The Stars Are Back: The St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox, and Player Unrest in 1946

Image Plates

The 1946 Cardinals brought the third World’s Series championship to St. Louis in five years. It was the ninth time since 1926 that the Redbirds won the National League pennant and the sixth time they won the Series. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. The 1946 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals Back row, left to right: Vernal Jones, Dick Sisler, Clyde Kluttz, Howard Krist, Del Rice, Ken Burkhart, Dr. Harrison J. Weaver (trainer), Ted Wilks, Joe Garagiola, Blix Donnelly, Harry Brecheen, Joffre Cross. Middle row: Fred Schmidt, Walter Sessi, John Beazley, Al Schoendienst, Harry Walker, Bill Endicott, Howard Pollet, Ervin Dusak, Ken O’Dea, John Grodzicki, Charles Barrett, Leo Ward (traveling secretary). Front row: Marty Marion, George Kurowski, Stan Musial, Al Brazle, Clyde Wares (coach), Eddie Dyer (manager), Mike Gonzalez (coach), Elvin Adams, Terry Moore, Enos Slaughter, Murry Dickson. Seated in front: Bob Scanlon and Eddie Dyer, Jr. (batboys) Right-hander Murry Dickson began the season pitching in relief but became a starter after Max Lanier and Freddy Martin left for the Mexican League. He finished the season with fifteen wins and only six losses, the best winning percentage in the National League. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Right-hander George Munger was not discharged from the military until August and appeared in only ten games. In the World’s Series, he won the critical fourth game in Boston that assured the World’s Series would return to St. Louis. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown , New York. The Cardinals pitching staff featured four left-handers: left to right, Al Brazle, Howard Pollet, Max Lanier, and Harry Brecheen. Brazle returned from the military in June to win eleven games, working as both starter and reliever. Pollet won twenty-one games, most in the National League, and had the league’s best ERA of 2.10. Lanier won his first six starts of the season before leaving for the Mexican League in May. Brecheen won fifteen games during the season and three more in the World’s Series including the seventh game. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. St. Louis Southpaws Redbird right fielder Enos Slaughter led both major leagues in RBIs with 128. Known for his hustle and hard-nosed play, he scored the winning run in the seventh game of the World’s Series with his “mad dash” from first base on what appeared to be a routine single to left center. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Third baseman George Kurowski provided offensive balance with a powerful right-handed bat in a lineup dominated by left-handed hitters. With a .301 average for the season, he finished third on the team in both home runs and RBIs. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown , New York. Stan Musial was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1946. He led both leagues in hitting with an average of .365, leading them as well with 228 total hits, 50 doubles, and 20 triples. His hitting against the Dodgers during the season led Brooklyn fans to call him “the Man,” a nickname that stuck thereafter. He had a disappointing World’s Series in which he hit only .222, but it included four doubles, a triple, and four RBIs. Musial’s move from the outfield to first base in June was in many ways key to the success of the Cardinals. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Captain Terry Moore, longtime star center fielder, was sidelined much of the season with knee problems. He appeared in only ninety-one games, hitting .263, but rediscovered his youth in the World’s Series when he made a number of exceptional catches. The Cardinals outfield defense was credited by many with being the difference in the Series. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Outfielder Harry Walker had difficulty readjusting to baseball following his service in the military, during which he saw frequent combat. A .237 hitter during the season in which he played both left and center fields, he hit .412 to lead Redbird hitters in the World’s Series and delivered the eighth-inning hit in the seventh game on which Enos Slaughter scored from first. National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Second baseman...