So there I was watching David Ortiz ground out to the second baseman in
shallow right field. Against the shift. And I suddenly remembered
something...
Before a baseball season begins, it is my habit to rewatch great portions of Ken Burns' 18 hour epic documentary on the game - like an appetizer before the main course of the upcoming season. Part of getting ready. And I always notice new things, which is also fun.
So I was watching the installment on the 1940s, and the section on the 1946 World Series caught my attention. This was the only Series Ted Williams ever played in, and it didn't go well. He went 5-25 and the Red Sox lost in seven games when Enos Slaughter scored from first on Harry Walker's double.
The Cardinals used a "bizarre new strategy" against Williams - the Shift. Now I had always thought that the famous Williams shift had been devised by Lou Boudreau, who began managing the Indians in 1942 (when he was their 24 year old star shortstop, by the way - think of Jose Reyes managing the Mets). Presumably the Cardinals adopted the strategy.
As far as I can tell, the Cardinals left shortstop Marty Marion in place. Third baseman Whitey Kurowski moved over to play some 20-30 feet behind second base and several steps towards the right field line; the second baseman also backed up and swung further over towards the right field line
Well, what difference did it make?
Game 1 - Williams went 1-3 with a couple of walks. He grounded out to the second baseman, and he fouled out to first base.
Game 2 - Williams went 0-4. He grounded out to the first baseman; struck out; lined out to the second baseman; popped out to the shortstop (in foul territory).
Game 3 - Williams went 1-3 (a bunt single!) with an intentional walk. He struck out and lined out to right field.
Game 4 - Williams went 1-3 with a walk. He grounded out twice, to the second baseman and to the third baseman.
Game 5 - Williams went 1-5. He grounded out to the shortstop, struck out twice, and fouled out to the catcher.
Game 6 - Williams went 1-3 with a walk. He popped out to the first baseman and struck out,
Game 7 - Williams went 0-4. He flied out three times, to centre, left, and right; he poppped out to the second baseman.
So Williams grounded out twice to the second baseman and once to the third baseman; he also lined out to the second baseman. So he made four outs to infielders moved away from their normal position on the field. That doesn't necessarily mean the Shift cost him four hits. It did surely cost him at least one (the line drive), and maybe all three grounders would have found a hole against a normal alignment.
There was something else noteworthy about this Series. It featured a head to head match-up of the two greatest left-fielders of all time (at least until Barry Bonds came along to muddy the argument) - Williams and Stan Musial. That type of match-up doesn't happen very often. I can only think of three other positions where we might entertain the possibility.
1) Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra matched up against each in five World Series: 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956. While the consensus these days seems to be that Johnny Bench was the greatest catcher in major league history, Berra and Campanella are still very much part of the discussion, along with Mickey Cochrane (and Ivan Rodriguez.)
2) Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays met in the World Series during their rookie seasons of 1951, and again eleven years later in 1962. While both players may have been a little past their peak by then, they were still the best players in the league anyway. And the greatest centre fielder of all time is essentially an argument over whether Mantle's clearly superior peak outweighs Mays' longer run of comparable brilliance.
3) Mike Schmidt and George Brett faced off in the 1980 series. And while Schmidt is pretty clearly the greatest third baseman ever, Brett is almost equally clearly the number two man.
Can anyone think of another?
Anyway, Williams and Musial were both just hitting their peaks. Williams, aged 28, was the 1946 MVP; he had already hit .406 in 1941 and won his first Triple Crown in 1942. Musial, just 25 years old, won his second MVP in 1946. As everyone knows, Williams never played in another World Series. And neither did Musial. All through the rest of the 1940s, all through the 1950s and into the 1960s, until they were well past 40... it never happened.
Of course, in 1946 Musial was playing in his fourth World Series. And winning for the third time.
What else is new? The Yankees lose, despite another utterly ridiculous game from Rodriguez - 4 hits, 2 homers, 4 runs scored. Alex now has twice as many homers as the NL leader (Jimmy Rollins, of all people - he hit his 7th last night and has one more than Bonds, Chipper, and J.J. Hardy.)
In the Who Saw That Coming Dept - Rich Harden and Eric Gagne are both on the DL - there are no words to sufficiently express my astonishment. And Mark Prior will have exploratory surgery as they try to figure out just what the hell's gone wrong. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but don't they know? Hint: Initials - D.B.
OK, it's the Halladay-Tavarez rematch tonight. Got to play it, might as well win it.
Before a baseball season begins, it is my habit to rewatch great portions of Ken Burns' 18 hour epic documentary on the game - like an appetizer before the main course of the upcoming season. Part of getting ready. And I always notice new things, which is also fun.
So I was watching the installment on the 1940s, and the section on the 1946 World Series caught my attention. This was the only Series Ted Williams ever played in, and it didn't go well. He went 5-25 and the Red Sox lost in seven games when Enos Slaughter scored from first on Harry Walker's double.
The Cardinals used a "bizarre new strategy" against Williams - the Shift. Now I had always thought that the famous Williams shift had been devised by Lou Boudreau, who began managing the Indians in 1942 (when he was their 24 year old star shortstop, by the way - think of Jose Reyes managing the Mets). Presumably the Cardinals adopted the strategy.
As far as I can tell, the Cardinals left shortstop Marty Marion in place. Third baseman Whitey Kurowski moved over to play some 20-30 feet behind second base and several steps towards the right field line; the second baseman also backed up and swung further over towards the right field line
Well, what difference did it make?
Game 1 - Williams went 1-3 with a couple of walks. He grounded out to the second baseman, and he fouled out to first base.
Game 2 - Williams went 0-4. He grounded out to the first baseman; struck out; lined out to the second baseman; popped out to the shortstop (in foul territory).
Game 3 - Williams went 1-3 (a bunt single!) with an intentional walk. He struck out and lined out to right field.
Game 4 - Williams went 1-3 with a walk. He grounded out twice, to the second baseman and to the third baseman.
Game 5 - Williams went 1-5. He grounded out to the shortstop, struck out twice, and fouled out to the catcher.
Game 6 - Williams went 1-3 with a walk. He popped out to the first baseman and struck out,
Game 7 - Williams went 0-4. He flied out three times, to centre, left, and right; he poppped out to the second baseman.
So Williams grounded out twice to the second baseman and once to the third baseman; he also lined out to the second baseman. So he made four outs to infielders moved away from their normal position on the field. That doesn't necessarily mean the Shift cost him four hits. It did surely cost him at least one (the line drive), and maybe all three grounders would have found a hole against a normal alignment.
There was something else noteworthy about this Series. It featured a head to head match-up of the two greatest left-fielders of all time (at least until Barry Bonds came along to muddy the argument) - Williams and Stan Musial. That type of match-up doesn't happen very often. I can only think of three other positions where we might entertain the possibility.
1) Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra matched up against each in five World Series: 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956. While the consensus these days seems to be that Johnny Bench was the greatest catcher in major league history, Berra and Campanella are still very much part of the discussion, along with Mickey Cochrane (and Ivan Rodriguez.)
2) Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays met in the World Series during their rookie seasons of 1951, and again eleven years later in 1962. While both players may have been a little past their peak by then, they were still the best players in the league anyway. And the greatest centre fielder of all time is essentially an argument over whether Mantle's clearly superior peak outweighs Mays' longer run of comparable brilliance.
3) Mike Schmidt and George Brett faced off in the 1980 series. And while Schmidt is pretty clearly the greatest third baseman ever, Brett is almost equally clearly the number two man.
Can anyone think of another?
Anyway, Williams and Musial were both just hitting their peaks. Williams, aged 28, was the 1946 MVP; he had already hit .406 in 1941 and won his first Triple Crown in 1942. Musial, just 25 years old, won his second MVP in 1946. As everyone knows, Williams never played in another World Series. And neither did Musial. All through the rest of the 1940s, all through the 1950s and into the 1960s, until they were well past 40... it never happened.
Of course, in 1946 Musial was playing in his fourth World Series. And winning for the third time.
What else is new? The Yankees lose, despite another utterly ridiculous game from Rodriguez - 4 hits, 2 homers, 4 runs scored. Alex now has twice as many homers as the NL leader (Jimmy Rollins, of all people - he hit his 7th last night and has one more than Bonds, Chipper, and J.J. Hardy.)
In the Who Saw That Coming Dept - Rich Harden and Eric Gagne are both on the DL - there are no words to sufficiently express my astonishment. And Mark Prior will have exploratory surgery as they try to figure out just what the hell's gone wrong. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but don't they know? Hint: Initials - D.B.
OK, it's the Halladay-Tavarez rematch tonight. Got to play it, might as well win it.
