The Reds defended the National League title they earned in 1939.

• Cincinnati took over first place for good July 7 and won going away by 12 games over Leo Durocher's surprising Brooklyn Dodgers.
• Bill McKechnie fielded almost the same lineup in 1940 as he had the year before. The only change in the regular eight came in late August when the Reds acquired Jimmy Ripple off the waiver wire to play left field. He helped down the stretch, hitting .307 with 20 RBIs and four homeruns.
• Veteran right-handers Bucky Walters (31) and Paul Derringer (33) still anchored the staff, winning 42 between them. Derringer fired two one-hitters during the '40 campaign.
• C Ernie Lombardi led the Reds in hitting (.319) but not in RBI or homers because he severely sprained his ankle July 23. Hardly able to walk, he played little the rest of the season.
• The Reds had won only one World Series, and that one was tainted–the 1919 "Black Sox" series. The team that had been swept by the mighty Yankees in '39 was determined to win a World Series fair and square.

The American League produced its first pennant race since 1935 when the Tigers edged the Yankees by 3 games.

• The Bronx Bombers had terrorized the league for four years, winning the pennant by 9.5 or more games each season, including a 17-game runaway in '39.
• But with CF Joe DiMaggio hampered by a leg injury that kept him out until May 7 and Lefty Gomez pitching only 27 innings all season because of arm troubles, Joe McCarthy's club started slowly, wallowing in seventh or eighth place until May 23, then spending most of the summer fourth before finishing third just two games out. (On August 18, one writer speculated that the disease that ended Lou Gehrig's career had infected other Yankees.)
• The Red Sox started strong but faded during the dog days of summer, leaving the "crybaby Indians" and Detroit to fight it out. The Tigers won 18 of 23 in September to clinch the last Friday of the schedule.
• During the offseason, manager Del Baker had asked star slugger Hank Greenberg to move from first base to left field to make room for backup C Rudy York to get another strong bat in the lineup. Assuaged by the biggest salary since Babe Ruth, Hank agreed.
• York hit .316, swatted 33 home runs (second on the club to Greenburg's 41), and drove in 134 (again second to Hank's 150) to help the Tigers lead the league in runs (888).
• Baker also enjoyed the play of a new shortstop, Dick Bartell, obtained from the Cubs for veteran Billy Rogell in the off-season. One of the most hated players during his 13 seasons in the National League, "Rowdy Richard" added aggressive leadership to a team whose stars, Greenberg, York, and 2B Charlie Gehringer, were not rah-rah boys. Del said, I like that Dick doesn't back down - from anyone, anywhere.
• Veteran hurlers Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe, holdovers from Detroit's 1934-35 pennant winners, contributed 28 victories, 16 by Schoolboy who had finally recovered from arm problems. But the ace of the staff was Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom, who had been acquired in a trade with the Browns in May 1939. The "colorful journeyman" had a career year, posting a 21-5 record and eating up 264 innings.

• Dehringer breezed through the first.
  Bartell (7 for 22 in the Series) lined to shortstop on the first pitch.
  Barney McCoskey, who had a terrific second season with the Tigers (.340 with 123 runs scored), flew to deep centerfield on a 1-2 pitch.
  Ripple came in fast to grab Gehringer's high fly behind second.
  
• Newsom picked right up where he left off after his shutout two days earlier.
  Werber, who had 10 hits in the first six games, took a ball, then Greenberg back to the terrace in leftfield for his fly ball.
  Mike McCormick, who hit an even .300 during the season, struck out on four pitches.
  Ival Goodman, who batted third despite a weak .258 average for the year, grounded to Bartell, who juggled the ball but threw to York in time.
  

• Greenberg beat out a hit to deep shortstop.
  Werber made a marvelous scoop and a throw in mid-air to retire York, Hank reaching 2B.
  When Bruce Campbell rapped the first pitch to the box, Derringer had Greenberg trapped between second and third. Running toward Hank to make him commit, Paul threw to SS Myers and then barely missed interfering with the runner, which would have given him 3B. The out went 1-6-5-4 as Campbell reached second base.
  3B Pinky Higgins hit a 1-0 grounder to Joost.
• Frank McCormick, no relation to Mike, rapped the first pitch sharply to Higgins, who easily threw him out.
  It took six pitches, but Newsom fanned Ripple who cut and missed three times.
  Wilson whacked the first pitch between third and short for a single.
  Newsom was so confident that ancient Jimmie with his pulled leg muscle wouldn't run that he paid no attention to him. So on the second pitch to Joost, Wilson stole second standing up to the great amusement of the crowd. Who would have expected a 40-year-old catcher to record the first stolen base of the Series? But he died on base as Joost grounded to Gehringer.

3rd inning

• Left-handed hitting Billy Sullivan, platooning behind the plate in place of Birdie Tebbetts just as Campbell replaced Pete Fox in right field against Derringer, drove a grounder off Frank McCormick's glove back of first. The throw to the pitcher covering was too late. The play was ruled a single.
  Newsom sacrificed, 3-4, to move Sullivan to second.
  On a 1-1 count, Bartell popped to Joost.
  McCoskey walked on five pitches.
  Gehringer hit a hard smash to Werber, who knocked the ball down. Although he had no chance to get Charlie, Bill threw into the dirt in front of McCormick. Sullivan scored, and McCosky raced to third as the ball deflected 10' off Frank, who moved rather tardily after it. The play was scored a single for Gehringer and E5.
  The Tigers couldn't have asked for a better batter with runners on first and third than Greenberg. But Derringer bore down and, after falling behind 3-0, whiffed Hank on a 3-2 pitch, Paul's 23rd of the inning and 43rd of the game. 1-0 Tigers
• SS Myers, the Reds' weak link at the plate with only a .202 season average, singled to left.
  Trying to bunt the first pitch, Derringer popped to Newsom, Myers scurrying back to first.
  Werber bounded to Higgins, who threw to Gehringer for the force on Myers.
  McCormick fanned on a 2-2 pitch to complete Newsom's 13th straight scoreless inning.
  

• York fouled to Wilson near the Detroit dugout.
  After looking at two balls, Campbell lifted a fly to Goodman in RCF.
  Higgins liked the first pitch and drove it over 3B for a double.
  The Reds walked Sullivan intentionally to get to Newsom, who wasn't a bad hitter (.215) for a P.
  Bent on upsetting the Reds' strategy, Bobo swung hard and sent a hot grounder to Myers' right. The ball swept past Billy into the OF, but umpire Red Ormsby ruled the ball had grazed Higgins' shoe as Pinky raced to 3B. Under the rules, it counted as a hit, but Higgins was out. If the ball had been pulled a little further toward the 3B line, the Tigers might have doubled their lead.
  
• Goodman worked the count to 2-2 before he struck out swinging.
  Frank McCormick flied to McCosky in short CF.
  Ripple grounded to York unassisted.
  The way Newsom was breezing, Reds fans worried that one run would be enough.
  

5th inning

• Derringer had no trouble with the top of the Tigers' order, starting with Bartell flying to CF.
  McCosky skied to RF.
  Gehringer popped to SS, the ninth of the first 15 outs in the air.
• Wilson received a thunderous cheer when he singled to CF on the fourth pitch.
  Freddie Hutchinson started warming in the Tiger bull pen.
  After missing two stabs at a sacrifice bunt, Joost rapped into a fast DP, 4-6-3.
  Campbell backed up about 25' for Myers' long fly to RF.
  

6th inning

• After taking a ball, Greenberg lined a single to RCF, his tenth hit of the Series to lead all Tigers.
  York raised a high fly to Joost between first and second.
  Campbell walked after hitting three fouls.
  On the first pitch, Higgins shot a drive through the box that seemed headed into center field for an insurance run. But Myers made a marvelous stop behind the bag and raced over to force Campbell. Higgins reached first a stride ahead of the shortstop's hurried throw. Greenberg took third on the play.
  With a chance to add an insurance run, Sullivan rapped the ball to 1B McCormick, who scooped it up while kneeling and stepped on the bag.
• Derringer hit for himself and flied to short right field.
  Werber sent a little popup to shortstop.
  Mike McCormick picked out a 1-1 pitch and doubled on a line to RCF.
  With fans wondering if Newsom might finally be tiring, Goodman clouted the first pitch to deep center field, but McCosky took it in.
  

• Today, the manager would have been happy to have gotten six shutout innings out of his starter. So he would have pinch hit for him and gone to the bullpen to preserve the lead. But this was 1940, and Baker let Newsom bat. He popped to Joost in short right field.
  Bartell lined directly to Werber at third.
  Mike McCormick made a nice running catch of McCosky's fly in center field.
  
• After the crowd stood up for the 7th inning stretch, they didn't sit down.
  Frank McCormick crashed a double off the left field wall. That started Alton Benton and Tommy Bridges warming for the Tigers.
  Ripple became the third straight batter (counting Goodman to end the 6th) to go for the first pitch, which he smashed high off the screen in front of the right field bleachers. The drive just missed being a homer, and Campbell failed in a desperate stab for the catch. But Bruce picked up the ball and threw in to Bartell right away. Dick admitted later that he assumed McCormick would easily score from second, but, with his back to the runner, he didn't realize that Frank had waited to see whether the drive would be caught. Many observers, including some of Bartell's teammates, thought he had a good chance to nail McCormick at the plate if he had thrown promptly and accurately. Gehringer yelled, "Home, home, home!" but the shortstop couldn't hear him over the cheering crowd. When Bartell whirled with the throw from Campbell, he saw that McCormick had just rounded third, but he still held the ball as Frank scored the tying run. (Shades of the 1919 World Series, but no one ever accused Bartell of throwing the Series by holding the ball.)
  Baker stayed with Newsom, whose scoreless innings streak ended at 16, even though the Reds had hit him hard the last two innings.
  Even though Wilson was 2-for-2, McKechnie gave the bunt sign and Jimmy executed perfectly to send Ripple to third as Higgins threw to Gehringer covering first.
  The stands rocked with cheers as Ernie Lombardi hobbled up to bat for Joost. The cheers turned to boos as Newsom walked Schnozz intentionally. The Tigers knew that, even on one leg, Ernie could hit the ball a country mile. Lonnie Frey ran for Lombardi.
  The Reds tried to execute a suicide squeeze on the first pitch, but Myers bunted foul. Expecting another try, Newsom threw three straight pitchouts. Then Billy hit a fly to the centerfield fence. Ripple scored easily after McCosky's catch, Frey holding 1B.
  With a lead now, Derringer hit again and rapped to Higgins, who threw to Gehringer for the force on Frey. 2-1 Reds

Right-field Bleachers at Crosley Field

8th inning

• Frey stayed in the game to play 2B.
  Gehringer singled to RF to put the tying run on 1B.
  Greenberg lined to Myers who threw to first to try to double the runner, but Gehringer just managed to get back.
  York hit a high fly to CF that McCormick gathered in.
  Campbell ended the threat with a high fly to RF.
  
• Game to the end, Newsom retook the mound.
  Werber was called out on three pitches.
  On the first pitch, Mike McCormick beat out a bunt to Higgins, who made no play.
  Goodman fanned.
  Frank McCormick drew a base on balls.
  Ripple looped Bobo's 89th pitch into short LF that Bartell snagged.
  

9th inning

• McKechnie had Walters and Joe Beggs loosening in the bullpen as the inning started.
  Higgins liked the first pitch for the third straight AB but grounded to Werber.
  C Sullivan was only 2-for-12 in the Series, but Baker let him hit. Sully protested to Umpire Lee Ballanfant over two called strikes as the count went to 2-2. After taking a ball, Billy grounded to Frank McCormick, who beat the catcher in a race to the bag for the second out.
  Baker sent veteran OF Earl Averill to bat for Newsom. After taking a strike, Earl hit Derringer's 112th pitch on the ground to Frey, whose throw to 1B started pandemonium in Cincinnati.