St Louis Cardinal Tickets

THE 1931 WORLD SERIES AGAIN FEATURED the Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, the fourth rematch in Series history. The Philadelphia juggernaut was again considered the prohibitive favorite, especially after trouncing the American League competition with 107 wins, second most (after the 1927 Yankees) in A.L. history, to that date. Once again, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, and Jimmie Foxx led the offense, while Lefty Grove enjoyed an even better season than in 1930. With a 31-4 record, a league-leading 175 strikeouts, and a 2.06 ERA-less than half the league average-Grove's 1931 performance is considered by some historians to be the greatest pitching season in baseball history. The St. Louis Cardinals Tickets brokers, had nowhere near the offensive firepower of the year before, but they did have a speedy new center fielder: John Leonard Martin, a brash, exuberant 27-year-old rookie from Oklahoma, nicknamed "Pepper" for the vitality he injected into every game he played. The 1931 World Series may have seemed a mismatch on paper, but by the time it was over, the Athletics' hopes for an unprecedented third consecutive title were dashed, and the cocky young rookie walked away with Cardinal Tickets and one of the greatest performances in the history of the Fall Classic.

At first it looked like deja vu for the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball, as Grove, pitching despite a blister on his finger, won a 6-2 decision over Paul Derringer, the Cards' other star rookie, who had posted an 18-8 record during the regular season. The lone bright spot for St. Louis was Martin, who stole a base and got three hits off Grove, including an RBI double. In the second game, Wild Bill Hallahan lived up to his nickname by walking seven Philadelphia batters, but he allowed them only three hits in the process, beating the previous year's hero, George Earnshaw, 2-0. Martin was again the batting star, manufacturing the game's two runs almost single-handedly. Get advantage of our St Louis Cardinal Tickets deals. In the second inning he doubled, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly. In to third on an infield hit, and scored on a squeeze bunt by Charlie Gelbert. The Series was tied 1-1 heading back to Philadelphia. Spitballer Burleigh Grimes, loser of two games in the 1930 Series, flirted with a no-hitter in Game 3 at Shibe Park. He made it through seven innings without allowing the A's a hit, and in the top of the eighth, with the St Louis Cardinal Tickets well in front, even the Philadelphia crowd began cheering for Grimes to complete the unprecedented World Series no-hitter. But after Foxx walked leading off the eighth, Bing Miller cracked a dean single to center field. Grimes had lost his bid for immortality, but won the game, pitching a two-hitter and beating Grove 5-2. The hitting stars for St. Louis were Grimes himself, who had two hits and two RBI, and, once again, Martin, who doubled off the sup of the right field scoreboard, missing a homer by inches. The next day the A's came back, as it was Earnshaw's turn to pitch a gem. The New York City native threw a two-bitter of his own, blanking the Cardinals 3-0. Foxx supported him with one of the longest homers in Shibe Park history, although once again, the ubiquitous Martin collected both Cardinal hits and stole a base.

Hallahan pitched another fine game to win Game 5 for the Cardinals, 5-1. The real story, however, was Martin. He had three bits and drove in four of the Cards' five runs, capped by a long home run to left field that earned him a standing ovation from the awed opposing crowd. When the seams returned to St. Louis, Martin, who bad begun the Series batting sixth, was moved into the cleanup spot, but Grove accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of holding him hitless in Game 6. Grove also stymied the rest of the Cardinal lineup, giving up only five hits in an easy 8-1 win. We provide cheap Cardinal Tickets. His win evened the Series at 3-3, setting up the Game 7 matchup between veterans Grimes and Earnshaw. Each had already pitched a two-hitter in the Series, so a pitch¬er's duel was expected, but to the disap¬pointment of the Athletics, Game 7 was a one-sided affair. Philadelphia self-destructed in the first inning, giving the Cardinals two runs on an error by Foxx, a wild pitch by Earnshaw, a passed ball by Cochrane, and two Texas League pop-ups that some felt should have been caught by Philadelphia's infielders. The Cardinals added two more in the third inning, which was more than enough for Grimes, who coasted until allow¬ing a couple of runs in the ninth. With two outs, Hallahan came in to polish off the Athletics and preserve Grimes' second victors- of the Series. As Martin caught Max Bishop's bases-loaded fly to center for the final out, the delirious St. Louis crowd rushed onto the field to congratulate their new hero. Martin had again been held hit-less in Game 7, but it didn't matter. His Cardinals had toppled the mighty Athletics. Philadelphia, after slugging its way to two world championships, was held to a .282 team slugging percentage by Cardinal pitchers, although Foxx and Simmons performed admirably. St Louis Cardinal Tickets Martin's final numbers, mean-while, were among the greatest ever achieved in a single World Series: a .500 batting average, twelve hits, four doubles, five runs scored, five RBI. and five steals. Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. congratulating Martin after the game. told him. "Young man, I'd rather trade places with you than with any man in the counts." Martin replied: "Why, that'll be fine, Judge. if we can trade salaries, too."