The 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by manager Leo Durocher, won their first pennant in 21 years, edging the St. Louis Cardinals by 2.5 games. They went on to lose to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, this team was referenced as one of "The Greatest Teams That Never Was", due to the quality of its starting lineup.

Dolph Camilli Adolph Louis Camilli (April 23, 1907 – October 21, 1997) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Pl ...

was the slugging star with 34 home runs and 120 RBI. He was voted the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Pete Reiser Harold Patrick Reiser (March 17, 1919 – October 25, 1981), nicknamed "Pistol Pete", was an American professional baseball outfielder and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), during the 1940s and early 1950s. While known primarily f ...

, a 22-year-old rookie, led the league in batting average, slugging percentage, and runs scored. Other regulars included

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Billy Herman William Jennings Bryan Herman (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many ...

, Joe Medwick,

Pee Wee Reese Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 – August 14, 1999) was an Americans, American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 194 ...

, and

Dixie Walker Fred E. "Dixie" Walker (September 24, 1910 – May 17, 1982) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and minor league manager. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a fi ...

. Not surprisingly, the Dodgers scored the most runs of any NL team (800). The pitching staff featured a pair of 22-game winners,

Kirby Higbe Walter Kirby Higbe (April 8, 1915 – May 6, 1985) was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1937 to 1950. Best known for his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was a two-time National League (NL) All-S ...

and

Whitlow Wyatt John Whitlow Wyatt (September 27, 1907 – July 16, 1999) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers (1929–33), Chicago White Sox (1933–36), Clevelan ...

, having their best pro seasons. On July 1, the Dodgers played the Phillies in Brooklyn; the game was televised by WNBT in New York (now

WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...

), making the contest the first program aired by a commercial TV station in the United States. Although the Dodgers would later win the pennant and the Phillies would finish dead last in the NL, Philadelphia won the game 6–4, in 10 innings.

Offseason

* November 11, 1940:

Vito Tamulis Vitautis Casimirus Tamulis (July 11, 1911 – May 5, 1974) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1934 to 1941. Biog ...

, Bill Crouch,

Mickey Livingston Thompson Orville "Mickey" Livingston (November 15, 1914 – April 3, 1983) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and for the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies, Chi ...

and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

for

.Vito Tamulis
at ''Baseball-Reference'' * November 19, 1940:

Tot Pressnell Forest Charles Pressnell (August 8, 1906 – January 6, 2001), was a professional baseball player in the Major Leagues from 1938 to 1942. He pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Pressnell had to wait until age 31 to make his Maj ...

was purchased from the Dodgers by the St. Louis Cardinals. * December 1940: Boze Berger was traded by the Dodgers to the

for Jack Graham. * December 4, 1940:

Glen Stewart Glen Weldon Stewart (September 29, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was a Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of ...

was purchased by the Dodgers from the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. * December 4, 1940: Gus Mancuso, minor leaguer John Pintar and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals for

Mickey Owen Arnold Malcolm "Mickey" Owen (April 4, 1916 – July 13, 2005) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played as a catcher for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and for the St. Louis Cardinals, Brookly ...

. * December 9, 1940:

Pep Young Lemuel Floyd Young (August 29, 1907 – January 14, 1962) was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of ten years in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933–40), Cincinnati Reds (1941) and St. Louis Cardinals (1941 ...

was traded by the Dodgers to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

for

Lew Riggs Lewis Sidney Riggs (April 22, 1910 – August 12, 1975) born in Caswell County, North Carolina was a third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1934), Cincinnati Reds (1935–40) and Brooklyn Dodgers (1941–42 and 1946). He helped the Cardinals ...

. * January 27, 1941:

Pep Rambert Elmer Donald "Pep" Rambert (August 1, 1916 – November 16, 1974) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rambert's only decision came on the final day of his MLB career when he surrendered 8 runs in a ...

was purchased by the Dodgers from the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. * February 4, 1941: Lefty Mills was purchased by the Dodgers from the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

.Lefty Mills
at ''Baseball-Reference'' * Prior to 1941 season:

Wally Westlake Waldon Thomas Westlake (November 8, 1920 – September 5, 2019) was a utility player in Major League Baseball who had a ten-year career from 1947 to 1956. Career Born in Gridley, California, Westlake played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis ...

was acquired from the Dodgers by the Merced Bears.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* April 3, 1941: Roxie Lawson was purchased by the Dodgers from the

. * April 15, 1941:

Newt Kimball Newell Whitney Kimball (March 27, 1915 – March 22, 2001) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Logan, Utah, Kimball was listed as tall and . After attending Santa Monica High School in Southern California, h ...

was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Cardinals. * April 15, 1941: Lefty Mills was returned by the Dodgers to the

. * April 22, 1941: Mace Brown was purchased by the Dodgers from the

.Mace Brown
at ''Baseball-Reference'' * May 6, 1941: Lee Grissom was traded by the Dodgers to the

for

. * May 6, 1941:

Johnny Hudson John Wilson Hudson (June 30, 1912 in Bryan, Texas – November 7, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, manager and scout. As an active player, the infielder appeared in 426 Major League Baseball games for the Brooklyn Dodgers, C ...

Charlie Gilbert Charles Mader Gilbert (July 8, 1919 – August 13, 1983) was an American professional baseball outfielder who appeared in 364 games, mostly as a center fielder, in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1940), Chicago Cubs (1941–1943 ...

and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

for

. * August 14, 1941: Joe Becker,

George Staller George Walborn Staller (April 1, 1916 – July 3, 1992) was an American outfielder, scout and coach in Major League Baseball. He served as first base coach on Earl Weaver's Baltimore Orioles staff from July 11, 1968, through 1975, working on the ...

, and minor leaguers John S. Bell and Ray Roche were traded by the Dodgers to the

for Dixie Howell.Joe Becker
at ''Baseball-Reference'' * August 26, 1941: Mace Brown and cash were traded by the Dodgers to the

for

Augie Galan August John Galan (May 23, 1912 – December 28, 1993) was an American professional baseball outfielder, manager and coach. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, New ...

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

1941 World Series

The 1941

matched the

against the Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in five games to capture their fifth title in six years, and their ninth overall. The name "

Subway Series The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry games played between the two teams based in New York City, the Yankees and the Mets. Previously, this applied to the Giants and Dodgers as well, before they moved out of New Yo ...

" arose for a World Series played between two New York City teams. The series was punctuated by the Dodgers'

dropped third strike In baseball and softball, an uncaught third strike (sometimes referred to as dropped third strike or non-caught third strike) occurs when the catcher fails to cleanly catch a pitch for the third strike of a plate appearance. In Major League Base ...

of a sharply breaking

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

(a suspected spitball) pitched by Hugh Casey to

Tommy Henrich Thomas David Henrich (February 20, 1913 – December 1, 2009), nicknamed "The Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was an American professional baseball player of German descent. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a right fielder and ...

in the 9th inning of Game 4. The play led to a Yankees rally and brought them one win away from another championship. The Yankees were back after a one-year hiatus, having won thirteen (13) of their last fourteen (14) Series games and twenty-eight (28) of their last thirty-one (31) games in the World Series. This was the first Subway Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, who had already faced the crosstown

five times, and the Series was now 1–0 in favor of the Bronx Bombers. These two teams would meet a total of seven (7) times from 1941–1956 – the Dodgers' only victory coming in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

Game 1

October 1, 1941, at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

in New York

Game 2

October 2, 1941, at

in New York

Game 3

October 4, 1941, at

Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five p ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Game 4

October 5, 1941, at

Game 5

October 6, 1941, at

Awards and honors

1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the ninth playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-star game, all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was ...

Whit Wyatt John Whitlow Wyatt (September 27, 1907 – July 16, 1999) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers (1929–33), Chicago White Sox (1933–36), Clevela ...

starter **

reserve **

Cookie Lavagetto Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto (December 1, 1912 – August 10, 1990) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1934 to 1947. Lavagetto started his majo ...

reserve ** Joe Medwick reserve * National League Most Valuable Player **

* TSN Major League All-Star Team **

* TSN NL Most Valuable Payer **

League top ten finishers

* NL leader in home runs (34) * NL leader in RBI (120) * #2 in NL in slugging percentage (.556) * #2 in NL in bases on balls (104) * #3 in NL in on-base percentage (.407)

* NL leader in wins (22) * #4 in NL in strikeouts (121) Joe Medwick * #3 in NL in batting average (.318) * #3 in NL in runs scored (100)

* NL leader in batting average (.343) * NL leader in slugging percentage (.558) * NL leader in runs scored (117) * NL leader in triples (17) * #4 in NL in on-base percentage (.406)

* MLB leader in shutouts (7) * NL leader in wins (22) * #2 in NL in strikeouts (176) * #2 in NL in ERA (2.34) * #2 in NL in complete games (23)

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montreal, Durham, Santa Barbara, Elizebethton, Newport

Notes

References

Baseball-Reference season pageBaseball Almanac season page

External links

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers uniformAcme Dodgers page

Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:1941 Brooklyn Dodgers Season * Los Angeles Dodgers seasons

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

National League champion seasons

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

1940s in Brooklyn Flatbush, Brooklyn