Scoring the 1945 Navy All Star Championship Series

Collecting an entire set or series of anything is a common behavior of those who obsesses over filling in the gaps or holes in collections. Manufacturers of keepsakes devise plans and construct schemes that are fashioned to touch specific nerves of those who are entirely obsessive-compulsive or just possess enough of the “disorder” to trigger exhaustive searches.  Sports card companies created sets that contained upwards of 400 cards (along with checklists) that triggered kids to buy more wax packs in order to compete their sets. In the 1950s and 60s, kids would scour neighborhoods for empty soda bottles seeking to cash in on the deposit refunds in order to buy more packs of cards. Despite efforts such as these, it still proved difficult to compete a set, leading kids to engage in other activities (such as trading with other collectors).

Though I did collect baseball cards, I don’t recall ever having completed the assembling a set but the OCD behavior remains within me.  With my current baseball militaria interest combined with the decade spent researching and documenting artifacts (either collected or relegated to missed opportunities), my knowledge in what exists has grown and I have been documenting various artifacts and effectively creating my own checklists of sorts. As I scan through my (physical) archive of military baseball scorecards and scorebooks, I am amazed not solely by what I have but also by the gaps where there should be additional pieces. Unlike card collecting where there were thousands upon thousands of copies of each card issued, scorecards and programs were printed in very limited numbers and, due to their intended use, were discarded following each game in large percentages.

With WWII’s official end following the signing of the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay, leadership across the services worked in earnest to transition the ranks from the role of a fighting a fighting force to one of occupation, peace-keeping and reconstruction. Most of those in uniform were awaiting word of when they would be released and returned to their pre-war lives which included the thousands of former professional ballplayers who were spread across the two principal war theaters.  Three weeks after VJ-Day (September 2, 1945), Navy leadership took advantage of the opportunity to entertain those personnel who were on duty or R&R in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands. With so many of the game’s best and brightest stars still serving in the South Pacific and fresh from competition in the service team leagues, Vice Admiral Sherwood Ayerst Taffinder, Commandant of the Fourteenth Naval District along with the commanders of Third (Halsey), Fifth (Spruance) and Seventh (Kinkaid) Fleets conceived an idea to assemble the greats of the game who were still serving in the Pacific on active duty in the Navy.

Beginning on September 26, 1945, the series between the American League and National League All Star players serving within the Navy’s active duty ranks descended upon Furlong Field at the U.S. Army Air Forces base at Hickam Field for a seven-game series. The championship was more of a hybridization of Major League Baseball’s World Series and All-Star Game as the rosters were replete with stars from all levels of baseball including both the major and minor leagues (see: A Pesky Group of Type-1 WWII Navy Baseball Photos).

What is fascinating about the series is the seemingly abundance of a variety of artifacts originating from the games. In recent years, such treasures from the games have ranged from signed baseballs, photographs and ephemera such as ticket stubs, programs and scorecards.

This American vs National League All Stars scorecard was created for the seven-game series in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, played at Furlong Field. It is a single sheet, bi-fold piece, printed on a very rudimentary, inexpensive paper stock. The original owner scored the on field proceedings from game 5 of the series.

Scorekeeping was devised by Henry Chadwick in 1870 to provide a means for statistical analysis of the performance of ball-players.  While the term, “score-keeping” seems to infer management of the overall progress of the number of runs scored by each participating team, the practice is custom method of shorthand that employs a pre-printed grid on which to plot the progression of the game along with the performance of each individual player.  From the early years up to present day, pre-printed scorecards have remained relatively unchanged.

• Baseball Basics: Keeping Score
• Video: Keeping Score – Part I
• Video: Keeping Score – Part II

This program with scorebook example from the same series has a more professional appearance and design and is even more scarce than the rare hand-illustrated scorecard from the same 1945 All Star series (image source: Hunt Auctions).

A present-day scorecard may be purchased at the game for a few dollars, depending upon whether one is visiting a major or minor league ballpark or, as is with my own local minor league team, are given away with paid admission to the game. While most scorecards are disposed of soon after the game, some folks collect them.  A scored (used) card is an historic record of a game, preserving a moment in time for others (who can read scorekeeper’s shorthand) to look back upon. Scorebooks, scorecards and programs are highly collectible, especially when they are attributed to a notable game or series.

With the 1945 Navy All Star Championship series in Hawaii, two different scorecards or scorebooks have surfaced in the last few years that are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of quality and professional appearance.  One, a blue halftone booklet that features two photos of battleships in action with the title, “Here Comes the Navy” in script across the top.  The booklet was produced specifically for the All Star Baseball Series at Pearl Harbor.  The other piece is more specifically a scorecard that is entirely hand-illustrated (by an unknown, as of yet, “LT Topper, U.S.N.R.”) including the front and rear covers and the inside scoring grid and rosters. The cartoon-like drawings on the front and back covers feature whimsical caricatures of sailor-ballplayers and an umpire, reminiscent of 1930s comic strip characters.

The cover art on this scorecard is hand-illustrated showcasing the popular caricaturization present in the era and commonly seen on newspaper sportspages.

The LT Topper-illustrated scorecard shares its paper medium with several other Pearl-Harbor originated scorecards which is very rough and yellowed with age, indicative of its low-cost to-produce. In the last ten days, three examples of this version have been listed and sold at (online) auction with two of them being scored from the same game. Due to the scarcity of any scorecards from the 1945 Navy All Star series, they tend to garner significant activity from collectors which drives the bidding fairly high ($80-$120), in contrast to major league scorecards from the era (which tend to hover around $30-$60).

Since there were seven games in total, some collectors might be driven to seek out scorecards that were scored for each game from the 1945 Series which could push the total investment (if one is successful in landing the associated card for each) towards $1,000.

The star-power of the rosters of these games far surpassed what was fielded at the major league baseball All Star Game in 1944. The game that was scored on this card was the fifth of the seven game series.

The scorecard provides clarity as to the players who were brought in for the series. In the previous Chevrons and Diamonds article, the rosters (that I published) were an assemblage of names, culled together from news clippings and other accounts.

American League Roster:

1	Johnny Pesky	Boston Red Sox
2	Ned Harris	Detroit Tigers
3	Tom Carey	Boston Red Sox
4	Jack Conway	Cleveland Indians
5	George Staller	Philadelphia Athletics
6	Lumon Harris	Philadelphia Athletics
7	Rollie  Hemsley	New York Yankees
8	Bob Kennedy	Chicago White Sox
9	Al Lyons	New York Yankees
10	Bob Lemon	Cleveland Indians
11	Chet Hadjuk	Chicago White Sox
12	Eddie McGah	Boston Red Sox
13	Harry Hughes	Atlanta
14	Sherry Robertson	Washington Senators
15	Bill Marks	Rochester
16	Barney Lutz	St. Louis Browns
17	Eddie Weiland	Chicago White Sox
18	Hank Feimster	Boston Red Sox
19	Fred Hutchinson	Detroit Tigers
20	“Schoolboy” Rowe	Detroit Tigers	Manager
21	Ken Sears	New York Yankees
22	Jack Phillips	New York Yankees
23	Ted Williams	Boston Red Sox
24	Dick Wakefield	Detroit Tigers
25	Jack Hallett	Pittsburgh Pirates (Chi. White Sox)
26	Mickey McGowan	Texas League (Atlanta Crackers)
27	Warren Delbert		Bat Boy

National League:

1	Jerry Lonigro		Bat Boy
2	Ray Hamrick	Philadelphia Phillies
3	Larry Varnell		Coach
4	Ray (Bobby) Coombs	Jersey City (NY Giants)
5	Whitey Platt	Chicago Cubs
6	Wes Livengood	Milwaukee Brewers (Cin. Reds)
7	Hank Schenz	Portsmith Cubs (Chicago Cubs)
8	Charley Gilbert	Chicago Cubs
9	Wimpy Quinn	Los Angeles (Chicago Cubs)
10	Eddie Shokes	Syracuse Chiefs
11	Clyde Shoun	Cincinnati Reds
12	Russ Meers	Chicago Cubs
14	Stan Musial	St. Louis Cardinals
15	Bob Usher	Birmingham Barons
16	Billy Herman	Brooklyn Dodgers	Manager
17	Steve Tramback	Jersey City (NY Giants)
18	Cookie Lavegetto	Brooklyn Dodgers
19	Gil Brack	Brooklyn Dodgers
20	Bob Sheffing	Chicago Cubs
21	Dick West	Cincinnati Reds
22	Lou Tost	Boston Braves
23	Johnnie McCarthy		Coach
24	Ray Lamanno	Cincinnati Reds
25	Hugh Casey	Brooklyn Dodgers
26	Jim Carlin	Philadelphia Phillies
27	Billy Barnacle	Minneapolis Millers
28	Dee Moore	Philadelphia Phillies
29	Aubrey Epps	Pittsburgh Pirates

The task to gather them all is a daunting one and I doubt that there will be any measure of success in focusing on this goal.

With nearly 150,000 troop in attendance, the series was a success as service members began to rotate home.

	Date	Location	Attendance	Outcome
Game 1	September 26, 1945	Furlong Field	26,000	NL over AL 6-5
Game 2	September 28, 1945	Furlong Field	28,000	NL over AL 4-0
Game 3	September 29, 1945	Furlong Field	28,000	NL over AL 6-2
Game 4	October 3, 1945	Furlong Field	18,000	AL over NL 12-1
Game 5	October 5, 1945	Furlong Field	22,000	NL over AL 4-3
Game 6	October 6, 1945	Furlong Field	25,000	AL over NL 5-2

Games, dates outcomes and attendance.

	G	CG	IP	W	L	PCT	R	ER	H	SO	BB	SHO
Al Lyons	2	0	2	0	0	0.000	1	1	1	0	0	0
Fred Hutchinson	1	0	7.2	0	0	0.000	4	4	9	4	3	0
Bob Lemon	1	0	1.1	0	1	0.000	2	2	2	0	0	0
Luman Harris	2	1	17	1	1	0.500	4	2	9	3	4	0
Hank Feimster	1	0	0.1	0	1	0.000	4	4	4	0	1	0
Eddie Weiland	1	0	1.1	0	1	0.000	6	5	13	8	6	0
Jack Hallett	1	1	9	1	0	1.000	1	1	7	6	3	0

American League pitching stats for the Navy World Series.

	G	CG	IP	W	L	PCT	R	ER	H	SO	BB	SHO
Lou Tost	3	2	19	2	0	0.667	7	6	17	11	4	0
Max Wilson	2	1	16	1	1	0.500	4	4	11	5	6	1
Clyde Shoun	2	0	5.1	0	1	0.000	6	6	8	3	6	0
Hugh Casey	1	0	1	1	0	1.000	0	0	0	1	1	0
Ray (Bobby) Coombs	2	0	3	0	0	0.000	0	0	1	2	1	0
Wes  Livengood	1	0	4	0	0	0.000	7	7	9	0	4	0
Ray Yochim	1	0	4	0	0	0.000	2	0	3	1	3	0

National League pitching stats for the Navy World Series.

	POS	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SH	SB	SO	BB	Avg	PO	A	E
Jack Conway	2B	23	4	4	5	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	3	0.174	19	21	1
Johnny Pesky	SS	23	4	9	13	1	0	1	3	0	0	1	3	0.391	13	18	3
Chet Hajduk	1B	12	1	4	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.333	32	2	0
Ken Sears	1B	12	3	4	7	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	1	0.333	21	2	0
Ted Williams	RF	11	3	3	6	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	5	0.273	6	0	0
Bob Kennedy	3B	19	3	4	8	1	0	1	5	0	0	2	2	0.211	10	11	3
Dick Wakefield	LF	14	3	4	5	1	0	0	2	0	0	3	3	0.286	7	0	1
Jack Phillips	CF/1B	8	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.125	6	0	1
Rollie Hemsley	C	13	0	6	6	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0.462	23	2	0
Eddie McGah	C	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.000	3	1	0
Joe Glenn	C	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.500	1	0	0
Bill Marks	LF/RF	13	1	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0.154	16	1	1
Al Lyons	P/CF	9	1	3	6	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0.333	1	1	0
Barney Lutz	CF	6	1	2	5	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	1	0.333	2	0	0
Ned  Harris	CF	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Sherry Robertson	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	0	1	1
Schoolboy Rowe	LF	3	1	2	5	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0.667	0	0	0
Packy Rogers		2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	0	0	0
Fred Hutchinson	P	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000	0	1	0
Bob Lemon	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Luman Harris	P	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.000	0	3	0
Hank Feimster	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Eddie Weiland	P	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.000	1	5	0
Jack Hallett	P	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.250	0	0	0

American League batting stats. Johnny Pesky was crowned MVP despite the AL’s loss.

	POS	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SH	SB	SO	BB	Avg	PO	A	E
Charley Gilbert	CF	27	3	4	7	0	0	1	3	0	0	2	2	0.148	15	0	1
Jim Carlin	3B	24	4	7	11	1	0	1	1	0	0	3	4	0.292	3	14	1
Billy Herman	2B	20	1	2	2	0	0	0	1	0		1	3	0.100	15	15	3
Stan Musial	RF	20	3	4	7	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	4	0.200	5	1	0
Mizell Platt	LF	24	3	6	7	1	0	0	2	0	0	6	0	0.250	21	1	0
Wimpy Quinn	1B	23	1	8	8	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0.348	43	2	1
Ray Lamanno	C	14	3	6	10	1	0	1	2	0	0	1	1	0.429	12	4	0
Bob Scheffing	C	8	1	3	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0.375	13	0	0
Hank Schenz	SS/2B	3	0	1	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0.333	2	5	0
Ray Hamrick	SS	18	2	3	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	1	0.167	17	13	0
Lou Tost	P	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	1	1	0.000	2	3	0
Max Wilson	P	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.000	1	2	0
Clyde Shoun	P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000	0	2	0
Hugh Casey	P	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	0	1	0
Ray (Bobby) Coombs	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Dick West		2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Gil Brack		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Dee Moore		1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000	0	0	0
Wes  Livengood	P	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000	0	1	0
Ray Yochim	P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0
Bub Usher	RF	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0	0	0

Batting stats for the National League.