Baseball in Wartime - Service Games

Service Games in the United States

1942 1943 1944 1945

Army-Navy Game
Polo Grounds June 14, 1942
Army 0 Navy 4

Feller Steams Navy to 4 to 0 Win Over Army in Relief Game

Homer by Carlin off Mulcahy in First with Two On Deciding Blow of Five-Inning Contest; Rapid Robert Fans Seven and Gives Up Only Three Hits, all Singles

By Dave Camerer

of the New York World -Telegram

NEW YORK, NY - Navy hash and all that goes with it may have pulled the cork on his fast one, but it still looked awfully good to the Army, when they could see it. We're talking about Bobby Feller, who came to the Polo Grounds, June 14, with the Norfolk Training Station team to meet an Army outfit, flanked pretty much with major leaguers. The game was a five-inning curtain-dropper for the All-Sports Carnival, for the Army and Navy emergency funds - a five-and-one-half-hour Charley horse extravaganza, which drew 15,000. Had the weather been better, it would have been 50,000.

Feller says he doesn't expect to have much more than the seams on the ball when and if he gets back to his living occupation as pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. "You don't have time to take proper care of your arm," he said. "That's all right with me. I'm not in here to pamper the flipper. All I hope is that the customers won't expect too much and that the fast one - what's left of it - will look a little smaller than a beach ball."

So Robert trundled up the hill and started throwing. He fanned seven; gave three hits; yes, he won, 4 to 0. His curve was out of this world and his fast one certainly wasn't wearing ears. In short, he rammed that ball through there in the grand manner.

Silvestri Fans Three Times

But there was more than Feller for the fans who like their baseball major league. Corporal Hugh Mulcahy from Fort Devens, Mass., was the Army pitcher. The Sailors belted him for three runs in the first and one in the third, including six hits. But the Phil fugitive, apparently doing a fine job in the Army, had the satisfaction which comes to few pitchers who ever faced Feller. He collected one of the three Army hits.

Pvt. Ken Silvestri, ex-Yank catcher, now at Fort Custer, Mich., went down on strikes thrice, the last time to end the game as that old master of the midway, William Klem, donning the mask for the benefit, thumbed Silvestri away with pristine flourish. Klem didn't have to draw one of his "dare marks" in the dirt all afternoon.

Dolly Stark, cracked right knee and all, worked the bases along with Bo Molenda, Navy, and former International League umpire. Pvt. Steve Peek, another ex-Yank, now at Fort Niagara, N.Y., played first for the Army with Corp. Carvel Rowell, ex-Brave and now at Aberdeen, Md., at second. Rowell touched Feller for a hit, as did Lieut. Boze Berger of Fort Meyer, Va.

The Navy satcheled the game in the first when Hooks DeVaurs and Ace Parker singled and Jim Carlin, ex-Phil infielder, homered into the right field pews.

Feller showed the Army what he was thinking about in the first when he fanned the side after Rowell's handle-hit single. Silvestri, Pat Mullin, ex-Detroit outfielder, and Don Richmond, ex-Mack, got the heat treatment from Feller's hard one.

Here is the box score showing the clubs which held the players' contracts when they went into the Service:

ARMY	AB	R	H	O	A	E
Rowell 2b (Braves)	3	0	1	0	4	0
Silvestri c (Yankees)	3	0	0	1	0	0
Campbell lf (Indians)	0	0	0	2	0	0
Mullin cf (Tigers)	2	0	0	1	0	0
Richmond 3b (A's)	2	0	0	0	0	1
Peek 1b (Yankees)	2	0	0	10	0	0
Berger ss (Seattle)	2	0	1	1	6	0
Longacre rf (Syracuse)	2	0	0	0	0	1
Mulcahy p (Phils)	3	0	1	0	1	0
Totals	18	0	3	15	11	2

NAVY	AB	R	H	O	A	E
DeVaurs lf (Oakland)	2	1	1	0	0	0
Jordan lf (San Diego)	1	0	0	2	0	0
Parker ss (Portsmouth)	2	2	1	0	0	0
Carlin 3b (Spr'gfield E.L.)	3	1	2	1	1	0
Chapman cf (A's)	3	0	2	1	0	0
Smith c (Pirates)	2	0	0	8	0	0
Hutchinson 1b (Tigers)	2	0	0	3	0	0
Preibisch rf (Hartford)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Brown rf (Greensboro)	1	0	0	0	0	0
Rosa 2b (Charleston)	2	0	0	0	2	0
Feller p (Indians)	2	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	21	4	6	15	3	0

ARMY - 0 0 0 0 0 - 0
NAVY - 3 0 1 0 0 - 4

Service All-Stars - American League All-Stars
Cleveland Municipal Stadium July 7, 1942
Service All-Stars 0 American League All-Stars 5

62,094 See American Leaguers Win Easily From Rusty Service Rivals

By CHARLES DUNKLEY

CLEVELAND, July 8.—(AP)—The American league all-stars have proved by all tests that they are, currently, the mightiest in baseball. Before a patriotic throng of 62,094 spectators in Cleveland's mammoth municipal stadium last night, the triumphant American leaguers also proved their pitching was too sharp by eyes dulled by months of devotion to another task and their bats too potent for pitching arms grown a bit rusty in the armed services of their country.

The American leaguers routed proud Bullet Bob Feller of the navy, Cleveland's own fireballer, with a three-run outburst at the start, then went on to trounce Lieut. Gordon "Mickey" Cochrane's soldiers and sailors, 5 to 0.

OFF FELLER AND HARRIS

For six innings the American leaguers clung to a 3-to-0 lead collected at Feller's expense in the first two, and then sewed up the game in the seventh with a two-run attack on Mickey Harris, former Boston Red Sox lefty. "Iron Mike" Cochrane, once manager of the Detroit Tigers, and one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, took the defeat calmly. “We lost in the first inning," Cochrane explained. "We had the bases loaded and a single would have changed the whole story. We just muffed a big opportunity, that's all. You don't get a chance to beat a team like those American leaguers every day in the week. Poor Feller didn't have a thing. I've never seen him get belted like that. It proves that he wasn't there – that his duties in the navy have robbed him of his timing, his control."

RIGNEY LOOKED GOOD

Best-looking pitcher of the night was John Dungan Rigney, late of the Chicago White Sox, now a "gob" at the Great Lakes Naval training station. The 21-year-old Rigney went to Feller's rescue with no one out in the second, and pitched five runless innings, allowing the mighty American leaguers only three hits, one a miserable infield grounder that Rigney was unable to field. Rigney left the game in the sixth to make way for a pinch hitter, Johnny Lucadello, formerly of the St. Louis Browns.

The service all-stars threatened chiefly in the first inning when Jim Bagby Jr., of the Cleveland Indians was on the mound. Bagby, whose father made pitching history with Cleveland 22 years ago, got the bases loaded, with one out, chiefly through his wildness, which he blamed against "poor umpiring." He walked Benny McCoy of Philadelphia A's and then Don Padgett of the St Louis Cardinals sent a single screeching into left field. Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators also was passed, filling the bases. Up stepped Joe Grace of the St. Louis Browns. He waited for three balls and then looked at three strikes. Johnny Sturm, Yankees' first-baseman, ended it by grounding.

SORTA ROUGH WELCOME

The homecoming of Feller, making his first appearance In Cleveland's ball field since late last September, was pathetic. When he proudly strolled to the mound, cheers greeted him. After Lou Boudreau, 24-year-old Cleveland manager, had flied out, Tommy Henrich of the Yankees rolled a scratch single towards the box, which Feller was unable to reach. Ted Williams, the Boston clouter, was passed and Joe DiMaggio blasted a single to center, scoring Henrich. Then Rudy York, Tiger first-baseman lifted a high fly to right, with Williams scoring. In the second. Ken Keltner, Cleveland's sparkling third-baseman, slammed a triple into deep center and Buddy Rosar, Yankee catcher, whacked a single into the left field grass, with Keltner scoring. That finished Feller. Sailor Rigney came in to stop the proceedings. When Harris started in the seventh, Phil Rlzzuto of the Yanks slammed a double, stole third and counted on a triple by Williams, who previously had been passed three times. DiMaggio flied to Cecil Travis of Washington at third base, and George McQuinn of the St. Louis Browns, who had replaced York, at first, ripped off another three-bagger to right and Williams counted with the final tally. In all, the American leaguers collected 10 hits; the soldiers and sailors six.

SERVICE ALL-STARS	AB	H	O	A	E
Mullin (A) cf	3	0	2	0	0
Chapman (N) cf	1	0	1	0	0
McCoy (N) 2b	2	0	2	2	0
Mueller (A) 2b	1	1	0	0	0
Padgett (N) lf	4	1	2	0	0
Travis (A) ss	3	1	0	2	0
Grace (N) rf	3	0	1	0	0
x Arnovich (A)	1	0	0	0	0
Sturm (A) 1b	2	1	6	0	0
Hajduk (N) 1b	1	0	3	0	0
Andres (N) 3b	4	2	2	3	0
V Smith (N) c	1	0	0	0	0
Pytlak (N) c	2	0	5	1	0
Feller (N) p	1	0	0	0	0
Rigney (N) p	1	0	0	1	0
xx Lucadello (N)	1	0	0	0	0
Harris (A) p	0	0	0	0	0
Grodzicki (A) p	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	32	10	27	15	0

x Batted for Grace in ninth.
xx Batted for Rigney in seventh.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STARS	AB	H	O	A	E
Boudreau (Cl) ss	2	0	0	1	0
Rizzuto (NY) ss	2	1	1	4	0
Henrich (NY) rf	1	1	0	0	0
Spence (Wash) rf	2	1	0	0	0
Williams (Bost) lf	1	1	2	0	0
DiMaggio (NY) cf	4	1	2	0	0
York (Det) 1b	3	0	9	0	0
McQuinn (St L) 1b	1	1	5	0	0
Doerr (Bost) 2b	4	0	1	4	0
Keltner (Cl) 3b	4	2	3	3	0
Rosar (NY) c	4	2	4	0	0
Bagby (Cl) p	1	0	0	1	0
Hudson (Wash) p	2	0	0	2	0
Hughson (Bost) p	1	0	0	0	0
Totals	32	10	27	15	0

Service All-Stars - 000 000 000 - 0
American League - 210 000 20x - 5

Updated February 23, 2008