Over The Top
1940 Cincinnati RedsHome Field: Crosley Field
World ChampionsHit: #3 R; #5 BA
W - 100 L - 53Pitch: #1 OR; #1 ERA
Manager: Bill McKechnieDef: #1 FA

Cincinnati won its first pennant in two decades during 1939. Not bad for a franchise that had endured four last place finishes in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, the Yankees awaited them in the World Series and swept the Reds for their fourth straight title. Entering the 1940 campaign, the Reds aimed higher.

Bucky Walters and Paul Derringer led a one-two punch on the mound, providing Cincinnati with the best pitching in the National League. Walters led the league in wins and ERA for a second straight season, going 22-10 with a 2.48 ERA. Derringer, who had won a World Series title as a member of the Cardinals in 1931, contributed 20 wins. Junior Thompson, in just his second major league season, was a solid #3 man as the Reds allowed nearly 100 fewer runs than any other senior circuit club.

First baseman Frank McCormick was the league's MVP. He hit .309, tied for the league's lead in hits, and drove in 127 runs. Catcher Ernie Lombardi, two seasons removed from a batting title, ranked third in the loop with a .319 mark. Under Bill McKechnie, the Reds ran away from the field, winning the pennant by 12 games.

Unfortunately all was not well with one of the Reds. On August 3, while on a roadtrip in Boston, backup catcher Willard Herschberger committed suicide. A month later, Lombardi injured his ankle. This combination pressed Jimmie Wilson into action. The 39 year old coach had played in just seven games over the past two seasons, and he would play a big role in the World Series.

Over in the American League, the Yankees were down considerably from the previous season and wound up finishing third behind Detroit and Cleveland in a tight pennant race. Detroit won the opener and the teams traded victories thereafter. Walters shutout the Tigers in Game 6 forced a decisive seventh game. In that contest, Derringer outdueled Bobo Newsom by a 2-1 margin. The game winner scored in the seventh on a Billy Myers sacrifice fly scored Jimmy Ripple. Derringer and Walters won two games apiece, while Wilson, who caught six of the seven games, batted .353 for the series. Third baseman Bill Werber hit .370 and scored five runs for the victors.


Cincinnati's starting nine before a World Series game


Pos Player Bats AB H R HR RBI BA    NL Rank
C Ernie Lombardi R 376 120 50 14 74 .319    #3 BA
1B Frank McCormick R 618 191 93 19 127 .309    #2 RBI, #5 SA
2B Lonnie Frey L 563 150 102 8 54 .266    #4 R, #1 SB
SS Billy Myers R 282 57 33 5 30 .202  
3B Billy Werber R 584 162 105 12 48 .277    #3 R
LF Mike McCormick R 417 125 48 1 30 .300  
CF Harry Craft R 422 103 47 6 48 .244  
RF Ival Goodman L 519 134 78 12 63 .258  
                   
SS-2B Eddie Joost R 278 60 24 1 24 .216  
OF Morrie Arnovich R 211 60 17 0 21 .284  
C Willard Herschberger R 123 38 6 0 26 .309  
OF Johnny Rizzo R 110 31 17 4 17 .282  
OF Jimmy Ripple L 101 31 15 4 20 .307  
3B Lew Riggs L 72 21 8 1 9 .292  
C Bill Baker R 69 15 5 0 7 .217  
                   
Total: Team   5372 1427 707 89 649 .266  
  League Average   42986 11328 5421 688 5039 .264  

Pitcher Throw G IP W L ERA PCT    NL Rank
  Bucky Walters R 36 305 22 10 2.48 .688    #1 W, #1 ERA, #5t K
  Paul Derringer R 37 297 20 12 3.08 .625    #2t W, #5t K
  Junior Thompson R 31 225 16 9 3.32 .640  
  Jim Turner R 24 187 14 7 2.89 .667    #5 ERA
  Whitey Moore R 25 117 8 8 3.62 .500  
  Joe Beggs R 37 77 12 3 1.99 .800  
  Johnny Hutchings R 19 54 2 1 5.63 .667  
  Milt Shoffner L 20 54 1 0 3.50 1.000  
  Johnny VanderMeer L 10 48 3 1 3.75 .750  
                   
Total: Team       100 53 3.05    
  League Average           3.85    

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