St. Louis Browns CF/1B Armando Marsans, was born on October 3, 1887, in Matanzas, Cuba. The baseball career of Armando Marsans includes playing in eight Major League Baseball seasons, four seasons in the minors, nine seasons in the early days of the Negro Leagues, and 16 seasons in the Cuban Leagues. It has been recorded that Marsans part
St. Louis Browns CF/1B Armando Marsans, was born on October 3, 1887, in Matanzas, Cuba. The baseball career of Armando Marsans includes playing in eight Major League Baseball seasons, four seasons in the minors, nine seasons in the early days of the Negro Leagues, and 16 seasons in the Cuban Leagues. It has been recorded that Marsans participated in the Spanish American War at the age of 11, before his wealthy family moved from the troubled nation to New York City. He learned how to play baseball in Central Park, and continued to play when his family visited Cuba on a regular basis.
Marsans began playing baseball in Cuba in 1904 at the age of 16. He would play year round between the three Cuban-based leagues. He would eventually sign on with the New Britain Perfectos of the Connecticut State League, before being discovered by the Cincinnati Reds.
After a few years with the Reds, and a very public belittling by manager Buck Herzog, Marsans decided to jump to the St. Louis Terriers of the new Federal Baseball League. The Reds instantly filed an injunction barring him from playing with the Terriers, or any other American baseball organization. After almost two years of legal battles Marsans was finally allowed to play baseball again in the United States.
Marsans' time away from the game resulted in a sharp decline in his baseball skills. When the Federal League folded after the 1915 season. The Terriers owner, Phil Ball, valued Marsans' skills so much that he brought the outfielder to the Browns along with 10 other players in February 1916. Marsens would play in 226 games for the Browns over the next two seasons. He batted .246 with 193 hits, including 24 doubles and 57 stolen bases. His disappointing production led to him being traded to the New York Yankees on July 15, 1916.
Marsens would go on to play through the 1928 season, while playing in the Cuban Winter League. He was a trail blazer for future Cuban-born players in baseball. In 1924, he became the first Cuban-born manager in organized baseball when he led the Elmira Colonels of the New York-Pennsylvania League.
Armando Marsans was one of the first players to be inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. There is a bronze plaque dedicated to Armando Marsans in La Tropical Stadium in Havana, which still stands today. His life in Cuba after baseball is unclear, but it is known that he witnessed the Cuban Revolution .
The 1944 World Series, nicknamed 'The Streetcar Series", was possibly the most unpredictable championship series in the history of baseball.
The National League Champions were the St. Louis Cardinals. They won the league by a dominating 14.5 games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a record of 105-49. They were led by the National League M
The 1944 World Series, nicknamed 'The Streetcar Series", was possibly the most unpredictable championship series in the history of baseball.
The National League Champions were the St. Louis Cardinals. They won the league by a dominating 14.5 games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a record of 105-49. They were led by the National League MVP, Marty Marion, and the best hitter in the National League, Stan Musial. The Cardinals offense and pitching staff led the league in every major category.
The Browns won the American League by one game, on the last day of the season. They were made up of "4F" players who were turned down for military service. They had the most players working in the war production factories that any other team. Besides leading the league with the most strikeouts by the Browns pitching staff, this team was not statistically impressive. The 1944 St. Louis Browns out worked the rest of the American League, and deserved to be in the 1944 World Series.
These teams knew each other very well. Not only did they share the same ball Park, Sportsman's Park, the entire season, they they had been participating in the "City Series" since 1903. The Cardinals won the preseason exhibition series in 1944, four games to one.
This was the only World Series in MLB history where the two teams shared the same stadium during the Championship seasons. For six games, St. Louis was the center of the entire baseball world.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
STARTING LINEUP (105-49)
C: Walker Cooper
1B: Ray Sanders
2B: Emil Verban
SS: Marty Marion
3B: Whitey Kurowski
LF: Danny Litwhiler
CF: Johnny Hopp
RF: Stan Musial
P: Mort Cooper
Manager: Billy Southworth
ST LOUIS BROWNS
STARTING LINEUP (89-65)
C: Red Hayworth
1B: George McQuinn
2B: Don Gutteridge
SS: Vern Stephens
3B: Mark Christman
LF: Chet Laabs
CF: Mike Kreevich
RF: Gene Moore
P: Denny Galehouse
Manager: Luke Sewell
In the history of baseball, there are very few stories that are as improbable as the 1944 St. Louis Browns. There was nothing that could have predicted that this team would win 89 games, since they won just 72 games in 1943. The Associated Press and every credible baseball publication predicted the Browns would fall to the second half of
In the history of baseball, there are very few stories that are as improbable as the 1944 St. Louis Browns. There was nothing that could have predicted that this team would win 89 games, since they won just 72 games in 1943. The Associated Press and every credible baseball publication predicted the Browns would fall to the second half of the standings.
This team did not have a powerful offense, falling below the league average in almost every category. This team did have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. They would finish in the top two of Team ERA (3.17), Team ERA+, and strikeouts (581), while have the fewest hit batters(12), and wild pitches (18).
By 1944, the United States had been involved in World War II for three baseball seasons, and many of the game's superstars had been involved in the war effort. The Browns did not have that issue, for they had the most '4F' classifications that any other team in the American League. They had 18 players that were deemed as "not physically able" to participate in the military by the War Department. It is said that when the Browns opened Spring Training in 1944, they only had eight player in camp.
The team began to slowly come together in time for their annual spring "City Series" with the Cardinals. The Cardinals would take the early series, and most did not believe the Browns would not amount to much.
Then the 1944 season began and every thing changed. The Browns would race out to a 10-2 April record, and as the first month of the season ended they were 3.5 game in first place. May would be the only month that they would not have a winning record.
From May 31st through September 3rd, the Browns held control of the American League. They would fall to third place on September 9th, before mounting their incredible late season come back. The Browns would win six of their final seven games, including sweeping the Yankees in a four game series.
St. Louis would finish one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers, to take their first (and only) American League pennant.