                     1946: The Boys Are Back in Town
                     -------------------------------

                             by Steve Ehresman                               

In 1946, Winston Churchill gave his famous Iron Curtain Speech; Nazi war
criminals were sentenced to death by the International War Crimes Tribunal in
Nuremberg; the General Assembly of the United Nation met for the first time;
andfor Major League Baseballthe stars returned from the War to treat
America to a new era of seasons in the sun.

Despite the challenge posed by Jorge Pascuals Mexican League, Major League
Baseball, under the leadership of Commissioner Albert Happy Chandler,
experienced a record-breaking year, as turnstiles clicked at nearly double
their 1945 rate, which happened to be the old record for putting fannies in
the seats.  All sixteen teams enjoyed an increase in attendance.  Even the
lowly Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies surpassed the magic
million mark.  In all, five teams drew over a million fans for the first
time, and the New York Yankees became the first team to attract two million
customers.

These fans were rewarded with a baseball season that historians still
celebrate.  In Boston, the Red Sox put together a 15-game winning streak in
May and captured their first pennant in 28 years, winning 104 games and
breezing past the defending World Series champs, the Detroit Tigers, by 12
games.

Despite the Williams Shift, devised by Cleveland Indian player-manager Lou
Boudreau, Teddy Ballgame, 27-years-old and hungry after serving as a second
lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, won the MVP,  compiling a .342
batting average, walloping 38 home runs, drawing a major league-leading 156
walks, and driving in 123 runs.  Williams was not alone in his offensive
exploits, as Rudy York (30 2B, 17 HR, 119 RBI), Bobby Doerr (34 2B, 18 HR,
116 RBI), and Johnny Pesky (208 hits, 43 2B, .335) came through with seasons
that put the Red Sox atop the American League in runs (792), hits (1441),
doubles (268), RBI (736), walks (687), and batting average (.271).

The Sawx also possessed one the most effective pitching staffs in the
American League.  Featuring Boo Ferris (40 G, 35 GS, 26 CG, 274 IP, 25-6,
3.25), Tex Hughson (20-11, 39 G, 35 GS, 21 CG, 278 IP, 20-11, 2.75), and
Mickey Harris (17-9, 34 G, 30 GS, 15 CG, 236 IP, 17-9, 3.63), Boston pitching
was both talented and deep.

The American League could boast of a Herculean performance by the Detroit
Tigers Hank Greenberg in his first full season after the War.  Smashing 44
home runs and recording 127 RBI, both major league highs, Greenberg enjoyed
one of his most productive seasons.  Hal Newhouser, the ace of Detroits 1945
champs, put together a stellar season against much tougher competition.
Prince Hal dominated with a 25-9 record, along with 37 G, 34 GS, 29 CG, 293
IP, 275 K, and a major league-leading 1.94 ERA.

The New York Yankees featured a comeback by The Yankee Clipper Joe
DiMaggio (20 2B, 3 3B, 25 HR, 95 RBI, .290), a fine all-around performance by
teammate Charlie King Kong Keller (29 2B, 10 3B, 30 HR, 113 BB, 101 RBI),
and a superior season on the hill by Spurgeon Spud Chandler (20-8, 34 G,
32 GS, 20 CG, 257 IP, 138 K, 2.10).

James Mickey Vernon of the Washington Senators captured the American League
batting title with a .353 average, slamming 51 doubles to lead the Majors.
Bob Rapid Robert Feller of the Cleveland Indians enjoyed one of his best
seasons (48 G, 42 GS, 36 CG, 371 IP, 26-15, 348 K, 10 SHO, 2.18).
Nevertheless, their teams finished fourth (76-78) and sixth (68-86),
respectively.  Far below the .500 mark were Connie Macks cellar-dwelling
Philadelphia Athletics (49-105), a whopping 55 games behind the Red Sox.

The National League provided drama for baseball fans, with the St. Louis
Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers slugging it out in a pennant race that
might not have happened.  Not only did the Red Birds lose two stalwart
pitchersMort Cooper to the Boston Braves and Max Lanier to the Mexican
League--but manager Billy Southworth, who had led St. Louis to two World
Series championships during the War (1942 and 1944), flew the coup to join
Cooper in Beantown.  Further, Whitey Kurowski, Enos Slaughter, and Stan
Musial were close to joining Max Lanier South of the Border before they
backed off and remained in St. Louis.

In a season similar to 1942, the Dodgers charged into the lead, only to see
the Cardinals mount a late stretch-run to end the season in a flat-footed tie
with Brooklyn (each team finishing at 96-58), forcing an unprecedented three-
game playoff to determine the National Leagues representative in the World
Series.  The Cards took two straight games from the Bums to claim the
pennant.

MVP Stan The Man Musial put together an historic season, as he scored 124
runs, recorded 228 hits, slammed 50 doubles, legged-out 20 triples, blasted
16 home runs, and knocked in 103 runs, while batting .365 to lead the Major
Leagues and slugging .587 to lead the National League.  Assisting Musial were
George Whitey Kurowski (32 2B, 14 HR, 89 RBI, .301) and Enos Country
Slaughter (30 2B, 18 HR, 130 RBI, .300).  Musials 366 total bases were 83
more than National League runner-up Slaughter collected.

On the hill, the Red Birds were powered by a three-pronged attack comprised
of Howie Pollet (40 G, 32 GS, 22 CG, 266 IP, 21-10, 2.10), Murray Dickson
(47 G, 19 GS, 12 CG, 184 IP, 15-6, 2.89), and Harry The Cat Brecheen (36 G,
30 GS, 14 CG, 231 IP, 2.49).  The depth of the Cardinals pitching staff was
underscored by contributions from Al Brazle (37 G, 15 GS, 6 CG, 153 IP, 3.29)
and Ted Wilks (40 G, 95 IP, 3.41).

Despite their falling in a play-off to the Cardinals, the Brooklyn Dodgers
gave the Ebbets Field faithful much to cheer.  Harold Pee Wee Reese (16 2B,
10 3B, 10 SB, 60 RBI, .284), Carl Furillo (335 AB, 18 2B, 6 3B, .284), and
Fred Dixie Walker (29 2B, 116 RBI, 14 SB, .319) steadied the Dodgers all
season and might have parlayed their leadership into a pennant, had it not
been for Pete Reisers broken ankle.  Without Reiser (21 2B, 73 RBI, 34 SB),
Brooklyn experienced the first of many seasons that ended in disappointment.
Perhaps it was here that the cry Wait till Next Year! was born.

Like their rivals in St. Louis, the Dodgers featured an outstanding pitching
staff:  Kirby Higbe (42 G, 29 GS, 11 CG, 211 IP, 17-8, 3.03), Joe Hatten
(42 G, 30 GS, 13 CG, 222 IP, 14-11, 2.84), and Vic Lombardi (41 G, 25 GS,
13 CG, 193 IP, 13-10, 2.89).  Swing man Hank Behrman (47 G, 11 GS, 151 IP,
11-5, 2.92) and relief ace Hugh Casey (46 G, 100 IP, 11-5, 1.98) were also
valuable members of Brooklyns mound crew.

Plagued by injuries to Don Johnson, Stan Hack, Mickey Livingston, and Andy
Pafko, as well as by slumps, the Chicago Cubs, defending National League
champions, dropped to third place (82-71).  No one in The Windy City could
have foreseen that the Cubs would wait 71 years before appearing in another
Fall Classic, redeeming themselves by breaking a 108-year drought to become
World Series Champions.

Although Ralph Kiners Pittsburgh Pirates finished a dismal 7th (63-91), the
twenty-three-year-old rookie slugger blasted a league-leading 23 home runs to
tie Pittsburghs team record set by another rookie, Johnny Rizzo in 1938.  In
addition, Kiner drove in 109 runs.  Before the 1946 season, Pirate manager
Billy Herman and principal owner John Galbreath possessed the foresight to
bring in the left field wall at Forbes Field.  The close-in seats of left
field were dubbed Greenbergs Gardens when the Pirates acquired Hammerin
Hank in 1947.  After Greenbergs retirement, this homer-friendly territory,
340 feet from home plate, earned a new and enduring nickname, Kiners
Korner.

Back from the War but suffering a broken bone in his hand, Johnny Mize of the
New York Giants made the most of his opportunities (377 AB), as he slammed 18
2B, blasted 22 HR, and drove in 70 runs, while batting .337 and slugging
.576.  Nevertheless, Big Jawns team plummeted to the cellar (61-93), as
Sal Maglie, Harry Feldman, Ace Adams, and Danny Gardella jumped ship to join
the Mexican League.  Frustrated by his having to manage a Swiss cheese roster
depleted by defections, manager Mel Ott was ejected from both games of a
doubleheader when his Giants dropped a twin-bill to the Pirates on
June 9.

Its hard to believe, but Kiner and Mize were the only National Leaguers to
reach or exceed 20 home runs.  For the season, the National League hit 562
homers, while the American League, bolstered by Hank Greenberg (44), Ted
Williams (38), Charlie Keller (30), Joe DiMaggio (25), Pat Seerey (26), and
Sam Chapman (20), launched 653.

Quietly putting together a solid pitching staff, the Boston Braves featured
Johnny Sain (37 G, 34 GS, 24 CG, 265 IP, 20-14, 129 K, 2.21) and a southpaw
who had barely had a cup of coffee in the Big Leagues before going to war.
This twenty-five-year-old, Warren Spahn (24 G, 16 GS, 8 CG, 128 IP, 8-5, 2.93),
showed promise that he had a bright future.  In 1947, he would begin to
fulfill that promise.

The 1946 World Series, a seven-game struggle between Williams Red Sox and
Musials Cardinals, featured clutch performances by Harry Brecheen, who
picked up three victories, and Enos Slaughter, who, despite a painful elbow,
starred in one of Major League Baseballs iconic October moments.  On first
base with two outs, Slaughter took off when Cardinal left fielder Harry
Walker hit a line drive over the head of Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky.  When
Len Culberson fielded the ball and relayed it to the infield, Slaughter,
ignoring a stop sign from third base coach Mike Gonzalez, slid safely into
home, putting St. Louis ahead 4-3 with what proved to be the winning run in
the decisive seventh game.

Red Sox nation is still replaying Slaughters Mad Dash in their nightmares.

Diamond Mind Baseball presents the 1946 season, the first of the post-War
era.  In a year when bikinis went on sale in Paris, Tupperware appeared in
department and hardware stores, and Dean Martin, Bill Haley, and B. B. King
began their musical careers, Major League Baseball ruled the sporting world.
With the Greatest Generation back home, America could take a long, deep
breath.  Unforeseen challenges lay ahead, but for one summer, the summer of
1946, we could relax and enjoy our freedom.
