April 27, 1943: Cooper Spins a Gem

   

     On April 27, 1943, Mort Cooper tossed a gem in the home opener at Sportsman's Park, as he helped lead the way to a 7-0 victory over the Cubs. The Cubs starter, Paul Derringer was rocked, allowing four runs to cross the dish in the first, then was yanked for a reliever with two outs in the first. The Cardinals knocked in another run to make it 5-0, before Cooper even stepped on the bump. From there on out Coop was in control, allowing just five hits, while his teammates added two more runs to the totals, with a run, and a run in the sixth.

     The pitching staff in '43 started out on fire, allowing just three runs in their first five games. Mort Cooper led the National League with 21 wins, while Stan Musial led the league with a .357 average, 48 doubles, and 20 triples. Musial picked up one of those doubles in that big first inning on that day at Sportsman's Park. The club ended up winning 105 games, and the National League Flag by an astounding 18 games. They clinched on September 18th, then would go onto meet the Yankees for a rematch of the '42 Fall Classic.

     Unfortunately, the club that had dominated the National League would fall to the New Yorkers four games to one. With that said, what a year it was. The disappointment of losing that one would not take long to get past, as they took the cake in 1944, then again in 1946. Those teams from 1941 to 1946 were some of the greatest teams that the Cardinals ever put on the diamond and they will forever be remembered.

Check out the box score here; http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194304270.shtml