In an exhibition established to assist the United States’ war effort and help compensate for the cancelation of the All-Star Game, the Cardinals were part of a baseball experiment.
On July 10, 1945, Browns manager Luke Sewell used nine pitchers in an exhibition against the Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park. Sewell wanted to see what would happen if he utilized a different pitcher in each of nine innings.
He increased the intrigue factor by alternating a right-hander and a left-hander each inning.
The result: The Browns shut out the Cardinals on two hits and won, 3-0.
Asked whether he’d consider using a different pitcher an inning in a regular-season game, Sewell told the Associated Press, “I wouldn’t think of it … I don’t think this will ever be more than just a novelty.”
Non-essential game
The All-Star Game was canceled in 1945 under orders from Col. J. Monroe Johnson, chief of the Office of Defense Transportation. With the nation needing resources in World War II, the Office of Defense Transportation had the authority to enforce travel restrictions. It viewed the All-Star Game scheduled for July 10, 1945, at Boston’s Fenway Park to be an unnecessary luxury that would sap travel resources needed for the war effort.
To replace the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball proposed eight interleague exhibition games _ four on July 9 and four on July 10. Proceeds from the exhibitions would be donated to the War Service Relief Fund.
The Office of Defense Transportation approved seven of the exhibitions and rejected a proposed game between the Tigers and Pirates at Pittsburgh because of the distance the Tigers would need to travel from Detroit.
The approved games:
_ New York Yankees vs. New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York.
_ Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
_ Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
_ Brooklyn Dodgers vs. Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium in Washington.
_ Philadelphia Phillies vs. Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
_ Boston Braves vs. Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston.
_ St. Louis Cardinals vs. St. Louis Browns at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.
World Series rematch
The Cardinals-Browns game matched the defending league champions. The Cardinals had defeated the Browns in six games in the 1944 World Series.
A crowd of 24,113 turned out at Sportsman’s Park for the exhibition, producing $36,000 for the War Service Relief Fund.
In order, the nine pitchers who appeared for the Browns:
_ First inning, right-hander Tex Shirley.
_ Second inning, left-hander Sam Zoldak.
_ Third inning, right-hander Pete Appleton.
_ Fourth inning, left-hander Earl Jones.
_ Fifth inning, right-hander George Caster.
_ Sixth inning, left-hander Lefty West.
_ Seventh inning, right-hander Sig Jakucki.
_ Eighth inning, left-hander Al Hollingsworth.
_ Ninth inning, right-hander Bob Muncrief.
The Cardinals’ hits were a double Red Schoendienst against Shirley in the first inning and a single by Ray Sanders versus Zoldak in the second.
Browns outfielder Milt Byrnes hit a solo home run against Cardinals starter Red Barrett in the first.
In the fourth, a triple by Pete Gray, a one-armed outfielder, sparked a two-run inning for the Browns against Al Jurisich.
The seven interleague exhibitions attracted a total attendance of 169,880 and raised $244,778 for the War Service Relief Fund.
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