In his superb book, The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series, Tyler Kepner reminds us why the Fall Classic is so special. The choice of the word “stage” for the title is especially appropriate. The World Series is, after all, the final act in a drama performed over seven long months. Considering what’s at stake, it would seem to be the point in the season when players and managers feel the most pressure. But according to Hall of Famer, Sandy Koufax, no stranger to tension-filled World Series games, that's not the case. The real stress Koufax believes came from “the accumulated pressure” of “April to October [when] you play 162 games” “to separate the winner from the losers.” The key to understanding Koufax’s argument is that there could only be one “winner,” but multiple “losers.” The Dodger pitcher's comments were made near the end of over 60 years of winner-take-all pennant races when there was a solitary winner and seven or nine “losers.”
The situation on the morning of September 21 - Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 21, 1949
Not long after Koufax’s comments, Major League Baseball introduced division play, followed by wild cards, currently three in each league. As a result, there are now effectively six regular-season winners in both circuits. The major disadvantage of the old system was the potential for a one-sided pennant race that could dampen, if not kill, fan interest. But when a league was blessed with a close race, it generated weeks of nationwide energy, excitement and drama. Whether or not the new system is better is debatable. That there is no going back to the old way is undeniable. But for the experience of those winner-take-all races to be forgotten is unforgivable. To that end, over the next week, we will explore the last 10 days of the 1949 National League pennant race when the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals competed for a place on “the grandest stage.” A time when September still mattered.
Part of the crowd at the first game of the September 21 day-night doubleheader. This picture appeared on the front page of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 22, 1949
On the morning of September 21, St. Louis had a minuscule 1 ½ game lead heading into the two contenders' final head-to-head matchup. Today, important late regular season games attract fan and media attention, but the stakes in a winner-take-all race drove interest to the highest and most widespread level imaginable. Even before this important series began, five New York newspapers had assigned reporters to cover the Cardinals on a daily basis. From this point forward, pennant race coverage became front-page news, not just in Brooklyn and St. Louis, but throughout the league including Chicago, home of the last-place Cubs. With a crucial three-game series on tap, working press from 28 out-of-town locations descended on St. Louis to keep their readers informed.
Ticket lines for the first game - St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 22, 1949
No matter how vivid the writers’ descriptions, however, some fans had to see for themselves. They came from all over the Midwest and Southwest, snapping up hotel rooms and filling local restaurants to capacity, something more characteristic of the World Series. Also similar to the series, were the celebrities in the large crowd. Former heavyweight champion Joe Louis came to watch Dodger rookie ace Don Newcombe pitch. Dizzy Dean was there too, rooting for his old team and doubtless reminiscing with anyone who would listen. Also on hand was Kid Nichols, a great nineteenth-century pitcher and one of the newest members of the Hall of Fame. Local fans who couldn’t find an excuse to miss work relied on portable radios they “smuggled” into the office or office boys who made frequent trips to check the score.
Marty Marion was not the first, nor the last to fall victim to the arm of Carl Furillo - "the Reading Rifle" - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 22, 1949
Regardless of how fans followed the opening game of the day-night doubleheader, they were rewarded with a classic pitcher’s duel worthy of a tight pennant race. St. Louis almost scored in the bottom of the first, but Brooklyn right fielder Carl Furillo threw Marty Marion out at home on what Cardinal manager, Eddie Dyer called the “greatest throw I’ve ever seen.” The game was still scoreless in the bottom of the ninth when the Brooklyn players were sure Newcombe had struck out leadoff batter Enos Slaughter. However, the umpire thought otherwise. Granted a reprieve, Slaughter doubled to put the winning run in scoring position. An intentional walk and a bunt single loaded the bases with none out. Suddenly, Jackie Robinson, still furious about the non-call on Slaughter, was ejected from the game. Presented with a golden opportunity, St. Louis seized the moment and won on Joe Garagiola’s infield single.
The Cardinals win game one - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - September 22, 1949
Having seen their team win in dramatic fashion, Cardinal fans enjoyed the upside of the mood swings that were part of the DNA of winner-take-all pennant races. The crowd erupted in an “ear splitting demonstration” which was “the signal for cheering all over the city and in hundreds of towns throughout the Midwest and Southwest.” Attention then shifted to the night game. Especially “ardent” were nine men who after watching the first game on television at Grady’s Bar, took their bar stools home to ensure their availability for the second game. Since they were good customers, James Grady, the owner, didn’t object. Elsewhere the owners of some of the other 55,000 televisions in the St. Louis area found themselves “playing host to entire neighborhoods.” So large were the gatherings that children were sent to bed early to make room for more adults. They would have been well advised to remember that mood swings go both ways.
As advertised, Preacher Roe didn't cut an imposing figure - unless you had to bat against him
The excitement was understandable. A split of the two remaining games would put St. Louis in a commanding position with only a half-dozen games left, while a sweep would effectively end the race. Brooklyn’s backs were to the wall and they needed a stopper on the mound. Pitching for Brooklyn was Preacher Roe, a far less intimidating presence than Newcombe. So unimposing was Roe’s physique that one paper cruelly called him a “bag of bones.” Even Roscoe McGowan of the more dignified New York Times got into the act, claiming the Dodger pitcher “has to stand up twice to cast a shadow.” Appearances in this case, however, proved to be more than a little deceiving. Roe dominated St. Louis from start to finish. The Dodger left-hander set the side down in order in all but two innings, allowing just two hits and no walks. All told Roe faced only 28 batters in Brooklyn’s 5-0 victory.
It was a clutch performance, but Brooklyn had little time to enjoy it. As pleased as the Dodgers and their fans were with the win, there was another game to play. A St. Louis victory in the finale would put them up 2 ½ games, still very much in control of the race. Having fought back from the brink, the Dodgers weren’t about to take a step backward. Led by Carl Furillo’s five hits and seven RBIs, the Brooklyn offense erupted for a 19-3 rout. St. Louis’ emotional high after the first game was just a memory and the Dodgers returned home only ½ game off the lead. Now it was the Brooklyn rooters' turn to get excited. Hundreds of fans, accompanied by a “big battery of photographers” met the team's flight at LaGuardia airport. But Dodger fans would have been well advised to remember just how fleeting such feelings had been in St. Louis.
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