The War Years: 1942-1945

                           This post was suggested by one of our posters, Ohio Dodger. I am more than happy to write this for him since the history of the United States, and baseball and Dodger history are favorite subjects of mine. I was born in 1948, so I have no memories of the war. But like many of you, I had relatives who served including my father, who was in the US Navy. He was at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th. Stationed aboard the battleship, USS Nevada. He would be wounded when the Arizona blew up. He caught a piece of shrapnel. After the attack, and a few weeks in the hospital, he was reassigned to the destroyer, USS Dewey. My uncle Arthur flew B-24 bombers out if India. My aunt Anita served in the WAAC’s for 3 years. 

                        1941 saw the Brooklyn Dodgers win their first pennant since 1920. Managed by the fiery Leo Durocher, the team won 100 games and held off the Giants who finished with 97 wins. The MVP of the National League was 1st baseman, Dolph Camilli.  Camilli hit .285 but slugged 34 homers and drove in 120 runs. Camilli was 34 at the time and had become a Dodger in 1938 when he was traded from the Phillies. 

                       Also on the team was a pair of 22-year-olds. One Harold Reese and a kid named Pete Reiser. Reese, who was called Pee Wee, would spend 18 years as a Dodger player. Reiser would be nicknamed, Pistol Pete. His career would be far shorter, not for a lack of talent, but because of injuries he would sustain crashing into unpadded outfield walls chasing fly balls. But in 1941, Reiser’s future looked very bright. He hit .343 with 14 homers and 76 batted in. Another future Hall of Famer was on the team, Joe”Ducky” Medwick. Medwick to this day, is the last National Leaguer to win the triple crown. He did so in 1937 when he was with the Cardinals. He was also the MVP that year. His line? .374/31/154. His OPS was 1.056, his OPS+, 182. 

                      The pitching staff was led by Kirby Higbe and Whit Wyatt. Both won 22 games. 37-year-old Curt Davis had 13 wins. Freddie Fitzsimmons and Luke Hamlin rounded out the starting staff. Hugh Casey was the closer, he had 7 saves and 14 wins. They lost the World Series to the Yankees in five games. Mickey Owens passed ball in the top of the 9th of game four became one of the more infamous gaffs in series history. 

                     As the season ended, everyone knew war was coming, they didn’t know with who or when. The US was helping supply the British, who were standing alone against Germany and the Axis forces. Because of rising tensions with Japan, the US Pacific fleet was moved from San Diego to Pearl Harbor. Japan felt this was a direct threat aimed at them. The Navy at the time was probably the best equipped US force. The Air Corps was in its infancy, and the Army was ill-trained, equipped with outdated WWI weaponry and at the time, pretty small. There were at the time about 130,000 US and Philippine troops in the country. The Navy had some destroyers and PT boats and support craft at Cavite, but no heavy ships. The Air Corps, still a part of the Army at the time, had mostly outdated aircraft. 

                   After the attack, many Americans streamed to the recruiting offices and enlisted. Many ballplayers would enlist also. Some would not leave their teams until 1942, and some played the entire 42 season. Pee Wee Reese went into the Navy in 1943. He was stationed in the Pacific. While in Hawaii, he played ball for one of the teams there. Many ballplayers played on Special Services teams. It was considered good for morale.

                   Second baseman, Billy Herman spent 2 years in the Navy and was stationed in the Pacific. Reiser went into the Army in 1943, but because he had been injured in the 42 season, he did nothing but play ball for teams in the US. He would return to the Dodgers in 1946. Owen, Camilli, Walker, Vaughn and Medwick, were too old to serve. 

                  Lew Riggs, a reserve infielder, spent 3 years in the Air Corps. Billy Sullivan Jr., a reserve catcher spent 3 years in the Navy. Cliff Dapper, another reserve catcher spent 2 years in the South Pacific with the Navy. Stan Rojek, Reese’s backup, was in the Air Corps for three years, stationed in the Pacific. 

                 Kirby Higbe, the Dodgers best pitcher in 41, went into the Army after the 43 season and saw combat in Europe. He and his unit were shipped to the Pacific after Germany surrendered. But when they got to the Philippines, they found out Japan had surrendered. Higbe stayed in Manilla until March 1946 when he returned to the US. If his name sounds familiar to you, it was Higbe, along with Dixie Walker and a few other Dodgers who signed a petition saying they would not play on the same team as Jackie Robinson. Higbe, and Walker, would later be traded to the Pirates in separate deals. Higbe brough back Al Gionfriddo and 100,000 dollars. Cal McLish, Gene Mauch and Dixie Howell were also in that trade. Walker and Hal Gregg and Vic Lombardi netted the Dodgers Billy Cox, Preacher Roe and they got Gene Mauch back. 

                 Hugh Casey spent 3 years in the Navy in the Pacific. Legendary Tiger, Schoolboy Rowe, who was a member of the 41 team, spent 44 and 45 in the Navy stationed at Great Lakes in the states. Ed Head was another member of the 41 team who served. A couple of future Dodgers saw their careers interrupted by military service. 

               Carl Furillo enlisted in the Army in 1942. He saw combat in the Pacific, he was awarded three battle stars and a purple heart for being wounded. Gil Hodges went into the Marines. After having participated in its Reserve Officer Training Corps class at Saint Joseph’s, he was assigned as anti-aircraft gunner with the 16th anti-aircraft battalion. He saw combat in the Tinian, where the Enola Gay took off from to drop the first A-Bomb, and Okinawa campaigns. He was awarded a Bronze Star with a V device for Valor in combat. Edwin Donald “Duke” Snider spent 1945 and part of 46 in the US Navy. He was stationed for a time in the Pacific. 

                More than 500 MLB player served during the war. Including some very famous Hall of Famers. Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn. Spahn enlisted in the Army. He saw action at the Battle of the Bulge and earned a Bronze Star and a purple heart. He also was awarded a battlefield commission. Yogi Berra served in the US Navy. He was a gunner’s mate, same rank as my dad, on the attack transport, the USS Bayfield. He was on a rocket boat that had a six–man crew firing rockets and machine guns at the German defenses at Normandy on D-Day. He also was sent to Utah beach that day. He received several commendations for his bravery. He was shot in the hand during Operation Dragoon, but never received a purple heart. He did not fill out the paperwork because he did not want his mother to receive a telegram and be worried. His family tried to get the award posthumously but were denied because it could not be proven. His military records were destroyed along with many others in the Archives fire in St. Louis in 1973. I was still in the service in 73, so mine were safe.

            The Dodger roster in 1942 was pretty much the same as 41. They won 104 games and finished second to the Cardinals. In 1943, the roster would change dramatically. Most wanted Roosevelt to shut down the game, with all the travel restrictions and such, and rationing. But Roosevelt felt that the game was important for the morale of the country, so the games continued. But many of the stars were in the service, so teams turned to minor leaguers, and in some cases, players who were way past their prime. 

           One such player the 43 Dodgers brought in was future Hall of Famer, Paul Waner. At age 40, Waner hit .311 in 82 games for Brooklyn. He had a homer and 26 RBI’s. He also had 16 doubles among his 70 hits, and he struck out only 9 times in 225 at bats. Johnny Cooney, an infielder who was 42 at the time, played in 37 games, mostly as a PH. Leo Durocher played SS in 6 games while managing the team. Curt Davis, 39, Johnny Allen, 38, Fritz Ostermueller, 35, and Freddie Fitzsimmons, 41, were part of the pitching staff. The team finished 81-72 in third place. They drew 661,739 fans, first in the league. 43 also saw kids like 20-year-old Howie Schultz, 19-year-old Gil Hodges, and 17-year-old P, Chris Hughley make their debuts. 

            Waner returned in 44 and hit .287.  His brother, Lloyd, another Hall of Famer, played in 15 games for the Dodgers. Cooney returned also as did C Ray Haworth, 43, played in 7 games went 3-4 and hit .750. Davis won 10 games at age 40. The team finished 7th with a 63-91-1 record. Tommy Brown, 16, had 160 at bats as a SS, he hit .164. Eddie Basinski, 21 played in 39 games. Barney Koch, 21 played in 33 games. 17-year-old Eddie Miksis, played in 26 games. Gene Mauch was 18 and played in 5 games. Roy Jarvis, an 18-year-old catcher, saw action once. Cal McLish, 18, pitched in 31 games, winning 3 and losing 10. Clyde King20, pitched out of the pen going 2-1 in 14 games. Claude Crocker, 19, and Charlie Osgood, 17, got into 2 and 1 games respectively. 

           In 1945, two over 40 former players joined in the fun for a short time. Babe Herman 42, who still hold the Dodger record for the highest single season BA at .393 in 1930, played in 37 games for Brooklyn. He hit .285 and had a homer and 9 driven in. Clyde Sukeforth, 43, who would be a coach, and a scout for the Dodgers, notably the scout who signed Jackie Robinson, played in 18 games and hit .294. Durocher played in 2 games as did Haworth. Davis, 41, won 10 and lost 10. Gregg, 23, won 18. 22-year-old Lombardi won 1o. 19-year-old Ralph Branca won 5 and lost 6. King was 5-5. 

          Ed Stevens, 20, played in 55 games. Brown, now 17 played in 57 games and was a lot better with a .245 avg and 2 homers. Schultz 22, played in 29 games. Erv Palica, 17, pitched in 2 games. The team finished 3rd with an 87-67-1 record. With the war over, players began to come back in 1946. And the Dodgers roster saw some of the veterans moved to reserve roles as kids began to take their roster spots. 

         The Dodgers 1946 starting order was Edwards, 22 at catcher, Stevens, 21 1B, Stanky, 30 2B, Reese, 27. SS. Lavagetto, 37. 3B. Reiser, 27, CF, Walker, 35, LF, and Furillo, 24, RF. The rotation was Hatten, 29, Higbe, 31, Lombardi, 23, and Gregg, 24. Casey, at 31 was the closer, with Behrman at 25 the most used arm out of the pen with 150.2 innings in 47 games. Melton, 29, Herring, 40 and Branca, 20 rounding out the pen. Others used during the season, Ed Head, 13 games, Rex Barney, 16, Les Webber, 11, Jean Roy, 3, Harry Taylor, 4, Paul Minner, 3. Curt Davis, Cal McLish and Glen Moulder 1 each.

           Augie Galan at 34 hits.310 in 99 games. Dick Whitman, a 25-year-old outfielder, got into 104 games hitting .260. Schultz played in 90 games. Farrell Anderson, backup catcher played in 79. Billy Herman, now 36, played in 47 before being traded to the Red Sox for a pitcher named Stew Hofferth. Medwick played in 41 games and hit .312. The 1946 team won 96 games and finished second to the Cardinals. 

         By the start of the 47 season, all of the players were back. New stars started their careers and baseballs long standing color line was broken when Jackie Robinson made his debut in April. Snider, Furillo, Reese, Robinson, and Hodges, all players who served during the war, would become the Boys of Summer, and would forever be a part of the colorful history of the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

                                                                                            Game Summary

           Prior to tonight’s game, Freddie Freeman was activated from the family emergency list and Cavan Biggio was designated for assignment. A move that was expected. Blake Treinen was placed on the IL with a bad hip and Brusdar Graterol was activated. The game was emotional for Freddie Freeman as he returned to action. Glasnow got the start and breezed through the first five hitters in the Phils lineup. Castellanos then hit a ball to center field that Pages misjudged, and it went for a triple. Stott singled him in. Hayes then singled to left and Stott made it to third on the relay throw.  Hayes went to second. Stott then scored on a wild pitch and the Phills were up 2-0. In the bottom of the third, Heyward hit a line drive down the right field line that went for a double. Pages then doubled down the left field line scoring Heyward. Ahmed had an infield single, and Pages went to third. Ohtani hit a long fly ball to right that scored Pages from third. On the first pitch, Teo hit a homer into the left field seats. His 24th. Dodgers 4 Phillies 2. Freeman singled, his first hit since his return, and Smith hit into a double play. Glasnow kept the Phillies off of the board until the top of the 6th. Schwarber singled, Turner flied out. Harper then doubled down the left field line and Schwarber stopped at third. Bohm grounded out to Lux and Schwarber scored. Glasnow was done after 6. He struck out 9, walked none and gave up 5 hits and 3 runs. Kopech came in for the 7th, he gave up a hit and nothing else, striking out 1. Dodgers did not score in the 7th. Banda came in for the top of the 8th. He walked one, got Turner to fly out to center, and Harper struck out. He then gave up a single to Bohm. Marsh then struck out to end the inning. In the top of the 8th, Ohtani led off with a homer over the left-centerfield fence for his 34th of the year. Teo flied out, Freeman struck out and Smith flied out to end the inning. Hudson came in to pitch the 9th. Castellanos led off with a single. Then, on three consecutive pitches, Hudson got the next three hitters to pop out to the infield. Glasnow got his 9th win and Hudson his 8th save. Ohtani was 2-3 with a HR and 2 driven in. Hernandez was 1-4 with 2 driven in. Lux was 2-3. Kike and Smith were the only two hitters who did not get a hit. The team broke their streak of consecutive games with 10 or more strike outs. They only had 5. Phillies hitters struck out 11 times.