1930 George Earnshaw Game 6 Phil 7 Cardinals 1 Game Score 76
1931 George Earnshaw Game 4 Phil 3 Cardinals 0 Game Score 90
1932 Lefty Grove Game 2 Yanks 5 Cubs 2 Game Score 70
1933 Carl Hubbell Game 1 Giants 4 Senators 2 Game Score 81
1934 Schoolboy Rowe Game 2 Det 3, Cardinals 2 (12 innings) Game Score 87
1935 General Crowder Game 4 Det 2, Cubs 1 Game Score 75
1936 Carl Hubbell Game 1 Giants 6 Yanks 1 Game Score 76
1937 Red Ruffing Game 2 Yanks 8 Giants 1 Game Score 74
1938 Red Ruffing Game 1 Yanks 3 Cubs 1 Game Score 70
1939 Monte Pearson Game 2 Yanks 4 Reds 0 Game Score 90
For those of you who missed part one, I’m going through every World Series and trying to pick the best pitched game. Then I let you guys pick the best pitched World Series game of the decade. Here are comments on the games I selected:
1930 George Earnshaw Game 6 Phil 7 Cardinals 1. I picked this game in large part because of the game two days before. In game 5, Earnshaw pitched 7 scoreless innings and the A’s had a chance to score a run in the top of the eighth. Mack pinch hit for Earnshaw with a chance to take the lead. It didn’t happen and Lefty Grove came in to relieve Earnshaw. The A’s scored two runs on a Jimmie Fox homerun to win the game and Grove got the decision. However, Earnshaw came back on one day’s rest and gave up only one run, which to me is remarkable pitching.
1931 George Earnshaw Game 4 Phil 3 Cardinals 0. Earnshaw is the first double winner. I was trying to not have too many, but this game was outstanding. Earnshaw gave up 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 8. He lost game 7 of the series.
1932 Lefty Gomez Game 2 Yanks 5 Cubs 2. This was the only game of the series where a team gave up less than 5 runs.
1933 Carl Hubbell Game 1 Giants 4 Senators 2. Hubbell had 10 strikeouts and that put him over the top. Both runs were unearned.
1934 Schoolboy Rowe Game 2 Det 3, Cardinals 2 (12 innings). Rowe pitched all 12 innings while his opponent Bill Hallahan pitched only 8.1 innings. Rowe didn’t allow a run in the last 9 innings. Rowe gave up 7 hits, but no walks with 7 strikeouts. Dizzy Dean won game 7 for the Cardinals was the runner-up game for me in the series.
1935 General Crowder Game 4 Det 2, Cubs 1. Crowder’s effort helped put Detroit up 3 games to 1 with the Tigers winning in 6. Lon Warnke had a shutout and a game score of 76 in game 1 with a shutout. However, he struck out only 1 batter compared to Crowder’s 5. I just couldn’t give it to a pitcher who struck out only one batter.
1936 Carl Hubbell Game 1 Giants 6 Yanks 1. Considering who Hubbell was pitching against, this game is a lot better than his statistics. He is the second two-time winner of best game of series. This time his team lost the World Series in 6 games.
1937 Red Ruffing Game 2 Yanks 8 Giants 1. The Yankees dominated the series. Ruffing had 8 strikeouts. Lefty Grove had a similar effort in game 1.
1938 Red Ruffing Game 1 Yanks 3 Cubs 1. This was the only game that the Yankees didn’t score at least 5. Red Ruffing is the third double winner, all in the 30s.
1939 Monte Pearson Game 2 Yanks 4 Reds 0. I knew about this game before, as I find Monte Pearson an interesting pitcher. He was basically an average pitcher who pitched great in the post season. He saved his best (this game) for last. That is post season games, he pitched two more years in the majors after this game.
There was a three-way tie for the best pitched game of the decade. I eliminated Monte Pearson’s start in 1939 because I voted for that game. That left George Earnshaw’s start in 1931 and Schoolboy Rowe’s in 1934. Both pitched for teams that lost the World Series. I chose Earnshaw’s as it is one of two shutouts on the list, and he had a higher game score than Earnshaw.
Earnshaw in this game allowed only 2 hits and 1 walk and struck out 8. He faced only 30 batters. His biggest weakness in the game is he allowed 2 of the three runners in the game to steal second.
Connie Mack trusted Earnshaw to have good starts in the World Series. In both the 1929 and 1930 World Series he started two games in a row. This is with Lefty Grove on the staff. Earnshaw led the staff in innings pitched for both of those World Series. In the 1931 World Series both made 3 starts. Grove was 2-1 and Earnshaw was 1-2. Earnshaw started games 2, 4 and 7. He didn’t pitch bad in his other two starts but didn’t pitch great. This was the one World Series Grove threw more innings than him.
