The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years.

The Cards and Tigers split the first two games in Detroit, and Detroit took two of the next three in St. Louis. St. Louis proceeded to win the next two, including an 11–0 embarrassment of the Tigers in Detroit to win the Series. The stars for the Cards were Joe Medwick, who had a .379 batting average with one of St. Louis' two home runs and a series-high five RBI, and the Dean Brothers, Dizzy and Paul, who combined for all four of the teams wins with 28 strikeouts and a minuscule 1.43 earned run average. 1934's World Series was the last of which both teams were led by player-managers.

The Cardinals and Tigers have met twice in the World Series since 1934; in 1968 (won by the Tigers in seven games) and 2006 (won by the Cardinals in five games). Tigers pitcher Denny McLain, who won one of the games in the 1968 Series, had won 31 games during the season, outdoing Dizzy Dean. Dizzy, age 57 in 1968, posed for a picture with McLain.

The Cardinals used eight (8) pitchers with a team earned-run average of 2.34 for the Series. But only two earned victories; brothers Dizzy Dean with two (2) wins and Paul Dean with the other two (2) wins.

Pete Fox played for the losing team yet became the only World Series player to hit six (6) doubles in any Series of any length.

In the sixth inning of Game 7, Joe Medwick slid hard into Marv Owen, the Tigers' third baseman, after hitting a triple. They tangled briefly, and when Medwick went to his position in left field, the Detroit fans, knowing the game was lost (the score was 9–0 by then), vented their frustrations on Medwick, throwing fruit, vegetables, bottles, cushions, etc., at him. Commissioner Landis ordered Medwick (and Owen) benched to end the ruckus. Newsreel footage shows Medwick slamming his glove onto the dugout bench in disgust. (Audio)

Dizzy Dean nearly took himself out of the Series on a play in Game 4. In the fourth inning, he pinch-ran and literally broke up a double play attempt by taking the relay through in the noggin. The unconscious Dean was rushed to a hospital for observation. He was given a clean bill of health. Legend has it that at least one newspaper the next day featured the headline, "X-ray of Dean's head shows nothing." Dean had recovered from this trauma sufficiently to make his next starting assignment, the very next day.

According to The Fireside Book of Baseball by Charles Einstein, in the seventh game Frisch called time and walked over from second base to the mound to tell Dean "If you don't stop clowning around, I'll take you out of the game." Dizzy said, "No you won't." Frisch thought about this a moment. Then he returned to second base.

[edit] Summary

NL St. Louis Cardinals (4) vs. AL Detroit Tigers (3)

[edit] Matchups

[edit] Game 1

Wednesday, October 3, 1934 at Navin Field in Detroit, Michigan

WP: Dizzy Dean (1–0)  LP: General Crowder (0–1)  
HRs:  STL – Joe Medwick (1)  DET – Hank Greenberg (1)

The series opener in Detroit pitted the Cardinals' 30-game winner, Dizzy Dean, against the Tigers' General Crowder. However, on this day, the subpar Tiger defense playing behind Crowder let him down, as it accounted for five errors and three unearned runs.

In the top of the second, the Gashouse Gang loaded the bases when a single and two errors; a single by Jack Rothrock then brought home both Ernie Orsatti and Dean to make it 2-0. In the third, St. Louis tacked on another run due to more shoddy Detroit fielding, as Joe Medwick singled and was forced out at second by Ripper Collins. However, a throwing error by Tiger shortstop Billy Rogell allowed Collins to move to second and then score on a fielding error by Detroit's star first baseman, Hank Greenberg. In the bottom of the third, Charlie Gehringer got the Tigers on the board with a single that drove in Jo-Jo White, but in the St. Louis fifth Medwick tattooed a solo home run off Crowder for a 4-1 Cardinals lead.

The Gang then exploded for a four-run sixth off Firpo Marberry (who had relieved Crowder) and Chief Hogsett, as Pepper Martin and Medwick each cracked RBI singles and Bill DeLancey lashed a two-run double to left. Though Detroit put up single runs in the sixth and eighth (via a Goose Goslin single that scored Greenberg and a solo home run by Greenberg), they could get no closer, as Dean struck out Gee Walker to give the Cardinals an 8-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

[edit] Game 2

Thursday, October 4, 1934 at Navin Field in Detroit, Michigan

WP: Schoolboy Rowe (1–0)  LP: Bill Walker (0–1)  

The second game of the series proved to be a much closer affair compared to the first. It featured a pitching match-up of the Cardinals' Bill Hallahan against the Tigers' Schoolboy Rowe.

In the top of the second, St. Louis drew first blood when DeLancey singled and scored on a triple by Orsatti. In the third they added another run as a Medwick single brought in Martin.

[edit] Game 3

Friday, October 5, 1934 at Sportsman's Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri

WP: Paul Dean (1–0)  LP: Tommy Bridges (0–1)  

[edit] Game 4

Saturday, October 6, 1934 at Sportsman's Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri

WP: Elden Auker (1–0)  LP: Bill Walker (0–2)  

[edit] Game 5

Sunday, October 7, 1934 at Sportsman's Park (III) in St. Louis, Missouri

WP: Tommy Bridges (1–1)  LP: Dizzy Dean (1–1)  
HRs:  DET – Charlie Gehringer (1)  STL – Bill DeLancey (1)

[edit] Game 6

Monday, October 8, 1934 at Navin Field in Detroit, Michigan

WP: Paul Dean (2–0)  LP: Schoolboy Rowe (1–1)  

[edit] Game 7

Tuesday, October 9, 1934 at Navin Field in Detroit, Michigan

WP: Dizzy Dean (2–1)  LP: Elden Auker (1–1)  

[edit] Composite box

1934 World Series (4–3): St. Louis Cardinals (N.L.) over Detroit Tigers (A.L.)

[edit] Brothers

Other brothers who both played and appeared in World Series games at the SAME TIME before the Deans were:

• - Doc Johnston and Jimmy Johnston (1920)
• - Bob Meusel and Irish Meusel (1921, 1922 and 1923)
• - Paul Waner and Lloyd Waner (1927)

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 151–156)
• Reichler, Joseph, ed. (1982). The Baseball Encyclopedia (5th ed.), p. 2142. MacMillian Publishing. ISBN 0-02-579010-2.
• Forman, Sean L.. "1934 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information.. http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1934_WS.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-09. 

[edit] External links

• 1934 World Series History at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1934 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1934 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1934 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1934 at The SportingNews
• Detroit Tigers History