By Jack McKillop
When the U.S. entered World War II, there was talk of suspending baseball for the duration but cooler heads prevailed and the game continued throughout the war. The majority of the top baseball players were still playing in 1942; after the season ended, many either enlisted or were drafted into the military where many of them continued to play ball on military teams.
1942
The tenth annual All-Star Game pitting the American League All-Stars against the National League All-Stars is played in the 55,000-seat Polo Grounds, the home of the New York Giants. The National League is the home team. The starting pitchers are the New York Yankees' Spud Chandler for the American League and the St. Louis Cardinals' Mort Cooper for the National League. The American League All-Stars win the game 3-1. All 3 American League runs were scored in the fist inning on a home run by Cleveland Indians' shortstop and manager Lou Boudreau, a double by New York Yankees' right fielder Tommy Henrich and a home run by Detroit Tigers' first baseman Rudy York. The National League's one run came on a pinch-hit home run by Brooklyn Dodger catcher Mickey Owen. The Yankees' Spud Chandler pitched 4-innings and was relieved by Detroit Tigers' pitcher Al Benton in the 5th-inning. The Cardinals' Mort Cooper pitched 3-innings and was followed by Cincinnati Red's pitcher Johnny Vander Meer (3-innings), Claude Passeau of the Chicago Cubs (2-innings) and Reds' pitcher Bucky Walters (1-inning).
The American League now leads the All-Star series 7-3.
The first game of the 1942 World Series between the American League pennant winner, the New York Yankees, and the National League pennant winner, the St. Louis Cardinals, is played in the 34,000-seat Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri. This is the Cardinals sixth appearance in a World Series and the Yankees twelfth. Neither team has lost any starting players to the military during the year. The Cardinals, managed by Billy Southworth, had a 106-48 record for the year finishing 2-games ahead of the second place Brooklyn Dodgers. The best batting average was achieved by right fielder Enos "Country" Slaugher who batted .318; the top pitcher was Johnny Beazley who was 21-6 with a 2.13 ERA. The Yankees, managed by Joe McCarthy, had a record of 103-51 for the year and finished 9-games ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox. The top hitter was second baseman Joe Gordon who batted .322; the top pitcher was Ernie "Tiny" Bonham who was 21-5 with a 2.27 ERA.
The starting pitchers for the first game are Red Ruffing (14-7 with a 3.21 ERA for the season) for the Yankees and Mort Cooper (22-7 with a 1.78 ERA for the season) for the Cardinals. Ruffing does not allow any Cardinal hits until there are two outs in the bottom of the 8th-inning. Going into the bottom of the 9th-inning, the Yankees lead 7-0 but the Cardinals score four runs making the final score 7-4 Yankees. Ruffing, the winning pitcher, pitched 8-2/3rd innings and was relieved by Spud Chandler who finished the game. Mort Cooper, the losing pitcher, pitched 7-2/3rds innings and was followed by Harry "Gunboat" Gumbert (1/3rd inning) and Max Lanier (1-inning). The Yankees lead the series 1-0.
Game 2 of the 1942 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees is played at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri. The starting pitchers are Ernie Bonham for the Yankees and Johnny Beazley for the Cardinals. At the end of 7-innings, the Cardinals are leading 3-0 but the Yankees score 3-runs in the 8th-inning, two on a home run by right fielder Charlie "King Kong" Keller with one on. In the bottom of the 8th, the Cardinals right fielder Enos Slaughter doubles and then scores on a single by left fielder Stan Musial making the score 4-3. In the top of the 9th, Slaughter saves the day by throwing out Yankee pinch hitter Tuck Stainback who attempts to run from first base to third base on a single with none out. The final score is Cardinals 4-3 and the series is tied 1-1.
Both starting pitchers finish the game with Beazley the winning and Bonham the losing pitcher.
The third game of the 1942 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees is played in 71,000-seat Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York. The series is tied 1-1. The starting pitchers for the game are Ernie White (17-7 with a 2.40 ERA for the season) for the Cardinals and Spud Chandler (10-4 with a 3.19 ERA for the season) for the Yankees. Ernie White holds the Yankees to six hits and the Cardinals win 2-0, the first time the Yankees had been shutout since Game 3 of the 1926 World Series. White is the winning pitcher and Chandler the loser. Chandler was relieved by Marv Breuer in the top of the 9th-inning; with no outs in the 9th, Breurer is relieved by Milkman Jim Turner. The Cardinals now lead the series 2-1.
Game 4 of the 1942 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees is played in Yankee Stadium. The starting pitchers are Mort Cooper for the Cardinals, the winning pitcher in Game 1, and rookie Hank Borowy (15-4 with a 2.52 ERA for the season) for the Yankees. The Yankees jump off to a 1-0 lead which holds until the 4th-inning when the Cardinals score 6-runs. The Yankees tie the game in the 6th-inning with 5-runs, 3 of them on a home run by Yankee right fielder Charlie "King Kong" Keller with 2 on. The Cardinals come back with 2-runs in the 7th-inning and one more in the 9th-inning making the final score 9-6 Cardinals. The Cardinals Mort Cooper pitched 5-1/3 innings and was relieved by Harry Gumbert (1/3rd inning) and Howie Pollet (1/3rd inning) in the 6th inning; Max Lanier came on in the 7th-inning and got the win. The Yankees Hank Borowy pitched 3-innings followed by Atley Donald, the losing pitcher (3-innings), and Ernie Bonham (3-innings). The Cardinals now lead the series 3-1.
The 5th game of the 1942 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees is played at Yankee Stadium. The Cardinals lead the series 3-1. The starting pitchers are the Cardinals Johnny Beazley, the winning pitcher in Game 2, and the Yankees Red Ruffing, the winning pitcher in Game 1; both pitchers pitch complete games. Going into the 9th-inning, the score is tied 2-2. One of the Yankee runs came on a home run by shortstop Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto. In the top of the 9th, Cardinal third baseman Whitey Kurowski hits a home run with one on giving the Cardinals the World Series victory 4-2. This was the Yankees' first World Series defeat in their last nine appearances dating back to the 1926 series against the Cardinals.