Weather clears for Series opener
Crowd gathers slowly as Cooper, Galehouse battle on mound
By Leo H. Petersen, United Press sports editor
Probable lineup
Browns Cardinals Gutteridge, 2B Hopp, CF Kreevich, CF Sanders, 1B Laabs, LF Musial, RF Stephens, SS W. Cooper, C Moore, RF Kurowski, 3B McQuinn, 1B Litwhiler or Bergamo, LF Christman, 3B Marion, SS Hayworth, C Verban, 2B Galehouse, P M. Cooper, P Umpires: Sears and Dunn (NL), Pipgras and McGowan (AL)
Grounds: Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis
Opponents: St. Louis Cardinals (NL) and St. Louis Browns (AL)
Time of game: 3:00 p.m. EWT
Weather forecast: Cooler, no rain
Probable crowd: 38,000 (capacity)
Betting odds: Cards 1–2 to take WS and 11–20 to take first game if Morton Cooper pitches.
Broadcast: MBS
St. Louis, Missouri –
The Cardinals and the Browns met in the opening game of St. Louis’ first intracity World Series today at Sportsman’s Park under clearing skies after rain had threatened in the morning to wash out the contest.
Manager Billy Southworth of the National League champion Redbirds sent his pitching ace, Big Mort Cooper, to the mound to oppose Denny Galehouse, husky righthander of Manager Luke Sewell’s American League standard-bearers.
The rain kept the crowd back and the pavilion and bleacher seats, sold on a first-come-first-served basis, were slow in filling. Less than 5,000 persons were in the park two hours before game time.
Scalpers unload at cost
Scalpers were offering reserved grandstand and box seat tickets at cost because of the rain, but the weather prospects became so much brighter that a capacity throng of about 38,000 was expected by game time – 3:00 p.m. EWT.
The sun was breaking through intermittently as the Cardinals began batting practice. The Cardinals will be the home club for the first two games and also the sixth and seventh if that many contests are necessary to decide the best four-of-seven classic.
The Cardinals who coasted to their third straight pennant but ran into a later season slump, had trouble finding the range of the park fences.
Crown nonpartisan
The crowd appeared nonpartisan and had increased to about 10,000 with vacant seats still left in the bleachers when the Browns began their batting drill. It was their first taste of modern World Series atmosphere as the 1944 pennant was the first they had won since the American League began operations in 1902. Before that, however, they had won some titles as a member of the old American Association.
The Cards, who coasted to their third consecutive National League pennant, were 1 to 2 choices over the Browns, who won the American League title by one game in a stretch battle with the Detroit Tigers.
With the fast-balling Cooper going, the Cards were 11 to 20 to win the first game, although Mort has always had trouble against American League hitters.
Galehouse selection surprises
Sewell’s selection of Galehouse was a surprise for he had been expected to shoot with Nelson Potter, his leading winner this season with 19 victories. Galehouse has won only nine while losing 10 and has never been better than a .500 pitcher in his 10 years in the major leagues. But he won some of the clutch games in the tight pennant race and is probably the closest thing the American League has to the pitching style of Cincinnati’s Bucky Walters. The latter was poison to the Cards this year, beating the Redbirds six times, four of them by shutouts.
It was also Galehouse’s first World Series experience along with every other member of the Browns except their manager and coaches.
Cooper has started four World Series games, winning one last year when the Yankees defeated the Cardinals, and losing two in the 1943 series which the Cards won. Until he beat the Yankees in last year’s series, American League hitters appeared to have him jinxed, for in addition to his series failures he was hit freely in all-star games.
Cooper confident
Cooper won 22 games while losing seven this season and expressed confidence that he would win. “I feel I’ve got it,” Cooper said after a workout yesterday.
Galehouse was delighted with the starting assignment.
“It’s the biggest thrill of my life,” said Galehouse, who for the first part of the season was only a Sunday pitcher for the Browns at home while working in a war plant. “I’ve yearned for this through the 15 years I’ve been playing ball but never came close.”
Sewell did not explain why he chose Galehouse over Potter, merely commenting, “Galehouse is my man.”