1943 New York Yankees: Still Winning

1943 New York Yankees: Still Winning

1943 New York Yankees: Still Winning

By this time, World War II had come to dominate the national conversation, as young men across the country were being called to enlist. Baseball teams were not exempt, and the 1943 New York Yankees were certainly one of those teams. The Yankees were missing very talented players such as Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Red Ruffing and Buddy Hassett because of World War II. Robert “Red” Rolfe, a successful pitcher for the pinstripes, had retired to become a coach for the baseball and basketball teams at Yale University. Rolfe would eventually become the Athletic Director for Dartmouth University from 1954 to 1967.

Yankees Cruise to the Pennant

The Yankees went 98-56 in 1943, and despite the wartime losses, the roster still had solid talent from top to bottom, winning the American League pennant by 13.5 games over the Washington Senators. The Yankees went 11-11 against the Senators in head-to-head play. New York remained steady from month to month, posting winning records throughout: 19-11 in April, 15-11 in June, 21-11 in July, 22-11 in August and 18-10 in September. The Yankees also put together an impressive nine-game winning streak during the regular season. The streak began on September 6 with an 11-4 win over the Philadelphia Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader, and it ended on September 16 with a 5-1 win over the same Athletics club.

Yankee Bats Power a Balanced Lineup

Catcher Bill Dickey batted .351 with 85 hits and 18 doubles in 85 games. Third baseman Billy Johnson batted .280 with 94 RBIs, 166 hits, 24 doubles and 6 triples. Nicknamed “King Kong,” left fielder Charlie Keller anchored the New York offense, batting .271 with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs on 139 hits, 15 doubles, 11 triples and seven stolen bases. First baseman Nick Etten batted .271 with 14 home runs and 107 RBIs on 158 hits, 35 doubles and 5 triples. Right fielder Arthur “Bud” Metheny had 9 home runs, 94 hits and 18 doubles in 103 games.

Second baseman Joe “Flash” Gordon had 17 home runs and 69 RBIs on 135 hits, 28 doubles and 5 triples. Center fielder Johnny Lindell had 108 hits, 17 doubles and 12 triples in 122 games. Shortstop Frankie Crosetti had 81 hits and 8 doubles in 95 games. Center fielder Cyril Roy “Stormy” Weatherly had 7 home runs, 74 hits and 8 doubles in 77 games. Middle infielder and third baseman George “Snuffy” Stirnweiss had 11 stolen bases in 83 games.

Spud Chandler Leads an MVP Pitching Staff

Chandler’s Historic Campaign

At the age of 35, starting pitcher Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler became the oldest player in the 20th century to win the American League Most Valuable Player award, on the strength of his stellar play on the mound. Chandler carried the New York starting rotation, going 20-4 with 134 strikeouts and a Yankees single-season record for the lowest ERA, at 1.64. Twenty complete games and five shutouts rounded out Chandler’s great 1943 campaign.

The Rest of the Rotation and Bullpen

Ernest “Tiny” Bonham went 15-8 with a 2.27 ERA, recording 17 complete games, 4 shutouts and 1 save. Hank Borowy went 14-9 with 113 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA, recording 14 complete games and 3 shutouts. Charles “Butch” Wensloff went 13-11 with 105 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA, recording 18 complete games, 1 shutout and 1 save. Atley Donald went 6-4 with 2 complete games. Despite going 5-10, Marius Russo posted a 3.72 ERA with 5 complete games, 1 shutout and 1 save.

Closer Johnny Murphy went 12-4 with 8 saves and a 2.51 ERA. Relief pitcher Bill Zuber went 8-4 with 1 save and a 3.89 ERA. Jim Turner went 3-0 with 1 save and a 3.53 ERA. Tommy Byrne went 2-1 from the bullpen.

The 1943 World Series: Yankees Reclaim the Title

The 1943 World Series was a true test for the Yankees, as they would be pitted against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. This was a rematch of the 1942 World Series, in which the Cardinals stunned the Yankees 4 games to 1 to win it all. The 1943 New York Yankees flipped the script, defeating the Cardinals four games to one to win the championship. A notable footnote to this Fall Classic: it was the first World Series to be sent to American troops overseas as a highlight package for theaters.

Yankees Take Control at Yankee Stadium

In Game 1 on October 5 at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees beat the Cardinals 4-2. Spud Chandler pitched a complete game, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs while recording 3 strikeouts. In the top of the second inning, shortstop Marty Marion put St. Louis on the board first with an RBI double. In the bottom of the fourth, Charlie Keller grounded into a double play to score Frankie Crosetti, and then Joe Gordon followed by hitting a solo home run. Pitcher Max Lanier had an RBI single for the Cardinals in the top of the fifth, but then in the bottom of the sixth a wild pitch scored Crosetti, and Bill Dickey followed with an RBI single.

The Cardinals claimed their only victory of the World Series in Game 2 on October 6, beating the Yankees 4-3. In the top of the third inning, Marion hit a solo home run. In the top of the fourth, third baseman Whitey Kurowski had an RBI single, and first baseman Ray Sanders followed with a two-run home run. In the bottom of the fourth, Keller had a sacrifice fly to score Crosetti. Keller came back in the bottom of the ninth to get an RBI triple, and Nick Etten had an RBI groundout, but the Yankees fell one run short.

The Yankees bounced back to win Game 3 on October 7 by a score of 6-2. St. Louis got on the board first again as left fielder Danny Litwhiler had a two-run single in the top of the fourth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Billy Johnson reached on an error to score Hank Borowy. In the bottom of the eighth, Johnson came back to get a bases-clearing three-run triple, and Gordon and Etten followed with a pair of RBI singles.

New York Closes It Out in St. Louis

Due to World War II, the World Series would make only one trip between sites, so after three games at Yankee Stadium, the plan was to schedule four games at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, should the Fall Classic go that far. The Yankees had their own ideas, as they won Game 4 on October 10 by a score of 2-1. Marius Russo pitched a complete game, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 run while recording 2 strikeouts. In the top of the fourth inning, Dickey had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitting outfielder Frank Demaree reached on an error to score Sanders. Crosetti’s sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, which scored Russo, was all the Yankees needed to win.

In Game 5 on October 11, the Yankees shut the door on the Cardinals with a 2-0 victory to capture their 10th World Series championship in 21 seasons. Spud Chandler, fittingly enough, closed the curtain on the successful campaign, pitching a complete game and giving up 10 hits and 2 walks while recording 7 strikeouts. All the Yankees needed to win was a booming two-run home run from Bill Dickey in the top of the sixth inning.

The 1943 World Series would be the last postseason triumph in the career of manager Joe McCarthy, who walked away from the game after the early part of the 1946 regular season. However, the Yankees were still winning at a steady pace, and that winning would continue well past the 1940s.