The St. Louis showdown of 1944
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By Austin Andre
After 99 days of frustration and confusion, Major League Baseball ended its lockout on March 10, much to the delight of its adoring fans. Busch stadium will hold its opening day, this Thursday, April 7, to welcome another season of excitement.
Baseball has always been one of the area’s most popular sports. The most loved baseball team around is undoubtedly the St. Louis Cardinals. However, few people know that there were once two baseball teams in the city. That second team was the St. Louis Browns. At the time, Missouri was only one of three states with two or more teams from the same city.
While most cross-town rivalries have two great teams pitted against each other, for the Browns and Cardinals, there was no contest on who was better. By 1943 the Cardinals had won four world series titles and seven pennants. The Browns had zero championships or pennants. But in 1944, that was all about to change.
After decades of losses and failures, the Browns shocked the country by winning the American League (AL) pennant. The war had drafted many of baseball’s best players, which benefited the Browns. The team consisted of many men who were physically unable to serve in the military, but could still play baseball—facing a depleted AL, the Browns won several games.
The National League Champions in 1944 were the St. Louis Cardinals, who, despite losing many good players to the war effort, fielded an offensive team. They were ready for a showdown after a world series win in 1942 and a pennant in 1943.
Game one started with over 33,000 people in attendance. The Browns took the lead in a best of seven series, winning 2-1. Game two saw a tight 11 inning game, with the Cardinals barely winning 3-2.
Not to be outdone, the Browns fired back with a 6-2 win in game three.
The tug of war only continued in Sportsman’s Park. The Cardinals took game four 5-1 and game five 2-0.
Everything was on the line in game six for the Browns. They outdrew Cardinal fans by over 40,000. But despite scoring in the second inning, the Cardinals won by three points and took the series in four games.
For the Browns, it reinforced baseball’s most unfortunate fact; it’s a game that breaks your heart. But it also served as an inspirational story. It gave hope to the players and fans who saw a whole new team capable of taking it all the way.
Sadly for the Browns, the future held no more championships or winning seasons. In 1954, they moved to Baltimore and became today’s Baltimore Orioles. Fortunes soon changed, and they went on to win the 1966, 1970, and 1983 world series.
The story of the Browns is largely forgotten today, but their legacy of being St. Louis’s underdog warriors still echoes as one of baseball’s greatest stories.
