St. Louis Starting Pitchers Jack Kramer and Ted Wilks Meet Before Game 3 Of The 1944 World Series

HURLERS IN THIRD WORLD SERIES
Jack Kramer (left) of the St. Louis Browns and Ted Wilks of the Cardinals, pitchers in third World Series game in St. Louis October 6, shake hands before game time. photo: Associated Press October 6, 1944

The other day during the baseball playoffs, announcer Bob Costas noted that three out of the four playoff series did not involve air travel.

The Philadelphia Phillies versus the New York Mets, the San Diego Padres against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers playing Cleveland, would all use ground transportation to travel between their respective cities.

Only the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals will be flying to each others cities.

In 1944 the United States was deep into World War II and with gasoline rationing and travel restrictions in place the phrase “Is this trip necessary?” really did mean something.

The United States Office of Defense Transportation must have been ecstatic with two St. Louis teams making the World Series.

For the only time in their history, the St. Louis Browns would win the American League crown.  The St. Louis Cardinals would repeat for a third straight year and capture the National League pennant. This peculiar circumstance of both St. Louis teams playing one another did not even necessitate a crosstown trip between ballparks. From 1920-1953 the Cardinals and Browns both played their home games at St. Louis’s Sportsman’s Park.

On October 6, with 34,737 fans jamming the small balllpark, the teams played a swift game lasting two hours and nineteen minutes leaving half the fans happy.

The Browns knocked out Cards starter Wilks after two and two thirds innings by scoring four runs in the third. The Browns Jack Kramer would go the full nine innings striking out 10 in a 6-2 Browns victory.

Unfortunately for Browns fans that was the last World Series game the franchise would ever win. The Cardinals went on to win the next three games and take the series four games to two.

After the 1953 season Browns would move to Baltimore and become the Orioles.