Golden Baseball Magazine

The Ultimate Game

This series presents the final game of each post-season series that went all the way.
Until 1946, that means World Series Game 7s (none of the best-of-nine World Series went the full length).
1934 - Game 7: St. Louis Cardinals @ Detroit Tigers
Pennant Races

The Cardinals (95-58) won the NL pennant despite numerous distractions.

  • Player-manager Frankie Frisch added not a few gray hairs to his 37-year-old head during the season.
  • His primary headache was star P, Jay Hanna Dean, who more than lived up to his nickname of "Dizzy" that season. The following links tell some of the story:
    Diz's Interesting '34 | Down the Stretch in '34
  • The cast of characters would ultimately - during the 1935 season - be labeled the "Gashouse Gang," arguably the most famous team in baseball history or at least #2 behind the 1927 Yankees, the "Bronx Bombers.".
  • Led by Dean's 30 victories - the last time that feat has been achieved in the NL - the Red­birds won the pennant by two games on the last weekend over the Giants, who had led most of the season.

1934 St. Louis Cardinals Starting Lineup
1934 Cardinals Starting Lineup

1934 Detroit Tigers
1934 AL Champion Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers (101-53) were dull by comparison to the Cardinals but just as ruthless between the lines.

  • The aging Yankees in Babe Ruth's last year in pinstripes finished seven games behind the Tigers, who led the Junior Circuit in runs and finished second in fewest runs allowed.
  • Like their World Series opponent, the Tigers had a player-manager, C Mickey Cochrane, who was acquired that winter from the Philadelphia A's.
  • Detroit boasted one of the greatest infields in the history of baseball. Charles P. Ward of the Detroit Free Press christened the foursome "the Battalion of Death."
    1B Hank Greenberg, "still an awkward young slugger": .339, 139 RBI, 118 R, 26 HR
    2B "brilliant" Charlie Gehringer: .356, 127 RBI, 134 R, 11 HR
    SS "smooth-fielding" Billy Rogell: .296, 100 RBI, 114 R, 3 HR
    3B Marv Owen, "another exceptional fielder": 317, 96 RBI, 79 R, 8 HR
    Their RBI total remains the greatest in history for an infield.
    Captain Rogell had fractured his ankle the first week of September but continued to play with his leg tightly wrapped.
  • Two 20-game winners led the staff: Schoolboy Rowe (24-8) and Tommy Bridges (22-11). Eldon Auker and Firpo Marberry added 15 victories each, the latter pitching in relief half the time (19 of 38 appearances).

1934 Detroit Tigers Infield
"The Battalion of Death" - Tigers 1934 infield
L-R: 1B Hank Greenberg, 3B Marv Owen, SS Billy Rogell, 2B Charlie Gehringer

1934 Detroit Tigers Pitchers
Detroit pitchers L-R: Tommy Bridges, Eldon Auker, Vic Sorrell,
General Crowder, Carl Fischer, Luke Hamlin

It was Cochrane, not any of the Cardinals, who caused the first controversy of the Series.
  • Mickey decided not to pitch his ace, Rowe, against Dizzy in the first game. It wasn't a question of giving Schoolboy more rest. "If anybody else pitches for St. Louis, it will be Rowe for us." The only reason for Mick's hesitation was the fact that Dean had pitched the clincher on Sunday and would have only two days rest.
  • But Frisch knew Dizzy wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he sent out anyone else to open the Series.
  • In making the decision to hold his ace until Game 2, Cochrane gave a psycho­logical edge to the Cardinals, who didn't need any help in irritating the oppo­sition.
  • Diz explained to J. Roy Stockton of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The way I sees it, braggin' is where you do a lot of poppin' off and ain't got nothin' to back it up. But I ain't braggin'. I know me 'n' Paul is gonna win four games in this here Series - if Detroit is good enough to win a couple when we ain't pitchin'. This may be the quotation that eventually got shortened to, "If you can do it, it ain't braggin'."
  • The Deans would live up to Diz's promise. So, by his definition, he wasn't brag­gin'.
The Associated Press reported that the city of Detroit was "gripped by Series hysteria."
  • It was not only that the Tigers had made the Fall Classic for the first time since the halcyon days of Ty Cobb in 1909. Fans wanted to see the Cardinals, about whose exploits they had read so much. Just as Muhammed Ali forty years later would generate interest in his bouts with his braggadocio, Dizzy did the same.
  • Jimmy Powers reported from the Motor City to the New York Daily News: The Deans are on every lip. Vaudeville actors insert allusions to them in impromptu acts, movie organists compose parodies of popular songs in their honor. The papers carry headlines of the size usually employed to announce a declaration of war. They tell hourly bulletin movements of the two grinning, roistering, record-breaking farm boys.
  • The Cards arrived at the Brook-Cadillac Hotel to find a large crowd waiting for them.
Posing for pictures before Game One
Future Hall of Famers Before Game OneDizzy and Paul Dean and Schoolboy Rowe
L above: Dizzy Dean, Frank Frisch, Babe Ruth, Mickey Cochrane, Schoolboy Rowe
R above: Dizzy Dean, Schoolboy Rowe, Paul Dean
Even with its seating capacity increased with extra bleachers to 47,000, Navin Field couldn't accommodate all who wanted to attend.
  • After deciding to sell 1,500 standing room ducats, the Tigers front office still had to send 31,000 letters of regret to fans whose ticket requests couldn't be met.
  • Reserved seats cost $6.60 while general admission seats went for $1.10. How­ever, scalpers were asking $25 for a pair of reserved seats.
  • Railroad lines reported heavy traffic from all parts of the country to Detroit.
  • The Series was broadcast coast-to-coast on two major networks. France Laux and Ted Husing called the action for CBS while Pat Flanagan and Ward Bond told the story for NBC.
  • A newsreel unit of Universal Studios in Hollywood set up to produce a play-by­play print of each game within an hour of the last out to be shown in a Detroit theater later that day. Prints would be shipped to all major cities in the U.S. and Canada.
The Series lived up to its advance billing.

Cardinals 1934 World Series Patch

Cardinals LHP Bill Hallahan
Bill Hallahan

Hudson's Department Store, Detroit
Hudson's Department Store in Detroit celebrating AL pennant

Tigers P Firpo Marberry
Firpo Marberry

Detroit LF Goose Goslin
Goose Goslin

Detroit P Elon "Chief" Hogsett
Elon "Chief" Hogsett

Tigers P Eldon Auker
Eldon Auker
1934 World Series - Game 7 Ticket

1934 Detroit World Series Program1934 St. Louis World Series Program
L: Detroit World Series program; R: St. Louis World Series Program

Ground Rules Conference before Game One of 1934 World Series
Home plate umpire goes over the ground rules before Game One in Detroit
L-R: Leo Durocher, Frankie Frisch, Brick Owens, Mickey Cochrane, Harry Geisel, Bill Klem, Beans Reardon

Series Results
  1. Wednesday, October 3 @ Detroit: Cardinals 8 Tigers 3
    WP: Dizzy Dean; LP: General Crowder
  2. Thursday, October 4 @ Detroit: Tigers 3 Cardinals 2
    WP: Schoolboy Rowe; LP: Bill Walker
  3. Friday, October 5 @ St. Louis: Cardinals 4 Tigers 1
    WP: Paul Dean; LP: Tommy Bridges
  4. Saturday, October 6 @ St. Louis: Tigers 10 Cardinals 4
    WP: Eldon Auker; LP: Bill Walker
  5. Sunday, October 7 @ St. Louis: Tigers 3 Cardinals 1
    WP: Bridges; LP: D. Dean
  6. Monday, October 8 @ Detroit: Cardinals 4 Tigers 3
    WP: P. Dean; LP: Rowe

The Cardinals needed to win two games in Detroit after falling down three-games-to-two when the Tigers took Game 5.

  • Paul Dean pitched and Leo Durocher batted the Redbirds to the Game Six win. With the score tied at one in the top of the 8th, Leo doubled. Then Paul drove him home with the go-ahead run.
  • Cochrane had started his ace, Rowe, to try to wrap up the Series. So he had to go with Eldon Auker in Game Seven. The sidearming righty was not super­stitious, as evidenced by the big #13 on his back.

Game 7: Tuesday, October 9 @ Detroit

Leave it to the '34 Cardinals to embroil themselves in a controversy even to the last day of the long season.

  • Frisch leaned toward starting southpaw Bill Hallahan, who pitched well in Game 2 and had won two games in the '31 Fall Classic.
  • But Diz wouldn't hear of it. After watching the Tigers take batting practice, he went back to the clubhouse where Frisch was holding a meeting with Hallahan to go over the hitters. Dean told Franco, as he called his manager: Franco, you know what the problem is? You're going over the batting order, trying to decide who's going to pitch. You want to win, don't you? There's only one man to pitch, an' here he is.
    Frisch asked, Are you sure you're able to go?
    Diz replied, You let me pitch, an' you won't have any more problem.
    So the manager said, Okay, you start, and Hallahan, you're in reserve.

As game time approached, the Cardinals were loose.

  • Martin asked the band to play a few tunes from the Gay Nineties.
  • Dizzy happily signed autographs. He showed no sign of fatigue as he prepared to pitch in his ninth game in 19 days - other than a slimmer figure after losing 20 pounds down the stretch of the pennant race. He also had a cold. But there ain't gonna be no alibis, he declared before starting to warm up.
  • Dizzy watched Eldon Auker warmup for the Tigers. Then Dean shouted at Cochrane, "He won't do, Mickey."

The Tigers, by contrast, were tense.

  • Goose Goslin made a prophetic comment to a reporter: Everybody seems to be mad at everybody else in this Series, with all hands sore at the umpiring, which has been terrible. So watch out for fireworks.
  • P Elon Hogsett remembered that nobody was saying much [in the clubhouse], not even Cochrane. You could hear a pin drop. There had been lots of stories in the papers about Willie Hallahan or maybe one of the other pichers getting the call in that final game, but we knew who'd they use. It didn't matter any that he hadn't rested. It would be Dizzy.

Both teams had to walk through the same runway to get to the field through the Tigers dugout.

  • Diz greeted Greenberg: Hello, Mo [short for Moses, an ethnic slur at the Jewish player]. What're you so white about? When Hank didn't answer, Dean continued. You boys are too tight. What you gotta do is "unlax" a little. But your troubles are gonna be over in a couple a hours. Ol' Diz is pitchin.'
  • As captain Durocher stepped onto the field, he noticed Dizzy standing with his arms behind his back watching Auker warm up. As Leo remembered, Diz hollers down to Cochrane, "Are you going to pitch this guy today? You must have given up." Then he breaks out laughing, the most insulting laugh I've ever heard in my life. "Is that the best he's got? He's nothing. Nothing. My slow stuff is better than that." Auker turns around and hollers, "Get out of here, you blowhard!" ... Cochrane is screaming at me, Get him out of there! Leo claimed that he pulled Dean away before he got in a fight. (Durocher, who tended to exaggerate his role in events, also claimed in his autobiography that he persuaded Frisch to start Diz in Game 7 after preventing the manager and his flamboyant ace from coming to blows.)
  • Cardinals GM Branch Rickey later opined that Dean's confidence (bordering on arrogance) determined the outcome. Detroit knew it couldn't win.
  • Just before they took the field, Frisch told Durocher, How about playing a little closer to second and giving me a hand. I'm getting pooped. But Leo would have none of it. Go get yourself a wheelchair if you can't cover your territory. I'm not going to make myself look bad just to make yourself look good. The exchange may have been the first step toward The Lip's inevitable departure from the Cardi­nals.
A group of fans unwittingly embarrassed the Tigers before the game.
  • A delegation rolled a huge horseshoe-shaped floral display to home plate to present to Mickey Cochrane.
  • But the well-meaning delegation didn't realize that accepting flowers was considered bad luck by baseball players.
  • So after no Tigers could be induced out of the dugout to accept the gift, the fans wheeled the flowers away.

The weather was clear but chilly, in the 40s with a strong wind blowing from RF.

  • Bookies installed St. Louis as 7 to 10 favorites.
  • 40,092 packed Navin Field in hopes of seeing their heroes win their first Fall Classic after losing three straight years (1907-08-09).
St. Louis Cardinals Lineup
Pepper Martin 3B
Jack Rothrock RF
Frank Frisch 2B
Joe Medwick LF
Ripper Collins 1B
Bill DeLancey C
Ernie Orsatti CF
Leo Durocher SS
Dizzy Dean P
Cardinals 1934 Road Uniform Tigers 1934 Home Uniform
Detroit Tigers Lineup
Jo-Jo White CF
Mickey Cochrane C
Charlie Gehringer 2B
Goose Goslin LF
Billy Rogell SS
Hank Greenberg 1B
Marv Owen 3B
Pete Fox RF
Eldon Auker P
Navin Field, DetroitNavin Field during 1934 World Series
Navin Field, with the giant bleachers added in LF for the World Series

Cardinals OF Jack Rothrock
Jack Rothrock

Dizzy Dean Following Through
Dizzy Dean's follow through

Tigers CF Jo-Jo White
Joyner "Jo-Jo" White

Cardinals 1B Ripper Collins
James Anthony "Ripper" Collins

Cardinals CF Ernie Orsatti
Ernie Orsatti

Cardinals 3B Pepper Martin
Pepper Martin

Cardinals LF Joe Medwick
Joe Medwick

Cardinals C Bill DeLancey
Bill DeLancey

Tigers RF Pete Fox
Pete Fox

Dizzy Dean pitching
Dean rares back.

1st inning
  • Auker falls behind 3-0, then strikes out Pepper Martin swinging as the crowd roars.
    Jack Rothrock nails a scorching liner to LCF for a double, his sixth hit of the Series.
    Auker jams Frisch, who pops to SS Rogell in LCF.
    Joe Medwick fouls out to 3B Owen.
  • Showing no signs of fatigue as he pitches in his ninth game in 19 days - other than a slimmer frame from losing 20 points down the stretch of the pennant race, Dean sets down the Tigers quickly, starting with Jo-Jo White who grounds out 4-3.
    Cochrane gets a big hand as he steps in after spending the night in the hospital nursing a severe spike wound in his left leg suffered the day before. But he too bounces out to 2B Frisch.
    Gehringer flies deep to Rothrock down the RF line.
2nd inning
  • Not bothered by Auker's Port Arthur delivery, Ripper Collins smacks the first pitch on one hop to CF White for a single.
    Bill DeLancey grounds to Owen who starts an around-the-horn DP.
    Orsetti singles to RF.
    On the second pitch to Durocher, Orsatti takes off for 2B, but Cochrane's throw to Gehringer nails him.
  • Goose Goslin hits a lazy bounder to 1B Collins, who tosses to Dean just before the runner arrives at 1B.
    Rogell bounces the first delivery to SS. Durocher runs in, scoops, and throws into the dirt. Collins can't come up with it. E6.
    Greenberg strikes out on a beautiful curve that breaks on the outside corner at the knees.
    On the first pitch, Owen forces Rogell 5-4.

3rd inning

  • The inning starts innocently enough as Durocher flies to CF.
    The crowd generously cheers Dizzy as he steps to the plate. On the second pitch, Dean hits a foul over the plate that Cochrane, all aches and pains from the long season, ignores. But the ball drops into the front row of box seats, meaning Mickey could have caught it had he tried. But he never even looked around. Then Diz dumps a looper from Auker into LF and, without even looking at the 1B coach Buzzy Wares, sets sail for second. Dean slides in just ahead of Goslin's throw.
    Martin hits a slow roller to Greenberg. Hank takes a moment to decide whether to run for the bag or toss to the P, and that is just enough time for Pepper to beat the toss to Auker by an eyelash. Dean hesitates, then takes 3B. The Ti­gers briefly argue the call by 1B umpire Beans Reardon.
    The infield plays back hoping for a DP. On the first pitch to Rothrock, Martin steals second. The ball bounces off Gehringer's glove about 10', but Diz holds 3B. Surprisingly, it is the Redbirds' first stolen base of the Series. Pitching cau­tiously, Auker walks Jack to load the bases.
    After staying alive with four fouls on 2-2 pitches, Frisch hammers a double down the RF line, clearing the bases when Fox misplays the carom.

    Dean later claimed that, as he crossed the plate with the first run of the game, he told C Cochrane, "Well, Mickey, this does it. This is the ballgame." And you know what he says to me? He says, "I know it." Poor Mickey. I felt sorry for him, the way his ballclub was fallin' apart on him.

    Cochrane calls in Rowe, who threw a complete game the day before, to stop the bleeding as the crowd erupts with its biggest cheer so far. They are finally getting the matchup they've wanted since Game One: Dean vs Rowe. But the move backfires on the Tigers.
    Medwick hits Schoolboy's first pitch to SS Rogell who throws him out at 1B, Frisch taking 3B.
    Collins also jumps on the first pitch, singling to LF to send home his manager with the fourth run of the inning.
    DeLancey raps a 2-0 pitch off the RF screen for a two-bagger. Collins, running on the crack of the bat with two outs, scores all the way from 1B.
    Manager Mickey, realizing that Rowe doesn't have much, brings in lefty Chief Hogsett to face the left-handed batting Orsatti.
    Ernie works a walk on a full count.
    Batting for the second time in the inning, Durocher smacks the first pitch for a single to RF to load the sacks.
    Dean hits a high bounding ball off the plate 20' into the air down the 3B line. Owen doesn't bother to throw as DeLancey crossing the plate.
    Hogsett walks Pepper on four pitches, forcing in Orsatti to make it 7-0.
    The desperate Cochrane calls on his fourth hurler of the inning, Tommy Bridges, who outpitched Dizzy in Game 5, to get the final out.
    Rothrock forces Martin at 2B, Gehringer to Rogell, to finally close the seven- run, 13-batter inning as the crowd gives a mock cheer.
  • Pitching free and easy, Dean doesn't give the Tigers a chance to answer back.
    Pete Fox nails a fast ball on a lne to Rothrock in CF.
    P Bridges hits a hot smash to Frisch, who knocks it down and throws to Collins for the second out.
    White flies to Orsatti in LCF.
Dizzy Dean scores first run of Game 7. Pepper Martin scores in Game 7.
L: Dean scores first run of Game 7; R: Martin slides across in 6th
4th inning
  • Frisch bounces out to Gehringer.
    Medwick, the only Cardinal without a hit in the game, flies to RF. In LF, Goslin, thinking it was the third out, discards his glove, then sheepishly reclaims it and resumes his position as the crowd roars.
    Collins raps his third first-pitch single of the game, this one to RF.
    DeLancey forces Collins, 4-6.
  • Cochrane, again cheered by the crowd, pops to Frisch.
    Gehringer breaks up Diz's no-hitter with a one-base hit to RF.
    Goslin flies to Medwick in short LF.
    Rogell forces Gehringer at second, Frisch to Durocher, who needlessly relays the ball to 1B.

5th inning

  • Bridges breezes through the bottom of the Cardinal order, starting with Or­satti, who flies to Goslin in shallow LF.
    Durocher also skies to Goose.
    Again applauded by the crowd, Dean swings so hard at the first delivery that he falls down. He then waves at two more offerings to the great delight of the crowd, which cheers mightily. Diz laughs and takes the ball from Cochrane. When Umpire Harry Geisel asks for the horsehide, Dean absent-mindedly hands him the bat instead and starts walking to the dugout. Realizing his mis­take, he trades the ball for the bat.
  • Greenberg singles to RCF on a 2-1 pitch, giving the fans some hope that rally is starting.
    Owen flies to Rothrock. Greenberg, two-thirds of the way to 2B, retreats to first.
    Down in the count 1-2, Fox brings the crowd to its feet with a double to LCF, just beating Medwick's throw to Frisch. Greenberg stops at 3B.
    Cochrane decides to let Bridges hit for himself. With a chance to break the scoring ice with just a ground ball, Tommy never takes the bat off his shoulder and is called out on the fourth delivery.
    White goes after the first pitch and hits a bounder up the middle that Durocher fields on the run behind the bag and makes a leaping throw to first to retire Jo-Jo and preserve the shutout.

6th inning

  • Martin singles to LF and continues to 2B when Goslin fumbles the ball.
    Rothrock skies to Goslin.
    Frisch lofts a fly to White in LCF.
    Then comes the play for which this game is famous. Medwick bounces a triple off the RCF bleachers, Martin scoring. Although Coach Mike Gonzalez signals Joe to come into 3B standing up, Medwick, possibly confused by Owen's faking a tag, slides into Marv, knocking him over. As he tries to keep his balance, Owen steps on Joe's leg. When Joe kicks at Marv's chest, the two start scuf­fling in the dirt. Players from both clubs charge out, but 3B umpire Bill Klem and several players quickly break up the fracas. When Medwick gets up, he offers his hand to Owen, who refuses it and curses.
    When play resumes amid some boos, Collins gets his fourth straight hit, a single over 2B to drive in Medwick. Rip continues to 2B on White's fumble. As Joe heads to the dugout to a chorus of boos after scoring, some fans toss programs and papers at him.
    DeLancey strikes out, but Cochrane drops the ball and has to throw to Green­berg as the disgruntled fans fill the air with boos again.
Joe Medwick slides into Marv Owen at 3B.
Medwick slides into Owen as coach Mike Gonzalez and umpire Bill Klem watch.
Joe Medwick in LF Game 7 of 1934 World Series
Medwick in LF as barrage begins.
When Medwick takes his position in LF, the 17,000 fans in the bleachers let loose a barrage of projectiles.
  • Most of the bleacherites had lined up early that morning to get tickets. So they brought their lunches with them.
  • Frustrated by their team's dismal performance, the fans take out their wrath on the Cardinal LF, tossing apples and apple cores, oranges, bananas, potatoes, lemons, parts of hot dogs, empty soda bottles, and anything else they can get their hands on over the wire fence onto the field. (If only the Tiger pitchers had thrown their pitches the way the fans tossed their garbage.)
  • Umpires Klem and Owen go out to try to stop the deluge. Police who were out­side preparing to direct traffic after the game hurry to the LF bleachers to try to restore order.
  • Standing beyond firing range facing the bleachers, Joe glares at the fans with his hands on his hips. He picks up pieces of debris and tosses them like base­balls to Martin and Orsatti. Joe also throws one of the oranges at a photo­grapher who runs out to get his picture.
  • The P.A. announcer asks the fans to desist to no avail. So the Cardinals return to the dugout. After the grounds crew clears the debris, Joe and his mates re­turn to their positions. But he is met by another barrage. Medwick has become the symbol of the entire hated Cardinal team.
  • Mickey Cochrane goes out to LF to ask the fans to quit throwing objects on the field so the game can continue.
  • After ten minutes of delay, Commissioner K. M. Landis calls Medwick, Owen, the two managers, and the umpires to his box seat near the 3B dugout. The Judge asks Owen if he knows of any excuse why Medwick attacked him. Of course, Marv says he did not. With that, Landis orders Joe out of the game for his own safety. The decision enrages Medwick, who is one hit away from tying the record of twelve hits in a World Series. Frisch also objects, to no avail.
    Landis tells Frisch, "Get your man out of the game."
    "But why should I take him out?" asked Frisch. "He hasn't done anything. Suppose it costs me the game?"
    The judge glances at the scoreboard, which said St. Louis 9 Detroit 0. "If you can lose this one, your team needs a new manager," he said coldly. "Get him out of there. I want to see the game finished."
  • As Ducky heads to the visitors dugout on the first base line, the fans roar. Disgusted, Medwick fires his mitt onto the bench as he goes down the steps. When his replacement, Chick Fullis, trots out to left field, the crowd cheers him.
  • After 15 minutes and four tries to resume the action, the game finally continues.
Frankie Frisch, Joe Medwick, Commissioner Landis
L-R: Frisch, Medwick, and Commissioner Landis
  • During the delay, Dean wandered around the infield in his red Cardinals jacket, occasionally tossing some warmup pitches.
    Showing no ill effects from the distraction, Dean retires the heart of the Tiger order with ease.
    Cochrane flies to right field.
    Gehringer grounds to Durocher, who races in and throws to first base on the run.
    Goslin fouls to Collins.

7th inning

  • The crowd boos Medwick as five policemen escort him from the Cardinals' dugout across to the Tigers' dugout and on to the clubhouse. Someone in the upper deck slings a cushion that lands at Joe's feet.
    Bridges continues on the mound, inducing Orsatti to fly to center.
    Durocher triples to deep right-centerfield. Leo doffs his cap to the fans who applaud him.
    A smattering of cheers accompanies Dean to the plate. Diz bounces to Owen, who holds the runner and throws to first.
    Martin hits to Gehringer, who fumbles the ball, allowing an unearned run to score.
    Despite the 10-0 lead, Pepper steals second as a response to the crowd's behavior and in retaliation against the fans who kept the Cardinals up during the night with their rowdiness outside the hotel.
    Rothrock raps his second double of the game, over Goslin's head. The Wild Horse of the Osage thunders over the plate.
    Frisch flies out to right field.
  • With many fans heading for the exits, Dean mows down the Tigers again.
    Rogell pops to shortstop.
    Diz decides to throw Greenberg nothing but fast balls. Hank swings hard and misses at the first one. Then he whacks the next one out of the park but well foul down the left field line. After firing another high hard one that whiffs the Detroit slug­ger, Dean laughs.
    Owen bounds one to second base to retire the side.
8th inning
  • Firpo Marberry takes over the pitching chores as the exodus of fans continues.
    Fullis, who replaced Medwick in left field, smacks a hot grounder into center field for a single. So every one of the ten Cardinals who has come to bat has at least one safety.
    Collins is finally retired on a fly that Fox tracks down in deep right field.
    DeLancey grounds to second, Fullis advancing a base.
    Orsatti walks.
    Durocher forces Orsatti, Rogell to Gehringer.
  • Fox ends Diz's streak of eight retired in a row by shooting the first pitch into the left field corner for his second two-bagger of the afternoon. Pete thereby sets a World Series record for two-baggers with six and ties him with Babe Ruth for most extra base hits in a series. Babe hit three doubles and three HRs in 1928.
    Gerald Walker, hitting for Marberry, flies to Fullis in left field.
    White fans.
    Jumping on the first pitch, Cochrane hits a long foul down the right field line that the wind keeps out of the stands so that Rothrock can gather it in.

9th inning

  • General Crowder, the surprise starter in Game One, takes over with a new battery mate, Ray Hayworth, whom Cochrane gives a chance to appear in the Series for the first time.
    Diz lines out to left field.
    Martin pops to Greenberg in foul territory back of first base.
    Rothrock strikes out on a 3-2 count.
  • Gehringer gets his second hit, a single to left field.
    Goslin grounds to Collins who whips the ball to Durocher for the force at second base. Leo fires to first to Dean who intercepts the throw while standing a yard off the bag.
    Finding the first delivery to his liking, Rogell grounds a single into right field, Goslin stopping at second base. The Tiger shortstop thus adds his name to the list of players who have gotten at least one hit in every Series game.
    Taking four pitches to do it, Dean fans Greenberg for the third time in the game (out of five total Ks) to give Hank nine whiffs for the Series. As he delivers the last pitch, Diz turns and laughs, not bothering to watch the ball cross the plate.
    Owen bounces to Durocher who tosses to Frisch to end the Series.

A number of records were set during the Series.

  • The Cardinals' .279 batting average was the highest for a seven-game series. They also established new marks for at-bats, hits, RBIs, triples, extra-base hits, and total bases. Additionally, the Redbirds equaled the record for runs.
  • The two clubs exceeded the former seven-game marks for hits, RBIs, triples, and extra-base hits.
  • Frisch extended six records he already held: most series - 8, most games - 50, most hits - 58, most ABs - 197, most singles - 45, most doubles - 10.
Postgame
  • James P. Dawson in the New York Times: When they came from the field, the Car­dinals, singing and shouting and tossing things about, celebrated the victory like a group of schoolboys. Trainer Doc Weaver was lifted bodily and tossed under the running shower, clothes and all. Dizzy Dean, a pith helmet on his head, held an inflated rubber tiger by the tail, gripped the tail between his teeth, exerted a Strang­ler Lewis headlock on the tiger and posed for the clicking cameras.
  • Frisch amid a flood of congratulatory telegrams: Well, it's all over, and I'm glad. I'm glad principally because we won, but I'm tickled also because the series is over. It was one of the hardest, toughest series I've ever played in; hard-fought all the way and cleanly played. At times, it was a little rough, but you got to expect a little of that. You can't make baseball a parlor game. A world of credit to Mickey Cochrane and everybody on his ball club.
    Asked about his three-run double that put the Cards ahead, Frankie said, You can take your .880 hitters. I'll hit .220, but I'll take that lone hit when it's a winner.
    The Card skipper sidestepped a question about the Medwick-Owen incident, saying only that the kid [Medwick] wouldn't hurt anybody.
  • Medwick echoed that theme. I didn't mean to harm anybody, but I don't want any­body taking a kick out of me. I offered to shake hands with Owen at the time and he refused. What more could I do? Meanwhile, Owen expressed regret over the Joe's removal from the game.
  • Dizzy: The best club in America and the best manager, too. We did it, didn't we? I knew we would from the start. I predicted a shutout for myself and I got it. I felt great out there this afternoon. Had a lot of fun. I let them get a couple of hits, then decided to stop fooling around and threw those strikes past them. Boy, was that Greenberg wild! I just had to laugh when he missed those third swings.
  • Radio commentator/humorist Will Rogers attended the Series as a special cor­respondent for the New York Times. He reported on his visits to the two club­houses afterwards. Game Mickey Cochrane sitting there just removing bandage after bandage from almost all over himself. Real he men, in a he man's game, with almost tears in their eyes but not squawking. They just said, "Old Diz had every­thing." ...
  • Cochrane: They were too much for us. We ran against one of those things that hap­pen every now and then and were beaten. As long as we had to be beaten, I'm glad we were well beaten. Dean pitched a great game. He had plenty of stuff. Our fellows simply couldn't get going.
  • Rowe: I didn't have a thing. I warmed up with only about ten pitches and just wasn't there. That's all.
  • Landis: I do not blame the crowd for what happened today, although under the cir­cumstances and due to the uncontrollable outburst, I felt it was wisest to remove Medwick from the game. ... With so much at stake, I felt that only the most ex­traordinary circumstances should warrant action depriving either team of its full strength in the championship series.
Dizzy Dean celebrates in pith helmet with toy tiger.Cardinals celebrate in the clubhouse.
L: Dizzy Dean twists the tiger's tail. R: Cardinals celebrate.

The police escorted the victorious Cardinals back to the hotel.

  • Two suspicious-looking men followed Medwick and his roommate Hallahan into the elevator. When the two Cardinals exited at their floor, the strangers trailed them down the hall. Joe and Bill made it to their room but immediately heard a knock on the door. When they opened it, one of the suspicious characters asked, Which of you is Joe Medwick?
    Joe pointed to Wild Bill. He is.
    I am not, exclaimed Hallahan. He is.
    The men explained that they were plainclothes detectives assigned to protect Medwick until he left town.
  • The Cardinals left by train at 9 PM, which gave plenty of time for more celebrating at the hotel.

Meanwhile, the celebration in St. Louis started right after the game.

  • In a repeat of what happened in '31, fans poured into the downtown area spon­taneously. They jammed the streets and created an incessant din with car horns, sirens, and music. Some dragged abandoned washing machines, tire rims, and car bumpers up and down the streets.
  • When the World Champions arrived in St. Louis the next morning, they found thousands waiting at the station. The biggest cheer, of course, was for Dizzy, still wearing his pith helmet and carrying his stuffed tiger which, he pointed out, had four knots in its long tail, one for each victory over the AL champions.
  • Dizzy: Glad to be home, with the World Series in the bag, he said. This hat is to wear when I go fishing down in Deanville, Florida (which everyone else called "Braden­ton").
  • The team entered cars for the official parade on streets still strewn with paper and debris from the previous day's festivities. A youth called to Medwick, Want a banana?
  • The revelers kept asking the band to play the same song, "Tiger Rag."
  • Mrs. Jay Dean said after the parade, Everybody was so nice. At first, Paul seemed to think it rather silly, but before the parade was over, he was the worst cut-up of the lot.
  • The mayor hosted the Cardinals and their wives at a dinner that night at the Coronado Hotel.

The take from the Series was good but not a record.

  • Each Cardinal earned $5,941.19.
  • The Tigers received $4,313.90 per man.
  • The shares included receipts from the radio rights sold to the Ford Motor Company for $100,000.
When the Tigers won the AL pennant again in 1935, they wanted to avoid another embarrassing incident like the one that forced Medwick from the field. So the club hired policemen to frisk fans entering the bleachers for the World Series games to make sure they carried no vegetables or fruit with them.
1934 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals

Next in this series: 1940 Detroit @ Cincinnati

References:
The World Series: A Complete Pictorial History
, John Devaney and Burt Goldblatt (1972)
The World Series
, David S. Neft & Richard M. Cohen (1990);
The Seventh Game, Barry Levenson (2004) | The Gashouse Gang, John Heidenry (2007)
The Spirit of St. Louis: A History of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns, Pete Golenbock (2000)
Diz, Robert Gregory (1992) | Nice Guys Finish Last, Leo Durocher with Ed Linn (1975)