13. The World Series continued play during World War II, despite the absence of many stars
The popularity of Major League Baseball and its showcase fall event continued to be strong during and immediately following World War II. During World War II night games gained in popularity, at the urging of the Roosevelt Administration. FDR wanted baseball to continue during the war, despite rationing and travel limitations. He reasoned workers taking time off to attend day games hurt war productivity, yet the same workers needed opportunities for rest and recreation. FDR considered baseball essential to wartime morale, despite many of its greatest stars serving in the military during the war years. Despite these considerations, baseball continued to play the World Series in its entirety during the day. The first wartime World Series played from September 30 – October 5, saw the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 4 – 1. Each of the three games played in Yankee Stadium contained crowds exceeding 69,000 fans.
The following year saw a rematch, though the two teams had considerably different rosters. Yankees stars such as Joe DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto were serving in the military. So were several Cardinals. Despite the absences of so many stars, the Yankees still packed over 68,000 into the stadium for the three games they hosted. In 1944’s World Series, player ranks were so depleted the St. Louis Browns, which played their rival Cardinals, featured a one-armed outfielder, Pete Gray. The two teams shared Sportsman’s Park, which drew capacity crowds for each of the games. The Cardinals won the series. By 1945 some of the players had returned from war service, but the teams were still filled with decidedly non-major league talent. Nonetheless, the seven games of the series between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs packed the stadiums for each game. The Tigers prevailed, 4-3.