Brooklyn Dodgers - The War Years (1940-1949)

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1940

Decade

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104

Titles: NL Champs 1941, 1947, 1949

Top Dodgers Players of the Forties

Lost World Series to Yankees each time

Pitchers:

BallPark: Ebbets Field

Whitlow Wyatt (16.9) - 52

Kirby Higbe (9.12) - 48

Team Name: Dodgers

Curt Davis (13.1) - 41

Joe Hatten (10.4) - 37

Owner: Ebbets and McKeever Trusts (1940-1943)

Ralph Branca (12.7) - 34

Branch Rickey, Walter O'Malley, John Lawrence Smith (1944-1949)

Hugh Casey (7.75) - 33

Vic Lombardi (7.27) - 21

President:

Hal Gregg (0.7) - 21

Larry MacPhail (1940-1942)

Preacher Roe (10.8) - 17

Branch Rickey (1943-1949)

Rex Barney (2.24) - 15

Don Newcombe (5.56) - 12

General Manager: None

Fred Fitzsimmons (4.86) - 11

Hot Potato Hamlin (3.19) - 10

Managers: Leo Durocher (1940-1946,1948)

Ed Head (4.33) - 9

Clyde Sukeforth (1947)

Rube Melton (4.43) - 8

Burt Shotton (1947,1948-1949)

Larry French (4.42) - 8

Ray Blades (1947)

Vito Tamulis (4.1) - 6

Bobo Newsom (1.46) - 3

No Hitters: Tex Carleston (1940)

Ed Head (1946)

Catchers:

Rex Barney (1948)

Mickey Owen (3.96) - 22

Roy Campanella (6.11) - 16

Hall of Famers:

Bruce Edwards (6.23) - 14

Roy Campanella

Bobby Bragan (0.7) - 0

Billy Herman

Pee Wee Reese

First Basemen:

Arky Vaughn

Dolph Camilli (18.39) - 47

Jackie Robinson

Gil Hodges (2.96) - 11

Duke Snider

Chuck Connors (0.05) - 0

Gil Hodges

Ducky Medwick

Second Basemen:

Jackie Robinson (18.1) - 44

Rookie of the Year

Eddie Stanky (14.81) - 23

Jackie Robinson (1947)

Billy Herman (12.66) - 20

Don Newcombe (1949)

ShortStop:

MVP

Pee Wee Reese (33.68) - 93

Dolph Camilli (1941)

Arky Vaughn (8.94) - 21

Jackie Robinson (1949)

Third Base:

Notable Events:

Cookie Lavagetto (4.44) - 11

1940 - Hall of Fame outfielder Ducky Medwick, 28, and righthander

Outfield:

Curt Davis, 36, are acquired in a deal with the Cards that included

Dixie Walker (33.19) - 81

$125K cash. The deal worked out badly as Medwick was beaned six days

Pete Reiser (19.67) - 62

later by Cards pitcher Bob Bowman and was never the same player

Augie Galan (20.53) - 49

after that. Tough break for everybody except Branch Rickey of the Cards.

Carl Furillo (12,66) - 36

Ducky Medwick (10.66) - 25

1940 - Pee Wee Reese, 21, Hall of Fame shortstop is a rookie.

Luis Olmo (2.69) - 23

He was stolen from the Red Sox a year earlier in a deal which

Gene Hermanski (7.58) - 21

caused Boston GM Billy Evans to resign in disgust.

Goody Rosen (5.33) - 18

In Boston's defense, they did have HOF SS Joe Cronin on their roster

Duke Snider (5.05) - 12

and they had PCL star SS Johnny Pesky in their sights and signed

Al Gionfriddo (0.12) - 0

him a short while later. That being said, Pesky was no Reese.

Notable Events:

1940 - Outfielder Pete Reiser, 21, is a rookie. Reiser was a Hall of Fame

calibre talent who ruined his health running into outfield walls.

1944 - Righthander Ralph Branca, 18, is signed by Branch Rickey.

He is brought up to the Dodgers '44 and will be a mainstay on the

1941 - Righthander Kirby Higbe ,26, is obtained from the Phillies in a

staff for a decade. Ralph never got drafted into the military.

trade plus cash. The Bums had grabbed star first baseman Dolph

Camilli from the hapless Phils in a similar deal a couple of years earlier.

1944 - Righthander Cal McLish, 18, is signed by the Dodgers.

He is brought up to the Dodgers in '44 and gets drafted into the military

1941 - Outfielder Augie Galan, 29, is obtained from the Cubs in a

in '45. Cal will end up being a star, but not with Brooklyn.

trade plus cash

After a long journey, Cal makes it big with Cleveland in the late Fifties.

1941 - Second baseman Billy Herman, 31, is obtained from the now

1944 - Second baseman Eddie Stanky, 28, is obtained in a deal with the

hapless Cubs in a trade plus cash, Cubs owner Pk Wrigley, who had

Cubs, one of a number of deals in which the Dodgers took advantage

inherited the team from his father several years earlier, obviously was

Chicago in the Thirties and Forties

not into winning and MacPhail took advantage.

1946 - Outfielder Carl Furillo, 24, is a rookie. He was signed in 1941

1941 - Dodgers win their first pennant in 21 years going 100-54

In World Series Game four, a two out passed ball by Mickey Owen costs

1946 - Dodgers and St. Louis tie for first and have a best of three playoff

the Dodgers the game and eventually the Series to the Yankees

which the Cardinals win 2-0

1942 - Hall of Fame shortstop Arky Vaughn, 30, is obtained in a trade from

1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks the color line. He will play first, second

the Pirates for four players. The deal doesn't pan out due to Vaughn

and third during his Dodger Hall of Fame career.

going into the army and his hatred for Dodgers manager Leo Durocher

Jackie is twenty eight years old when he comes up to the Dodgers.

He played earlier in the Negro Leagues.

1942 - GM Larry MacPhail leaves his position to join the Army.

When he returns after the war, MacPhail heads a syndicate that

1947 - Dodgers win the pennant and lose the World Series to the Yanks

buys.the Yankees. His GM position with Brooklyn had been filled

Cookie Lavagetto breaks up a no hitter by Bill Bevans of the Yanks with

more than ably by Branch Rickey (the greatest baseball GM of all time)

two outs in the ninth.

after MacPhail had left for the war. MacPhail had been the guy who was

Not only that but the Dodgers end up winning the game.

responsible for turning the Dodgers organization around into a winner.

MacPhail's dynamism and talent convinced the Ebbets / McKeever Trust

1947 - Al Gionfriddo makes a spectacular catch against Joe DiMaggio

to open up the purse strings to bring a winner to Brooklyn.

in the World Series

His ideas on night baseball and radio broadcasts, brought over from

his previous tenure with the Reds, made good business sense, as did

1947 - Manager Leo Durocher is suspended for a year for making an

funding a winning team. The Dodgers won 100 games twice in the first

inappropriate and erroneous comment about former Dodger President

half of the decade and won the 1941 pennant as a result of

Larry MacPhail regarding consorting with gamblers.

MacPhail's manueverings.

1948 - Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella, 26, is a rookie signed out

1942 - The Dodgers hire the saviest baseball executive in history,

of the Negro Leagues.

Branch Rickey, to take over the GM reins from MacPhail.

MacPhail's act would have been impossible for anyone else to follow,

1948 - Righthander Carl Erskiine, 21, is a rookie. He was signed in 1946

but not for Rickey. Rickey was always looking for an edge.

He built the Cardinals into a dynasty by inventing and developing the

1948 - Ace righthander Preacher Roe, 32, and slick fielding third baseman

farm system. He also deliberately put together a team of 4F's with the

Billy Cox, 28, are obtained from the Pirates for Hal Gregg,

Cards (guys who would be rejected for military service) as the war

Vic Lombardi and Dixie Walker

became imminent. Thus while everyone was playing with replacement

players, the Cards were playing with bonafide major leaguers during the

1949 - Righthander Don Newcombe, 23, is a rookie. He was signed out

war. With the Dodgers, Rickey used two strategies to build Brooklyn's

of the Negro Leagues.

post war dynasty. He started signing black players, knowing there were a

bunch of primo talents in the Negro leagues and he signed teenagers

1949 - The Dodgers win the pennant but again lose the World Series to

during the war, betting that they would be OK, mature and ready to go

the Yankees for the third time in the decade.

when the war ended. Other baseball executives didn't want to sign

teenagers because they were afraid that it would be lost money when

The Dodger team of the Golden Age (1946-57) was one of the best ever

the kids were drafted into the military. Rickey's gambles both paid off.

assembled in baseball history.

Branch had no competition for the top talents in both areas from

There was an eight player core of this team that was there pretty much

other major league clubs - he had the picks of the litter

throughout the entire twelve years.

□ Three (Robinson, Campanella and Newcombe) were picked up from the

1942 - The Dodgers win 104 games and don't win the pennant as

Negro Leagues where GM Branch Rickey was recruiting players

St. Louis wins 106

well before most other owners.

□ Two others (Hodges and Snider) were signed by Rickey as teenagers

1943 - First baseman / catcher Gil Hodges, 19, is signed by Branch Rickey.

during World War II when most other owners were reticent to do so.

He is brought up to the Dodgers briefly in '43 before going into the military

□ Two of the others (Erskine and Furillo) were signed by Rickey

Gil should be a member of the Hall of Fame, but mysteriously isn't.

shortly after the war.

When you think of some of the people who made it into the Hall ahead

□ The eighth (Reese) was traded for earlier by Larry MacPhail.

of Hodges, it makes you cringe.

The awesome eight:

1943 - Outfielder Duke Snider, 16, is signed by the Dodgers.

□ catcher - Roy Campanella - Hall of Fame 1948 - 1957

He will go into the military in '45. Snider comes up as a

□ first base - Gil Hodges - 7 consecutive 100 plus rbi seasons 1946 - 1957

rookie in 1947. Duke is a member of the Hall of Fame

□ second base - Jackie Robinson - Hall of Fame 1947- 1956

□ shortstop - Pee Wee Reese - Hall of Fame 1946 - 1957

□ outfield - Carl Furillo - .284 hitter or better in 11 of 12 seasons 1946 - 1957

□ outfield - Duke Snider - Hall of Fame 1946 - 1957

□ righthander - Carl Erskine - 117-71 W-L from 1948 - 1957

□ righthander - Don Newcombe - 123-60 W-L from 1949 - 1957