Editor’s note: The 1948 Tournament games are being played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Injuries will only be used during the game when they occur. For this tournament, the rules include a three-man pitching rotation using the best lineups available. The first and second round series will be the best two of three games. The semifinals are best of five, while the championship series is the best of seven.
The St. Louis Cardinals took control of the championship series with a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1948 Tournament.
Howie Pollet (2-1) gets the ball for the Cardinals in game three, while the Phillies counter with Robin Roberts (2-1) as the best of seven series moves to Philadelphia for the next three contests in Shibe Park.
With the score tied at 3-3, the Cardinals rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth against Philadelphia starter Dutch Leonard (3-1), who would go the distance for the Phillies.
Ron Northey‘s RBI single put St. Louis on top before Leonard gave the Cardinals another run on a wild pitch that allowed Nippy Jones to race home.
St. Louis grabbed an early advantage with three runs in the second inning as Don Lang got one home on a fielder’s choice before RBI singles by Del Rice and Red Schoendienst made it 3-0.
Philadelphia needed a long time to get to Cardinals starter Harry Brecheen, who would give way to Ted Wilks with two outs in the top of the eighth.
Willie Jones had a RBI single to produce the first run for the Phillies. Harry Walker‘s two-run double tied it and sent Brecheen to the showers.
Wilks (1-0) picked up the win by retiring the only for batters he faced and ending the contest by fanning Andy Seminick.
1948 Tournament
Championship Series
G1 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 11, (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 6
G2 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals 5, (N6) Philadelphia Phillies 3
G3 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals at (N6) Philadelphia Phillies
G4 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals at (N6) Philadelphia Phillies
G5 – (N2) St. Louis Cardinals at (N6) Philadelphia Phillies
G6 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies at (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
G7 – (N6) Philadelphia Phillies at (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
Semifinal Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (N6) Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies win series 3-1; 0-8, 8-4, 3-2, 4-0.
(N8) Chicago Cubs vs (N2) St. Louis Cardinals
Cardinals win series 2-1, 5-8, 4-3, 4-0, 2-0
Second Round Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (A5) Detroit Tigers, Braves 15-6, 9-2
(N6) Philadelphia Phillies vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox, Phillies 11-3, 4-3
(N8) Chicago Cubs vs (N5) New York Giants, Cubs 5-2, 3-0
(N3) Brooklyn Dodgers vs. (N2) St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals 5-4, 5-3
First Round Results
(N1) Boston Braves vs. (A8) Chicago White Sox, Braves 12-4, 5-0
(A5) Detroit Tigers vs. (N4) Pittsburgh Pirates, Tigers 11-4, 1-0
(A3) New York Yankees vs. (N6) Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies 6-2, 5-2
(N7) Cincinnati Reds vs. (A2) Boston Red Sox, Red Sox 20-1, 3-4, 9-5
(A1) Cleveland Indians vs. (N8) Chicago Cubs, Cubs 4-0, 1-3, 11-0
(N5) New York Giants vs. (A4) Philadelphia A’s, Giants 5-2, 6-1
(N3) Brooklyn Dodgers vs. (A6) St. Louis Browns, Dodgers 5-0, 6-3
(A7) Washington Senators vs. (N2) St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals 3-0, 5-4