1944 World Series: St. Louis Showdown

The Teams
National League: St. Louis Cardinals (105-49) - Eighth World Series (won in 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942)
American League: St. Louis Browns (89-65) - First World Series

What Happened
The mass exodus of players to World War II reached its peak in 1944, as nearly every Major League team was missing one or two star players. The lone exception was the St. Louis Cardinals, who kept virtually all their players, stars or not, and so cruised to their third straight National League pennant. Over in the American League, the lack of stars left the race wide open, and in the end, the Cardinals' landlords, the St. Louis Browns, ended up on top.

While the Cardinals were used to the World Series by this point, the Browns were not. The 1944 season was their first American League pennant; really, it was one of the only times they ever came close. And while they might not have been too happy to face their tenants in the World Series, both teams fans were beside themselves in excitement. And at least the teams didn't have to travel.

The Browns started their first series in style. They only got two hits off Cardinals ace Mort Cooper in Game 1, but they came in back-to-back at bats, and the second one was a home run by George McQuinn in the fourth inning. The two runs were enough for an opening win. After losing Game 2 in 11 innings, the Browns fought back to take Game 3, getting five straight singles in the third to put the game away early.

The Browns were on top of the world, leading the World Series 2 games to 1. Unfortunately, that was the high point of the franchise. Stan Musial killed any momentum the Browns might have had with a two-run home run in the top of the first in Game 4, and the Browns only scored two runs the rest of the series. The Cardinals won the series 4-2, and the Browns never got back there. They quickly plummeted back to the lower parts of the standings they were used to, and nine years later, they were playing in Baltimore.

Defining Game
After the Browns stunned the Cardinals in Game 1, the Cardinals were hoping to limit the damage by tying the series in Game 2. They scored a pair of unearned runs off Nels Potter to take a 2-0 lead before the Browns tied it with a pair in the seventh. After both teams failed to capitalize on threats in the 8th inning, there was little action until the 11th. McQuinn - who was by far the Browns best hitter all series - led off the top of the 11th with a double. When the Browns tried to sacrifice him over to third, Cardinals reliever Blix Donnelly fielded the bunt and fired to third to get the lead runner. That killed the Browns threat, and the Cardinals offense took it from there. Ray Sanders led off the bottom of the 11th with a single, and was on second after a successful sacrifice. Ken O'Dea then ended it with a single. The Cardinals' Game 2 win was huge, and it looked even bigger when the Browns won the next day.

MVP
McQuinn was the best player in the series, batting .438 with 5 of the Browns' 9 runs batted in, stats that look even more better considering the Cardinals walked him every opportunity they got. But his team lost, and Musial's team didn't. He led a balanced Cardinals attack with a .308 average and three extra base hits, and his Game 4 home run may have been the biggest hit of the series.


Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Stl Browns	2	2	6	1	0	1
Stl Cardinals	1	3 (11)	2	5	2	3

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

49. 1944 - St. Louis (N) def. St. Louis (A) 4-2
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

August 19, 1954: Eddie at the bat

ST. LOUIS - It was a Sunday doubleheader in the dog days of a long, hot summer. The St. Louis Browns weren't going anywhere in 1951, just like almost every other season in their existence. They were 37 games out of first place when play began on August 19 and were going nowhere fast.

The Browns' owner, Bill Veeck, was always looking for ways to draw a crowd, something that was usually difficult for the Browns. He decided to liven things up for this doubleheader, promising his most fantastic stunt yet. It worked, as 18,000 fans showed up, far more than usually went to Sportsman's Park to see the Browns.

Between games of the doubleheader, the stunt began, as a papier-mache cake was rolled out onto the field. A midget jumped out of the cake, wearing a banner celebrating the American League's 50th anniversary. He was also wearing a Browns jersey, with the number 1/8. Everybody got a laugh, then got ready for the second game.

Many fans seemed disappointed. As far as Veeck promotions went, that was very tame. He had done far more scandelous things during his time as owner, and so the midget jumping out of a cake seemed kind of cheap.

Then Eddie Gaedel came to bat.

In the bottom of the first, Browns manager Zack Taylor announced a pinch-hitter for his leadoff hitter. Grabbing a toy bat, and still wearing the number 1/8 jersey he had worn when jumping out of the cake, Gaedel stepped up to the plate. The Tigers and the umpires immediately protested, to which Taylor responded with Gaedel's contract with the Browns and a list of the Browns' active roster, showing there was room for him. Because the stunt happened on the weekend, the commissioner's office hadn't had time to review the contract yet, so Gaedel was, for the moment, a genuine member of the Browns.

The protest failing, the game continued. Detroit pitcher Bob Cain started laughing at the thought of having to pitch to Gaedel, whose 3-foot-7 frame made for a strike zone barely bigger than the baseball. Cain genuinely tried to pitch strikes on his first two pitches, then softly tossed the last two, walking Gaedel on four pitches. Walking to first, Gaedel stopped twice to doff his cap and take a bow, then was removed for a pinch-runner.

The league didn't take too kindly to Veeck's stunt, voiding Gaedel's contract the next day and originally striking him from the record books. Eventually, his name was put back in the books, and it remains, showing his career on-base percentage of 1.000. Gaedel stayed involved with the Browns' promotions department for a few more years, even following Veeck to Chicago and the White Sox. After he died of a heart attack in 1961, the only baseball figure to attend his funeral was Cain, the pitcher who faced him. "I never even met him," Cain said, "but I felt obligated to go."