September 25, 1934: Dizzy Wins His 28th

     On September 25, 1934, Dizzy Dean won his 28th game of the season, and helped the Cardinals move one step closer to a National League pennant with a complete game performance in Pittsburgh. Dean was given a 3-0 lead early with RBIs from Ducky Medwick, Ripper Collins, and Spud Davis. The cushion looked to be all Dean would need for a W. He allowed just six hits in the contest, but one of them was a big fly in the ninth that came off the bat of  the Buccos shortstop Arky Vaughan. The two run shot might have had the crowd come alive with hopes of a comeback, but Dean shook off the misfortune, and locked down the victory. One of the many things that could be considered spectacular about Dizzy Dean and his 30 win season is the fact that he locked down the last three wins, which included this one over a five day stretch, and he went the distance in each of those contests. To top it off the last two games were shutouts.

     The New York Giants had lost 4-0 to the Phillies at the Polo Ground that same day Dean won his 28th, which put the Cardinals just one game behind in the standings. With just a handful of games left all of the mathematical scenarios were put together, and there was talk of what to do in case of an unprecedented tie, which would have led to a one game playoff. That scenario never played out. The Giants lost their last three, while the Cards lost just one game out of their last five. Dean's dominance continued into the postseason, as he and his brother Paul each claimed two wins apiece during the seven game Fall Classic.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193409250.shtml