Game 7 of the 1946 World Series
Cardinals vs. Red Sox Final Highlighted By Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash
Oct 18, 2007
The Setup
The Boston Red Sox dominated the American League in 1946.
Led by Most Valuable Player Ted Williams, who hit .342 with 38 home runs and 123 RBI in his first year back from World War II, the Sox won 104 games and beat the Detroit Tigers by 12 games.
The St. Louis Cardinals, on the other hand, didn't win the National League until the last day of the year, when they beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 on the season's final Sunday.
The Game
The first seven innings of the game were all about Murray Dickson. The Cardinals starting pitcher, who had won 15 games that year, allowed just one run on three hits against the fierce Red Sox lineup. The right hander also smacked a run-scoring double in the bottom of the fifth inning that helped St. Louis to a 3-1 lead.
But in the top of the eighth inning, Boston's Glen Russell singled to center, and pinch hitter George "Catfish" Metkovich doubled to left, putting the potential tying runs in scoring position with no outs.
St. Louis manager then pulled Dickson from the game in favor of lefthander Harry Brecheen, who had already won two games in the Series, to face lefty hitters Wally Moses and Johnny Pesky. Initially, the move worked: Brecheen struck out Moses and got Pesky to line out to Enos Slaughter.
Next up was Dominic DiMaggio, little brother of the Yankee Clipper, who promptly ripped a double off the right-center field wall in Sportsman's Park. The hit scored Rip Russell and Catfish Metkovich, and tied the game at 3-3.
Brecheen finally stopped the bleeding when he forced Williams to pop out to second baseman Red Schoendienst.
Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash Breaks the Tie
The Cardinals' first baseman Enos Slaughter, who hit .300 with 18 homers and 130 RBI that season, led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a single to center field off Boston reliever Bob Klinger.
But Klinger set down Whitey Kurowski and Del Rice in order, leaving Slaughter in danger of being stranded at first base. Harry "the Hat" Walker then came to the plate amidst the hooting and hollering of 36,000 Cardinals fans, and according to Hall of Fame announcer Mel Allen, who was calling the game for CBS radio, the following events transpired:
"Enos Slaughter is on first base with two away. Harry Walker at bat. Bob Klinger on the mound. He takes the stretch. Here's the pitch... there goes Slaughter. The ball is swung on, there's a line drive going into left-center field. It's in there for a base hit. Culberson fumbles the ball momentarily and Slaughter charges around second, heads for third. Pesky goes into short left field to take the relay from Culberson... And here comes Enos Slaughter rounding third! He's going to try for home! Here comes the throw and it is not in time! Slaughter scores!!"
The play would forever be known as "Slaughter's Mad Dash." St. Louis fans claimed it was the boldest baserunning feat in history. Red Sox fans blamed Johnny Pesky, claiming that he held onto the ball for a split second too long, and thus allowed the speedy Slaughter to score.
For his part, Slaughter summed up the play as follows:
"When the ball went into left-center, I hit second base and I said to myself, 'I can score.' I didn't know whether the ball had been cut off or not. I didn't know nothin'. It was a gutsy play. But, you know, two men out and the winning run, you can't let the grass grow under your feet."
The Ninth Inning
In the top of the ninth inning, Brecheen surrendered singles to the first two hitters, Rudy York and Bobby Doerr. But Boston's Pinky Higgins hit into a force out that moved pinch runner Paul Campbell to third. With one out, Boston's tying run was now just ninety feet from home plate.
Reserve catcher Roy Partee came up next, but he promptly popped out to Stan Musial, leaving the entire World Series up to pinch hitter Tom McBride. But the reserve outfielder hit a sharp grounder to Schoendienst at second base, who tossed the ball to shortstop Marty Marion for a game-ending force out.
The game was over. Cardinals win, 4-3.
The World Series was over. Cardinals win 4-3!
The Fallout
The 1946 World Series loss was just the first of many infamous Red Sox post-season failures, which included heartbreaking seven-game losses in the 1967, 1975 and 1986 World Series.
Five players from the game eventually were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Ted Williams (1966), Stan Musial (1969), Slaughter (1985), Bobby Doerr (1986) and Red Schoendienst (1989) all reached the hallowed halls in Cooperstown.
The Cardinals beat the Sox again in another classic seven game World Series in 1967.
The Red Sox avenged the heartbreaking 1946 loss when they swept the Cardinals in the 2004 Fall Classic to win their first World Series since 1918.
