1941 Brooklyn Dodgers season

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers
1941 National League Champions
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1890)
Location
Ebbets Field (since 1913)
Brooklyn, New York (since 1883)
Other information
Owner(s)	James & Dearie Mulvey
Manager(s)	Leo Durocher
Local radio	WHN Red Barber, Al Helfer
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The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by manager Leo Durocher, won their first pennant in 21 years, edging the St. Louis Cardinals by 2.5 games. They went on to lose to the New York Yankees in the World Series.

In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, this team was referenced as one of "The Greatest Teams That Never Was," due to the quality of its starting lineup. Dolph Camilli was the slugging star with 34 home runs and 120 RBI. He was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player. Pete Reiser, a 22-year old rookie, led the league in batting average, slugging percentage, and runs scored. Other regulars included Hall of Famers Billy Herman, Joe Medwick, Pee Wee Reese, and Dixie Walker. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers scored the most runs of any NL team (800).

The pitching staff featured a pair of 22-game winners, Kirby Higbe and Whitlow Wyatt, having their best pro seasons.

Offseason

• November 11, 1940: Vito Tamulis, Bill Crouch, Mickey Livingston and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kirby Higbe.^[1]
• November 19, 1940: Tot Pressnell was purchased from the Dodgers by the St. Louis Cardinals.^[2]
• December 1940: Boze Berger was traded by the Dodgers to the New York Yankees for Jack Graham.^[3]
• December 4, 1940: Glen Stewart was purchased by the Dodgers from the New York Giants.^[4]
• December 4, 1940: Gus Mancuso, minor leaguer John Pintar and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals for Mickey Owen.^[5]
• December 9, 1940: Pep Young was traded by the Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds for Lew Riggs.^[6]
• January 27, 1941: Pep Rambert was purchased by the Dodgers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[7]
• February 4, 1941: Lefty Mills was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Browns.^[8]
• Prior to 1941 season: Wally Westlake was acquired from the Dodgers by the Merced Bears.^[9]

Regular season

Season standings

National League	W	L	GB	Pct.
Brooklyn Dodgers	100	54	--	.649
St. Louis Cardinals	97	56	2.5	.634
Cincinnati Reds	88	66	12	.571
Pittsburgh Pirates	81	73	19	.526
New York Giants	74	79	25.5	.484
Chicago Cubs	70	84	30	.455
Boston Braves	62	92	38	.403
Philadelphia Phillies	43	111	57	.279

Notable transactions

• April 3, 1941: Roxie Lawson was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Browns.^[10]
• April 15, 1941: Newt Kimball was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Cardinals.^[11]
• April 15, 1941: Lefty Mills was returned by the Dodgers to the St. Louis Browns.^[8]
• April 22, 1941: Mace Brown was purchased by the Dodgers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[12]
• May 6, 1941: Lee Grissom was traded by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Vito Tamulis.^[1]
• May 6, 1941: Johnny Hudson, Charlie Gilbert and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs for Billy Herman.^[13]
• August 14, 1941: Joe Becker, George Staller, and minor leaguers John S. Bell and Ray Roche were traded by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Dixie Howell.^[14]
• August 26, 1941: Mace Brown and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs for Augie Galan.^[12]

Roster

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers
Roster
Pitchers 29 Ed Albosta 22 Johnny Allen 28,33 Mace Brown 25 Hugh Casey 32 Bob Chipman 26 Curt Davis 15 Tom Drake 14 Freddie Fitzsimmons 20 Larry French 32 Lee Grissom 12 Luke Hamlin 15,13 Kirby Higbe 21 Newt Kimball 16 Van Mungo 22 Bill Swift 15 Vito Tamulis 20 Kemp Wicker 17 Whit Wyatt		Catchers 19 Herman Franks 6,38 Tony Giuliani 10 Mickey Owen  9 Babe Phelps 47 George Pfister Infielders  4 Dolph Camilli  3 Pete Coscarart  2 Leo Durocher 16 Billy Herman 31 Alex Kampouris  5 Cookie Lavagetto  1 Pee Wee Reese 18 Lew Riggs		Outfielders 24 Augie Galan 77,6 Joe Medwick 27 Pete Reiser 24 Tommy Tatum  8 Joe Vosmik 11 Dixie Walker 24 Paul Waner 8,29 Jimmy Wasdell		Manager  2 Leo Durocher Coaches  7 Charlie Dressen 30 Red Corriden

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
C	Owen, MickeyMickey Owen	128	386	32	89	.231	1	44	1
1B	Camilli, DolphDolph Camilli	149	529	92	151	.285	34	120	3
2B	Herman, BillyBilly Herman	133	536	77	156	.291	3	41	1
3B	Lavagetto, CookieCookie Lavagetto	132	441	75	122	.277	1	78	7
SS	Reese, Pee WeePee Wee Reese	152	595	76	136	.229	2	46	10
OF	Walker, DixieDixie Walker	148	531	88	165	311	9	71	4
OF	Reiser, PetePete Reiser	137	536	117	184	.343	14	76	4
OF	Medwick, JoeJoe Medwick	133	538	100	171	.318	18	88	2

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
Wasdell, JimmyJimmy Wasdell	94	265	39	79	.298	4	48	2
Riggs, LewLew Riggs	77	197	27	60	.305	5	36	1
Franks, HermanHerman Franks	57	139	10	28	.201	1	11	0
Coscarart, PetePete Coscarart
Vosmik, JoeJoe Vosmik	25	56	0	11	.196	0	4	0
Kampouris, AlexAlex Kampouris
Durocher, LeoLeo Durocher	18	42	2	12	.286	0	6	0
Waner, PaulPaul Waner	11	35	5	6	.171	0	4	0
Phelps, BabeBabe Phelps
Galan, AugieAugie Galan
Tatum, TommyTommy Tatum
Giuliani, TonyTony Giuliani
Pfister, GeorgeGeorge Pfister

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games

Player	G	GS	CG	IP	W	L	ERA	BB	SO
Higbe, KirbyKirby Higbe	48	39	19	298	22	9	3.14	132	121
Wyatt, WhitWhit Wyatt	38	35	23	288.1	22	10	2.34	82	176
Fitzsimmons, FreddieFreddie Fitzsimmons	13	12	3	82.2	6	1	2.07	26	19
Albosta, EdEd Albosta	2	2	0	13	0	2	6.23	8	5

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games

Player	G	GS	CG	IP	W	L	ERA	BB	SO
Casey, HughHugh Casey	45	18	4	162	14	11	3.89	57	61
Davis, CurtCurt Davis	28	16	10	154.1	13	7	2.97	27	50
Hamlin, LukeLuke Hamlin	30	20	5	136	8	8	4.24	41	58
Allen, JohnnyJohnny Allen	11	4	2	57.1	3	0	2.51	12	21
Kimball, NewtNewt Kimball	15	5	1	52	3	1	3.63	29	17
Drake, TomTom Drake
French, LarryLarry French
Grissom, LeeLee Grissom	4	1	0	11.1	0	0	2.38	8	5

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	BB	SO
Brown, MaceMace Brown	24	42.2	3	2	3	3.16	26	22
Wicker, KempKemp Wicker
Tamulis, VitoVito Tamulis
Swift, BillBill Swift
Chipman, BobBob Chipman	1	5	1	0	0	0.00	1	3
Mungo, VanVan Mungo

1941 World Series

The 1941 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall.

The name "Subway Series" arose for a World Series played between two New York City teams. The series was punctuated by the Dodgers' Mickey Owen's dropped third strike of a sharply breaking curveball (a suspected spitball) pitched by Hugh Casey to Tommy Henrich in the 9th inning of Game 4. The play led to a Yankees rally and brought them one win away from another championship.

The Yankees were back after a one-year hiatus, having won thirteen (13) of their last fourteen (14) Series games and twenty-eight (28) of their last thirty-one (31) games in the World Series.

This was the first Subway Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, who had already faced the crosstown New York Giants five times, and the Series was now 1–0 in favor of the Bronx Bombers. These two teams would meet a total of seven (7) times from 1941–1956 – the Dodgers' only victory coming in 1955.

Game 1

October 1, 1941 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brooklyn (N)	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	6	0
New York (A)	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	x	3	6	1
W: Red Ruffing (1–0)   L: Curt Davis (0–1)
HR: NYY – Joe Gordon (1)

Game 2

October 2, 1941 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brooklyn (N)	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	3	6	2
New York (A)	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	1
W: Whit Wyatt (1–0)   L: Spud Chandler (0–1)

Game 3

October 4, 1941 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (A)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	8	0
Brooklyn (N)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	0
W: Marius Russo (1–0)  L: Hugh Casey (0–1)

Game 4

October 5, 1941 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (A)	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	7	12	0
Brooklyn (N)	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	4	9	1
W: Johnny Murphy (1–0)  L: Hugh Casey (0–2)
HR: : BRO – Pete Reiser (1)

Game 5

October 6, 1941 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (A)	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	6	0
Brooklyn (N)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
W: Tiny Bonham (1–0)  L: Whit Wyatt (1–1)
HR: : NYY – Tommy Henrich (1)

Awards and honors

• 1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
  • Whit Wyatt starter
  • Mickey Owen starter
  • Pete Reiser starter
  • Dolph Camilli reserve
  • Billy Herman reserve
  • Cookie Lavagetto reserve
  • Joe Medwick reserve
• National League Most Valuable Player
  • Dolph Camilli
• TSN Major League All-Star Team
  • Whit Wyatt
  • Pete Reiser
  • Dolph Camilli
• TSN NL Most Valuable Payer
  • Dolph Camilli

League top ten finishers

Dolph Camilli

• AL leader in home runs (34)
• AL leader in RBI (120)
• #2 in AL in slugging percentage (.556)
• #2 in AL in bases on balls (104)
• #3 in AL in on-base percentage (.407)

Kirby Higbe

• AL leader in wins (22)
• #4 in AL in strikeouts (121)

Joe Medwick

• #3 in AL in batting average (.318)
• #3 in AL in runs scored (100)

Pete Reiser

• AL leader in batting average (.343)
• AL leader in slugging percentage (.558)
• AL leader in runs scored (117)
• AL leader in triples (17)
• #4 in AL in on-base percentage (.406)

Whit Wyatt

• MLB leader in shutouts (7)
• AL leader in wins (22)
• #2 in AL in strikeouts (176)
• #2 in AL in ERA (2.34)
• #2 in AL in complete games (23)

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AA	Montreal Royals	International League	Clyde Sukeforth
A1	Knoxville Smokies	Southern Association	Fred Lindstrom
B	Reading Brooks	Interstate League	Fresco Thompson
B	Durham Bulls	Piedmont League	Bruno Betzel
C	Santa Barbara Saints	California League	John Clancy
C	Quebec Athletics	Canadian-American League	Del Bissonette Roland Gladu
C	Grand Rapids Colts	Michigan State League	Charles Lucas
C	Dayton Ducks	Middle Atlantic League	Paul Chervinko Howard Holmes William McWilliams
C	Troy Dodgers/Tuskegee Airmen	Alabama State League	Orace Powers
D	Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox	Appalachian League	Hobe Brummitt
D	Valdosta Trojans	Georgia-Florida League	Stew Hofferth
D	Newport Dodgers	Northeast Arkansas League	Merle Settlemire
D	Johnstown Johnnies	Pennsylvania State Association	George Treadwell
D	Olean Oilers	Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League	Jake Pitler
D	Big Spring Bombers	West Texas-New Mexico League	Joe Tate

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montreal, Durham, Santa Barbara, Elizebethton, Newport

Notes

References

• Baseball-Reference season page
• Baseball Almanac season page

External links

• 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers uniform
• Brooklyn Dodgers reference site
• Acme Dodgers page
• Retrosheet

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1941 MLB season by team American League Boston Chicago Cleveland Detroit New York Philadelphia St. Louis Washington National League Boston Brooklyn Chicago Cincinnati New York Philadelphia Pittsburgh St. Louis 1941 All-Star Game 1941 World Series

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