1941 World Series

1941 World Series
Team (Wins) Manager Season
New York Yankees (4) Joe McCarthy 101–53, .656, GA: 17
Brooklyn Dodgers (1) Leo Durocher 100–54, .649, GA:  2 1⁄2
Dates: October 1–6
Radio: Mutual
Radio announcers: Red Barber and Bob Elson
Umpires: Bill McGowan (AL), Babe Pinelli (NL), Bill Grieve (AL), Larry Goetz (NL)
Hall of Famers: Umpire: Bill McGowan Yankees: Joe McCarthy (mgr.), Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, Phil Rizzuto, Red Ruffing
Dodgers: Leo Durocher (mgr.), Billy Herman, Joe Medwick, Pee Wee Reese

The 1941 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall.

The name "Subway Series" arose for a World Series played between two New York City teams. The series was punctuated by the Dodgers' Mickey Owen's dropped third strike of a sharply breaking curveball (a suspected spitball) pitched by Hugh Casey in the ninth inning of Game 4. The play led to a Yankees rally and brought them one win away from another championship.

The Yankees were back after a one-year hiatus, having won 13 of their last 14 Series games and 28 of their last 31.

This was the first Subway Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees (though the Yankees had already faced the crosstown New York Giants five times). These two teams would meet a total of seven times from 1941 to 1956 — the Dodgers' only victory coming in 1955 — with an additional four matchups after the Dodgers left for Los Angeles, most recently in 1981.

Summary

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Brooklyn Dodgers (1)

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1October 1Brooklyn Dodgers – 2, New York Yankees – 3Yankee Stadium2:0868,540[1] 
2October 2Brooklyn Dodgers – 3, New York Yankees – 2Yankee Stadium2:3166,248[2] 
3October 4†New York Yankees – 2, Brooklyn Dodgers – 1Ebbets Field2:2233,100[3] 
4October 5New York Yankees – 7, Brooklyn Dodgers – 4Ebbets Field2:5433,813[4] 
5October 6New York Yankees – 3, Brooklyn Dodgers – 1Ebbets Field2:1334,072[5]

†: postponed from October 3 due to rain

Matchups

Game 1

Wednesday, October 1, 1941 1:30 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 6 0
New York 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 X 3 6 1
WP: Red Ruffing (1–0)   LP: Curt Davis (0–1)
Home runs:
BRO: None
NYY: Joe Gordon (1)

Pinch-hitter Lew Riggs' single scored Cookie Lavagetto in the seventh as the Dodgers pulled to within 3-2. Then they threatened in the ninth with hits by Joe Medwick and Pee Wee Reese, before Yankee pitcher Red Ruffing was able to get Herman Franks to ground into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Game 2

Thursday, October 2, 1941 1:30 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 6 2
New York 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 1
WP: Whit Wyatt (1–0)   LP: Spud Chandler (0–1)

Dolph Camilli's single off relief pitcher Johnny Murphy in the sixth broke a 2-2 deadlock. Whit Wyatt gave up a pinch single to George Selkirk leading off the ninth, but nailed down a complete-game victory.

Game 3

Saturday, October 4, 1941 1:30 pm (ET) at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 8 0
Brooklyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0
WP: Marius Russo (1–0)   LP: Hugh Casey (0–1)

With the veteran Fitzsimmons dueling young southpaw Russo, there was no score into the top of the seventh. With two outs, Russo lined a drive off Fitzsimmons' knee that broke his kneecap. The ball caromed into Pee Wee Reese's glove for the third out, but Fitzsimmons was forced from the game. Hugh Casey, who came out to pitch in the eighth for Brooklyn, promptly gave up four hits and two runs, and Russo hung on to win, 2–1.

Game 4

Sunday, October 5, 1941 2:00 pm (ET) at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 7 12 0
Brooklyn 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 4 9 1
WP: Johnny Murphy (1–0)   LP: Hugh Casey (0–2)
Home runs:
NYY: None
BRO: Pete Reiser (1)

With two out, two strikes and no runners on base in the ninth, the Yankees rallied. First Tommy Henrich swung and missed, which would have ended the game, but Dodger catcher Mickey Owen failed to catch the ball and Henrich reached first base. Owen recollected the incident:[6]

“ It wasn't a strike. It was a low inside curve that I should have had. But I guess the ball struck my glove and by the time I got hold of it I couldn't have thrown anybody out at first. It was an error. ”

Joe DiMaggio followed with a single and Charlie Keller hit a double to drive in Henrich and DiMaggio and take the lead. Bill Dickey would follow up with a walk and, along with Keller, score on a Joe Gordon double to make the final score 7–4.

Meyer Berger of The New York Times covered the events in "Casey in the Box", a poem derived from the 1888 classic "Casey at the Bat".[7]

Game 5

Monday, October 6, 1941 1:30 pm (ET) at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 6 0
Brooklyn 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1
WP: Tiny Bonham (1–0)   LP: Whit Wyatt (1–1)
Home runs:
NYY: Tommy Henrich (1)
BRO: None

In the fifth inning, Wyatt and DiMaggio almost came to blows on the mound as DiMaggio returned to the dugout after flying out.

Composite box

1941 World Series (4–1): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Brooklyn Dodgers (N.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York Yankees 1 4 1 3 1 1 0 2 4 17 41 2
Brooklyn Dodgers 0 0 1 2 5 1 1 1 0 11 29 4
Total attendance: 235,773   Average attendance: 47,155
Winning player's share: $5,943   Losing player's share: $4,829[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ "1941 World Series Game 1 – Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ "1941 World Series Game 2 – Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  3. ↑ "1941 World Series Game 3 – New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  4. ↑ "1941 World Series Game 4 – New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  5. ↑ "1941 World Series Game 5 – New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Ain't It Awful". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. October 6, 1941. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Casey in the Box by Meyer Berger". Baseball Almanac (baseball-almanac.com). Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  8. ↑ "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved June 14, 2009.

References

External links

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