On August 12, 1946, Stan "The Man" Musial led the way to a 5-0 victory over the Cubs in Chicago with a 4 for 4 performance, which included two RBIs. The Cardinals hurler Al Brazle helped the cause by turning in a three-hit pitching gem as he locked down the complete game shutout, but the true story was Musial's hot bat. One day earlier the team played a doubleheader in Cincinnati, and "The Man" went 4 for 5 in each of the games. The Birds took the first tilt 15-4, before Musial led the way to a 7-3 victory in the doubleheader sweep. Musial's first game of that doubleheader included three singles, a triple, and a ribbie, while the second game included a double, and a home run. After the team got done playing ball the next day in the Windy City "The Man" had recorded 12 hits in 14 trips to the plate.Musial had been one of the best outfielders in the game before he left the club to serve his country in 1945. When he returned he shifted to first base, which some might have thought would have been a difficult transition for the 25-year-old. That was not the case. In large part because Musial embraced the move. He went on to lead the league in runs scored with 124, doubles with 50, triples with 20, slugging percentage with .587, and his .365 average led the league as well. The totals earned Musial his second MVP award, and it led the Cardinals to a National League Pennant, and a World Series championship. 1946 was one great year for "The Man." There were many great years to come, before he announced that his days on the diamond would be coming to an end. It just so happened that announcement came on this same date in 1963. I wrote about that day for my On This Day In Sports page today. Please read it if you get the chance. I will be sure to share it later today as well.
Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN194608120.shtml
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