1941 East-West Game

The 1941 East-West Game was the 9th East-West Game played in Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL. Held on July 27, 1941, it featured a second straight easy win for the East. 50,256 fans turned out, with many needing to be turned away, despite intense heat; it was 83 degrees by 7 AM and surely much hotter by gametime.

Top vote-getters to appear in the game were West P Satchel Paige (276,418, back in the Negro Leagues after a couple years away), Easgt 1B Buck Leonard (227,652), West 2B Newt Allen (216,486), East C Biz Mackey (209,431) and West 3B Parnell Woods (201,435).

Henry Kimbro opened the game by reaching on an error by Tommy Sampson of the West, then stole second. Pancho Coimbre hit into another West miscue, this one by Newt Allen. With one out, Leonard singled in a run. Hilton Smith fanned Monte Irvin but a passed ball by Pepper Bassett scored Coimbre. In the bottom of the first, Ted Strong hit a two-out double off Terris McDuffie to bring in Neil Robinson. Strong would advance to third before getting stranded. In the third, McDuffie had to leave due to the heat and was replaced by Dave Barnhill. Strong tripled with two away, but was again stranded on third.

The East put it away in the 4th against reliever Double Duty Radcliffe. With one out, Horacio Martinez singled and Dick Seay walked. Barnhill helped his own cause with a RBI single, then Kimbro hit a sacrifice fly for a 4-1 lead. Dan Wilson made a 3-base, run-scoring error on a fly by Coimbre, then Bill Hoskins singled to make it 6-1. Leonard homered to right for a 8-1 cushion, knocking out the ineffective Radcliffe. Roy Campanella ended the big inning for his team the same way he started it - with a strikeout.

The West got its last runs in the 8th against Jimmy Hill. Campanella dropped a third strike on Buddy Armour, then Strong reached yet again. Lyman Bostock Sr. hit into a force at second but a bad throw by Seay let Armour score and Bostock reach second. Woods flew to right, where Coimbre dropped it for a run-scoring error to end it.

After the game, Allen and Jimmy Ford got into a fistfight back at their hotel, with Ford blaming Allen's defensive miscues for the West's loss. It was truly an abysmal game for the fielders, with nine combined errors and only 3 of the 11 runs being earned.

Top offensive performers were Leonard (2 for 5, R, 3 RBI) for the East and Strong (2 for 4, 2B, 3B, R, RBI) for the West. On the mound, Barnhill and Henry McHenry combined for five shutout innings for the East, while Dan Bankhead and Satchel Paige had four for the West; Barnhill also went 2 for 2 with a run and a RBI.