. Louis runs came in a spirited ninth inning rally that left the Cardinals brimming with optimism. "We'd thrown a scare into the Yankees," Ernie White said, "and even though we'd lost, we couldn't wait to get back out on the field the next day."

Game Two

October 1 at Saint Louis (attendance: 34,255)

Yankees Starter: Tiny Bonham (RHP), 21-5

Cardinals Starter: Johnny Beazley (RHP), 21-6

NYY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 10 2

STL 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 6 0

Homeruns: Keller - NYY

WP: Beazley (1-0)

LP: Bonham (0-1)

Series tied 1-1

Highlights:

Walker Cooper's 2-run double in the first gave the Cardinals the lead. Kurowski tripled in a third run in the seventh, but pitcher Beazley, after holding the Yankees scoreless through seven innings, gave up three runs in the eighth on two singles and Charlie Keller's 2-run homer. St. Louis regained the lead a half-inning later when Musial singled home Enos Slaughter (who had doubled), and stifled a threat in the ninth as Slaughter's great throw from right field nailed a Yankee runner at third. Now, with the series, it was time to visit New York.

Game Three

October 2 at New York (attendance: 69,123)

Cardinals Starter: Ernie White (LHP), 7-5

Yankees Starter: Spud Chandler (RHP), 16-5

STL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 1

NYY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1

Homeruns: none

WP: White (1-0)

LP: Chandler (0-1)

Cardinals leads Series 2-1

Highlights:

Second-year Cardinal pitcher Ernie White turned in the Series' top mound performance with a six-single, no-walk shutout in Game Three. Both Musial and Slaughter hauled in would-be home runs in the 7th inning (hit on successive pitches), the first from Gordon, the second from Keller. The Cards managed only five singles themselves, but the combined one with a walk, sacrifice, and ground out for a run in the third, and sandwiched a Yankee error with two hits in the ninth for an unearned insurance run.

Game Four

October 4 at New York (attendance: 69,902)

Cardinals Starter: Mort Cooper (RHP), 22-8

Yankees Starter: Hank Borowy (RHP), 15-4

STL 0 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 1 9 12 1

NYY 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 6 10 1

Homeruns: Keller - NYY

WP: Lanier (1-0)

LP: Donald (0-1)

St. Louis leads Series 3-1

Highlights:

Representing the Series' heaviest hitting, New York scored once in the first, but the Cards exploded in the fourth for six runs on six hits and two walks. The Yanks tied it up two innings later, with Keller's 3-run homer coming as the big blow. St. Louis took the lead for good with two runs in the seventh, and added a ninth run in the ninth. Lanier threw 3 innings of scoreless relief to get the victory.

Game Five

October 5 at New York (attendance: 69,052)

Cardinals Starter: Johnny Beazley (RHP), 21-6

Yankees Starter: Red Ruffing (RHP), 14-7

STL 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 4 9 4

NYY 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 1

Homeruns: Rizzuto - NYY; Slaughter - STL; Kurowski - STL

WP: Beazley (2-0)

LP: Ruffing (1-1)

Cardinals WIN the Series 4-1

Highlights:

Phil Rizzuto's solo shot in the first gave the Yankees the early lead. Slaughter's fourth-inning homer tied the game, but the Yanks quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning. The Cards re-tied the game in the sixth, and took the lead for good when Kurowski homered for two runs in the top of the ninth. The Yankees threatened in the last of the ninth, putting their first two men on with a single and error. But catcher Walker Cooper picked a runner off second, second baseman Jimmy Brown redeemed his earlier error with a sparkling catch, then fielded a routine grounder for the final out and the Cardinal celebration began!

Series Composite Box Score

STL (N)
PLAYER- POS	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RB	BB	SO	SB
Johnny Beazley, p	.143	2	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Jimmy Brown, 2b	.300	5	20	2	6	0	0	0	1	3	0	0
Mort Cooper, p	.200	2	5	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0
Walker Cooper, c	.286	5	21	3	6	1	0	0	4	0	1	0
Creepy Crespi, pr	.000	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Harry Gumbert, p	.000	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Johnny Hopp, 1b	.176	5	17	3	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
Whitey Kurowski, 3b	.267	5	15	3	4	0	1	1	5	2	3	0
Max Lanier, p	1.000	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Marty Marion, ss	.111	5	18	2	2	0	1	0	3	1	2	0
Terry Moore, of	.294	5	17	2	5	1	0	0	2	2	3	0
Stan Musial, of	.222	5	18	2	4	1	0	0	2	4	0	0
Ken O'Dea, ph	1.000	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Howie Pollet, p	.000	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ray Sanders, ph	.000	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Enos Slaughter, of	.263	5	19	3	5	1	0	1	2	3	2	0
Harry Walker, ph	.000	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Ernie White, p	.000	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	.239	-	163	23	39	4	2	2	23	17	19	0

PITCHER	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SV	SHO	IP	H	ER	BB	SO
Johnny Beazley	2	0	2.50	2	2	2	0	0	18.0	17	5	3	6
Mort Cooper	0	1	5.54	2	2	0	0	0	13.0	17	8	4	9
Harry Gumbert	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	0	0.2	1	0	0	0
Max Lanier	1	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	0	4.0	3	0	1	1
Howie Pollet	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	0	0	0.1	0	0	0	0
Ernie White	1	0	0.00	1	1	1	0	1	9.0	6	0	0	6
TOTAL	4	1	2.60	10	5	3	0	1	45.0	44	13	8	22

NY (A)

PLAYER- POS

AVG

Tiny Bonham, p