In a classic-rematch of the previous year's contest, the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees once again found themselves competing for the World Championship title. The underdog Redbirds had dethroned the mighty Bombers in 1942 and the devastating loss was the first since 1926 for the Yankees, who had won in all eight of their appearances in the Fall Classic.
Both teams had maintained their dominance throughout the 1943 season, despite losing several key players to military service. The Cardinals were without Howie Pollet (who left in August) and the Yankees lost Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Red Ruffing to tours of duty. On the home front, the Card's Stan Musial had a tremendous season, winning the National League batting title with an incredible .357 average. He was also backed up by the finest pitching in the National League as Pollet, Max Lanier and Mort Cooper ranked 1-2-3 in the league in ERA at 1.75, 1.90 and 2.30, respectively. The Yanks still boasted Charlie Keller and Joe Gordon who provided power at the plate with thirty-one and seventeen home runs, respectively. First baseman Nick Etten, (acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies) proved a significant addition as well and drove in a team-high one-hundred seven runs and Spud Chandler led the pitching staff with twenty wins. Even without "Joe D" and the gang, Joe McCarthy's team still won the American League pennant with a 13½-game difference over second-place Washington.
In a repeat of the previous opener, the Cardinals fell behind, thanks to the pitching of Spud Chandler, who threw a seven-hit, 4-2 winner that featured a key 2-2 tie breaker in the sixth on singles by Frankie Crosetti and rookie third baseman Billy Johnson, a wild pitch by Lanier and another single by Bill Dickey.
The big story in Game 2 was the bittersweet play of the Cardinal's Cooper brothers, who were mourning the death of their father who had passed away the day before. Mort pitched a one-run ballgame for eight innings and Walker singled in three at-bats and laid down a sacrifice bunt. Both brothers were backed up by Marty Marion, who belted a third-inning homer with the bases empty, and Ray Sanders, who powered a two-run shot in the fourth. Despite the Nationals best efforts, the Yankees rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth and wound up the 4-3 winners.
Al Brazle, a twenty-nine-year-old rookie who won eight-of-ten decisions in the regular season and boasted a 1.53 ERA, kept the Cards' hopes alive for a repeat of '42 (in which St. Louis won four straight to take the title) by pitching masterfully through seven innings of Game 3. Unfortunately, the lefthander was unable to maintain his momentum in the eighth as the Yankees scored five times. Joe DiMaggio's replacement in centerfield, converted pitcher Johnny Lindell, started the rally with a double on the error of Harry Walker who misplayed the ball. Pinch-hitter George Stirnweiss bunted, and first baseman Sanders threw to third baseman Whitey Kurowski in an effort to cut down Lindell. The throw was in time, but Lindell crashed into Kurowski and knocked the ball loose. After a fly-ball moved Stirnweiss to second, Crosetti was walked intentionally to load the bases. Johnson, a .280 hitter in his first season with the Yankees, proceeded to foil the strategy by clearing the bases with a triple. Gordon and Etten added run-scoring singles later in the inning, pushing the score to 6-2. Johnny Murphy finished the job by working a 1-2-3 ninth in relief of winning pitcher Hank Borowy.
Nothing changed in Game 4 as Marius Russo put on a one-man show. A 5-10 pitcher for the Yankees in '43, Russo held St. Louis to seven hits, doubled and scored the winning run in the eighth as New York won 2-1. As the Series headed to Game 5, the Yankees were thinking revenge and were one win away from having it. The Cardinals on the other hand, were only thinking about survival and selected Mort Cooper to go against Chandler the next day. The Redbirds put up a great offensive effort, knocking the Yankee pitcher for ten hits, but were unable to score on any of them. The Bombers only needed one, a two-run homer from Bill Dickey in the sixth that sealed their fate with a 2-0 triumph.
The American's had their revenge and manager Joe McCarthy had his seventh (and final) World Series Championship.
"Certainly (Spud) Chandler is a good pitcher, but there are good pitchers in the National League, too. We expect to see good pitching in the World Series. The Yankees wouldn't have won the pennant without good pitching, but the same is true of our club. We have good pitching too." - St. Louis Manager Billy Southworth
1943 World Series1943 WorldSeriesOfficialProgram 1943 WorldSeriesOfficialProgram ← 1942 | New York Yankees (4) vs St. Louis Cardinals (1) | 1944 → |
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1943 World Series Fast Facts | ||
Game 1 | Date / Box Score | 10-05-1943 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
Attendance | 68,676 | |
Game 2 | Date / Box Score | 10-06-1943 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
Attendance | 68,578 | |
Game 3 | Date / Box Score | 10-07-1943 |
Location | Yankee Stadium | |
Attendance | 69,990 | |
Game 4 | Date / Box Score | 10-10-1943 |
Location | Sportsman's Park | |
Attendance | 36,196 | |
Game 5 | Date / Box Score | 10-11-1943 |
Location | Sportsman's Park | |
Attendance | 33,872 | |
1943 World Series Fast Facts |
1943 World Series
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1943 World Series Game 1 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
St. Louis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | x | 4 | 8 | 2 |
St. Louis Pitcher(s) | New York Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Max Lanier (L) Harry Brecheen (8th) |
Spud Chandler (W) - |
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St. Louis Home Runs | New York Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | Joe Gordon (4th) |
1943 World Series
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1943 World Series Game 2 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
St. Louis Pitcher(s) | New York Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Mort Cooper (W) - |
Tiny Bonham (L) Johnny Murphy (9th) |
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St. Louis Home Runs | New York Home Runs | |||||||||||
Marty Marion (3rd) Ray Sanders (4th) |
None - |
1943 World Series
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1943 World Series Game 3 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | x | 6 | 8 | 0 |
St. Louis Pitcher(s) | New York Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Al Brazle (L) Howie Krist (8th) Harry Brecheen (8th) |
Hank Borowy (W) Johnny Murphy (S, 9th) - |
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St. Louis Home Runs | New York Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | None |
1943 World Series
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1943 World Series Game 4 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
New York Pitcher(s) | St. Louis Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Marius Russo (W) - |
Max Lanier Harry Brecheen (L, 8th) |
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New York Home Runs | St. Louis Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | None |
1943 World Series
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1943 World Series Game 5 Capsule | ||||||||||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
St. Louis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
New York Pitcher(s) | St. Louis Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Spud Chandler (W) - - |
Mort Cooper (L) Max Lanier (8th) Murry Dickson (9th) |
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New York Home Runs | St. Louis Home Runs | |||||||||||
Bill Dickey (6th) | None |
1943 World SeriesComposite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Tiny Bonham Hank Borowy Spud Chandler Frankie Crosetti Bill Dickey Nick Etten Joe Gordon Billy Johnson Charlie Keller Johnny Lindell Bud Metheny Johnny Murphy Marius Russo Tuck Stainback Snuffy Stirnweiss Roy Weatherly |
p p p ss c 1b 2b 3b of of of p p of ph ph |
1 1 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 2 2 1 5 1 1 |
2 2 6 18 18 19 17 20 18 9 8 0 3 17 1 1 |
0 1 1 5 5 2 4 6 4 1 1 0 2 3 0 0 |
0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 1 0 4 1 0 2 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 |
0 0 0 1 4 2 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
.000 .500 .167 .278 .278 .105 .235 .300 .222 .111 .125 .000 .667 .176 .000 .000 |
0 0 0 2 2 1 3 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 |
0 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 5 4 2 0 1 2 0 0 |
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
Totals | 159 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 14 | .220 | 12 | 30 | 2 | ||
1943 World SeriesComposite Hitting Statistics |
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Name | Pos | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | Avg | BB | SO | SB |
Al Brazle Harry Brecheen Mort Cooper Walker Cooper Frank Demaree Murry Dickson Debs Garms Johnny Hopp Lou Klein Howie Krist Whitey Kurowski Max Lanier Danny Litwhiler Marty Marion Stan Musial Sam Narron Ken O'Dea Ray Sanders Harry Walker Ernie White |
p p p c ph p of-1 of 2b p 3b p of-4 ss of ph c-1 1b of pr |
1 3 2 5 1 1 2 1 5 1 5 3 5 5 5 1 2 5 5 1 |
3 0 5 17 1 0 5 4 22 0 18 4 15 14 18 1 3 17 18 0 |
0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 1 4 5 5 0 2 5 3 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 |
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 |
.000 .000 .000 .294 .000 .000 .000 .000 .136 .000 .222 .250 .267 .357 .278 .000 .667 .294 .167 .000 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 2 0 0 3 0 0 |
1 0 3 1 0 0 2 1 2 0 3 0 4 1 2 0 0 4 2 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
Totals | 165 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 8 | .224 | 11 | 26 | 1 |
1943 World SeriesComposite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Tiny Bonham Hank Borowy Spud Chandler Johnny Murphy Marius Russo |
0 1 2 0 1 |
1 0 0 0 0 |
1 1 2 2 1 |
1 1 2 0 1 |
0 0 2 0 1 |
0 0 0 1 0 |
0 0 1 0 0 |
8.0 8.0 18.0 2.0 9.0 |
4.50 2.25 0.50 0.00 0.00 |
6 6 17 1 7 |
9 4 10 1 2 |
4 2 1 0 0 |
3 3 3 1 1 |
Totals | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 45.0 | 1.40 | 37 | 26 | 7 | 11 |
1943 World SeriesComposite Pitching Statistics |
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Name | W | L | G | GS | CG | S | Sh | IP | ERA | H | SO | ER | BB |
Al Brazle Harry Brecheen Mort Cooper Murry Dickson Howie Krist Max Lanier |
0 0 1 0 0 0 |
1 1 1 0 0 1 |
1 3 2 1 1 3 |
1 0 2 0 0 2 |
0 0 1 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 |
0 0 0 0 0 0 |
7.1 3.2 16.0 0.2 0.0 15.1 |
3.68 2.45 2.81 0.00 -.-- 1.76 |
5 5 11 0 1 13 |
4 3 10 0 0 13 |
3 1 5 0 0 3 |
2 3 3 1 0 3 |
Totals | 1 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43.0 | 2.51 | 35 | 30 | 12 | 12 |
The only St. Louis Cardinals victory took place during Game 2, an event that went without celebration due to the death of Mort & Walker Cooper's father (Robert) on the same date.
Did you know that Murry Dickson, who helped close the door on the Cardinals in Game 5 by allowing no hits while on the mound, was on a ten (10) day pass from the United States Army?
Visit Baseball Fever and discuss if things would have been different had the Cardinals not lost the following players, who were on the roster during the 1942 World Series championship, to the armed services: Johnny Beazley, Jimmy Brown, Creepy Crespi, Terry Moore and Enos Slaughter.