1946 National League tie-breaker series
Encyclopedia
The 1946 National League tie-breaker series was a best-of-three playoff to decide the winner of Major League Baseball
's (MLB) National League
(NL) pennant
. The games occurred on October 1 and October 3, 1946, between the St. Louis Cardinals
and Brooklyn Dodgers. The first game took place at Sportsman's Park
in St. Louis, and the second, at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field
. The Cardinals swept the Dodgers behind wins from pitchers Howie Pollet
and Murry Dickson
. The series became necessary after both teams finished the season 96–58. It was the first playoff tiebreaker
in Major League Baseball history.
, all ballplayers who had served in the military were returning to their former teams. The Cardinals regained Hall of Famer
Stan Musial
, and the Dodgers reacquired Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese
. The previous season, St. Louis finished second in the NL, and Brooklyn ended the season third, with records of 95-59 and 87-67, respectively. In a pre-season poll of 119 sportswriters, 115 picked the Cardinals to win the National League, while none selected the Dodgers.
Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer
said that talk about his team being a "shoo-in" to win the pennant was devised by Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey
to ease the pressure on them, and increase pressure on the Cardinals, noting that he felt Brooklyn was the clear favorite. The Dodgers spent the first month of the season creating a "youth movement" on their club, allowing younger players to have significant playing time. When the team was in first place in the middle of May, however, manager Leo Durocher
dropped the idea and instead focused on winning the pennant. Dyer said at the start of the season that as long as Saint Louis was within five games of first place on July 4, they would win the pennant race. As July 4 came and went, they found themselves seven games behind the Dodgers, and concern grew in St. Louis.
The Cardinals rebounded, and on August 22, after winning both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies
, the clubs were tied, 71-45. After the Dodgers had led the league most of the season, the Cardinals were in first place most of September. On September 29, Saint Louis and Brooklyn were again tied with just one game left to play against the Chicago Cubs
and Boston Braves, respectively. The Cardinals lost to the Cubs, 8–3, while the Dodgers lost to the Braves, 4–0, and as a result the two teams were placed in a best-of-three playoff series to determine who would face the Boston Red Sox
in the 1946 World Series
. The Dodgers chose Ralph Branca
to pitch the first game in the series. The Cardinals debated starting either Howie Pollet or Murry Dickson, before deciding on Pollet.
grounded out, Cookie Lavagetto
flied out to center field, and Joe Medwick
grounded out to end the inning. Branca took the mound in the bottom of the first, striking out
Red Schoendienst
and allowing a single
to Terry Moore
. After National League MVP Musial struck out, Enos Slaughter
singled and Whitey Kurowski
walked
to load the bases. Joe Garagiola, Sr. brought in a run before being tagged out to end the inning with the score 1–0. In the second inning, Carl Furillo
reached base on an error by Pollet. Pee Wee Reese
singled, but Furillo was out at second. Another groundout brought the Cardinals back up, and the Dodgers got all three batters quickly out
to end the inning. In the top of the third, Howie Schultz
hit a home run
on the first pitch he saw, tying the score at 1–1. After three more outs, St. Louis came back up to bat. Moore flied out, then Musial walked, and Slaughter singled. Musial scored on Kurowski's hit while Slaughter was called out, and after two more singles, the latter bringing in Kurowski, Branca was taken out of the game.
Kirby Higbe
replaced Branca on the mound, and ended the inning with the Cardinals in the lead, 3–1. Both teams combined for one hit in the fourth inning, a single by Moore. In the top of the fifth, Reese and Bruce Edwards
singled, and Schultz grounded out on a bunt. Stan Rojek
pinch hit for Higbe, and walked, loading the bases. Stanky grounded into a double play
, ending the inning without the Dodgers scoring any runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Hal Gregg
replaced Higbe on the mound, and retired the side in order. The sixth inning contained just one baserunner — Schoendienst — who was stranded on first after hitting a single.
The top of the seventh started with Furillo flying out to right field. Reese, Edwards, and Schultz all singled after Furillo's out. Reese scored on Schultz's hit, but Slaughter threw Edwards out at third base
A groundout by Bob Ramazzotti
ended the threat with the Cardinals leading, 3–2. Dyer later said he considered this play the one that saved the game for St. Louis. In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers insterted their fourth pitcher, Vic Lombardi
. After Musial tripled
and Slaughter flied out, he was replaced by Rube Melton
, the fifth and final pitcher the Dodgers used. A Garagiola single scored Musial, and Melton got the other two outs in between a wild pitch
, making the score 4–2 at the end of the seventh. Stanky walked to start the eighth, giving him a league-leading 137 walks for the season. Brooklyn finished the eighth inning leaving two on base, and the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the eighth as well, leaving a man on base. In the top of the ninth, Reese and Edwards flied out, and Schultz struck out to end the game, giving the Cardinals a 4–2 victory.
flied out, Augie Galan
singled. He was brought home by a walk and another single. After Carl Furillo flied out, the first inning ended with a score of 1-0. In the top of the second, the Cardinals responded when Erv Dusak
tripled after a Slaughter ground out. Marty Marion hit a sacrifice fly
to score Dusak, and after a single by Clyde Kluttz
, Dickson tripled to score another run, giving St. Louis a 2–1 lead, before a fly out ended their half of the inning. Dickson walked Bruce Edwards
, but retired the next three batters, leaving the score 2-1 at the end of the second inning.
Neither team got a hit in the third or fourth innings. The only runners to reach base were Whitey Kurowski and Marion, both on walks. The fifth started that the same way, with Slaughter and Moore flying out. With two outs however, the Cardinals started hitting. Musial doubled, Kurowski walked, Slaughter tripled, and Dusak singled. All but Dusak scored on the hits, bringing the score to 5-1 and ending Hatten's day. Hank Behrman
came on in relief. Behrman kept any more runs from scoring, and after another inning in which the Dodgers did not record a hit, the score was 5-1 at the end of the fifth.
Vic Lombardi replaced Behrman in the top of the sixth. He allowed just one hit to Dickson, keeping the score 5-1 when Brooklyn came up to bat. Whitman, Galan, and Dixie Walker
all grounded out to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Lombardi allowed two walks, then Dusak hit a sacrifice bunt, after which Lombardi was replaced by Higbe. Marion hit a sacrifice bunt as well, which allowed Kurowski to score. Higbe quickly got the third out, and the Dodgers again went hitless in the seventh, making the score 6-1 at the end of seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Dickson struck out, while Red Schoendienst singled and Moore doubled. Musial was intentionally walked
to load the bases, and Kurowski singled, allowing two baserunners to score and making the game 8-1 in favor of the Cardinals. After another walk, Higbe was replaced on the pitcher's mound by Rube Melton
, who got the final two outs of the inning.
Brooklyn went hitless in the bottom of the eighth. They inserted Harry Taylor to pitch the top half of the ninth, in which, he held St. Louis hitless. With half an inning left to play, the Dodgers began to get hits off of Dickson. Galan doubled, and after Walker flied out, Ed Stevens
tripled to score Galan and Furillo singled to score Stevens, after a wild pitch and a walk, Brecheen took over pitching duties for Dickson with St. Louis leading 8-3. Edwards singled off Brecheen and allowed Furillo to score, and after Cookie Lavagetto
walked, the score was 8-4 with the bases loaded. The Cardinals kept the score from getting any closer, as Brecheen struck out the final two batters to end the game.
injured his elbow. He recovered in time to play in the World Series, but manager Joe Cronin
blamed the injury on having to wait for the three-game series to finish, and pushed for future tie-breakers to be a single game. Cronin got his wish in the American League
, as the 1948 American League tie-breaker
was only a one-game matchup. However, the National League hosted three more series-style tie-breakers in later seasons before converting to a single-game format.
After Brooklyn lost the series, rumors of Durocher leaving to manage the New York Yankees
, which had started in the final days of the regular season, resurfaced. Durocher responded by saying that he would remain the manager of the Dodgers "until I die", quelling any speculation.
The two games counted statistically
as regular season games. As a result, Musial and Slaughter led the league with 156 games played, which could not have been equaled by anyone but a Brooklyn or St. Louis player. Musial's two hits in the series gave him a league-leading 228 for the season. Pollet's nine inning, two earned run
s performance lowered his earned run average
(ERA) to 2.10, and increased his win total to 21, both of which led the National League, narrowly edging out Johnny Sain
's 20 wins and 2.21 ERA. Murry Dickson's victory in the second game gave him 15 wins and six losses on the season; this brought his win-loss percentage to .714, which led the National League. Musial finished the season with a .365 batting average
, 124 runs
, 50 doubles
, 20 triples, 16 home runs, and 103 runs batted in, and won the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's (MLB) National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(NL) pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
. The games occurred on October 1 and October 3, 1946, between the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Brooklyn Dodgers. The first game took place at Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, all but one of which were located on the same piece of land, the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street on the north side of the city.- History :From...
in St. Louis, and the second, at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
. The Cardinals swept the Dodgers behind wins from pitchers Howie Pollet
Howie Pollet
Howard Joseph Pollet was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1940s and 1950s. A three-time All-Star in , and , he twice he led the National League in earned run average .Born in New Orleans, Pollet signed his first professional contract with the St...
and Murry Dickson
Murry Dickson
Murry Monroe Dickson was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1940s and 1950s...
. The series became necessary after both teams finished the season 96–58. It was the first playoff tiebreaker
Tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.-In matches:In some situations, the tiebreaker may consist of another round of play...
in Major League Baseball history.
Background
In the first season of baseball since the conclusion of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, all ballplayers who had served in the military were returning to their former teams. The Cardinals regained Hall of Famer
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
, and the Dodgers reacquired Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese
Pee Wee Reese
Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from to . A ten-time All Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers and, was inducted...
. The previous season, St. Louis finished second in the NL, and Brooklyn ended the season third, with records of 95-59 and 87-67, respectively. In a pre-season poll of 119 sportswriters, 115 picked the Cardinals to win the National League, while none selected the Dodgers.
Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer
Eddie Dyer
Edwin Hawley Dyer was an American left-handed pitcher, manager and farm system official in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922–44 and 1946–50...
said that talk about his team being a "shoo-in" to win the pennant was devised by Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
to ease the pressure on them, and increase pressure on the Cardinals, noting that he felt Brooklyn was the clear favorite. The Dodgers spent the first month of the season creating a "youth movement" on their club, allowing younger players to have significant playing time. When the team was in first place in the middle of May, however, manager Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
dropped the idea and instead focused on winning the pennant. Dyer said at the start of the season that as long as Saint Louis was within five games of first place on July 4, they would win the pennant race. As July 4 came and went, they found themselves seven games behind the Dodgers, and concern grew in St. Louis.
The Cardinals rebounded, and on August 22, after winning both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, the clubs were tied, 71-45. After the Dodgers had led the league most of the season, the Cardinals were in first place most of September. On September 29, Saint Louis and Brooklyn were again tied with just one game left to play against the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and Boston Braves, respectively. The Cardinals lost to the Cubs, 8–3, while the Dodgers lost to the Braves, 4–0, and as a result the two teams were placed in a best-of-three playoff series to determine who would face the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in the 1946 World Series
1946 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriThe Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.-Game 2:Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St...
. The Dodgers chose Ralph Branca
Ralph Branca
Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Detroit Tigers , and New York Yankees...
to pitch the first game in the series. The Cardinals debated starting either Howie Pollet or Murry Dickson, before deciding on Pollet.
Game 1 summary
Pollet started the game by retiring the first three Brooklyn hitters. Eddie StankyEddie Stanky
Edward Raymond Stanky , nicknamed "The Brat", was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Braves , New York Giants , and St. Louis Cardinals...
grounded out, Cookie Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
flied out to center field, and Joe Medwick
Joe Medwick
Joseph Michael Medwick , nicknamed "Ducky", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals during the "Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , New York Giants , and Boston Braves...
grounded out to end the inning. Branca took the mound in the bottom of the first, striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
Red Schoendienst
Red Schoendienst
Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst is an American Major League Baseball coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star. After a 19-year playing career with the St...
and allowing a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
to Terry Moore
Terry Moore (baseball)
Terry Bluford Moore was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1935–42 and 1946-48.-Playing career:...
. After National League MVP Musial struck out, Enos Slaughter
Enos Slaughter
Enos Bradsher Slaughter , nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St...
singled and Whitey Kurowski
Whitey Kurowski
George John Kurowski was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals . Kurowski batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 23, 1941, and played his final game on October 1, 1949...
walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
to load the bases. Joe Garagiola, Sr. brought in a run before being tagged out to end the inning with the score 1–0. In the second inning, Carl Furillo
Carl Furillo
Carl Anthony Furillo , nicknamed "The Reading Rifle" and "Skoonj," was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers...
reached base on an error by Pollet. Pee Wee Reese
Pee Wee Reese
Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from to . A ten-time All Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers and, was inducted...
singled, but Furillo was out at second. Another groundout brought the Cardinals back up, and the Dodgers got all three batters quickly out
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
to end the inning. In the top of the third, Howie Schultz
Howie Schultz
Howard Henry "Howie" Schultz , nicknamed "Stretch" and "Steeple", was an American baseball and basketball player from Saint Paul, Minnesota....
hit a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
on the first pitch he saw, tying the score at 1–1. After three more outs, St. Louis came back up to bat. Moore flied out, then Musial walked, and Slaughter singled. Musial scored on Kurowski's hit while Slaughter was called out, and after two more singles, the latter bringing in Kurowski, Branca was taken out of the game.
Kirby Higbe
Kirby Higbe
Walter Kirby Higbe was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball from to . He was born and died in Columbia, South Carolina.-Career:...
replaced Branca on the mound, and ended the inning with the Cardinals in the lead, 3–1. Both teams combined for one hit in the fourth inning, a single by Moore. In the top of the fifth, Reese and Bruce Edwards
Bruce Edwards (baseball)
Charles Bruce Edwards was an American professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to and from to , most notably for the Brooklyn Dodgers.- Baseball career:...
singled, and Schultz grounded out on a bunt. Stan Rojek
Stan Rojek
Stanley Andrew Rojek born in North Tonawanda, New York was a shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals and St...
pinch hit for Higbe, and walked, loading the bases. Stanky grounded into a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
, ending the inning without the Dodgers scoring any runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Hal Gregg
Hal Gregg
Harold Dana Gregg was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants . Greeg batted and threw right-handed...
replaced Higbe on the mound, and retired the side in order. The sixth inning contained just one baserunner — Schoendienst — who was stranded on first after hitting a single.
The top of the seventh started with Furillo flying out to right field. Reese, Edwards, and Schultz all singled after Furillo's out. Reese scored on Schultz's hit, but Slaughter threw Edwards out at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
A groundout by Bob Ramazzotti
Bob Ramazzotti
Robert Louis Ramazzotti was an American infielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1946-1953 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, primarily as a second and third baseman. Born in Elanora, Pennsylvania, he died at age 83 in Altoona.-External links:*...
ended the threat with the Cardinals leading, 3–2. Dyer later said he considered this play the one that saved the game for St. Louis. In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers insterted their fourth pitcher, Vic Lombardi
Vic Lombardi
Victor Alvin Lombardi was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1945-1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the starting pitcher in two games of the 1947 World Series for the Dodgers.-External links:**** at Find a Grave...
. After Musial tripled
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and Slaughter flied out, he was replaced by Rube Melton
Rube Melton
Reuben Franklin Melton was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1941-1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies....
, the fifth and final pitcher the Dodgers used. A Garagiola single scored Musial, and Melton got the other two outs in between a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
, making the score 4–2 at the end of the seventh. Stanky walked to start the eighth, giving him a league-leading 137 walks for the season. Brooklyn finished the eighth inning leaving two on base, and the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the eighth as well, leaving a man on base. In the top of the ninth, Reese and Edwards flied out, and Schultz struck out to end the game, giving the Cardinals a 4–2 victory.
Game 2 summary
Originally, the Cardinals were wavering between starting Murry Dickson or Harry Brecheen in game two, while the Dodgers were looking to use either Higbe, who had pitched in the previous game, or Joe Hatten; the two clubs went with Dickson and Hatten. Hatten began the game in the top of the first inning by only allowing one hit to Terry Moore. In the bottom of the first, the Dodgers scored the game's first run. After Eddie Stanky struck out, and Dick WhitmanDick Whitman
Dick Corwin Whitman was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played college baseball at the University of Oregon, and then professionally from 1946-1951 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies.Born in Woodburn, Oregon, he appeared in the 1949 World Series with the...
flied out, Augie Galan
Augie Galan
August John Galan was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1934 through 1949, he played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds , New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics . Galan threw right-handed and began his career as a switch hitter...
singled. He was brought home by a walk and another single. After Carl Furillo flied out, the first inning ended with a score of 1-0. In the top of the second, the Cardinals responded when Erv Dusak
Erv Dusak
Ervin Frank "Four Sack" Dusak was an American Major League Baseball player. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938 and got his nickname from a poem a fan wrote after he hit a home run in the minors. He was very briefly with the 1941 Houston Buffaloes of the...
tripled after a Slaughter ground out. Marty Marion hit a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
to score Dusak, and after a single by Clyde Kluttz
Clyde Kluttz
Clyde Franklin Kluttz born in Rockwell, North Carolina was a catcher for the Boston Braves , New York Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , St...
, Dickson tripled to score another run, giving St. Louis a 2–1 lead, before a fly out ended their half of the inning. Dickson walked Bruce Edwards
Bruce Edwards (baseball)
Charles Bruce Edwards was an American professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to and from to , most notably for the Brooklyn Dodgers.- Baseball career:...
, but retired the next three batters, leaving the score 2-1 at the end of the second inning.
Neither team got a hit in the third or fourth innings. The only runners to reach base were Whitey Kurowski and Marion, both on walks. The fifth started that the same way, with Slaughter and Moore flying out. With two outs however, the Cardinals started hitting. Musial doubled, Kurowski walked, Slaughter tripled, and Dusak singled. All but Dusak scored on the hits, bringing the score to 5-1 and ending Hatten's day. Hank Behrman
Hank Behrman
Henry Bernard Behrman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1946-1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants...
came on in relief. Behrman kept any more runs from scoring, and after another inning in which the Dodgers did not record a hit, the score was 5-1 at the end of the fifth.
Vic Lombardi replaced Behrman in the top of the sixth. He allowed just one hit to Dickson, keeping the score 5-1 when Brooklyn came up to bat. Whitman, Galan, and Dixie Walker
Dixie Walker
Fred E. "Dixie" Walker was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates...
all grounded out to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Lombardi allowed two walks, then Dusak hit a sacrifice bunt, after which Lombardi was replaced by Higbe. Marion hit a sacrifice bunt as well, which allowed Kurowski to score. Higbe quickly got the third out, and the Dodgers again went hitless in the seventh, making the score 6-1 at the end of seven innings. In the top of the eighth, Dickson struck out, while Red Schoendienst singled and Moore doubled. Musial was intentionally walked
Intentional base on balls
In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by IBB, is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the pitched ball...
to load the bases, and Kurowski singled, allowing two baserunners to score and making the game 8-1 in favor of the Cardinals. After another walk, Higbe was replaced on the pitcher's mound by Rube Melton
Rube Melton
Reuben Franklin Melton was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1941-1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies....
, who got the final two outs of the inning.
Brooklyn went hitless in the bottom of the eighth. They inserted Harry Taylor to pitch the top half of the ninth, in which, he held St. Louis hitless. With half an inning left to play, the Dodgers began to get hits off of Dickson. Galan doubled, and after Walker flied out, Ed Stevens
Ed Stevens (baseball)
Edward Lee Stevens , nicknamed "Big Ed," is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played from 1945-1950 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was known as the player who lost his starting job with the Dodgers to Jackie Robinson .He was a coach for the San Diego Padres...
tripled to score Galan and Furillo singled to score Stevens, after a wild pitch and a walk, Brecheen took over pitching duties for Dickson with St. Louis leading 8-3. Edwards singled off Brecheen and allowed Furillo to score, and after Cookie Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
walked, the score was 8-4 with the bases loaded. The Cardinals kept the score from getting any closer, as Brecheen struck out the final two batters to end the game.
Aftermath
The Cardinals advanced to face Boston in the World Series, whom they defeated four games to three. While the Cardinals were facing the Dodgers, the Red Sox faced a team of American League All-Stars in an exhibition match. During the game, Ted WilliamsTed Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
injured his elbow. He recovered in time to play in the World Series, but manager Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin
Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
blamed the injury on having to wait for the three-game series to finish, and pushed for future tie-breakers to be a single game. Cronin got his wish in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, as the 1948 American League tie-breaker
1948 American League tie-breaker game
The 1948 American League tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League conference. The game took place on October 4, 1948, between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of...
was only a one-game matchup. However, the National League hosted three more series-style tie-breakers in later seasons before converting to a single-game format.
After Brooklyn lost the series, rumors of Durocher leaving to manage the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, which had started in the final days of the regular season, resurfaced. Durocher responded by saying that he would remain the manager of the Dodgers "until I die", quelling any speculation.
The two games counted statistically
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
as regular season games. As a result, Musial and Slaughter led the league with 156 games played, which could not have been equaled by anyone but a Brooklyn or St. Louis player. Musial's two hits in the series gave him a league-leading 228 for the season. Pollet's nine inning, two earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
s performance lowered his earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) to 2.10, and increased his win total to 21, both of which led the National League, narrowly edging out Johnny Sain
Johnny Sain
John Franklin Sain was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was best known for teaming with left-hander Warren Spahn on the Boston Braves teams from 1946 to 1951...
's 20 wins and 2.21 ERA. Murry Dickson's victory in the second game gave him 15 wins and six losses on the season; this brought his win-loss percentage to .714, which led the National League. Musial finished the season with a .365 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, 124 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, 50 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 20 triples, 16 home runs, and 103 runs batted in, and won the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season.