Forget About The War, Let’s Play Ball, Boston Braves at Cincinnati Reds, July 29, 1943 (Recreation)

“I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." 

With those words from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, organised baseball continued during World War II, offering those working on the home front an affordable, low-cost recreation that boosted morale.

It would not be easy; Major League Baseball had to contend with strict travel rationing, deadened balata-core baseballs, and depleted rosters, as players would not be exempt from the Draft. Yet tonight’s game at Crosley Field would draw a 20,000 crowd to watch the Cincinnati Reds battle to grab second place in the National League while the visiting Boston Braves fought to reach the Reds, Dodgers, and Pirates as they chased down the St Louis Cardinals at the top of the league.

Lineups for tonight’s game include Hall of Fame managers Bill McKechnie and Casey Stengel, the strikeout pitcher Johnny Vander Meer, and the defensive master Eddie Miller; don’t overlook this era’s less remembered players. Baseball during World War Two was carried on the backs of everyday regulars and replacement players who kept the sport alive when the country needed it most.

Throughout nine innings, you’ll meet some of those players. Portly knuckleballer Jim Tobin started at first base just two days after pitching a complete-game victory. Alongside Tobin stood ironman catcher Ray Mueller, Duke Rose Bowl football hero Eric Tipton in left field, and sinkerballer Manny Salvo battling through his final summer in the Majors.

Ewan Spence and the Classic Baseball Radio team bring you this recreated radio broadcast from July 29, 1943. This should not be considered a complete or fully accurate historical record. Nevertheless, this is our story of the game.

We thank Retrosheet, Sports Reference, Sports Logos Net, Tom R Audio, Radio Echoes, and  Crafting The Call.

** Links **

You can find the boxscore here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN194307290.shtm 

President Roosevelt’s Green-Light letter: "I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going."

https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/roosevelt-sends-green-light-letter 

How the Boston Braves navigated the challenges of baseball in wartime.

https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-boston-braves-in-wartime/ 

The short and almost forgotten Balata Ball era

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/today-in-baseball-history-balata-ball-threatens-a-new-dead-ball-era 

How Jim Tobin’s knuckleball saw him pitch 156 games

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-tobin/

Jim Tobin’s 1944 no-hitter, which also saw him hit the winning home run.

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-27-1944-old-ironsides-jim-tobin-tosses-no-hitter-and-wallops-home-run-for-boston-braves/ 

The misfit pitchers who played games in the field.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/michael-lorenzen-gets-his-turn-and-other-two-way-tales/ 

Eddie Miller’s fiery reputation with Casey Stengel that led to the Miller/Joost trade.

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/eddie-miller-2/ 

From Rose Bowl success to the baseball diamond, the career of Eric Tipton

https://footballfoundation.org/honors/hall-of-fame/eric-tipton/1477 

Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters in 1938.

https://www.mlb.com/news/johnny-vander-meer-threw-consecutive-no-hitters