Corey Hart doubled with one out in the eighth inning of a 1-1 game. Nyjer Morgan walked, bringing up the Hebrew Hammer, Ryan Braun.
After fouling off Clay Hensley’s first pitch, Braun took three-consecutive pitches out of the strike zone. The Marlins Hensley had to come in with a strike. Braun hit a home run that clinched the Central Division title for the Milwaukee Brewers.
A light mist was falling over Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, helping to cause premature darkness and gloominess.
Hub Walker led off the Detroit Tigers half of the ninth inning with a pinch-hit single to center field. Skeeter Webb laid down a bunt toward first base. St. Louis Browns’ first baseman George McQuinn’s throw to second was ruled late, putting Tigers on first and second with no outs. The Browns protests were to no avail.
Eddie Mayo sacrificed the runners over, bringing up Roger Cramer. Browns’ manager Luke Sewell decided to intentionally walk Cramer to set up a potential inning ending double play.
Hank Greenberg rubbed his bat with a piece of bone to smooth it out. He stepped into the batter’s box, took a ball from Nels Potter and then hit the next pitch, a screwball from a right-handed pitcher, deep down the left field line. It was fair and the Tigers had a three-run lead.
Greenberg’s hit gave the Tigers the 1945 pennant.
Ryan Braun hit a historic home run that clinched the division, but its significance pales next to Greenberg’s.
The Brewers had a comfortable six game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals with six games left for each team.
The Tigers led the Washington Senators by one game, two in the lost column, entering the last day of the season. The Tigers were scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Browns. The Senators had completed their season the previous day.
Greenberg’s home run came in the first game of a doubleheader to win the pennant. The second game of the twin bill was rained out and never played.
Greenberg had joined the Tigers in July after missing almost four seasons.The home run was his 30th of the season.
After only 19 games in 1941, Greenberg was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He told a reporter for Life Magazine that he didn’t consider being drafted a sacrifice.
“I never asked for a deferment. I made up my mind to go when I was called. My country comes first.”
Three months later, Congress ruled that men over 28-year of age were exempt from military service. On Dec. 5, 1941, Greenberg, who was 30-years-old, was discharged.
On Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Greenberg enlisted.
Ryan Braun is a great player. He has almost unlimited potential and if he remains healthy, he is a certain Hall of Famer. He was the Rookie of the Year, has been an All-Star four times in five seasons, has three Silver Slugger Awards and already has 160 career home runs.
All Americans, not only those who are Jewish, can be proud of Ryan Braun and Hank Greenberg.
Reference:
Tigers annex flag on four-run homer. (1945, Oct 01). New York Times (1923-Current File), pp. 23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/107100811?accountid=46260
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