1940 Cincinnati Reds: Everyman Team

1940 Cincinnati Reds: Everyman Team

1940 Cincinnati Reds: Everyman Team

The 1940 Cincinnati Reds didn’t have superstar caliber baseball players. They were more like an “Everyman Team”, a team full of talented role players that picked each other up. The Reds went 100-53 in 1940, winning the National League pennant by 12 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Reds went 14-8-1 against the Dodgers in head-to-head play. The Reds didn’t have a losing record in any month of the regular season as they went 6-3 in April, 17-7 in May, 16-11 in June, 20-8 in July, 16-16 in August, and 23-8 in September. The Reds went 55-21 at home while going 45-32 on the road.

Catcher Ernie Lombardi batted .319 with 14 home runs and 74 RBI’s off 120 hits and 22 doubles. First baseman Frank McCormick batted .309 with 19 home runs and 127 RBI’s off 191 hits and 44 doubles. Outfielder Mike McCormick batted .300 with 125 hits, 20 doubles and 8 stolen bases. Third baseman Billy Werber had 12 home runs, 162 hits, 35 doubles, 5 triples and 16 stolen bases. Second baseman Lonny Frey had 8 home runs, 150 hits, 23 doubles, 6 triples and 22 stolen bases. Outfielder Ival Goodman had 12 home runs and 63 RBI’s off 134 hits, 20 doubles, 6 triples and 9 stolen bases. Outfielder Harry Craft had 6 home runs, 103 hits, 18 doubles and 5 triples. Shortstop Billy Meyers had 14 doubles.

Cincinnati’s pitching staff held up nicely throughout the season. Starting pitcher Bucky Walters went 22-10 with 115 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA, recording 29 complete games and 3 shutouts. Paul Derringer went 20-12 with 115 strikeouts and a 3.06 ERA, recording 26 complete games and 3 shutouts. Gene Thompson went 16-9 with 103 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA, recording 17 complete games and 3 shutouts. Jim Turner went 14-7 with a 2.89 ERA and recorded 11 complete games. Whitey Moore went 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA and recorded 5 complete games and 1 shutout.

Closer Joe Beggs had 7 saves along with a 2.00 ERA. Relief pitcher Elmer Riddle had 2 saves along with a 1.87 ERA. Jimmy Hutchings had a 3.50 ERA.

The Cincinnati Reds played against the American League Champion Detroit Tigers in the 1940 World Series, and it would take all 7 games for one team to prevail. In Game 1 on October 2 at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field, the Tigers won 7-2. In the top of the 2nd inning third baseman Michael “Pinky” Higgins and shortstop Dick Bartell both had 2-run singles, and then center fielder Barney McCoskey followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 4th left fielder Jimmy Ripple got the Reds on the board with an RBI single, but then right fielder Bruce Campbell smacked a 2-run home run for the Tigers in the top of the 5th. Goodman’s RBI single in the bottom of the 8th wasn’t enough for the Reds.

In Game 2 on October 3 the Reds won 5-3. In the top of the 1st inning second baseman Charlie Gehringer had an RBI single, and then left fielder Hank Greenberg followed by grounding into a double play to score McCoskey. In the bottom of the 2nd second baseman Eddie Joost and Billy Meyers both had RBI singles, and in the bottom of the 3rd Ripple crushed a 2-run home run. In the bottom of the 4th Werber had an RBI double. Greenberg’s RBI double in the top of the 6th wasn’t enough for the Tigers.

In Game 3 on October 4 at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium, the Tigers won 7-4. In the top of the 1st inning Goodman had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 4th Greenberg grounded into a double play to score McCoskey, tying the game. In the bottom of the 7th first baseman Rudy York and Michael Higgins both clubbed 2-run home runs, and in the top of the 8th Mike McCormick had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 8th Campbell had an RBI single, and Higgins followed with an RBI double. In the top of the 9th Joost and Werber both had RBI singles.

In Game 4 on October 5 the Reds won 5-2. In the top of the 1st Ival Goodman had an RBI double, and then Jimmy Ripple reached on an error to score Goodman. In the top of the 3rd Ripple had an RBI double, and in the bottom of the 3rd Greenberg got Detroit on the board with an RBI double. In the top of the 4th Goodman had a sacrifice fly, and in the bottom of the 6th Pinky Higgins had an RBI triple. Mike McCormick finished the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the 8th.

The Tigers then blanked the Reds 8-0 in Game 5 on October 6. Bobo Newsom pitched with inspiration for the Tigers as this was his first game pitching since the death of his father Henry, who died after watching Bobo play in Game 1. Newsom pitched a complete game, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks while recording 7 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 3rd inning Hank Greenberg launched a 3-run home run. In the bottom of the 4th Dick Bartell had an RBI double, Greenberg followed with a sacrifice fly, and Bruce Campbell followed with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 8th a wild pitch scored Greenberg.

The Reds returned the favor by blanking the Tigers 4-0 in Game 6 on October 7. Bucky Walters pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks while recording 2 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 1st inning Goodman and Ripple both had RBI singles. Walters would help himself out by hitting into a fielder’s choice to score catcher Jimmie Wilson in the bottom of the 6th, and the Walters went deep for a solo home run shot in the bottom of the 8th.

In Game 7 on October 8 the Reds won 2-1 to win their first World Series championship since the 1919 Black Sox Scandal-tainted World Series. Bob Newsom pitched on short rest, going 8 innings deep and giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs, recording 6 strikeouts. Paul Derringer stepped up on the mound for Cincinnati as he pitched a complete game, giving 7 hits, 3 walks and 1 run while recording 1 strikeout. In the top of the 3rd Charlie Gheringer had an infield RBI single, but in the bottom of the 7th the Reds took the game away from the Tigers with an RBI double by Jimmy Ripple and a sacrifice fly by Billy Meyers, which scored Ripple. Game 7 lasted only 1 hour and 47 minutes, a quick and favorable result for the Everyman Team.