18. 1944 World Champion St Louis Cardinals v. 82. 2019 World Champion Washington Nationals
We've already seen the '43 Cards knocked off in this round; this Cardinal squad is now the top remaining seed in Region 2.
Cardinals 105-59 Mgr. Billy Southworth
Won NL Pennant
d. Browns in WS
d. #111 1914 Braves (MVP-Johnny Hopp)
All Stars: C Walker Cooper, 3B Whitey Kurowski, SP Max Lanier, SS Marty Marion (NL MVP) SP Red Munger, OF Stan Musial (4th NL MVP)
Hall of Famers: Stan Musial, Billy Southworth
Nationals 93-69 Mgr. Davey Martinez (5th NL Mgr of Year)
2nd in NL East
d. Brewers in WC game
d. Dodgers in NLDS
d. Cardinals in NLCS
d. Astros in WS
d. #47 1956 Yankees (MVP-Howie Kendrick)
All-Stars 3B Anthony Rendon (3rd NL MVP) SP Max Scherzer (3rd NL Cy Young)
Nationals
LF Soto (20) 140 5.4
3B Rendon (29) 155 6.6
2B Cabrera (33) 145 1
1B Kendrick (35) 142 2.8
RF Eaton (30) 103 2.5
SS Turner (26) 115 3.6
C Suzuki (35) 104 .9
CF Robles (22) 90 3.1
P Scherzer (34) 157 6.2
Bench:
C Gomes (31) 80 1.4
2B Dozier (32) 96 1.1
Game 2 SP: Strasburg (30) 138 6.6
Game 3 SP: Corbin (LH) (29) 141 6.5
This could be the Nats 8 each game; Gomes/Suzuki are both RH and so Martinez will ride the hot bat; Cabrera has too much bat to sit for Dozier at any point.
Cardinals
CF Hopp (27) 150 5.2
RF Musial (23) 174 7.9
1B Sanders (27) 125 2.6
C Cooper (29) 136 4.3
LF Bergamo (27) 117 1
3B Kurowski (26) 118 3.8
SS Marion (27) 90 4
2B Verban (28) 62 1.1
SP: Munger (25) 268 3.3
Bench: LF Litwhiler (27) 109 2
Game 2 SP: Cooper (31) 145 5.4
Game 3 SP: Wilks (28) 135 3.3
Cards platooning in LF; Lanier made the All Star game but he's the 4th starter and not likely to see action in the series.
WAR Advantage
C-Cards
1B-Nats
2B-Push
SS-Cards
3B-Nats
LF-Nats
CF-Cards
RF-Cards
SP1 Nats
SP2-Nats
SP3-Nats
Bullpen-Cards
Nats 6 Cards 5 - Cards have seed advantage and the best position player (Musial) Nats have the slight WAR advantage -- I'll say St Louis is favored narrowly.
GAME ONE
1st: The '43 Cardinals failed to advance to the Round of 32 - here come the '44 Cardinals; on the mound is 25 year old RH Red Munger 11-3, 1.34, it's Munger's second year in the bigs, his first All Star season, by 2 earned runs a game the best year of his career. He walks Juan Soto, that's all.
1st: 34 year old RH Max Scherzer will one day be in the Hall of Fame; 11-7, 2.92, he broke in with Arizona in '08, two years later he's in Detroit where he becomes a star, won the Cy Young in '13, top 5 in '14 - signed with the Nats before '15 and won back to back Cy Youngs in '16 and '17. 2nd in '18 and 3rd this year. He walks Johnny Hopp, gets the next two - but then gives up a run scoring Walker Cooper double. Nats 0 Cards 1
2nd: Adam Eaton singles. Like Scherzer, he began his career as a Diamondback and moved on after two seasons. After 3 seasons with the White Sox the Nats got him for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez - he's stranded at first.
2nd: Marty Marion hits a one out single - as is the case for most of these Cardinals, we've already met them with the '43 team. Despite a sub 100 OPS+ Marion was the NL MVP this year (he has half Musial's WAR, so this is a dopey vote). Emil Verban follows with a single, but that's all.
3rd: Scherzer singles, two out later Asdrubal Cabrera singles - this is Cabrera's second stint in DC - he spent the first 7 1/2 years of his career in Cleveland, was a deadline deal by the Nats in '14, left after the season and here we are five years later, the Rangers released him in early August and he came to the Nationals and just hit the ball - Cabrera is a .269 career hitter, this year with the Nats in 124 at bats he hit .323. Kendrick reaches on an error - that scores the tying run. Nats 1 Cards 1
3rd: 1-2-3
4th: 1-2-3
4th: Augie Bergamo is platooning in left; he was not on last year's team, this is his rookie season and next year is his last season. He doubles with one out and that's all.
5th: 1-2-3
5th: Munger singles with one out and Hopp doubles him home -- Hopp was the MVP of the Cards Round 1 win - he was on the '43 team and will be a Cardinal season, heading to the Braves for Eddie Joost prior to the '46 season. Stan Musial then hits a bolt - a 2 run homer to right and the Cards are up 4-1. Ray Sanders doubles and Walker Cooper singles him home - the Cards are all over Scherzer here in the 5th. Bergamo then singles - and the Cards score another run on a Whitey Kurowksi double -- Max Scherzer is sent to the showers; 33 year old RH Javy Guerra enters, he's got a 4.86 ERA. He gives up a Marion sac fly - that's where it ends but that is a ton - Nats 1 Cards 7
6th: 1-2-3, 10 straight for Munger and with a 6 run lead, it sure looks like you can put game one in St Louis's column.
6th: Pepper Martin is a long time Cardinal - called up in '28, 4 All Star appearances, two top 10 MVP finishes - he did not play at all from '41-43 but came back this year for one last run, had 228 at bats and his .316 -- he walks; Hopp singles - after an out, St Louis scores again on a Sanders single and then Walker Cooper hits a 3 run homer and now it is 11-1 Cards. 32 year old RH Jeremy Hellickson comes on - he walks Bergamo, gets the second out, then gives up singles to Marion and Verban to score the 12th run. The Cards have batted around and Martin walks for the second time in the inning. That's all. This one is over. Nats 1 Cards 12
7th: 24 year old RH Bud Byerly comes on for St Louis - he gets one, then gives up a homer to Kurt Suzuki. Nats 2 Cards 12
7th: Cooper doubles with 2 out, that's all.
8th: Cabrera singles with 2 out - back to the pen for the Cards, 22 year old RH Al Jursich, he gives up a 2 run homer to Howie Kendrick -- the bullpens for both teams are their weakest units and we're seeing that here. Nats 4 Cards 12
8th: Whitey Kurowski hits the first pitch of the inning over the left field wall - thats all. Nats 4 Cards 13
9th: After an out, Suzuki hits his second homer of the day - Robles then doubles and Brian Dozier, hitting for the pitcher, walks, -it ends here.
Nats 5
Cards 13
WP Munger
LP Scherzer
18 hits for the Cards, they just pound the Nats in game 1.
Hopp - reached 3 times
Musial - HR
Sanders - reached twice
Cooper - reached 4 times, HR, 2 doubles, 5 RBI
Bergamo - reached 3 times
Kurowski - reached twice, HR
Marion - reached twice
Verban - reached twice
Martin - reached twice
For the Nats...
Cabrera reached twice
Kendrick homered
Suzuki homered twice
LF Soto (20) 140 5.4
3B Rendon (29) 155 6.6
2B Cabrera (33) 145 1
1B Kendrick (35) 142 2.8
RF Eaton (30) 103 2.5
SS Turner (26) 115 3.6
C Suzuki (35) 104 .9
CF Robles (22) 90 3.1
Game 2 SP: Strasburg (30) 138 6.6
CF Hopp (27) 150 5.2
RF Musial (23) 174 7.9
1B Sanders (27) 125 2.6
C Cooper (29) 136 4.3
LF Bergamo (27) 117 1
3B Kurowski (26) 118 3.8
SS Marion (27) 90 4
2B Verban (28) 62 1.1
Game 2 SP: Cooper (31) 145 5.4
GAME TWO
1st: The Cards just pounded the Nats in game 1 - 31 year old Mort Cooper looks to take care of business today. 22-7, 2.46. Cooper was NL MVP in '42 and was on the '43 team we saw lose in Region 1. This is his last full year in St Louis - they sell him to the Braves early '45. Cabrera singles with 2 out, that's all.
1st: 30 year old Stephen Strasburg looks to have more success than Scherzer in game 1, 30 year old RH, 18-6, 3.32, he came up 9 years ago, made his first All Star team in 2012, top 10 NL Cy Young 2014, 3rd in the NL Cy Young 2017, and finished 5th this year, leading the league in wins. He gives up a one out hit to Musial and after the second out, Walker Cooper hit a two run homer- he had 5 game one RBI and he just keeps hitting here. Nats 0 Cards 2
2nd: 1-2-3
2nd: Marion hits a one out double, after the second out, Mort Cooper helps himself with a double and now it's 3-0. The World War II era teams can be diminished given the talent depletion league wide - but the '43 Yankees have already advanced and so far the Cardinals are just beating the brakes off the Nats. Nats 0 Cards 3
3rd: 1-2-3
3rd: Musial doubles - we've seen him already, he was NL MVP last year for that '43 team. He finished 4th this year and is in the military next year. Musial will win 2 more MVP Awards and have 5 more top 5 finishes. He'll play until he's 42. Two outs later, Bergamo singles him home - it's happening again. Nats 0 Cards 4
4th: 1-2-3, 10 straight for Cooper.
4th: Light hitting Emil Verban doubles with one out, this is his rookie year - he'll be off to the Phillies in early '46 for Clyde Kluttz. Strasburg's able to keep them off the board.
5th: Adam Eaton walks and then Trea Turner doubles him home; Turner came up in '15, was 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year in '16, led the league with 43 stolen bases last year. Cooper gets the next two - but then gives up a run scoring single to Strasburg - the Nats have halved the lead. Nats 2 Cards 4
5th: Musial follows his double with a triple -- and then scores on a Suzuki passed ball. An out later Walker Cooper singled, and then Bergamo triples him home and the Cards have those two runs right back. Whitey Kurowski singles home the 7th run; Kurowski was with the club last year and made his first All Star game. He was on the All Star team again this year and next year will finish 5th in the MVP race. Nats 2 Cards 7
6th: Howie Kendrick draws a two out walk - Kendrick was MVP of the Nats first round win; he broke in back in '06 and spent the first 11 years of his career in LA, with the Angels and then the Dodgers. The Dodgers dealt him to Philadelphia prior to the '17 season and the Phillies moved him to the Nats at the deadline that year for a prospect. At the age of 35, this was his best year with the bat. His OPS+ is nearly 20 points higher than any other year of his career. That's all for the Nats.
6th: Hopp singles with one out, that's all.
7th: Turner singles, that's it.
7th: 32 year old RH Daniel Hudson only pitched 25 innings for the Nats, but they were super, he had a 1.44 ERA - Walker Cooper singles, that's all.
8th: Juan Soto walks. He's just 20 years old, came up last year and was 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year. This year he was 9th in the MVP race. Two outs later Kendrick doubles him home. Nats 3 Cards 7
8th: 1-2-3
9th: Suzuki doubles with one out, but that's all they can get.
Nats 3
Cards 7
WP Cooper
LP Strasburg
Complete game 6 hitter for Cooper and the Cards take both games at home.
Hopp - reached 4 times
Musial - reached 3 times in game 2 with a triple/double, HR in game 1
Sanders - reached twice
Cooper - reached 7 times, 2HR, 2 doubles, 5 RBI
Bergamo - reached 5 times, tripled
Kurowski - reached three times, HR
Marion - reached three times
Verban - reached three times
For the Nats...
Cabrera reached three times
Kendrick homered in game 1, reached twice in game 2
Turner had two game 2 hits
Suzuki homered twice, had a game 2 hit
C Cooper (29) 136 4.3
RF Musial (23) 174 7.9
CF Hopp (27) 150 5.2
3B Kurowski (26) 118 3.8
1B Sanders (27) 125 2.6
LF Litwhiler (27) 109 2
SS Marion (27) 90 4
2B Verban (28) 62 1.1
Game 3 SP: Wilks (28) 135 3.3
LF Soto (20) 140 5.4
3B Rendon (29) 155 6.6
1B Kendrick (35) 142 2.8
2B Cabrera (33) 145 1
RF Eaton (30) 103 2.5
SS Turner (26) 115 3.6
CF Robles (22) 90 3.1
C Gomes (31) 80 1.4
SP: Corbin (LH) (29) 141 6.5
1st: Patrick Corbin has the hopes of all of DC riding on his 29 year old left arm; 14-7, 3.25, this is Corbin's first year with the Nats after spending the first six of his career in Arizona. He was 5th in the Cy Young last year and then signed a free agent deal with Washington. He gives up a two out double to Hopp, that's all.
1st: 28 year old RH Ted Wilks looks to finish off the sweep for the Cardinals; 17-4, 2.64, Wilks is a rookie, so wasn't with that '43 team. He'll never again pitch anywhere close to as many innings as he did this year. He'll be in St Louis 7 years, sent to the Pirates during the '51 season in a deal that also includes Howie Pollet and Joe Garagiola. He gives up a Juan Soto single, gets an out and then gives up a Howie Kendrick single -- and then Asdrubal Cabrera rocks Nationals Park with a 3 run homer, exactly the jolt these fans needed to shake off the shock of the beating they took in St Louis. After a second out, Turner walks, but it ends here, Cards 0 Nats 3
2nd: Marion walks with two out, nothing else.
2nd: 1-2-3
3rd: Cooper singles with one out, after the second out, Hopp singles - Kurowski then singles to score a run - Sanders doubles to score two more - and the Cards have tied this up. Cards 3 Nats 3
3rd: 1-2-3
4th: 1-2-3
4th: Cabrera walks, that's it. Wilks hasn't allowed a hit since the homer.
5th: 1-2-3
5th: 1-2-3
6th: Kurowski walks and Sanders singles - the Cards have 2 on and nobody out - Corbin gets one, but then Marion singles and St Louis is on top. Cards 4 Nats 3
6th: The Cards turn to their best reliever, 30 year old RH Blix Donnelly, with a 2.12 ERA, Rendon singles - but it doesn't go further and the Cards are 9 outs away from the sweep.
7th: 1-2-3
7th: Yan Gomes is catching today, he singles with 2 out but nothing results and the Cards are 6 outs away from the sweep.
8th: 26 year old RH Tanner Rainey is the new Nats pitcher - 1-2-3
8th: 28 year old RH Freddy Schmidt is next for St Louis - he gives up a single to Soto and the Nats have the tying run on base. Rendon then walks - tying run in scoring position. But Schmidt gets the next 3 and now the Cards are 3 outs away from the sweep.
9th: Verban walks with one out, but nothing else. We head to the end - can the Nats find a run?
9th: Turner is first - he lines to short. And that's one.
Schmidt strikes Robles out. That's two.
And Gomes grounds to second - onto first -- and the Cardinals have swept the series.
Cards 4
Nats 3
WP Wilks
LP Corbin
The 1944 Cardinals are the 8th team of 32 to advance, they'll face the 1912 Giants next round.
Walker Cooper is the series MVP, he reached 8 times, had 2 homers, paced this Cardinal offense which really thumped the Nats pitching staff.
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