Week 2 Results (04/21/1941 - 04/27/1941)

Monday, April 21, 1941

Transactions:

 

Washington pitcher Harry Dean was sent out to Greenville (SALL) after 04/20/1941 (Major League Finale). Washington pitcher Bill Zuber was acquired from Cleveland (DNP) on 04/21/1941 (Season Debut 04/23/1941)

 

Brooklyn catcher Tony Giuliani was injured (?) on 04/20/1941

 

Detroit pitcher Hal White made his Major League Debut on 04/22/1941

 

Pittsburgh pitcher Aldon Wilkie made his Major League Debut on 04/22/1941

 

New York (AL) 7 Philadelphia (AL) 5

 

The A's took the early lead with three runs in the second, but the Yankees came right back to take a 5-3 lead, the last three runs coming on a Joe DiMaggio homerun. The A's didn't roll over though and tied the score at 5-5 by the end of the sixth. Once again, the Yankees came back, with the New York bullpen keeping the A's off the board for the final three innings, giving the Yankees their eighth consecutive win to start the season.

 

Rick Ferrell

Washington (H) 6 Boston (AL) 4

A two-run homerun by catcher Rick Ferrell  in the bottom of the second gave the Nationals a 3-1 lead, but that lead wouldn’t hold as the Red Sox came back behind a Jimmy Foxx homerun to tie the score at 3-3 in the fourth. This time it was Washington's turn to be strong and to come back and grab the win, with Steve Sundra (1-0, 5.25) going all the way for the win.

 

Philadelphia (NL) 11 Boston (NL) (H) 0

 

The Phillies scored three times in the first and led 5-0 after the third, and then they poured it on late for the easy win in Boston. Ike Pearson (1-1, 3.38) held the Braves to five hits and got the complete-game shutout victory.

 

Brooklyn 13 New York (NL) (H) 0

 

Brooklyn first baseman Dolph Camilli hit a two-run homerun (#5) in the third to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, but it was a Ducky Medwick bases-loaded triple in the fourth that blew the game open. Kirby Higbe (1-1, 1.23) allowed four hits and got the win but had to be pulled in the eighth when his shoulder tightened up.

 

Tuesday, April 22, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Joe Dobson was injured (?) on 04/21/1941

 

Brooklyn pitcher Mace Brown (Team Debut 04/30/1941) was acquired from Pittsburgh on 04/22/1941

 

Cleveland (H) 10 St. Louis (AL) 5

 

The Indians led 5-1 after the fourth but the Browns rallied to tie the score at 5-5 after the top of the seventh. Cleveland left fielder Gee Walker hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh to get the lead back, and then Walker hit a three-run triple in the eighth to lock this one up for the home team. Walker ended the day with a total of six RBI's to lead the Cleveland offense.

 

Chicago (AL) 5 Detroit (H) 0

 

Bill Dietrich (1-1, 4.05) twirled a one-hit shutout in Detroit to take the first game of the series. The White Sox already led 2-0 when right fielder Larry Rosenthal cracked a two-run homerun in the fifth to give Dietrich the cushion he needed.

 

New York (AL) 6 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 3

 

Charlie Keller hit a two-run homerun (#6) in the first to help give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead and Spud Chandler (1-0, 2.45) held off a belated A's attack to get New York their ninth consecutive win. Keller added two more RBI's on a triple in the ninth, giving him 22 RBI's so far this season.

 

Boston (AL) 6 Washington (H) 5

 

Ted Williams, still hobbled by a spring training ankle injury, made his first start of the season and went 3-for-4 with a walk and drove in two runs, in both cases driving in right fielder Lou Finney who had tripled in front of him. Jimmy Foxx added a two-run homerun in the eighth to pad the lead just enough for Mickey Harris (1-0, 4.50) to hold off the pesky Nationals.

 

Note: Harris's BBR page shows him as not pitching in 1941 because of military service, but it also lists his 1941 stats.

 

Boston (NL) (H) 4 Philadelphia (NL) 0

 

Right fielder Gene Moore gave the Braves a 2-0 lead with a two-run triple in the bottom of the third and Jim Tobin (2-0, 1.07) got the complete-game win by scattering five hits and shutting out the visiting Phillies.

 

Cincinnati 5 Chicago (NL) (H) 3 (10)

 

Johnny Vander Meer (2-0, 1.42) struck out sixteen Cubs batters in the first nine innings, but it took ten innings for the Reds to grab the win after Chicago center fielder Dom Dallessandro kicked a hit to center and allowed two runs to score. Bill Lee (0-1, 3.60) was the hard-luck loser.

 

Brooklyn 7 New York (NL) (H) 5

 

The Giants led 5-0 after the bottom of the fourth, the big hit being a three-run triple by Mel Ott in the fourth inning. The Dodgers didn’t roll over and scored twice in the fifth and twice in the sixth, and then in the top of the ninth Brooklyn took their first lead of the game when Dixie Walker hit a two-out two-run single and Kirby Higbe came in for a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win.

 

Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis (NL) (H) 0

 

Rip Sewell (2-0, 0.50) only allowed four hits and shut out the hometown Cardinals. Second baseman Frankie Gustine singled home right fielder Bob Elliott in the fourth for the only run of the game, overcoming a fine performance by Lon Warneke (1-1, 1.06).

 

Wednesday, April 23, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

Dick Bartell

Detroit infielder Dick Bartell (Team Finale 04/22/1911) was released on 05/11/1941

St. Louis (NL) infielder Eddie Lake was injured (?) on 04/22/1941. St. Louis (NL) outfielder Coaker Triplett was injured (?) on 04/22/1941

 

Cleveland outfielder Red Howell made his Major League Debut on 04/24/1941

 

Cleveland (H) 8 St. Louis (AL) 5

 

The Browns jumped on Bob Feller (3-0, 2.52) for four runs in the top of the first, but Feller quickly settled down and shut down the visitors the rest of the way. The Indians responded with a four-run first of their own and took advantage of some shoddy defense by the Browns to get the lead and let Feller get the win.

 

Detroit (H) 11 Chicago (AL) 10

 

Fireworks in Detroit as the Tigers scored four runs in the bottom of the first and led 7-2 after the fifth, and then things got interesting. The White Sox scored twice in the sixth and four times in the top of the seventh to take their first lead at 8-7. The Tigers responded with two in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, but when Chicago added two in the eighth the Tigers had to respond yet again with two of their own to once again regain the lead. Chicago came back again in the ninth by putting two runners on, but failed to score and the Tigers walked away with the win. Right fielder Tuck Stainback led the Tigers offense by going 3-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI's.

 

New York (AL) (H) 4 Boston (AL) 1

 

Back-to-back doubles by third baseman Red Rolfe and right fielder Tommy Henrich helped stake New York to an early 2-0 lead and Lefty Gomez (2-0, 3.78) held the Red Sox to only two hits to get the win. Joe DiMaggio added a two-run homerun (#3) in the sixth to provide a little cushion for Gomez and the Yankees.

 

Washington 5 Philadelphia (AL) (H) 4 (16)

 

The Nationals led 4-0 after the top of the fourth, but by the end of the fifth the A's had come back to tie the score at 4-4, and then both teams experienced nine scoreless innings.  In the top of the sixteenth Washington third baseman Buddy Lewis singled, stole second, and then scored the eventual game-winner on a single by shortstop Cecil Travis. The A's were walked a total of sixteen times in this game but also grounded into a total of five double plays.

 

Boston (NL) (H) 3 New York (NL) 1

 

The Giants led 1-0 after the second, but right fielder Gene Moore drove home two runs as part of a three-run third to put the Braves ahead to stay. Dick Errickson (1-2, 5.40) went all the way for the complete-game victory.

 

Brooklyn (H) 6 Philadelphia (NL) 0

 

Brooklyn starter Whit Wyatt (3-0, 0.67) didn't allow a hit until the eighth inning and finished with a complete-game one-hit shutout. Center fielder Pete Reiser hit a two-out three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth and put this one out of reach for the Dodgers.

 

Cincinnati 8 Chicago (NL) (H) 1

 

Reds starter Bucky Walters (1-1, 3.18) didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning but by then they had a 6-0 lead and Walters was able to finish the game with a three-hit victory. A two-out three-run double by catcher Ernie Lombardi in the top of the first was the big hit and Walters made that lead stand up.

 

St. Louis (NL) (H) 1 Pittsburgh 0

 

In a pitcher's duel, Sam Nahem (1-0, 0.00) held the Pirates to only five hits in the game and went all the way for the shutout victory. Pittsburgh hurler Max Butcher (1-1, 2.12) only allowed three hits, but one of them was a solo homerun by Cardinals center fielder Terry Moore in the fourth.

 

Thursday, April 24, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

Boston (NL) pitcher Eddie Carnett made his Season Finale on 04/23/1941. Carnett was sold to New York (AL) (DNP) on 04/29/1941 and was sent out to Kansas City (AA)

 

Chicago (AL) pitcher Johnny Humphries was injured (?) on 04/23/1941. Chicago (AL) catcher Tom Turner was injured (?) on 04/23/1941

 

St. Louis (NL) infielder Steve Mesner was injured (?) on 04/22/1941

 

Chicago (AL) (H) 7 Cleveland 0

 

Thornton Lee (2-0, 0.00) threw his second consecutive shout to start the season, allowing only three hits today, and now five for the season. Third baseman Dante Lodigiani knocked a two-run double in a three-run first and then added a third RBI in Chicago's four-run fifth.

 

Detroit (H) 5 St. Louis (AL) 4

 

The Browns tied the score with a run in the seventh and then took a 4-3 lead with a run in the eighth, but Rudy York came through with a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth for the Detroit walk-off win. Tommy Bridges (1-1, 3.18) stayed to the end and picked up the come-from-behind victory.

 

New York (AL) (H) 9 Boston (AL) 0

 

The Yankees scored runs in each of their first five innings and Marius Russo (3-0, 4.05) manhandled the Red Sox for the shutout victory. Joe DiMaggio got things started with a two-run homerun (#4) in the first and Charlie Keller expected his hit streak to eleven with a double (#6).

 

Brooklyn (H) 11 Philadelphia (NL) 6

 

The Dodgers had only eight hits on the day and Ducky Medwick had five of them, but twelve walks and two crucial Phillies errors made the difference. Meanwhile, the Phillies accumulated nineteen hits on the day, but could never get the one key hit that would have made a difference.

 

Pittsburgh (H) 3 Chicago (NL) 2

 

Both teams scored twice in the fourth but then in the bottom of the seventh an RBI single from right fielder Bob Elliott scored third baseman Lee Handley to put the Pirates ahead to stay, Dick Lanahan picked up the win in relief and Johnny Lanning pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close this one out.

 

Cincinnati 8 St. Louis (NL) (H) 2

 

A four-run sixth blew the game open for Paul Derringer (1-2, 3.60) and the Reds as Derringer pitched a masterful performance and got the road win.

 

Friday, April 25, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Dick Newsome made his Major League Debut on 04/25/41

 

Boston (NL) pitcher Al Piechota made his Major League Debut on 04/26/1941

 

Chicago (NL) catcher Bob Scheffing made his Major League Debut on 04/26/1941

 

Philadelphia (AL) 7 Boston (AL) (H) 1

 

Center fielder Sam Chapman hit a two-run homerun in the top of the fourth to give the A's the lead and Jack Knott (2-0, 1.00) went all the way for the win in Boston. Catcher Frankie Hayes added a late three-run homerun to support his pitcher.

 

Note: Shortstop Skeeter Newsome and pitcher Dick Newsome batted eighth and ninth in the Boston batting order. The two are not related.

 

Chicago (AL) (H) 4 Cleveland 2

 

40-year-old Ted Lyons (2-0, 3.00) shut down the Indians and went all the way for the home win. A three-run second inning put the White Sox ahead to stay, the big hit being a two-run double from right fielder Larry Rosenthal.

 

Detroit (H) 8 St. Louis (AL) 6 (Grand Slam)

 

Twice already Rudy York had come to the plate with two on and two outs and had failed to convert, but when he came to the plate in the fourth with the bases loaded his grand slam gave the Tigers an 8-2 lead. Johnny Gorsica (1-1, 7.30) got the win but required late-inning assistance from Al Benton to close out the win.

 

Washington 6 New York (AL) (H) 4 (10)

 

The Nationals ended the Yankees eleven game winning streak with a come-from-behind victory that took ten innings. Washington had to score two runs in the ninth to tie the score at 4-4, and then in the tenth first baseman George Archie homered to grab a slender lead. That was followed by triples from catcher Rick Ferrell and pinch-hitter Buddy Myer, and Walt Masterson successfully closed out the tenth from there.

 

Brooklyn (H) 20 Boston (NL) 3

 

The Braves scored two runs in the top of the first, but then the Dodgers absolutely exploded, led by first baseman Dolph Camilli who hit a three-run homerun (#7) in the seven-run fourth and then added a second three-run homerun (#8) in the four-run sixth. Camilli now has 26 RBI's, just ahead of left fielder Ducky Medwick's 19.

 

Joe Orengo

New York (NL) 1 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 0 (10)

Light-hitting third baseman Joe Orengo finally got his second hit of the season (2-for-31, .065) and it came at the right time - a solo homerun in the top of the tenth, and Hal Schumacher (2-1, 2.22) finished what he started for the complete-game shutout.

 

Pittsburgh (H) 15 Chicago (NL) 1

 

Dizzy Dean made his final major league appearance, going four innings and allowing only one run. As soon as Dean was replaced the Pirates went wild on the Cubs bullpen, scoring eight runs in the fifth and then continuing the pounding thereafter. First baseman Elbie Fletcher had a three-run homerun but the big surprise was Joe Bowman (1-0, 1.13) who went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs in support of his own cause.

 

Cincinnati 4 St. Louis (NL) (H) 3

 

St. Louis had a slim 2-0 lead when starter Lon Warneke (1-2, 2.01) loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and then proceeded to walk the next three batters. Now armed with a 3-2 lead, Gene Thompson (2-0, 3.86) kept the Cardinals off stride and got the complete-game victory.

 

Saturday, April 26, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

Boston (NL) outfielder Earl Averill made his Major League Finale on 04/25/1941

 

Dizzy Dean

Chicago (NL) pitcher Dizzy Dean made his Major League Finale on 04/25/1941. Chicago (NL) infielder Rip Russell was sent out to Tulsa (TL) after 04/25/1941 (Season Finale)

 

Boston (AL) (H) 6 Philadelphia (AL) 2

 

Dom DiMaggio cracked a two-out three-run homerun in the bottom of the eighth to give the Red Sox more than enough of a cushion to allow Bill Fleming (1-0, 4.50) to roll through the ninth to put an end to the A's hopes.

 

Detroit 6 Cleveland (H) 4

 

The Indians led 3-0 after the second but then the Tigers scored four times in the third, the big hit being a three-run triple by center fielder Barney McCosky. Now armed with a lead, Bobo Newsom (1-2, 5.75) went all the way for the win. Cleveland may have outhit Detroit 14-7, but Detroit got the hits when it counted.

 

New York (AL) (H) 4 Washington 1

 

The Yankees came back from yesterday's loss with a stellar pitching performance by Red Ruffing (3-0, 2.00) who only allowed three hits and one unearned run. Charlie Keller hit a two-run homerun (#8) and now has 24 RBI's for the season.

 

Chicago (AL) 4 St. Louis (AL) (H) 1

 

Chicago hurler Eddie Smith (2-0, 1.80) only allowed one unearned run as he took care of the Browns batters, and when he needed it the White Sox defense turned two crucial double plays behind him. A two-run single by third baseman Dario Lodigiani in the first and a two-run triple by right fielder Larry Rosenthal provided Chicago with all the offense they needed today.

 

Brooklyn (H) 6 Boston (NL) 0

 

The Dodgers won their 9th consecutive game behind a three-hit shutout by Curt Davis (3-0, 0.43). Brooklyn's offense got off to a fast start as each of their first five batters got a hit, Ducky Medwick picking up two RBI's with a single and then immediately scoring when Dolph Camilli tripled (#3) him home.

 

St. Louis (NL) 9 Chicago (NL) (H) 0

 

Max Lanier (2-0, 1.06) only allowed two fifth innings singles and picked up the complete-game shutout victory in Chicago. St. Louis scored nine runs but only had six RBI's as two runs were scored on an error and another scored on a double play.

 

Cincinnati (H) 8 Pittsburgh 4

 

The Reds scored three runs in the bottom of the second and then added three more in the third on a three-run homerun from center fielder Harry Craft (#3). Johnny Vander Meer (3-0, 2.25) experienced control issues in the sixth and Pittsburgh was able to crawl back into the game, but Vander Meer kept his composure and shut down the visitors the rest of the way.

 

Philadelphia (NL) (H) 2 New York (NL) 0

 

Si Johnson (1-1, 2.33) gave up nine hits but kept New York off the scoreboard to pick up his first win of the season. The Phillies pushed across a run in both the sixth and the seventh innings, spoiling an otherwise outstanding pitching performance by Harry Gumbert (1-2, 1.44).

 

Sunday, April 27, 1941

 

Transactions:

 

New York (NL) catcher Ken O'Dea was injured (?) on 04/26/1941. New York (NL) pitcher Johnnie Wittig was injured (?) on 04/26/1941

 

Boston (NL) pitcher Al Piechota made his Major League Finale on 04/26/1941. Boston (NL) sold Piechota to New York (NL) (DNP) on 05/12/1941

 

Boston (AL) pitcher Woody Rich was sent out to Louisville (AA) after 04/26/1941 (Season Finale)

 

Cleveland (H) 5 Detroit 2

 

Bob Feller started for Cleveland but came out in the third inning due to shoulder stiffness, but Jim Bagby (2-1, 2.53) came in and went the rest of the way, keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard until the top of the ninth. Second baseman Charlie Gehringer (.194) has struggled so far this season, but his two-run single in the ninth spoiled the shutout.

 

Washington 7 New York (AL) (H) 4

 

A three-run sixth put the Nationals ahead and then a three-run eighth essentially iced the win for the visitors. Steve Sundra (2-0, 4.71) went all the way for the win, plus his two-run RBI single put the Nationals ahead to stay.

 

Chicago (AL) 5 St. Louis (AL) (H) 2

 

Bill Dietrich (2-1, 3.22) continued the White Sox early-season charge by holding the Browns to only three hits and not allowing them to score until a two-run triple in the eighth inning by left fielder Rip Radcliff put St. Louis on the board. Left fielder Moose Solters two-run single in the fourth put the White Sox ahead to stay and they never looked back.

 

New York (NL) 7 Brooklyn (H) 0

 

Carl Hubbell (1-0, 0.00) cooled off the red-hot Dodgers by limiting them to only four hits and ended their nine-game winning streak. There were no big innings for the Giants offense, just plenty of little ones that added up.

 

St. Louis (NL) 4 Chicago (NL) (H) 2

 

Mort Cooper (1-1, 1.33) went all the way for the shutout win in Chicago, besting Bill Lee (0-2, 3.18) who pitched well also. Two Cubs errors allowed the Cardinals to score the two additional runs they needed to claim the victory.

 

Pittsburgh 3 Cincinnati (H) 2

 

The Reds had a slim 2-1 lead until Pittsburgh second baseman Frankie Gustine lined a two-out two-run double off the wall in the top of the sixth to put the Pirates up 3-2. Rip Sewell (3-0, 1.00) kept the Reds quiet the rest of the way and got the win over Bucky Walters (1-2, 3.12).

 

Boston (NL) 13 Philadelphia (NL) (H) 3

 

The Braves scored six runs in the top of the second and if that wasn't enough, they added five more in the top of the fourth, leading to an easy win for Bill Posedel (1-0, 1.35). Left fielder Max West hit a three-run homerun in the fateful second and ended the game with four RBI's, and right fielder Gene Moore and third baseman Hank Majeski chipped in with three RBI's apiece to help lead the rout.