SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 1941
COMEBACK WIN PUTS YANKEES UP 3-0
New York Giants pitcher John White (21-7, 3.05) took a 3-hit shutout into the 9th inning only to see the Yankees win 2-1 in 11 innings and take a commanding 3 games to none lead in the World Series. White's pitching performance, especially in contrast to the previous two efforts from Giants hurlers, was masterful as he set down the first 14 Yankee batters in order until Jim Post hit a 2-out single in the fifth inning.
The game was scoreless as Game one winner Jay Moore was enjoying similar success on the mound for the Yankees. Moore allowed just 2 hits through the first five innings but in the 6th gave up the game's first run as Giants shortstop John Wagoner led off with a single, moved to third on Henry Warner's double and scored on an error by Yankee second baseman Martin Robbins.
That would be the game's only run until the 9th inning when Moore was lifted for pinch-hitter Onix Bardales, who blooped a single over Wagoner's head. Martin Robbins sacrficed Bardales to second and he moved to third on a ground out by Yankee outfielder Joe Almy. With the Giants just 1 strike away from winning the game, John Hanson ripped a 2-2 pitch up the middle for the Yankees to score Bardales with the tying run.
Yankee relief pitcher Sam Dignam would give up a 2-out double to Dennis Hobbs in the bottom of the 9th but he got Celerino Ochoa to ground out to end the inning. In the 10th inning George Foskey hit a 1-out triple for the Yankees but White struck out pinch-hitter Smith King and got Tommy Dahl to fly out to end the inning without any damage.
After the Giants went quietly in order in the bottom of the 10th the Yankees struck in the 11th as White allowed a 1-out double to Martin Robbins and he came in to score on a single off the bat Almy, a former Chicago Cub acquired in June as outfield depth and is now filling in for the injured Elgie Vargas.
Yankee reliver Dignam retired the Giants in order again in the bottom of the 11th including striking out John Monroe to end the game and give the Yankees the 2-1 victory and commanding 3-games to none series lead.
JOHN MONROE
The strikeout to end the game might well have been the last time we will see John Monroe in action. The 39 year old face of the Giants has played with the team since 1923 when he made his major league debut in September of that year as a 20 year old. He was a two-time National League MVP and won 5 batting titles in a career that has seen him play 2109 major league games, hit 195 homers and have a lifetime .362 batting average. Monroe has 2867 hits which ranks him 4th all-time.
This is the 7th World Series Monroe has appeared in and in 39 games is batting .309. He went 2-for-2 in the Giants 10-6 loss in game two. He has won 3 World Series titles with the Giants.