Sunday, October 4, 1942 1:30 pm (EWT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
WP: Max Lanier (1–0)
LP: Atley Donald (0–1)
Home runs:
Attendance: 69,902
Damn you, O’Malley! 
If the team scheduled to bat last is leading after 8.5 innings, there is no turn at bat for that team, so the last of the ninth is marked with an “X” as a placeholder.
The Pittsburgh Press (October 5, 1942)
Rizzuto, Slaughter also hit circuit blows in fifth game
Box score
St. Louis
||AB|R|H|PO|A|E|
|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|
|Brown, 2b.|3|0|2|3|4|2|
|Moore, cf.|3|1|1|3|0|0|
|Slaughter, rf.|4|1|2|2|0|0|
|Musial, lf.|4|0|0|2|0|0|
|W. Cooper, c.|4|1|2|2|1|0|
|Hopp, 1b.|3|0|0|9|2|1|
|Kurowski, 3b.|4|1|1|1|1|0|
|Marion, ss.|4|0|0|3|5|0|
|Beazley, p.|4|0|1|2|0|1|
|Totals|33|4|9|27|13|4|New York
||AB|R|H|PO|A|E|
|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|
|Rizzuto, ss.|4|1|2|7|1|0|
|Rolfe, 3b.|4|1|1|1|0|0|
|Cullenbine, rf.|4|0|0|3|1|0|
|DiMaggio, cf.|4|0|1|3|0|0|
|Keller, lf.|4|0|1|1|0|0|
|Gordon, 2b.|4|0|1|3|3|0|
|Dickey, c.|4|0|0|4|0|0|
|Priddy, 1b.|3|0|0|5|1|0|
|Ruffing, p.|3|0|1|0|1|1|
|Selkirk*|1|0|0|0|0|0|
|Totals|35|2|7|27|7|1|*Selkirk batted for Ruffing in ninth.
New York (UP) –
One of sport’s biggest upsets of the year came to a smashing climax here today when the St. Louis Cardinals swept their fourth straight game from the defending champion New York Yankees to win the 1942 World Series.
The final score was 4–2.
Whitey Kurowski, Cardinal rookie third baseman, hit a home run in the first of the ninth, scoring W. Cooper ahead of him, to break a 2–2 tie and put the Cards out front, 4–2. Cooper had opened the inning with a single and advanced on Hopp’s sacrifice.
Manager Joe McCarthy pinned the issue squarely on the strong right arm of veteran Rufus “Red” Ruffing, greatest spot pitcher in baseball who toppled the Cards in the opening game for the Yanks’ lone win.
Ruffing was opposed by 23-year-old Johnny Beazley, first-year Card sensation who was the initial freshman hurler to score a World Series triumph in copping the second game of the Series.
Good start for Yanks
The Yanks started in the old Yankee style when shortstop Phil Rizzuto, first man up in the last of the first, led off with a home run into the left field stands to give the Bombers a 1–0 lead.
In the top half of the inning, Ruffing was off to a shaky start in walking Brown on four-straight pitches. But he struck out Terry Moore, and a fast double play, Gordon to Rizzuto to Priddy, on Slaughter’s grounder, took care of the situation in good order.
After Rizzuto’s home run, Beazley settled down and retired Rolfe, Cullenbine and DiMaggio in order.
In the second frame, W. Cooper, second man up, singled through the box for the first hit off Ruffing. After Hopp popped out, Kurowski missed a home run by 10 feet when his long fly landed foul in the left field stands. Then Kurowski popped out to end the Card half of the inning.
Slaughter ties score
Brown got a scratch hit for the Cards in the third, but his mates were unable to advance him. And in the last half, the Yanks could do no better than a worthless base on balls off Beazley.
Enos Slaughter tied the score in the fourth when he belted the first Card home run off the Series into the right field stands, making the score 1–1.
The Yanks went ahead 2–1 in the fourth when Rolfe led off by bunting safely, went on to second when Beazley threw wildly to first, and then scored on DiMaggio’s single to left.
Beazley in ‘jam’
In the same inning, Keller singled to right, sending DiMaggio to third. With two out needed to retire the side, the Cardinal infield conferred with Beazley and manager Southworth also went out to talk with the Cardinal hurler at this point.
The huddle apparently did some good for Beazley settled down and struck out Gordon – the seventh time during the Series that Flash was a strikeout victim. And Dickey forced Keller, Marion to Brown, for the third out.
Cards tie it again
New York had a swell chance to add to its lead in the fifth when the Cards committed a pair of errors to load the bases. But Beazley managed to pitch his way out of that trouble, forcing Cullenbine to pop to Marion and DiMaggio to ground pout to Kurowski. Hopp had a wild throw and Brown fumbled an easy grounder for the Card miscues.
The Cards tied the score for the second time in the first of the sixth. T. Moore and Slaughter singled, and the former scored on W. Cooper’s long fly to Cullenbine. This made the score 2–2.
Monday, October 5, 1942 1:30 pm (ET) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| St. Louis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
WP: Johnny Beazley (2–0)
LP: Red Ruffing (1–1)
Home runs:
STL: Enos Slaughter (1), Whitey Kurowski (1)
NYY: Phil Rizzuto (1)
Attendance: 69,052
Clinching blow in ninth with W. Cooper on, wrecks Yankees
New York –
The speedy St. Louis Cardinals came from behind to win their fourth consecutive victory overt the New York Yankees here today and become the new World Series champion in dethroning the mighty American Leaguers.
The final score was 4–2.
The Yanks, dazed by three successive defeats, started with Big Charles “Red” Ruffing on the mound.
Opposing him was Johnny Beazley, the Cardinals’ mound rookie, who won the second game. Ruffing pitched the Yankees to victory in the Series opener.
Phil Rizzuto, Yankees’ leadoff batter, smacked a homer into the left field stands.
Enos Slaughter opened the Cardinal fourth with a homer into the right field stands, tying the core. It was the Cardinals’ first home run of the Series.
CARDINALS: Brown walked on four straight pitches. T. Moore struck out. Slaughter hit into a double play, Gordon to Rizzuto to Priddy.
YANKEES: Rizzuto hit a home run into the left field stands. It was a hard line drive which Musial had no chance to make. Rolfe grounded out, Brown to Hopp. Cullenbine was out, Hopp unassisted. Hopp momentarily fumbled the ball but recovered in time to beat Cullenbine to the bag. DiMaggio lifted a high fly to T. Moore. One run, one hit.
CARDINALS: Musial popped to Rizzuto just back of third. W. Cooper singled through the box for the first hit off Ruffing. Hopp popped to Rizzuto on the first pitch, W. Cooper holding first. Kurowski popped to Gordon in short center field. One hit, one left.
YANKEES: Brown threw out Keller on an easy roller. Gordon grounded out, Marion to Hopp. Dickey out, Brown to Hopp.
CARDINALS: Marion, attempting to bunt, popped a foul down the first base line on which Priddy made a nice running catch. Beazley was called out on strikes. Brown hit a grounder over second which Gordon stopped but he was unable to make a throw to first and Brown was credited with a hit. T. Moore sent a low fly to Cullenbine. One hit, one left.
YANKEES: Priddy walked for the first base on balls of Beazley. Ruffing, attempting to sacrifice, bunted into a double play, Hopp to Marion to Brown, who covered first.
CARDINALS: Slaughter hit a home run into the right field stands, tying the score. It was the first home run of the Series for the Cardinals. Musial flied to DiMaggio in right center. W. Cooper grounded out, Priddy unassisted. Hopp sent a hard grounder to Gordon, who threw him out. One run, one hit.
YANKEES: Rolfe dropped a bunt down the first base line and beat it out for a hit. Beazley threw wildly to first and the ball went into right field, Rolfe going to second on the error. Cullenbine flied deep to T. Moore, Rolfe going to third after the catch. DiMaggio singled to left, scoring Rolfe. Keller singled to right, sending DiMaggio to third. The Cardinal infield conferred with Beazley and manager Southworth went out to talk to him. Gordon struck out. Dickey forced Keller, Marion to Brown. One run, three hits, one error, two left.
CARDINALS: Kurowski sent a high fly to Keller. Marion lined to Cullenbine. Beazley singled to right. Brown popped to Rolfe. One hit, one left.
YANKEES: Marion made a onehanded stop of Priddy’s grounder and threw him out. Ruffing beat out a slow grounder down the third base line for a hit. Rizzuto sent a grounder down the first base line which Hopp threw wildly to Marion at second in an attempt to force Ruffing and both runners were safe. Rolfe grounded to Brown, who fumbled the ball and the bases were filled. It was an easy chance which looked like a sure double play. Cullenbine popped to Marion behind third base, the runners holding their bases. DiMaggio forced Rizzuto at third, Kurowski unassisted. One hit, two errors, three left.
CARDINALS: T. Moore singled to left. Slaughter singled to right, sending T. Moore to third. Musial popped to Rizzuto, the runners holding. W. Cooper flied to Cullenbine along the right field line, T. Moore scoring after the catch. Slaughter tried to make second and when Priddy took Cullenbine’s throw and threw wildly to second Slaughter went to third. Hopp flied to DiMaggio. One run, two hits, one error, one left.
YANKEES: Keller flied to Musial in deep left. Kurowski took Gordon’s high bounder and threw him out. Dickey flied to Slaughter near the right field fence.
CARDINALS: Kurowski flied to DiMaggio. Marion popped to Rizzuto in short left. Beazley struck out on three pitches.
YANKEES: Marion threw out Priddy. Ruffing was called out on strikes. Rizzuto singled to center. Rolfe flied deep to Slaughter. One hit, one left.
CARDINALS: Brown singled to left. T. Moore sacrificed, Priddy to Gordon, who covered first, Brown going to second. Slaughter popped to Rizzuto, Brown holding second. Musial went out, Gordon to Priddy. One hit, one left.
YANKEES: Cullenbine ground out, Hopp to Beazley, who covered first. DiMaggio flied to Musial in deep left field. Keller hit a high bounder towards first which Beazley caught on the run and stepped on the bag for the putout.
CARDINALS: W. Cooper singled to center. Hopp sacrificed, Ruffing to Gordon, who covered first, W. Cooper going to second. Kurowski hit a home run into the left field stands, scoring W. Cooper ahead of him. Keller made a desperate effort to catch the ball and fell into the stands. Marion popped to Dickey in front of the batter’s box. Beazley popped to Rizzuto. Two runs, two hits.
YANKEES: Gordon singled to left. Dickey grounded to Brown, who fumbled and both runners were safe. Stainback ran for Dickey. Gordon was picked off second, W. Cooper to Marion, when Priddy, attempting to sacrifice, missed the ball. Priddy popped to Brown. It was a low fly which Brown caught at his footsteps. Selkirk out, Brown to Hopp. One hit, one error, one left.
The Pittsburgh Press (October 6, 1942)
Yanks never knew what hit them when Cinderella Boys went to work on ex-champions
By Leo H. Petersen, United Press sports editor
New York –
The storybook kids from St. Louis may not be the best ball club in baseball history but will do until a better one comes along.
They came from far back to win the National League pennant and then proved it was no fluke by winning the 1942 World Series in five games from a team which dominated baseball for six of the past 10 years.
It wasn’t a case of the New York Yankees beating themselves. They are still a good ball club, but they were beaten by a more aggressive, a speedier and more spirited team. If they needed base hits, the Cardinals came through with them; if they needed pitching, fielding or speed on the bases they got them. They have all the essentials of a great team.
The Yankees, scattering to their homes as the Cardinals were rolling West today, still couldn’t figure out what hit them. Neither could many baseball fans, for winning had become such a habit with the Bronx Bombers.
Better club beat Yanks
But no team is good enough to win all the time. The law of averages and a better ball club finally caught up with them.
The war may change the baseball picture next year, although there is every indication that the game will go on under a slightly different pattern. They will either have to get along with kids under draft age – and there are few of them of major league caliber or the older players. Thus, it isn’t likely that there will be another tea like the Cardinals for a long time.
The Series finish yesterday couldn’t have been more dramatic. The never-say-die Cinderella Boys twice came from behind, fought off four bad errors and won out in the ninth inning on a home run by George Kurowski, the rookie third baseman.
Kurowski took care of the hitting and another rookie star, Johnny Beazley, took care of the pitching. He held the Yankees to seven hits as he won, 4–2, and had to bear down all the way because of sloppy fielding.
Bombers won only opener
It made the final standing of this first wartime series since 1918, four games to one. The Yankees won the first game behind Big Red Ruffing and lost the last four.
The first game score was 7–4 with Morton Cooper the losing pitcher. A lot of baseball men contend that the ninth inning of that game was a vital factor in the Cardinals’ eventual victory. St. Louis was beaten 7–0 going into the ninth, but rallied for four runs. Once they saw that the Yanks could be scored, on they kept going.
Beazley won the second game, 4–3, over Ernie Bonham. In the third game, Ernie White, ace Cardinal southpaw, pitched a World Series masterpiece, shutting out the Yankees, 2–0, defeating Spurgeon Chandler. The fourth game went to St. Louis, 9–6, with Max Lanier the winning pitcher and Atley Donald the loser.
Ruffing tried to keep the Yankees’ Series hopes alive in the fifth game but he wasn’t quite equal to the task. He was shooting for his eighth World Series victory – something a pitcher has never achieved – but came out instead with his second series defeat in nine games.
Gordon picked off
He pitched good ball, but it wasn’t good enough. He grooved one for Kurowski and that was the ball game.
He had battled with Beazley on even teams until the ninth when Walker Cooper singled, was sacrificed to second, and then scored ahead of Kurowski. The Yankees came back with one more desperate effort in the last of the ninth but their hopes were killed off when Joe Gordon, the Series goat, was caught off second base. Instead of having two on and no one out, it was a man on first with one out. That was all Beazley needed to win his second Series victory – a feat which few rookies have ever achieved.
It was more than a victory which gave the Cardinals the world’s title so far as Beazley was concerned. It was his last ball game for the duration as he is entering the Marines soon.
The cocky kid from Nashville, Tennessee, said:
It was a nice farewell present.
First defeat since 1926
It was the first time the Yankees had lost a Series since 1926, when the Cardinals whipped them. They had won right, six of them under McCarthy, since that year.
It was a heartening victory for the National League. The circuit’s World Series victories have been few and far between. To make matters worse, from the National League’s viewpoint, the American League had thumped the senior circuit representatives soundly in a majority of the All-Star games.
Laughing, singing, kissing, crying and screaming with joy, the Cards were just a bunch of deliriously happy youngsters who hoisted the venerable Kenesaw Mountain Landis onto their shoulders and paraded him around the clubhouse after the final game.
Kurowski shared the center of the swirling, hauling throng with Beazley. Manager Billy Southworth was roughed up and the whole crew piled on top of Kurowski and Beazley.
Kurowski screamed, his blond hair hanging over his eyes:
How’d you like that one, fellows? Old Whitey pulled that one out of the hat for you bums!
McCarthy adds congratulations
General manager Branch Rickey appeared, had his hat pulled down over his eyes and was hoisted up on the team’s shoulders, alongside of National League President Ford Frick and the apprehensive Landis. The Commissioner said:
I never saw anything like this. Let me out of here.
Joe McCarthy, the Yankee manager, stood quietly in the background for a while and then shook hands with Southworth.
He said:
Congratulations, Billy.
Billy the Kid replied:
It was a great Series, Joe. I’m proud we beat a ball club like yours.
Big Red Ruffing, the losing Yankee pitcher, crowded into the room along with teammates Ernie Bonham and Charlie Keller to greet the victors.
The Yankee dressing room was silent, bare of well-wishers. Players dressed quickly, anxious to get away. As they hurried out of the stadium, a big, white banner was being hauled down from the towering flagpole in center field. It said:
World Champions.
New York –
Each member of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals will receive $6,192, and each member of the New York Yankees, losers in the 1942 World Series, will collect $3,551, for their share in the players’ pool of $427,579.41, unofficial figures showed today.
A total of $278,135.92 was divided among the remaining clubs and the two leagues.
St. Louis, Missouri (UP) –
The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals will get a rousing reception when they return home but President Sam Breadon turned down suggestions for a parade and victory dinner.
The welcoming ceremonies will be confined to the vicinity of Union Station, where the team will be officially greeted by Mayor William Dee Becker and each player introduced to the spectators.
The Cardinal office said the club would return by train at 4:58 p.m. (CWT).