Howie Pollet

Al Brazle

Joe Garagiola

Del Rice

Proposed cover for Dodgers' 1946 World Series program

Tex Hughson

Mickey Harris

Williams with his injured elbow in the whirlpool

Lou Boudreau

Joe Cronin and Eddie Dyer at start of Series

Arch McDonald

Jim Britt

Baseball returned to its prewar quality with all hands on deck for the '46 season.

• Two-thirds of the regulars on 1945 ML rosters either went to the bench or the minors for the next season.
• Most of the other one-third who kept their starting jobs didn't fare as well at the plate or on the mound.
  The best illustration of this is Yankee 2B Snuffy Stirnweiss, who led the AL in hits in both '44 and '45 and won the batting crown in the latter year, fell to .251 in '46 when facing top-notch pitching.
  A pitching example is Hank Borowy, whose hurling down the stretch helped the Cubs to the '45 pennant. His ERA rose from 2.65 that year to 3.76 in '46 and his wins shrank from 21 to 12.

Glad to be rid of wartime restrictions and anxious to see their favorites back in action, fans flocked to ballparks in record numbers.

• Almost twice as many patrons went through ML turnstiles in '46 as in '45.
• Entering '46, only five ML franchises had ever topped the million mark in season attendance, including the Giants who attained that milestone in '45.
• But 1946 saw a whopping ten clubs draw 1,000,000+ with the Yankees entertaining an incredible 2,265,512, an average of 29,422 per home date.
• Both pennant winners reached 1,000,000 attendance for the first time in their history.

The National League race was 1941 and '42 over again as the Dodgers and Cardinals rose to the top two spots in the standings by the end of April and stayed there the rest of the campaign. In fact, the regular season wasn't enough to separate the two clubs.

The Cardinals lost their manager but gained 22 players who had spent all or most of the 1945 season in the service.

• Billy Southworth resigned in the off-season to take over the Boston Braves. Cardinal owner Sam Breadon, acting as his own GM, hired 46-year-old Eddie Dyer, who had won 15 pennants in the vast St. Louis farm system and spent several years as minor league director for the club.
• Among those returning from the military were outfielders Stan Musial, who was moved to 1B, Enos "Country" Slaughter, and Harry Walker and pitchers Howie Pollet, Murry Dickson, and Al Brazle.
  
  Johnny Beazley, star of the '42 World Series, also returned but was not the same after suffering a sore arm while pitching for a traveling morale-boosting unit that visited numerous Army bases. Johnny finished '46 with a 7-5 record and 4.46 ERA and would be traded to Boston where he won only two games in '47 for his former manager Southworth.
  The Cardinals also lost three players to the new Mexican League: Pitchers Max Lanier and Fred Martin and 2B Lou Klein. Lanier was 6-0 for the Redbirds when he bolted south in June, lured by the much larger salary that Mexican millionaire Jorge Pascual offered.
• C Walker Cooper, a mainstay with his brother Mort of the pennant-winning teams of '42, '43, and '44, was traded to the Giants to make room for two promising youngsters, Del Rice and Joe Garagiola. His brother Mort, top P, had already been traded to the Giants in '45.
• Musial destroyed any skepticism that he could repeat his outstanding '43 and '44 seasons now that the best pitchers were back. This was the season that he earned the nickname "Stan the Man" based on a chant the Brooklyn fans started. He led the league in runs, hits, doubles, triples, batting average, and slugging %. (He also led in OPS, on-base + slugging %, a statistic that wasn't calculated until decades later.) Musial's .365 average was 32 points better than second-place Johnny Hopp, whom the Cards had traded to the Braves. Stan ran away with the MVP voting (319-159).
  Many years later, Musial talked to Tim McCarver about moving to 1B. I loved playing the outfield and expected to stay out there, but in 1946 our highly touted rookie first baseman, Dick Sisler, had trouble getting started. So, one day our manager, Eddie Dyer, came to me and said, "Why don't you take over at first base for a few days, until we get Sisler squared away." ... I moved back and forth between first and the outfield for the rest of my career. I didn't like playing first base. First of all, it's a lot of work, whereas in the outfield, if the ball is hit to someone else, all you do is watch. At first base, you're jumping off on every pitch. You're making plays; you're backing up plays; you're charging bunts; you're taking throws - you're in on every play, more or less. But the main reason I didn't like playing first is I didn't like ground balls. They got to me a lot quicker at first than they did when I was in the outfield.
• But the bedrock of Dyer's club was the pitching staff, which compiled an ERA of 3.01, best in league ahead of Brooklyn's 3.05. Pollet led the NL in both wins (21) and ERA (2.10), proving that his '43 league-leading ERA of 1.75 wasn't a fluke either. Lefty Harry "The Cat" Brecheen won 15 for the second straight season, and Dickson contributed another 15.

The Dodgers also benefited from returning veterans in the field and on the rubber.

• Pete Reiser and rookie Carl Furillo considerably improved the outfield both offensively and defensively.
• Pee Wee Reese did the same for the crucial SS position.
• 31-year-old Kirby Higbe resumed his spot as #1 starter, winning 17 games. Southpaws Joe Hatten and Vic Lombardi contributed double-digit win totals, as did relievers Hugh Casey and Hank Behrman.
• Just as they were second behind the Redbirds in ERA, the Dodgers also ranked second in runs (712-701). RF Dixie Walker knocked in 116 runs, 43 more than the next Dodger, Reiser, and finished second for league MVP.

St. Louis lost to the Cubs at home on the last Friday of the regular season to drop into a tie with Brooklyn.

• Both teams won on Saturday but lost on Sunday to force the playoff, the first ever in either major league.
  
  The Dodgers' last-day defeat came at the hands of Mort Cooper, the Cardinals' bell cow from '41-44 who had been traded to the Boston Braves in 1945. Pitching on two days rest, Mort twirled a four-hit 4-0 shutout in Ebbets Field.
• NL rules called for a best-of-three match up with the first game at one city and the other two at the other city. When Brooklyn won the coin flip, manager Leo Durocher chose to open in St. Louis so that he could get two home games.
• Both teams battled injuries. Reiser, an inspirational leader and the most dangerous base stealer in baseball, couldn't play because of a broken ankle. On the other side, Cardinal SS Marty Marion struggled with a bad back.
• On Tuesday, October 1, Pollet, despite a pulled muscle in his left side that had caused him to be knocked out of the box his last two starts, out-pitched righty Ralph Branca, who had started only 10 games during the season. Garagiola, a .237 hitter for the season, went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs to spark the Redbird attack.
• Two days later at Ebbets Field, Dickson held the Bums to one run over eight innings as his mates pounded Hatten and five relievers for eight runs. The Dodgers rallied for three in the ninth, causing Dyer to bring in Brecheen to get the last two outs.
• Dodger fans lambasted Durocher for opening on the road. Some felt the long train ride from Brooklyn to St. Louis for Game One wore out the Dodgers.

In the Junior Circuit, the Red Sox made the World Series for the first time since 1918, a year before the club traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

• Ted Williams returned after contributing three seasons of his prime to his country. "The Kid" showed no signs of rustiness, topping the AL in runs, slugging %, total bases, and walks. His 156 free passes were the most in history by any player not named "Babe Ruth." Ted's .342 BA would have won that crown in almost any year but was good only for second to Mickey Vernon's .353 for the Senators.
• But the Red Sox had gotten powerful production from Williams his first four seasons in the league without winning the pennant. The difference in '46 was strong seasons by many teammates, including: 1B Rudy York (119 RBIs), 2B Bobby Doerr (116 RBIs), SS Johnny Pesky (.335 BA with 115 R), and CF Dom DiMaggio (.316 BA to go along with his outstanding fielding).
• And no team wins 104 games without solid pitching. Dave "Boo" Ferriss (age 24) won 25 and lost only six while veteran Tex Hughson (30) added 20 wins and a fine 2.75 ERA. Lefty Mickey Harris with 17 and Joe Dobson with 13 also chalked up double digit victory totals.
• A respectable third in runs allowed, Boston led in runs scored with 737, nearly 100 more than the Yankees' 626.
• The result was a pennant romp by 12 games over Detroit and 17 over the Yankees.
  The Red Sox lost seven straight games before finally clinching the pennant on Friday, September 13. Boston mayor James Curley ordered the city's firemen to sound sirens, gongs, and bells for a full 15 seconds.
  Owner Tom Yawkey threw a party to celebrate the occasion. At odds with the press, he didn't want to invite them but also didn't want to offend them. So he held two separate gatherings, one for the players and one for the press. All he succeeded in doing was alienating the local writers even more. Al Hirshberg: We all felt like scullery maids, banished to the kitchen while the lords and masters enjoyed themselves in the main dining room. For the rest of their careers, Hirshberg, Dave Eagan, Austin Lake, Hy Hurwitz, Huck Finnegan, and others wrote negatively about their hometown team as no other group of writers did. Eagan specialized in trashing Ted Williams.

• Odds makers considered Boston the favorite.
• However, an incident that occurred while the NL playoff was taking place affected the Red Sox much more than was apparent at the time.
• Faced with at least five days off before starting the Series, the Red Sox organized a team of players from the other AL squads to play them in a three-game series. During the second game, a curveball from Mickey Haefner of the Senators nailed Williams on his right elbow. Although Ted shrugged off the injury, it bothered him throughout the Series.
  The crowds for the exhibition series were disappointing to say the least. Only about a thousand people attended the first game and perhaps two thousand for Game 2 on a 30° day. Hefner explained his pitch that hit Williams. I tried to throw a curve to Ted, but my hands were so cold I just couldn't break it off.Ted's elbow turned blue and swollen. His wife said he was in agony all night.
  To show the state of his relationship with the Boston press, one reporter insinuated he was goofing off when he and his wife went shopping the next day. Another scribe erroneously wrote that he had gone fishing.
• Another inhibiting factor for Ted was Dyer's decision to use the "Boudreau Shift" against the dead pull hitter (although before the Series, Eddie had indicated he wouldn't use the shift). Cleveland SS-manager Lou Boudreau moved his 2B and SS far to the right of their straightaway positions. That left only the third baseman between 2B and 3B.
• Other teams in the AL copied what the Indians did with variations. But, as Williams' numbers for 1946 illustrate, the ploy couldn't be classified as a success. Boudreau later admitted that the shift was more about psyching out Williams that getting him to poke the ball to LF.
• Dyer modified the shift to fit his personnel. At the suggestion of 3B Whitey Kurowski, he left his 6'2" wide-ranging SS Marion in his usual position but moved Kurowski from 3B to deep second. 1B Musial hugged the foul line with 2B Red Schoendienst between him and Kurowski.
• But the Cardinals knew that just a shift wasn't enough. Two Cardinal scouts, Tony Kaufmann and Ken Penner, had tracked the Red Sox most of September. Based on their reports, the St. Louis brain trust crafted a plan to foil Williams. Ted's biographer Michael Seidel put it this way: Don't try to throw the right pitch, try to throw the unusual pitch. Take chances, pitch to his power; throw breaking stuff whatever the count. Williams was very much a guess hitter and the Card pitchers were told not to set or fall into patterns that he could guess consistently.

• The teams would play six straight days with a day off after Game 6 if a seventh game was needed.
• The weather behaved marvelously in both cities, allowing the teams to play to their potential and produce a classic Series.

The Mutual Broadcasting System broadcast the Series coast-to-coast.

• Arch McDonald, the Senators announcer, and Boston's Jim Britt did the play-by-play. Bill Corum of the New York Journal American provided pre- and postgame commentary.
• The sub-par performance of the announcers provoked a flood of tele­grams, postcards, letters, and phone calls to network headquarters.
• Cardinal fans, used to the colorful descriptions of Dizzy Dean and Harry Caray, were particularly upset with McDonald's spare, boring commen­tary.
• After the Series, MLB decided to review the method of choosing the Series broadcasters and decided to include at least one regular broadcaster of the two teams. (McDonald would never do another Series.)

Cronin congratulates Rudy York after his 10th inning HR to win Game One

Brecheen hurls in Game 2.

Del Rice scores on Brecheen's hit in Game 2

Musial caught in rundown in first inning of Game 3

Williams walked intentional in inning 1 of Game 3

Williams bunts against the Shift in Game 3

Slaughter overslides 3B in Game 4

Roy Partee slides past Garagiola in Game 5

Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey with GM Eddie Collins

Cardinals owner Sam Breadon

1. Sunday, October 6 @ St. Louis: Red Sox 3 Cardinals 2 (10 innings)
   WP: Earl Johnson; LP: Howie Pollet
2. Monday, October 7 @ St. Louis: Cardinals 3 Red Sox 0
   WP: Harry Brecheen; LP: Mickey Harris
   
3. Wednesday, October 9 @ Boston: Red Sox 4 Cardinals 0
   WP: Dave Ferriss; LP: Murry Dickson
4. Thursday, October 10 @ Boston: Cardinals 12 Red Sox 3
   WP: Red Munger; LP: Tex Hughson
5. Friday, October 11 @ Boston: Red Sox 6 Cardinals 3
   WP: Joe Dobson; LP: Al Brazle
6. Sunday, October 13 @ St. Louis: Cardinals 4 Red Sox 1
   WP: Brecheen; LP: Harris

Neither MVP had excelled at the plate.

• Whether it was Dyer's shift or the sore elbow or excellent Redbird hurling, Williams was 5-for-21 with just 1 RBI and no extra base hits. Ted did draw five free passes. One of his hits was a bunt down the 3B line in Game 3. Several Boston writers who made a name for themselves by blasting Ted had a field day. For example, Harold Kaese wrote in his Boston Globe column: As matters stand, Ted Williams is an enormous bust. Ted had contracted with the Globe to write his own column during the Series. He admitted: I said I would let my bat do the talking, and it's tongue-tied.
• Musial also had only five hits in 24 ABs. But the five included three doubles and a triple to produce 4 RBIs. Stan walked four times.

Harry Brecheen saved the Cardinals with two complete game victories, including Game Six when his club faced elimination.

• The southpaw from Broken Bow OK was listed as 5'10" 160 lb, but the Red Sox swore he weighed 150 or less. His '46 record was only 15-15 but he sported a sparkling 2.49 ERA, a hint that his teammates often let him down at the plate.
• Brecheen's best pitch was his screwball, followed by his curve. He used his middling fastball as a waste pitch to keep hitters off balance. He was the epitome of the "crafty left hander."
• Harry had great success against Williams, keeping him off balance with breaking balls down and away and pitches up and in. In nine ABs in Games 2 and 6, Ted was limited to a walk and what he called "one chicken-shit single." In his nationwide syndicated column during the Series, the Boston star described The Cat's twirling like this: Brecheen's pitches look nice to hit at, but when you try to hit him the ball just isn't where you think it's going to be. Ted made the point that the P always has the advantage over a hitter who hasn't seen him regularly. That was especially true of an unconventional hurler like The Cat.
  Bobby Doerr: Brecheen threw a little screwball, a little sliding curve, and he mixed speeds. He wasn't overpoweringly fast. Our ballclub was a fastball-hitting club, a pull-hitting ballclub, and what we should have done with him was to hit him through the middle. But we didn't. And that hurt us.
  Brecheen credited his success against the Red Sox in part to the fact that he faced them in spring training. I had a good idea of how to pitch them. They had a great hitting club. If you didn't stay ahead, they could hurt you.
• Going into Game 7, little did anyone know that Williams would get another shot at Brecheen.
  Brecheen's teammates were especially grateful to him for overcoming a blunder by Sportsman's Park PA announcer Charley Jones. As Brecheen warmed up for the 9th inning, Jones told fans that tickets for Game Seven would go on sale the next day, a prescheduled off day in the Series. The Cardinal dugout went berserk because Jones had, as one writer put it, "spit at the baseball gods." We were ready to shoot that guy, said Red Munger.
• Cronin was questioned about using starter Tex Hughson for 4 1/3 innings of relief in Game Six. Tex pitched scoreless ball, holding the Cards to a 3-1 lead before being pulled for a pinch-hitter.

Kisses for Brecheen from Slaughter (L) and Schoendienst after Game 6

Neither manager hesitated in naming his starter.

• Boo Ferriss, the pride of Mississippi State University, had shut out the Redbirds in Game 3, scattering six hits. He was well-rested after five days off. In two seasons with the Red Sox after military service, Boo had won 46 games and dropped only 16.
• Dyer completed the rematch of the third game by choosing Tracy MO's Murry Dickson, a wiry right hander about the same size as Brecheen. Returning to the Cards in '46 after two years in the military, Murry finished 15-6 with an ERA of 2.88.
• This was the tenth time the World Series had gone to a seventh game with the Redbirds' participating for the fourth time. They had won all three of their previous ultimate games (1926, 1931, 1934).
• That streak would conflict with the Red Sox streak of having won all five World Series in which they participated, although the last one was 1918.

Both teams worked out on the off day with some conspicuous absences.

• Cronin said that his fleet CF Dom DiMaggio needed rest more than practice. Joe added, We knew that Harry Brecheen would be our toughest pitcher to beat. Well, we think that the next game belongs to us. I think the boys are about ready to break out with a rash of base hits.
• Four Cards didn't show for drills. Howie Pollet's sore back received treatment in case the southpaw was needed in relief. The middle infield combo, Marion and Schoendienst, rested. But the worst case was Slaughter, who had his injured right arm worked on by the club physician. An errant pitch from Joe Dobson pitch had nailed him on the right elbow, just as happened to Williams right before the Series. Doc Hyland told me not to throw hard, Enos said of Game 7. But if it means the game, maybe I'll cut loose.
  
  Schoendienst suffered shoulder problems from his headfirst slides.
  On the train ride to St. Louis after Game 5, Hyland had put bags of ice on Slaughter's elbow. Fearful that the blood clot in the elbow would move toward the heart, Doc told his patient that he'd have to miss the rest of the Series. But Enos wouldn't hear of it. I ain't gonna do it. The fellers need me. No matter what you say, I'm playin'. He recalled years later, I wouldn't give nobody the satisfaction of knowin' I was hurt.

The Red Sox were loose before the ultimate game.

• They had fun on the bus from the hotel to the park. Cronin gave popular trainer Win Green a drum. Happy as a child getting a rattle, Green beat out the Marine Hymn as he led the team procession to the dressing room. Greenie also serenaded Boo Ferriss while the big pitcher waited alone in the deserted dressing room before the game.
  Ferriss recalled growing up in Shaw MS: I was a real diehard Cardinals fan as a kid. I can remember listening to them on KMOX radio, and following Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul. I remember listening to Game 7 in 1934 when Dizzy beat the Tigers for the World Championship. He was excited before the 1946 Game 7 but not overly anxious. I can remember the night before the game, my brother and I went to the movies. He couldn't sit still he was so worked up. He told his brother, Will you relax? I'm the one pitching tomorrow.
• The skipper also gave avid fisherman Williams a present on the bus, a pocket book entitled "To Hell with Fishing."
• The Boston Traveler reported Cronin as making this "fight talk" to his club before they took the field for the final game: You fellows are going to play the greatest game of your lives today. Play it like any other game. Win, lose, or draw, I thank you for being so nice to me all year.
• In the other clubhouse, Dyer eschewed all the pep talk material fans had sent him and gave a simple speech. All season you've won the ball game you had to win. Now let's go.
  The Monday hiatus allowed Dyer to envision using Brecheen in relief if necessary in Game 7. But a monkey wrench was thrown into that plan when Harry showed up for the final game feeling terrible. He traced his illness to the aftermath of Game 6. By the time he got to shower after talking to reporters, all the hot water in the outdated clubhouse was gone. He figured the chilly shower weakened his immune system. I had a fever and a cold and my head was about to bust open, he explained after Game 7. He "filled up on aspirin," bundled up despite the warm weather, and huddled in the dugout not expecting to see any action.

Dom DiMaggio

Red Schoendienst

Stan Musial in his unique stance

• Dickson was determined to start better than he had in Game 3 when he gave up a three-run homer to Rudy York in the first inning.
  Murry blamed his Game 3 troubles on the fact that his pregame warm-up was repeatedly interrupted by photographers running between him and the plate. As a result, his arm didn't get loose enough in the chilly air. For Game 7, both managers requested that the field be cleared of reporters and photographers at 1 PM so that pitchers would not be interrupted in their preparations. But Dickson still didn't get the results he wanted when the game began.
  
  Left-handed hitting RF Wally Moses singled up the middle.
  Pesky swung at Dickson's first pitch and sent it bounding over 2B past Marion's glove into CF, sending Moses to 3B. A few inches to the left and Marty would have snagged the ball, stepped on 2B, and throw to 1B for a DP.
  DiMaggio flied to Slaughter in deep RF. Even Country's best throw with a sound arm couldn't have prevented Moses from scoring easily after the catch. This was not scored as a sacrifice fly in 1946.
  Facing the usual shift, Williams smacked a high drive to CF. Playing Ted to pull, 34-year-old Terry Moore, once considered as good as anybody in CF, showed signs of his younger self despite a floating cartilage in his knee that would re­quire surgery in the offseason. He raced under the fly and took it with ease. Pesky, all the way to 2B, hurried back to 1B. Williams trotted back to the dug­out wondering what he had to do to get a hit. 1st base coach Del Baker patted him on the back as he passed by.
  York popped to 2B Schoendienst in short RF.
  1-0 Boston - since the team that scored first won each of the first six games, this boded well for the Red Sox
  
• Switch-hitting Schoendienst, batting left against Ferriss, drilled a single through the hole between 3B and SS. When Williams momentarily bobbled the ball, Red tried to make 2B but was out, Williams to Pesky. The play was typical of the aggressive baserunning the Cards had exhibited throughout the 1940s.
  Moore popped to York in on the grass.
  From his unique stance - "a hunched, butt-out coil" as one writer described it, Musial lined a double down the LF line, Stan's fourth two-bagger of the Series.
  Stan: My stance was very unusual, but it was very comfortable. It came about be­cause I wanted to be a .300 hitter. I started a crouch to shorten my strike zone, because I usually punched the ball the opposite way ... rather than pulling it. Al­though it was unorthodox, I always took a good level swing. ... That low crouch of mine really helped me. Naturally, I love the low pitch. ... I was a low-ball hitter and a highball drinker.
  Slaughter, swinging gingerly because of his elbow and shaking out his injured arm after every pitch, watched a third strike breeze by.
  

• For the second inning in a row, the Red Sox got the leadoff man on when Doerr beat out a high bounder to 3B Kurowski. Bobby continued to second when Whitey's throw to 1B was low and bounced away from Musial.
  3B Pinky Higgins grounded to the right side to Schoendienst to send Doerr to 3B.
  Faced with falling behind 2-0, Dickson bore down and got C Harold Wagner to pop to Walker in short LF, the runner holding 3B.
  The 6'2" Ferriss got hold of one and drove it toward the LF corner, but Walker made an over-the-shoulder catch to end the inning.
  The crowd gave Dickson a great ovation as he walked to the dugout.
  
• Kurowski, playing in his fourth World Series in five years, doubled to LCF to provoke yet another roar from the crowd. DiMaggio's speed enabled him to get to the ball in time to hold Whitey at second.
  Garagiola, 6-for-16 through the first six games, rolled out 4-3, sending Whitey to 3B.
  Faced with the same man-on-third-one-out scenario as in the top of the inning, the Cards got the run in. Walker lined to Williams in LCF, Kurowski crossing the plate standing up after the catch.
  For some reason, people in the upper deck threw dollar bills to the delight of the fans in the lower deck.
  Marion bounced out, Doerr-to-York.
  Sox 1, Cards 1

3rd inning

• Dickson fared much better through the order the second time.
  Moses fouled out to Kurowski.
  Pesky spanked a hot grounder than Schoendienst got in front of to throw him out.
  DiMaggio took a called third strike, the first K for either team.
  
• Dickson went down swinging.
  Schoendienst whacked a wicked grounder that Pesky swooped up with his gloved hand and tossed to 1B for the out.
  Moore skied to Williams.

• With Williams at the plate, Walker played around toward CF. From that posi­tion, he ran down Ted's long curving fly.
  York struck out.
  Doerr flied to Slaughter.
• Musial drew a walk.
  Slaughter lifted a foul fly that Pesky took down the LF line.
  Kurowski flied deep to CF.
  Garagiola rolled out 4-3.
  

5th inning

• Higgins smashed a blazing liner to LCF, but Moore again prevented extra bases with a spectacular backhanded catch before almost crashing into the wall at the 400' mark.
  Dyer after the game: There never was a greater catch made by any ball player, anywhere, than Moore's great running catch (robbing Higgins). How he ever caught up with the ball, lame as he is, is something I'll never understand, but that's the way he does things. He just makes up his mind and goes ahead and does it, no matter how difficult.
  Wagner fouled to Kurowski.
  Ferriss sent a high bouncer back to Dickson, who threw him out. Murry had now retired 12 in a row.
• Walker singled past Pesky's outstretched glove.
  Dyer surprised everyone by having 8th place hitter Slats Marion sacrifice. York fielded the bunt along the 1B line and threw back to Doerr covering 1B.
  The Cardinals organization prided itself on the hitting ability of its pitchers. And Dickson, a .277 hitter for the season, rewarded his skipper's faith by dumping a double over 3B, scoring Walker with the go-ahead run and provoking still another roar for Murry.
  Ferriss was peeved because the pitch had completely fooled the hitter. His pants were in the grandstand, he said afterwards, meaning Murry had stepped away from the plate to avoid the sharp-breaking curveball but managed to get his bat on the ball.
  Schoendienst smashed the first pitch on a line over 2B for a single. DiMaggio charged the ball but bobbled it, eliminating any chance of getting Dickson at home.
  Moore continued the onslaught, knocking Ferriss out with a single into CF that put Red on 2B.
  Cronin brought in RHP Joe Dobson, the winner out of the bullpen in Game 5, to pitch to Musial.
  
  Some Red Sox thought their manager had lifted Boo prematurely. But the pitcher himself understood, as he recalled years later. They had to replace me. I wasn't getting them out, and the whole season was on the line. We had to try to keep it close. Ferriss always considered winning Game 3 as his biggest thrill and losing Game 7 as his biggest disappointment.
  Stan bounced out Doerr to York, advancing both runners.
  The Red Sox purposely passed Slaughter to fill the bases.
  Was Kurowski thinking about the grand slam he hit to win the fifth and final game of the 1942 Series against the Yankees? The outcome was quite different this time. Higgins backed up to snare Whitey's bouncer and whipped to Doerr to force Slaughter at 2B.
  Cardinals 3 Red Sox 1

Hall of Fame P Grover Cleveland Alexander at the 1946 World Series in St. Louis

Bob Klinger

Earl Johnson

• Far be it from this exciting series to end quietly. Cardinal fans were confident with Brecheen on the mound, but they didn't know how sick he was.
  York bounced a single past Kurowski. Paul Campbell ran for Rudy.
  Hitting away, Doerr dropped a single into short LF just past a lunging Marion. Campbell, the potential tying run, stopped at 2B.
  The Cardinals gathered at the mound. Some looked to their dugout, but Dyer made no move. They discussed what to do if the Red Sox bunted and decided they'd try to get Doerr to keep the go-ahead from getting into scoring position.
  Dyer said afterward: When the first two Red Sox got hits off him in the ninth, I decided right then and there to let him stay in. He had gotten out of tight spots so many times this season that I sort of figured he might do it again. But if he failed this time, I was going right along with him even if we lost the game.
  Following the rules of Baseball 101, Higgins bunted down the 3B line but too hard. Kurowski threw to Marion to force Doerr. Still, the tying run now stood only 90' from home with only one out.
  But Brecheen got Partee to foul to Musial, who caught the ball after a long run and immediately fired home in case Campbell had any thought of trying to score.
  So Red Sox hopes came down to Tom McBride, a backup outfielder who hit .301 in '46 and whose scratch single in the 9th inning tied Game 1. He hit what Brecheen called "a good screwball" on the ground to Schoendienst. The ball bad hopped enough to roll up Red's right arm, but he corralled it and tossed to Marion just in time for the force at 2B.
  Brecheen: The nicest pitch I think I made all season was the one I threw Tom McBride to end the game. It was a screwball, and it broke nicely so that Tom couldn't do much with it.
  The final play had particular significance for Schoendienst, as he explained in his autobiography: The Red Sox mounted a threat, putting two runners on with two outs. The next batter, pinch-hitter Tom McBride, hit a slow roller toward me that looked as if it would be an easy chance. Instead, just as I went to field the ball, it took a crazy hop and I blocked the ball with my left shoulder. Luckily I was able to trap it, and flipped the ball to Marion covering second for the final out. ... (His girlfriend) Mary was sitting in the stands, watching the game with her family. We had talked about getting married, but she still hadn't officially been granted her family's blessing. One of the people at the game was her grandfather, Patrick O'Reilly. "He was still not sure about Red, until he made that play," Mary recalled. "After the ball hit him in the chest, then rolled up his arm, and he still made the play and we won the game, then my grandfather said, 'You can marry him now.' He had not been too happy about that 'German' I was going to marry."

• The Cards, a 7-20 long shot, had just won their sixth World Series in 21 years.
• Rice and Musial hoisted Harry onto their shoulders and marched him triumphantly off the field. Other Redbirds lifted their rookie manager onto their shoulders.
• Hundreds of fans poured out of the stands.

Jubilant Cardinals rush off the field.

Video highlights of the 1946 World Series