Cardinals Trade Dizzy Dean
Things aren’t going well for the Cardinals. Last season, Dizzy Dean got hurt and he is showing signs that he will not be able to produce at his former abilities. On April 16, they trade him to the Chicago Cubs for Tuck Stainback, Curt Davis, Clyde Shoun and $185,000. The 27-yr old Dean only wins 16 wins for the rest of his playing career.
Enos Slaughter Debut
Three days later, Enos Slaughter makes his major league debut and goes 3-for-5 (BOXSCORE).
MLB Uses Yellow Baseballs
Major leagues decide to experiment with using yellow colored baseballs and the first game is on August 2 at Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn with the Cardinals. The only response we find is from Johnny Mize who called them “stitched lemons”. Mize did homer in the game. BOXSCORE
Why yellow covered baseballs?
When Ray Chapman was killed by a Carl Mays pitch in 1920, there was a huge push to always place a new ball in play because the fresh white ball would be brighter and easier to pick out of a background to reduce the possibility of a similar tragedy. But some wondered if that was good enough. A bright yellow baseball, which would really stand out, was experimented as early as the late 1920s and used on rare occasion over the next decade at the college level. Brooklyn Dodgers president Larry MacPhail, who was always looking for ideas to enliven the game, decided he would give the yellow ball a shot in the midst of the 1938 campaign.
The yellow ball had been devised by Frederick Ruhr, a “color scientist”—something that conjures up visions of guys in lab coats looking through microscopes at color charts. The idea was that the yellow ball would not only be safe for hitters but more visible for fielders—and it might promote more offense, something baseball owners always welcomed. And while the first two side effects were true, the third wasn’t; it was discovered that the ball’s yellow dye would start to run and make the ball moist—and therefore deader. Scoring didn’t jump through the roof when the Dodgers played the St. Louis Cardinals, nor did it in two additional games played over the next year with the yellow ball. Enthusiasm waned, and the yellow ball became a collector’s item.
Frankie Frisch Fired
The Cardinals are struggling and manager Frankie Frisch is fired as the team is mired in sixth place. He is replaced by Cuban born Mike Gonzalez for the rest of the season.
The Cardinals finish 71-80 and 17.5 game out of first place. A month later, Ray Blades, former outfielder, is hired to manage next season.
Here is the PBP for the yellow baseball game:
CARDINALS 1ST: yellow baseballs were used in this game; Moore singled to left; Brown flied to left; Gutteridge popped to catcher in foul territory; Medwick lined to first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 0. DODGERS 1ST: Rosen flied to center; Hudson doubled to left; Stainback grounded out (shortstop to first) [Hudson to third]; Camilli flied to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 0. CARDINALS 2ND: Mize flied to center; Padgett flied to left; Myers grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 0. DODGERS 2ND: Lavagetto walked; Durocher grounded out (second to first) [Lavagetto to second]; Koy singled to center [Lavagetto scored]; Koy was picked off first (pitcher to first to second); Shea grounded out (third to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 1. CARDINALS 3RD: Bremer grounded out (pitcher to first); Henshaw grounded out (pitcher to first); Moore grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 1. DODGERS 3RD: Fitzsimmons popped to catcher in foul territory; Rosen walked; Hudson walked [Rosen to second]; Stainback singled to center [Rosen scored, Hudson to third]; Camilli flied to center [Hudson scored]; Lavagetto forced Stainback (third to second); 2 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. CARDINALS 4TH: Brown reached on an error by Durocher; Gutteridge flied to right; Medwick grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first) [Brown out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. DODGERS 4TH: Durocher grounded out (shortstop to first); Koy flied to right in foul territory; Shea walked; Fitzsimmons grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. CARDINALS 5TH: Mize walked; Padgett struck out; Myers grounded out (pitcher to first) [Mize to second]; Bremer lined to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. DODGERS 5TH: Rosen singled to center; Hudson lined to right; Stainback grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Rosen out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. CARDINALS 6TH: Henshaw grounded out (shortstop to first); Moore walked; Brown singled to right [Moore to second]; Gutteridge forced Brown (shortstop to second) [Moore to third]; Medwick lined to second; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 3. DODGERS 6TH: Camilli flied to center; Lavagetto doubled to left; Durocher grounded out (second to first) [Lavagetto to third]; Koy tripled [Lavagetto scored]; Shea walked; On a bunt Fitzsimmons singled to third [Koy scored, Shea to second]; Rosen reached on an error by Mize [Shea scored (unearned) (no RBI), Fitzsimmons to third, Rosen to second]; HARRELL REPLACED HENSHAW (PITCHING); Hudson grounded out (third to first); 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 0, Dodgers 6. CARDINALS 7TH: Mize homered; Padgett grounded out (second to first); Myers flied to right; Bremer grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Cardinals 1, Dodgers 6. DODGERS 7TH: Stainback flied to left; Camilli tripled to center; Lavagetto grounded out (third to first); Durocher walked; Koy grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 1, Dodgers 6. CARDINALS 8TH: S. MARTIN BATTED FOR HARRELL; S. Martin lined to second; Moore flied to left; Brown tripled; Gutteridge singled to left [Brown scored]; Medwick singled to pitcher [Gutteridge to second]; Mize flied to left; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 6. DODGERS 8TH: MACON REPLACED S. MARTIN (PITCHING); Shea walked; On a bunt Fitzsimmons forced Shea (catcher to shortstop); Rosen singled to center [Fitzsimmons to second]; Hudson popped to first; Stainback singled [Fitzsimmons to third, Rosen to second]; Camilli flied to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 6. CARDINALS 9TH: Padgett flied to right; Myers grounded out (shortstop to first); BORDAGARAY BATTED FOR BREMER; Bordagaray singled to right; SLAUGHTER BATTED FOR MACON; Slaughter doubled to right [Bordagaray to third]; Moore popped to first in foul territory; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 6. Final Totals R H E LOB Cardinals 2 8 1 8 Dodgers 6 10 1 10