World Series MVP's Before the Award Existed (Concluded)

Finishing up my examination of World Series heroes from the distant past, here are my choices for MVP from 1931 up to the inception of the Award, which was first handed out by SPORT magazine in 1955.

1931 Cardinals over A's (4-3)
MVP Pepper Martin- CF 7G 5 R 12 H 4 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .500 BA


1932 Yankees over Cubs (4-0)
MVP Lou Gehrig- 1B 4 G 9 R 1 2B 3 HR 8 RBI .529 BA .600 OBP


1933 Giants over Senators (4-1)
MVP Carl Hubbell- Pitcher (2-0) 0.00 ERA 20.1 IP 13 H 24 SO 2 CG


1934 Carinals over Tiger (4-3)
MVP Joe Medwick- LF 7 G 4 R 11 H 1 3B 1 HR 5 RBI .379 BA


1935 Tigers Over Cubs (4-2)
MVP Charlie Gehringer 6 G 4 R 9 H 3 2B 4 RBI .375 BA


1936 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
 MVP Jake Powell- LF 6 G 8 R 10 H 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .455 BA .538 OBP

1937 Yankees over Giants (4-1)
MVP Lefty Gomez- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 16 H 8 SO 2 CG

1938 Yankees over Giants (4-1)
MVP Red Ruffing- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 16 H 8 SO 2 CG


1939 Yankees over Reds (4-1)
MVP Charlie Keller- RF 4 G 8 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 3 HR 6 RBI .438 BA


1940 Reds over Tigers (4-3)
MVP Bucky Walters- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 8 H 6 SO 2 CG


1941 Yankees over Dodgers (4-1)
MVP Joe Gordon- 2B 5 G 2 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 1 HR 5 RBI .500 BA .667 OBP


1942 Cardinals over Yankees (4-1)
MVP Johnny Beazley- Pitcher (2-0) 2.50 ERA 18 IP 17 H 6 SO 2 CG


1943 Yankees over Cardinals (4-1) 
MVP Spud Chandler- Pitcher (2-0) 0.50 ERA 18 IP 17 H 10 SO 2 CG


1944 Cardinals over Browns (4-2)
MVP George McQuinn (Browns)- 1B 6 G 2 R 7 H 2 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .438 BA


1945 Tigers over Cubs (4-3)
MVP Doc Cramer- CF 7 G 7 R 11 H 4 RBI .379 BA .419 OBP


1946 Cardinals over Red Sox (4-3)
MVP Harry Brecheen- Pitcher (3-0) 0.45 ERA 20 IP 14 H 11 SO 2 CG


1947 Yankees over Dodgers (4-3)
MVP Johnny Lindell- LF 6 G 3 R 9 H 3 2B 1 3B 7 RBI .500 BA .625 OBP


1948 Indians over Red Sox (4-2)
MVP Bob Lemon- Pitcher (2-0) 1.65 ERA 16.1 IP 1 H 6 SO 1 CG


1949 Yankees over Dodgers (4-1)
MVP Allie Reynolds- Pitcher (1-0) 0.00 ERA 12.1 IP 2 H 14 SO 1 CG 1 SV


1950 Yankees over Phillies
MVP Allie Reynolds- Pitcher (1-0) 0.87 ERA 10.1 IP 7 H 7 SO 1 CG 1 SV


1951 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
MVP Eddie Lopat- Pitcher (2-0) 0.50 ERA 18 IP 10 H 4 SO 2 CG


1952 Yankees over Dodgers (4-3)
MVP Mickey Mantle- CF 7 G 10 H 1 2B 1 3B 2 HR 8 RBI .500 BA


1953 Yankees over Dodgers (4-2)
MVP Billy Martin- 2B 6 G 5 R 12 H 1 2B 2 3B 2 HR 8 RBI .500 RBI


1954 Giants over Indians (4-0)
MVP Dusty Rhodes- OF/PH 3 G 2 R 4 H 2 HR 7 RBI .667 BA 

World Series MVP's Before the Award Existed (Part I 1903-1930)

The first Word Series MVP Award was handed out in 1955 by SPORT Magazine. This means that more than fifty deserving candidates went unrecognized. Just for fun, I went back and chose Most Valuable Players from all of those long-forgotten Octobers 

1903 Boston Americans over Pittsburgh Pirates (5-3)
MVP Bill Dinneen- Pitcher (3-1) 2.06 ERA 35 IP 29 H 28 SO 4 CG

1905 Giants over A's (4-1)
MVP Christy Mathewson- Pitcher (3-0) 0.00ERA 27 IP 14 H 18 SO 3 CG

1906 White Sox over Cubs (4-2)
MVP George Rohe- 3B 6 G 2 R 7 H 1 2B 2 3B 4 RBI .333BA .440 OBP

1907 Cubs over Tigers (4-0)
MVP Harry Steinfeldt- 3B 5 G 2 R 8 H 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI .471 BA .550 OBP

1908 Cubs over Tigers (4-1)
MVP Orval Overall- Pitcher 3 G (2-0) 0.98ERA 18.1 IP 7 H 15 SO 2 CG

1909 Pirates over Tigers (4-3)
 MVP Babe Adams- Pitcher (3-0) 1.33 ERA 27 IP 18H 11SO 3 CG

1910 A's over Cubs (4-1)
MVP Danny Murphy- RF 5 G 6 R 8 H 3 2B 1 HR 9 RBI .400 BA

1911 A's over Giants (4-2)
MVP Home Run Baker- 3B 6 G 7 R 9 H 2 2B 2 HR 5 RBI .375 BA

1912 Red Sox over Giants (4-3)
MVP Tris Speaker- CF 8 G 4 R 9 H 1 2B 2 3B 2 RBI .300 BA .382 OBP

1913 A's over Giants (4-1)
MVP Home Run Baker 5 G 2 R 9 H 1 HR 7 RBI .450 BA

1914 Braves over A's (4-0)
MVP Hank Gowdy- Cather 4 G 3 R 6 H 3 2B 1 3B 1 HR 3 RBI .545 BA

1915 Red Sox over Phillies (4-1)
MVP Duffy Lewis- LF 5 G 1 R 8 H 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .444 BA

1916 Red Sox over Brooklyn Robins (4-1)
 MVP Harry Hooper- RF 5 G 6 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 1 RBI .333 BA .417 OBP

1917 White Sox over Giants (4-2)
MVP Red Faber- Pitcher (3-1) 2.33 ERA 27 IP 21 H 9 SO 2 CG

1918 Red Sox over Cubs (4-2)
MVP Carl Mays- Pitcher 2-0 1.00 ERA 18 IP 10 H 5 SO 2 CG

1919 Reds over White Sox (SERIES FIXED)
MVP Joe Jackson (Chi)- LF 8 G 5 R 12 H 3 2B 1 HR 6 RBI .375 BA

1920 Indians over Brooklyn Robins (5-2)
MVP Stan Coveleski- Pitcher (3-0) 0.67 ERA 27 IP 15 H 8 SO 3 CG

 1921 Giants over Yankees (5-3)
MVP Irish Meusel- LF 8 G 4 R 10 H 2 2B 1 3B 1 HR 7 RBI .345 BA

1922 Giants over Yankees (4-0) 
MVP Heinie Groh- 3B 5 G 4 R 9 H .474 BA/ 6 Putouts 16 Assists 1.000 Fld %

1923 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
MVP  Babe Ruth- RF 6 G 8 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 3 HR 3 RBI .368 BA

1924 Senators over Giants (4-3)
MVP Goose Goslin- LF 7 G 4 R 11 H 1 2B 3 HR 7 RBI .344 BA

1925 Pirates over Senators (4-3)
MVP Max Carey- CF 7 G 6 R 11 H 4 2B 2 RBI 3 SB .458 BA .552 OBP

1926 Cardinals over Yankees (4-3)
MVP Pete Alexander- Pitcher (2-0) 1 SV 1.33 ERA 20.1 IP 12 H 17 SO

1927 Yankees over Pirates (4-0)
MVP Babe Ruth- RF 4 G 4 R 6 H 2 HR 7 RBI .400 BA .471 OBP

1928 Yankees over Cardinals (4-0)
MVP Babe Ruth- RF 4 G 9 R 10 H 3 2B 3 HR 4 RBI .625 BA

1929 A's over Cubs (4-1)
MVP Al Simmons- LF 5 G 6 R 6 H 1 2B 2 HR 5 RBI .300 BA

1930 A's over Cardinals (4-2)
MVP Al Simmons- LF 6 G 4 R 8 H 2 2B 2 HR 4 RBI .364 BA .417 OBP
 
 

EPILOGUE TO PERFECTION: How Perfect Game Pitchers Fared After Their Moment of Glory (Part II: From the Lively Ball Era to the Expansion Era)

CHARLIE ROBERTSON
April 30, 1922

Robertson's perfect game was the defining moment of a mediocre career. Facing the Tigers at Detroit, he used 90 pitches to complete his masterpiece. Six of Detroit's eight starting players posted a .300 average in 1922. Two of the most formidable, Ty Cobb and Harry Heilmann, combined for an 0-for-6 performance against Robertson that afternoon. Robertson worked with Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk that day. Before retiring the 27th batter of the game (pinch-hitter Johnny Bassler), the right-hander walked behind the mound and said to shortstop Eddie Mulligan: "Do you realize that little fat man up there is the only thing standing between me and a perfect game?" Too stunned to comment, Mulligan reportedly pushed Robertson back toward the mound. In his next three starts, Robertson gave up 11 runs in 22 innings. During his eight seasons in the majors, he never finished a season with a .500 record.


DON LARSEN
October 8, 1956

Larsen's perfect game is still the only one ever thrown during a World Series. It could not have happened on a grander stage as 64,000 fans streamed into Yankee Stadium that day to watch an epic showdown against the Dodgers. Larsen used 97 pitches and struck out 7. According to Yogi Berra, he didn't shake off a single sign all afternoon. The 2-0 win gave the Yankees a 3-2 Series lead. Larsen's opponents included Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Larsen, who led the AL with 21 losses for the Orioles in 1954, never started more than 20 games in a season while wearing a Yankee uniform. After his postseason perfecto, he didn't appear in a regular season game until April 20 of the following year. He was pulled from that game after facing five batters in the fifth inning and allowing 3 runs. His relief, Bob Turley, walked in another run. Larsen posted a 10-4 record in '57 with an unimpressive 3.74 ERA. He finished his career with a .471 winning percentage. Sportswriter Shirley Povich once remarked: "Don Larsen used to pitch so slow it ought to have been equipped with backup lights."   

JIM BUNNING
June 21, 1964

Bunning was a Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star who won at least 15 games on eight occasions. When he retired, he was second on the all time strikeout list behind Walter Johnson. Prior to his perfect game, he had tossed a no-hitter against the Red Sox in 1958. With Ted Williams and Jackie Jensen in the lineup, it was no ordinary feat. But Bunning's gem in '64 came practically gift-wrapped. After losing 231 games in '62 and '63, Casey Stengel's "Amazin' Mets" dropped 109 more games in '64. Six of the players Bunning faced that day were hitting below .230. In his next outing, Bunning gave up 11 hits and 4 runs to the Cardinals during a seven-inning stint. He followed with three quality starts, finishing the season at 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA. He averaged 17 wins per year between 1957 and 1967. After his retirement, he became the only major-leaguer ever elected to Congress.  

SANDY KOUFAX
September 9, 1965

Most people have heard Koufax's story--how he overcame chronic wildness after catcher Norm Sherry suggested he loosen his grip on the ball during spring training of 1961. Entering that season, Koufax carried a sub-.500 lifetime won/loss record. Upon making the simple adjustment, he quickly became the most dominant pitcher in the game. Koufax threw four no-hitters during his career and his perfect game did not come on a silver platter. The Cubs had Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks in the lineup. The Dodgers had an anemic offense in '65, staking Koufax to two runs or less in 13 of his appearances. Koufax's perfect game set records for fewest hits (1) and baserunners (3) by both teams. The only Dodger run was unearned. When staff mate Don Drysdale (who was away from the team at the time) heard about Koufax's perfect game, he famously quipped "Who won?" In his next seven appearances, Koufax allowed just 7 earned runs in 45 innings. He was MVP of the '65 World Series against the Twins, winning two games while averaging close to 11 strikeouts per 9 innings. Painful arthritis forced him into early retirement after the '66 campaign. 

EPILOGUE TO PERFECTION: How Perfect Game Pitchers Fared After Their Moment of Glory (Part I: Deadball Era)

LEE RICHMOND

While playing for the Worcester Ruby Legs on June 12, 1880, left-hander Lee Richmond spun the first perfect game in baseball history. He accomplished the feat against the Cleveland Blues--a second place club. The ballpark at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds is long gone, but a historical marker indicating the site of the game still stands. The match took less than 90 minutes to complete. Richmond had a distinct advantage in that the mound was located just 50 feet from home plate back then. His feat is somewhat remarkable considering that the gloves of the era were poorly designed and errors were quite common. The Ruby Legs got through the afternoon without a single miscue. 
The 1880 season was Richmond's finest. The perfect game was his third shutout in nine days and was included in a 42-inning scoreless streak. Four days after his perfecto, Richmond graduated from college. He eventually became a practicing physician. His 74 appearances in 1880 were tops in the NL. The heavy workload took its toll as Richmond lost his effectiveness and lasted just four more seasons in the majors. In 1882, he lost 33 games while posting a 3.74 ERA--horrendous for the era.   


JOHN MONTGOMERY WARD

Ward tossed his masterpiece just five days after Richmond. Facing the Buffalo Bisons at the Messer Street Grounds in Rhode Island, he got the best of opposing pitcher Pud Galvin--a Hall of Famer who won 40 games in a season twice during his career.  Ward was the ace of the Providence Grays staff in 1880 with 39 wins and a 1.74 ERA. Like Richmond, he benefited from the primitive conventions of the time. Eight "called balls" were required to earn a walk back then and the home team was sometimes determined by a coin toss. Ward made 70 appearances in 1880 and later crumbled under the strain. Reduced to 39 starts the following year, he doubled as an infielder until 1884. After that, he became a full time shortstop. In 1887, he led the NL with 111 stolen bases. He was a lifetime .275 hitter.

CY YOUNG

Young's perfect game on May 5, 1904 was the first to be thrown from a distance of 60 feet, six inches. Pitching for the Boston Americans that afternoon (later known as the Red Sox), he beat the Philadelphia A's--a team that featured three Hall of Famers on their pitching staff. Young squared off against eccentric left-hander Rube Waddell, facing the minimum 27 batters while striking out 8. The loud-mouthed Waddell had taunted Young before the game. When it was over, Young retorted with uncharacteristic brashness: "How do you like that one, you hayseed?" Young's perfect game was part of a 24-inning hitless streak and was included in a stretch of 45 consecutive scoreless frames. He had several more good seasons after 1904, retiring with 511 wins--an all time record. Including the perfect game, Young tossed three no-hitters during his illustrious career. 

ADDIE JOSS

On October 8, 1908, Joss tossed the second perfect game in American League history. The Cleveland ace opposed fellow Hall of Famer Ed Walsh of the White Sox that day. The game was tense, prompting one writer to remark in the exaggerated language of the day: "a mouse working his way along the grandstand floor would have sounded like a shovel scraping over concrete." Walsh was good that day, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, but Joss was even better, using 74 pitches to retire 27 men in order. Joss won 24 games in 1908 and led the AL with a 1.16 ERA. In 1910, he tore a ligament in his elbow. Still nursing a sore arm the following year, he feinted on the field before a spring training game. His personal physician diagnosed him with pleurisy, but the evaluation proved to be way off the mark as he died of tubercular meningitis less than two weeks later. Joss kept his ERA below the 2.00 mark in five of his nine major league seasons. He was elected to the Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee in 1978.