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1939 World Series
Team / Wins Manager Season
New York Yankees (4) Joe McCarthy 106–45, .702, GA: 17
Cincinnati Reds (0) Bill McKechnie 97–57, .630, GA: 4½
Dates: October 4October 8
Radio network: Mutual.
Radio announcers: Red Barber, Bob Elson.
Umpires: Bill McGowan (AL), Beans Reardon (NL), Bill Summers (AL), Babe Pinelli (NL)
Future Hall of Famers: Yankees: Joe McCarthy (mgr.), Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Lefty Gomez, Joe Gordon, Red Ruffing.
Reds: Bill McKechnie (mgr.), Ernie Lombardi, Al Simmons.
World Series
 < 1938 1940 > 

The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in four games for the second time in a row, winning their record fourth consecutive title (they would later win five straight from 1949–1953). Yankee manager Joe McCarthy won his fifth title, tying the record held by Connie Mack.

The Reds had made it to the Series despite finishing last in the National League in 1937 (56–98, .364) and then fourth in 1938 (82–68, .547).

In the tenth inning of the final game, a famous play at the plate typified the Series. Charlie Keller scored when he and the ball both collided with catcher Ernie Lombardi and then Joe DiMaggio also scored while Lombardi, rolling on the ground, tried in vain to retrieve the ball. Lombardi had been smacked in the groin, but the puritanical press reported it as if Lombardi was "napping" at the plate.

The Yankees matched the Reds in hits with twenty-seven but out-homered the Reds seven (7) to none (0). Charlie "King Kong" Keller led the Yanks with eight runs, seven hits, three home runs, six runs batted in, a .438 batting average, and a 1.188 slugging percentage.

Keller broke the record for most homers by a rookie in a World Series game, during Game 3 when he went deep twice. Also in Game 3, Junior Thompson gave up five (5) hits in 4.2 innings worked. Four (4) of those five (5) hits were home runs tying the record for longs balls allowed during a Series game set by Charlie Root during the 1932 World Series.

Summary[]

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Cincinnati Reds (0)

Game Score Date Location Attendance
1 Cincinnati Reds – 1, New York Yankees – 2 October 4 Yankee Stadium 58,541[1]
2 Cincinnati Reds – 0, New York Yankees – 4 October 5 Yankee Stadium 59,791[2]
3 New York Yankees – 7, Cincinnati Reds – 3 October 7 Crosley Field 32,723[3]
4 New York Yankees – 7, Cincinnati Reds – 4 (10 innings) October 8 Crosley Field 32,794[4]

Matchups[]

Game 1[]

Wednesday, October 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cincinnati 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0
New York 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 6 0

WP: Red Ruffing (1–0)  LP: Paul Derringer (0–1)  

Game 2[]

Thursday, October 5, 1939 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
New York 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 X 4 9 0

WP: Monte Pearson (1–0)  LP: Bucky Walters (0–1)  
HRs:  NYY – Babe Dahlgren (1)

Game 3[]

Saturday, October 7, 1939 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 2 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 7 5 1
Cincinnati 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 10 0

WP: Bump Hadley (1–0)  LP: Junior Thompson (0–1)  
HRs:  NYY – Charlie Keller 2 (2), Joe DiMaggio (1), Bill Dickey (1)

Game 4[]

Sunday, October 8, 1939 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 7 7 1
Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 4 11 4

WP: Johnny Murphy (1–0)  LP: Bucky Walters (0–2)  
HRs:  NYY – Charlie Keller (3), Bill Dickey (2)

Composite box[]

1939 World Series (4–0): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Cincinnati Reds (N.L.)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
New York Yankees 2 0 5 1 4 0 2 0 3 3 20 27 2
Cincinnati Reds 1 2 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 8 27 4
Total attendance: 183,849   Average attendance: 45,962
Winning player’s share: $5,542   Losing player’s share: $4,193[5]


Notes[]

References[]

  • Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 175–178)
  • Reichler, Joseph, ed. (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.), p. 2147. MacMillian Publishing. ISBN 0-02-579010-2.
  • Forman, Sean L.. 1939 World Series. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information.. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.

External links[]

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