Three Games in July

It was the proverbial immovable object against the irresistible force when Brooklyn hosted St. Louis in a three-game series in mid-July of my 1947 APBA baseball season replay. The Dodgers were armed with excellent pitching that helped the team. Starters Ralph Branca was 12-2 at the All-Star break and Jeff Taylor was 11-2. Joe Hatten was 11-3; the Bum’s three starters were 35-7 at the break.

The Cardinals came in with hot bats. Stan Musial and Whitey Kurowski were tied with 18 home runs and Musial was leading the league with 76 RBIs before Pirates’ left fielder Ralph Kiner began slugging at an amazing pace.

The two teams were tied for first at 59-29 when they met in Ebbets field on July 18. In the real season, Brooklyn and St. Louis each one won game in the three –game set and were tied in the third contest, 3-3, after nine innings.

This was APBA, however, and there are no rainouts or games called due to darkness in APBA.

Here’s how the games went.

July 18, 1947

St. Louis 3 Brooklyn 0

Murry  ‘Dick’ Dickson raised his record to 11-4 for the Cards, limiting Brooklyn to only three hits in the third, fourth and sixth innings. St. Louis led 1-0 after Terry Moore drove in Red Schoendienst with a single. There was no scoring through eight as Dickson and Hal Gregg battled. In the ninth inning, though, Stan Musial teed off on reliever Clyde King, clubbing a two-run home run, his 19^th of the year. That win put the Cardinals up by one game over the Dodgers.

July 19, 1947

St. Louis 8 Brooklyn 0

The Cards shut out the Dodgers again as pitcher Red Munger gave up only one hit to Pee Wee Reese in the fifth inning. St. Louis had a balanced attack with Ron Northey hitting his 12^th home run of the year and driving in three runs in the game. Musial added three RBIs, too, with a double and single. Vic Lombardi took the loss, giving up six runs in six innings. Brooklyn closer Hugh Casey, who has been playing poorly of late, gave up the Cards’ final two runs in the ninth.

July 20, 1947

St. Louis 13 Brooklyn 2

The Dodgers finally scored in the fifth inning, but it was far from enough. The Cardinals held Brooklyn scoreless for 22 consecutive innings before Jackie Robinson doubled off Harry “The Cat” Breechan and to score Ed Stanky. Pete Reiser then hit a triple to drive in Robinson that briefly tied the game, 2-2. But the Cardinals scored four in the sixth, four in the seventh and three in the eighth to bomb the Bums. Musial hit a grand slam in the seventh, his 20^th homer of the season. Harry Taylor took the loss for Brooklyn.

By series end, St. Louis had a 62-29 record, compared to Brooklyn’s 59-32.  

It seemed the series took a lot out of both teams. After the three-game set, the Dodgers have gone 2-3, taking two of four against Cincinnati and losing to the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2. St. Louis has gone 2-2 after sweeping Brooklyn, losing two out of three at home versus the New York Giants and then winning the first of a four –game set hosting Boston.

In the real 1947 season, Brooklyn won the National League by five games over the Cardinals. In my replay, the Dodgers trail the Cards 3.5 games now with 58 games left. The two teams face off nine more times, including an upcoming three-game series in St. Louis on July 29. Because of a work furlough due to the virus, I’ve had more time to roll games at a quicker pace. I’ve just reached games for July 26 and should be playing the Dodgers-Cardinals series within a week or so. Maybe the Dodgers can return the favor and sweep St. Louis, making the race tighter again. Or maybe the Cardinals will continue their dominance and increase their lead.

It’s why we roll these games.