1941 Brooklyn Dodgers season

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1941  Brooklyn Dodgers
National League champions
Brooklyn Dodgers Cap Logo (1934 to 1936, 1938 to 1955).svg
League National League
Ballpark Ebbets Field
City Brooklyn, New York
Owners James & Dearie Mulvey, Brooklyn Trust Company
President Larry MacPhail
Managers Leo Durocher
Radio WOR
Red Barber, Al Helfer
  1940
1942  

The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by manager Leo Durocher, won their first pennant in 21 years, edging the St. Louis Cardinals by 2.5 games. They went on to lose to the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Contents

In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, this team was referenced as one of "The Greatest Teams That Never Was", due to the quality of its starting lineup. Dolph Camilli was the slugging star with 34 home runs and 120 RBI. He was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player. Pete Reiser, a 22-year-old rookie, led the league in batting average, slugging percentage, and runs scored. Other regulars included Hall of Famers Billy Herman, Joe Medwick, Pee Wee Reese, and Dixie Walker. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers scored the most runs of any NL team (800).

The pitching staff featured a pair of 22-game winners, Kirby Higbe and Whitlow Wyatt, having their best pro seasons.

On July 1, the Dodgers played the Phillies in Brooklyn; the game was televised by WNBT in New York (now WNBC), making the contest the first program aired by a commercial TV station in the United States. Although the Dodgers would later win the pennant and the Phillies would finish dead last in the NL, Philadelphia won the game 6–4, in 10 innings. [1]

Offseason

Regular season

Season standings

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 10054.64952254829
St. Louis Cardinals 9756.63453244432
Cincinnati Reds 8866.5711245344332
Pittsburgh Pirates 8173.5261945323641
New York Giants 7479.48425½38393640
Chicago Cubs 7084.4553038393245
Boston Braves 6292.4033832443048
Philadelphia Phillies 43111.2795723522059

Record vs. opponents


Sources:
TeamBOSBRCHCCINNYGPHIPITSTL
Boston 4–18–211–119–136–1614–810–128–14
Brooklyn 18–4–213–914–814–818–412–1011–11–1
Chicago 11–119–138–149–1314–8–19–1310–12
Cincinnati 13–98–1414–815–716–612–1010–12
New York 16–68–1413–97–1516–68–14–26–15–1
Philadelphia 8–144–188–14–16–166–166–165–17
Pittsburgh 12–1010–1213–910–1214–8–216–66–16
St. Louis 14–811–11–112–1012–1015–6–117–516–6

Notable transactions

Roster

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader
= Indicates league leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

PosPlayerGPABRHAvg.HRRBISB
C Mickey Owen 1283863289.2311441
1B Dolph Camilli 14952992151.285341203
2B Billy Herman 13353677156.2913411
3B Cookie Lavagetto 13244175122.2771787
SS Pee Wee Reese 15259576136.22924610
OF Dixie Walker 14853188165.3119714
OF Pete Reiser 137536117184.34314764
OF Joe Medwick 133538100171.31818882

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

PlayerGPABRHAvg.HRRBISB
Jimmy Wasdell 942653979.2984482
Lew Riggs 771972760.3055361
Herman Franks 571391028.2011110
Pete Coscarart 4362138.129051
Joe Vosmik 2556011.196040
Alex Kampouris 1651816.314290
Leo Durocher 1842212.286060
Paul Waner 113556.171040
Babe Phelps 163037.233240
Augie Galan 172737.259040
Tommy Tatum 81212.167010
Tony Giuliani 32000000
George Pfister 12000000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGGSCGIPWLERABBSO
Kirby Higbe 483919298.02293.14132121
Whit Wyatt 383523288.122102.3482176
Freddie Fitzsimmons 1312382.2612.072619
Ed Albosta 22013.0026.2385

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGGSCGIPWLERABBSO
Hugh Casey 45184162.014113.895761
Curt Davis 281610154.11372.972750
Luke Hamlin 30205136.0884.244158
Johnny Allen 114257.1302.511221
Newt Kimball 155152.0313.632917
Tom Drake 102024.2114.381221
Larry French 61015.2003.4548
Lee Grissom 41011.1002.3885

Note: Hugh Casey was team leader in saves with 7.

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLSVERABBSO
Mace Brown 2442.23233.162622
Kemp Wicker 1632.01213.66148
Vito Tamulis 1222.00013.68108
Bill Swift 922.03013.2779
Bob Chipman 15.01000.0013
Van Mungo 22.00004.5020

1941 World Series

The 1941 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall.

The name "Subway Series" arose for a World Series played between two New York City teams. The series was punctuated by the Dodgers' Mickey Owen's dropped third strike of a sharply breaking curveball (a suspected spitball) pitched by Hugh Casey to Tommy Henrich in the 9th inning of Game 4. The play led to a Yankees rally and brought them one win away from another championship.

The Yankees were back after a one-year hiatus, having won thirteen (13) of their last fourteen (14) Series games and twenty-eight (28) of their last thirty-one (31) games in the World Series.

This was the first Subway Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, who had already faced the crosstown New York Giants five times, and the Series was now 1–0 in favor of the Bronx Bombers. These two teams would meet a total of seven (7) times from 1941 to 1956 – the Dodgers' only victory coming in 1955.

Game 1

October 1, 1941, at Yankee Stadium in New York

Team123456789RHE
Brooklyn (N)000010100260
New York (A)01010100x361
W: Red Ruffing (1–0)   L: Curt Davis (0–1)
HR: NYYJoe Gordon (1)

Game 2

October 2, 1941, at Yankee Stadium in New York

Team123456789RHE
Brooklyn (N)000021000362
New York (A)011000000291
W: Whit Wyatt (1–0)   L: Spud Chandler (0–1)

Game 3

October 4, 1941, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team123456789RHE
New York (A)000000020280
Brooklyn (N)000000010140
W: Marius Russo (1–0)  L: Hugh Casey (0–1)

Game 4

October 5, 1941, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team123456789RHE
New York (A)1002000047120
Brooklyn (N)000220000491
W: Johnny Murphy (1–0)  L: Hugh Casey (0–2)
HR: : BROPete Reiser (1)

Game 5

October 6, 1941, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team123456789RHE
New York (A)020010000360
Brooklyn (N)001000000141
W: Tiny Bonham (1–0)  L: Whit Wyatt (1–1)
HR: : NYYTommy Henrich (1)

Awards and honors

Whit Wyatt had a career season in 1941. WhitWyattCard.jpg
Whit Wyatt had a career season in 1941.

League top ten finishers

Dolph Camilli

Hugh Casey

Kirby Higbe

Joe Medwick

Pete Reiser

Whit Wyatt

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AA Montreal Royals International League Clyde Sukeforth
A1 Knoxville Smokies Southern Association Fred Lindstrom
B Reading Brooks Interstate League Fresco Thompson
B Durham Bulls Piedmont League Bruno Betzel
C Santa Barbara Saints California League John Clancy
C Quebec Athletics Canadian–American League Del Bissonette
Roland Gladu
C Grand Rapids Colts Michigan State League Charles Lucas
C Dayton Ducks Middle Atlantic League Paul Chervinko
Howard Holmes
William McWilliams
C Troy Dodgers/Tuskegee Airmen Alabama State League Orace Powers
D Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox Appalachian League Hobe Brummitt
D Valdosta Trojans Georgia–Florida League Stew Hofferth
D Newport Dodgers Northeast Arkansas League Merle Settlemire
D Johnstown Johnnies Pennsylvania State Association George Treadwell
D Olean Oilers Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League Jake Pitler
D Big Spring Bombers West Texas–New Mexico League Joe Tate

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montreal, Durham, Santa Barbara, Elizebethton, Newport

Notes

  1. Baseball Reference
  2. 1 2 Vito Tamulis at Baseball-Reference
  3. Tot Pressnell at Baseball-Reference
  4. Boze Berger at Baseball-Reference
  5. Glen Stewart at Baseball-Reference
  6. Gus Mancuso at Baseball-Reference
  7. Pep Young at Baseball-Reference
  8. Pep Rambert at Baseball-Reference
  9. 1 2 Lefty Mills at Baseball-Reference
  10. Wally Westlake at Baseball-Reference
  11. Roxie Lawson at Baseball-Reference
  12. Newt Kimball at Baseball-Reference
  13. 1 2 Mace Brown at Baseball-Reference
  14. Johnny Hudson at Baseball-Reference
  15. Joe Becker at Baseball-Reference

References