Posted on 09/23/2021 10:34:35 AM PDT by fugazi
Stan Musial, playing just his fifth major league game, threw out a runner at the plate, stole a base, hit two doubles, and scored the winning run on an infield single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Musial collected six hits between the two doubleheader games and is the subject of some lofty praise in the sports pages.
As the pennant race tightens up, the Cardinals have the tougher schedule than the first-place Dodgers, playing four games in Pittsburgh against the fourth-place Pirates and two more in Chicago against the sixth-place Cubs. Meanwhile the Dodgers -- now just one game in front of St. Louis -- play their remaining five games against the bottom two teams in the league: the Boston Braves (35.5 games back) and the Philadelphia Phillies (53.5 games back). In Boston, Ted Williams goes 1-for-3, belting a two-run homerun and walking once. His batting average remains at .406 as the Red Sox defeat the Yankees 4-1.
The sports page also features former Cardinal manager Gabby "Old Sarge" Street, claiming that St. Louis left handed rookie pitchers Ernie White and Howie Pollett may in fact be better than Dizzy and Paul Dean. Since being called up on Aug. 20, Pollett has already compiled a 5-1 record on the mound. White has been with the club all season and is tied for the club lead with 17 wins.
Both Cardinal pitchers serve in the Armed Forces during the 1944 and 45 seasons. Pollett will win 21 games when he returns to the Cardinals in 1946, and another 20 in 1949. White won't come close to his 1941 numbers before or after the war, going just 12-13 over his next five seasons.
"Old Sarge" was among the first American forces sent to Europe during World War I, attached to the 138th Infantry Regiment during the Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel and Argonne campaigns. Street and the St. Louis-based 138th Regiment fought alongside Col. George S. Patton's tank brigade when the Americans captured Cheppy and Exermont. An enemy machinegun bullet punched a hole in Street's leg in October, bringing an end to his soldiering and playing days.
Street was one of several baseball players assigned to the 1st Gas Regiment. In 1929, Cardinals general manager -- and former 1st Regiment officer -- Branch Rickey would call on Street to join the Cardinals coaching staff. When Billy Southworth (yes, the same Billy Southworth who returned as Cardinal skipper for the 1940-1945 seasons) was fired in 1930, Street got the job. Old Sarge led the Redbirds to a National League pennant in 1930 and a World Series victory in 1931.
As for Southworth, he grew up in Columbus, Ohio playing with neighbor and future ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Southworth got his first major league job when the Cleveland Indians needed to replace an injured Shoeless Joe Jackson. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues, but got another chance when Pittsburgh's Casey Stengel joined the Navy. Southworth was registered for the draft, but his number was never called.
Another lifelong Cardinals fan until MLB went woke.
Bob Gibson is one of the all time great pitchers...but “Stan the Man” is THE most underrated HoF great.
Although I’m right-handed, I learned to bat left-handed like my baseball idol...and eventually learned to play golf left-handed but tennis right-handed,
I remember that unusual Musial batting stance.
It would be interesting to see an alternative universe where Musial was a Yankee and DiMaggio was a Cardinal. How big of a legend Musial would have been playing in New York and if it would have dampened DiMaggio’s fame playing in St. Louis.
Not to make this into a political post, but I despise baseball for taking away a great American institution that my father and I got to enjoy but my children will not. It’s hard not to turn on the radio at night and listen to Mike Shannon calling games, but they brought this on themselves.
I left out that one of Harry Carey’s first broadcast partners was Gabby Street. That was back in the days when sportscasters were employed by breweries.
Stan Musial Stadium, located in Kutno, Poland.
Ditto on Musial & DiMaggio
Growing up in Dayton, OH, I still recall my dad listening to Harry Carey on KMOX at night.
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