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- #1. The Dean Brothers Dominated The Series
- #2. The 1934 World Series Was The Last Time Both Teams Would Have Player Managers
- #3. The Home Team Did Not Have An Advantage
- #4. The Song Take Me Out To The Ball Game Made Its MLB Debut
- #5. Ducky Medwick Became The Only Player Ejected From A World Series Game.
- #6. Detroit Played Well Except For Game 7
- #7. Game 7 Was An Embarrassment For The Tigers
#1. The Dean Brothers Dominated The Series
The 1934 World Series went seven games, but the Dean brothers were 4 - 1.
Dizzy and Paul Dean had emerged in 1934 as an excellent duo, and it helped the fact they were brothers. Paul debuted in 1934, while Dizzy was a few years older and had debuted in 1930 but did not appear in the 1930 and 1931 World Series.
The 1934 season and World Series belonged to the brothers. They combined for 4 wins, 28 strikeouts, and a 1.43 ERA in the World Series.
Unfortunately, after starting off hot in the 1935 season, Paul injured himself and never pitched the same. Dizzy would go on to have a hall-of-fame career but also retired young due to injury.
#2. The 1934 World Series Was The Last Time Both Teams Would Have Player Managers
It is unthinkable in modern times, but in the early days of baseball, it was common and sought after to have managers who also played. It was guys like Connie Mack who were in the minority.
Frankie Frisch managed the St. Louis Cardinals, while Mickey Cochrane managed the Detroit Tigers. Both were future Hall of Famers.
Frisch would get the better of Cochrane in 1934, but Cochrane would get a championship before he retired.
#3. The Home Team Did Not Have An Advantage
Usually, teams play better at home than on the road, but the 1934 World Series was an oddball when it came to that.
The Cardinals split the first two games at Detroit, and then the Tigers took 2 out of 3 games in St. Louis. The Cardinals then swept the final two games in Detroit, which included a beatdown in Game 7.
The home team only won 2 out of 7 games played in their stadium.
#4. The Song Take Me Out To The Ball Game Made Its MLB Debut
Take Me Out To The Ball Game was performed at a high school in Los Angeles that year, and it would be picked up by the two leagues for the World Series.
The song originated in 1908 when Jack Norworth was riding the subway and saw a sign that said "Baseball Today - Polo Grounds," and it inspired the words that are now sung by all fans.
It would not make its way to the majors until Game 4 of the World Series.
#5. Ducky Medwick Became The Only Player Ejected From A World Series Game.
This is one of the more peculiar facts of this particular World Series.
In the top of the 6th inning, Ducky Medwick slid hard into Tiger third baseman Marv Owen, and the fans took notice. The score at that point was 9 - 0, which meant that the game was pretty well in hand for the Cardinals, and out of frustration, the Tiger fans became angry.
When Medwick took his place in left field in the bottom of the inning, fans started throwing cushions, fruit, vegetables, and even bottlers at him.
Commissioner Landis then ejected Medwick from the game for his own safety. So he was ejected for something the fans did and not anything he did.
Click Here to listen to the audio of the incident.
#6. Detroit Played Well Except For Game 7
Detroit put up some good offensive numbers, and their star player, Hank Greenberg, batter over .300 in the series with 7 RBI and a home run.
Pete Fox batted .286 with a record 6 doubles in the series.
Charlie Gehringer also cranked homerun and batted .379 with 11 hits.
Others on the team also batted over .300, but the Cardinal's hitting was clutch and seemed to give them just what they needed at the right time.
Until Game 7.
#7. Game 7 Was An Embarrassment For The Tigers
After playing so well throughout the series, the Tigers had a meltdown in Game 7 against Dizzy Dean.
The Tigers spread 6 hits across 9 innings while the Gashouse Gang lit up the Tigers, pitching for 17 hits and 11 runs. The game was over in the 3rd inning when the Cards scored 7 runs to take a crushing lead that took the air out of the stadium.
It was an unfortunate end to a competitive series, but the Tigers would return to the 1935 World Series and collect a World Series Championship.