Looking Back: Johnny Beazley Day

On Oct. 7, 1942, the people of Nashville, Tennessee turned out in masses to welcome home a hero whose contribution to a victorious battle days earlier, helped win a war. No, he was not a soldier returning home from a confrontation with the Germans or Japanese in World War II.
The Nashvillian was St. Louis Cardinals' rookie pitcher Johnny Beazley, who won the fifth and closing game of the 1942 World Series against the New York Yankees. Beazley was 21-6 with a 2.16 ERA finishing second in the National League in wins, winning percentage and ERA.
Born on May 25, 1918 in West Nashville, Beazley attended Park Avenue Elementary School and Cohn Junior High. He eventually moved to Hume Fogg High School where his coach switched him from the outfield to the pitcher's mound. 
Periodically, local players would have an opportunity to impress various major league scouts at tryout sessions at Nashville's old Sulphur Dell ballpark. Beazley took advantage of one of these sessions and was signed to a professional contract.
Starting in 1937 at Leesburg, Fla., in the Florida State League, Beazley would later move to Tallahassee in the Georgia-Florida League. He was not successful at either location, but his raw talent and determination gave the scouts more patience.
Beazley became a winner at his next stop at Lexington, Tenn., in the Kitty League and eventually was declared a free agent. He then signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, members of the St. Louis Cardinals farm system in the Southern Association.
When the Cardinals expanded their roster in Sept. 1941, Beazley was summoned to "The Show." The Cardinals were battling the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant, but lost the flag during the final week of the season. The promising Beazley made his major league debut on the last day of the season beating the Chicago Cubs, 3-1. He scattered 10 hits while pitching a complete game.
Beazley joined the Cardinals' roster during the following spring, earning a spot in the starting rotation. His 21 victories helped the Cards narrowly win the National League pennant by two games over the Dodgers. Billy Southworth's Cardinals were matched against Joe McCarthy's latest version of the Yankees' "Murderer's Row." 
The Yanks won the opening game of the World Series in St. Louis' Sportsman Park behind the pitching of Red Ruffing, 7-4. Beazley, the 23-year old right-hander, was slated to start Game 2 of the Series. The Cardinals spotted Beazley a three-run lead and his clutch pitching held until the eighth. With two outs and Joe DiMaggio and Roy Cullenbine on base, Yankees left fielder Charlie Keller tied the score with a home run off the right field roof of Sportsman Park.
In the last half of the eighth, Cardinal Enos Slaughter doubled after two outs then rookie left fielder Stan Musial followed with a single through the box that brought Slaughter home with the eventual winning run.
With Beazley's mother in attendance, he took the mound in the ninth to face the dangerous Yankees. Bill Dickey led off the inning with an infield hit behind second base. Tuck Stainback entered the game as a pinch runner for Dickey.
The next Yankee batter, first baseman Buddy Hassett, singled to right and Stainback rounded second and raced for third base. Right fielder Slaughter, scooped up the ball near the right field fence and sailed a strike to third baseman Whitey Kurowski. The perfect throw cut down the sliding Stainback by twenty feet.
Beazley was now facing pinch-hitter Red Ruffing with one out and a runner on first. Ruffing drilled a line drive to right, but the reliable Slaughter chased down the ball for the second out. Beazley then got Phil Rizzuto to hit a slow roller off a change-up for the final out to even the Series at 1-1.
The Cardinals' fans reacted to the win by tossing thousands of seat cushions onto the field. In the locker room, Beazley pulled his lucky brown rabbit's foot out of his pocket. He told reporters that a lady Cardinal fan gave it to him before the Series. Beazley made sure he packed the rabbit's foot in his trunk for the train ride to New York.
Game 3 also went to the Cardinals as pitcher Ernie White tossed a six-hit gem shutting out the Yankees, 2-0. Big innings were exchanged in Game 4, but the Cardinals took charge in the seventh. Walter Cooper's single scored Slaughter and Marty Marion hit a long fly to score Musial for the decisive two runs. The Cardinals advantage over the Bronx Bombers was now three games to one.
With the Fall Classic title in reach, Southworth gave the ball to Beazley in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees were ahead 2-1 when Beazley ran into trouble with the Yanks batting in the fifth. Ruffing beat out a hit to third after one out, but Rizzuto hit a sharp grounder to first baseman John Hopp for an apparent double play. His throw to second base, however, was wild and both runners were safe.
Another infield error filled the bases with still only one out. Beazley forced batter Cullenbine to pop out for the second out, bringing DiMaggio to the plate. Beazley's breaking ball was weakly hit to third baseman Whitey Kurowski, who scooped up the ball and stepped on third base for out number three.
St. Louis tied the game in the sixth at two a piece and carried that score into the ninth. With a runner on base, Kurowski smashed a line drive home run into the left field seats to stun the 63,000 Yankee faithful. The Cardinals led 3-2.
Turning to the bottom of the ninth, Beazley glared with confidence and would not deny his teammates a championship. First baseman Joe Gordon led of the Yankee inning with a single. Dickey's grounder to second baseman Jimmy Brown was muffed for the Cards' fourth error of the game. 
This appeared to be the break the Yanks needed with two on and no outs. Beazley's pitch to the next batter Gerry Priddy, was wide and Cardinals' catcher Walker Cooper threw a perfect strike to shortstop Marion tagging out a horrified Gordon who was playing too far off second base.
Priddy then hit a short blooper to a diving Brown at second. Beazley was now facing pinch-hitter George Selkirk who grounded out to Brown for the Series final out. Beazley was swamped on the field by his teammates celebrating the Nashville youngster's second World Series victory.
Just two days later Beazley was in Nashville to be honored on "Johnny Beazley Day." The Nashville Tennessean gave front-page coverage to the event. Writer Will Grimsley wrote:
"A 23-year old modest, apple-cheeked boy whose ability to throw a baseball hard and straight carried him to the pinnacle of athletic fame returned home yesterday-and last night at a gigantic rally at the War Memorial Building was accorded a hero's welcome such as no other local sports figure has ever received.
"A crowd estimated at 2,300, packing the downstairs and filling much of the balcony, came out to see, to hear and to cheer Johnny Beazley, the native son who spearheaded the dashing Cardinals to the National League championship and then mowed down the Yankees' mighty 'Murder's Row' twice during the World Series.
"They heard him describe emotions, incidents and highlights of the World Series; they listened to his virtues extolled by state county, city officials and sports celebrities; they saw him awarded trophies and gifts of appreciation; then, when the fast, snappy party was over, they swarmed him for his autograph.
"And Johnny, leaving the mayor and other dignitaries back on the stage fumbling with their hats, plopped down on the orchestra pit and began spinning off his name on baseballs, on scraps of paper, on ladies' purses, on anything proffered him."
Beazley was presented with a plaque from the The Tennessean on behalf of the fans of Nashville. Sports editor Raymond Johnson made the presentation. Dr. Sumpter Anderson of the Sulphur Dell Club presented Beazley with a tall trophy for his outstanding achievement in his rookie season in the Major Leagues.
War Horse Rogers, president of the Old Timers Baseball Association, presented Beazley with a travel bag. Nashville mayor Tom Cummings presented Beazley's mother, Sue, with a basket of gladiolas and roses for 'giving us such a fine son.' Horace Holly's band began playing "We'll Have a Hot Time."
Other speakers included Joe. C. Carr, the Secretary of State, T. Graham Hal,l president of the Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Prentice Pugh, rector of the Episcopal Church of the Advent and Larry Gilber,t manager of the Nashville Vols. Said Gilbert, "I bought Johnny Beazley from Abbyville for $2,400 and now you couldn't buy him for $100,000. Without Beazley the Cardinals couldn't have won the World Series, couldn't have won the National League pennant."
Raymond Johnson wrote in his "One Man's Opinion" column:
"What price glory?
"Johnny Beazley never gave those words even passing thought. At least not until he had handcuffed the New York Yankees in the fifth and final game of the 1942 World Series. Now Johnny is beginning to realize their meaning. He is learning how it feels to be transplanted from a quiet, unassuming every-day youngster to the nation's No.1 baseball hero. It's all more or less a dream to Johnny who left here last February as a raw rookie but one who was imbued with the necessary confidence to make him the outstanding figure of the diamond for 1942.
"Johnny was the guest of honor at a mammoth reception in the War Memorial Building auditorium last night as his home town honored him as it has no other athlete. He was a tired and worn out youngster, one whose mind was all a whirl as he greeted his countless friends and admirers. He had spent approximately 34 hours since he polished off the Yankees Monday afternoon on trains. He was so busy after his arrival in St. Louis late Tuesday that he didn't have an opportunity to eat as much as a sandwich until he left for Nashville shortly before midnight."
Said Beazley upon his arrival at Nashville Union Station, "Maybe after a couple of weeks when all the shouting dies down I'll fully realize what has happened. I'm truthful when I say that it all seems just a dream to me, but it is a dream I would have liked to have re-enacted in future years, perhaps after the war."
Beazley was given a $6,100 World Series check that he dutifully gave to his mother. During this remarkable season, Beazley committed to the service as a large number of major leaguers did, as the war was less than a year old. The army was waiting for him when the season concluded.
Beazley hurt his arm playing baseball in the service and at the conclusion of the war, Beazley returned to baseball and the Cards. In 1946, he recorded a 7-5 record, but it was apparent that his magic of 1942 was gone. He did make an appearance later that season in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He pitched one scoreless inning in Game 5 of a Red Sox win, but St. Louis won the World Series, 4 games to 3.
Beazley was passed on to the Boston Braves the next year where he played sparingly for three seasons. Beazley's major league statistics consisted of a six-year record of 31-12 in 76 appearances, with a 3.01 ERA. He hoped to revive his career in 1949 by playing with the hometown Southern Association Nashville Vols. But he could never overcome his arm troubles. He recorded a 1-3 record in five games in a Nashville uniform.
Through his contacts in St. Louis, Beazley became associated with Falstaff Brewing Corporation where he became General Manager of the Nashville branch. Later he purchased the distributorship and continued in this business until his retirement. He was also a member of the Nashville Metropolitan Council in 1974-76. Beazley passed away in 1990, at age 71. 

Traughber's Tidbit: In May 1940, the Sulphur Dell ballpark hosted a double-header between the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Toledo Crawfords of the Negro Leagues. Between the pair of games, former Ohio State trackman and 1936 Olympic champion Jesse Owens displayed his speed in a series of races before an estimated crowd of 4, 000. The Nashville Globe reported:
"In the 100 yard dash Owens beat Brandon Horton and William Rhodes of A & I State College (later Tennessee State) by running the distance in the unofficial time of 9.8 seconds. In a 100 yard four hurdle handicap Owens went in stride and came in first ahead of Marcell of the Elites and two other ball players who ran straight and not over the hurdles as Owens did. The time on this feature was 10. 4 seconds. After the exhibition, Owens talked briefly of the highlight of his athletic career, which he said was climaxed in Berlin Germany during the 1936 Olympics"

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