1941 World Series

The 1941 World Series matched the recently-renamed Spartacus Division Champion Cleveland Combrigs against the perennial World Series contender Cincinnati Reds. Due to manpower shortages owing to the ongoing conflict overseas, both teams had finished with sub-100 win records, the Combrigs coming into the series at 98-56 and the Reds at 99-55; this is a pattern that would repeat over the course of the war.

The games were held between Wednesday, October 1st and Monday, October 6th, 1941. As with previous World Series since the Red May Revolution, the play-by-play coverage and commentary was done by Ted Husing and Ronald Reagan on PBS. However, due to the Great Revolutionary War, the games were also re-broadcast on All-Union Radio in the Soviet Union with Russian commentary. As was common at many other public gatherings and spectacles through out the war, in order to prevent any problems from German saboteurs or other subversive agents, local Red Guard militias were called up to serve as public security officials during the series. Fortunately, no notable incidents were recorded, and all five games went off without a hitch.

As well, Commissioner Pershing and the governance council of Major League Baseball made some rule changes that would later become permanent fixtures of the game.

The Combrigs won the series, 4 games to 1.

Rule changes as a result of the 1941 World Series

 * In extra innings, at the start of every half-inning, the team at-bat will begin with a runner on second base, in an attempt to speed up play in a fair way.
 * Beginning with the 1942 season, the MLB lifted a controversial pre-revolution rule that forbade clubs from signing any female players.

Summary
Spartacus Division Cleveland Combrigs (4) vs. Liberty Division Cincinnati Reds (1)

Game 1
In keeping with the war-time tradition of playing World Series games at night, the first pitch of the 1941 World Series occurred at 18:48, with pitcher Frank Davis throwing a low-and-away ball to batter Jan Kiermaier. Through the first two innings of play, neither team could manage to get on the board, with both Iverson and Davis pitching hitless innings through the top of the third.

In the bottom of the third, however, Combrig Lewis Edmunds got the first hit of the game, hitting a deep left-field shot that resulted in a double. He would also become the first score of the game as two batters later, Zeke Thomas would hammer the ball into deep left as well, setting up an RBI double that put the Combrigs up 1-0, a lead they would not surrender again.

Early in the bottom of the 4th, despite only giving up two hits in the entire game to the Combrigs, the Reds manager-player Ralph Gronchi pulled Davis.

In the bottom of the 8th, John Crewe hit a triple off a breaking ball that speared deep into right field. He would later score the final run of the game off a Wilt Peterson RBI single. The Combrigs would leave the game with a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2
In a game marked with offensive effort, both teams traded blows in the first innings of the game.

In the top of the first, Nolan Thomas had the first base hit of the game after knocking a shallow ball into center field on a 3-2 pitch, and was advanced to second following the walk of Yancy Urbanus, ultimately scoring off of a Francis Freeman RBI double.

By the seventh inning stretch, the Reds were actually head of the Combrigs 3-2, with it looking very possible for them to tie the series. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Reds pitcher Sebastian Thacker gave up a three-run home run, putting the Combrigs up 5-3. This was followed up in the eighth by an RBI single which put the Combrigs up 6-3. A scoreless inning for the Reds gave the Combrigs the victory, putting them up 2-0 in the series.

Game 3
By the middle of the series, both teams were starting to come face-to-face with offensive stagnation. Game 3 was marked by all of the points scored occurring in the first inning, with the remaining eight being scoreless.

In the top of the first, the Combrigs scored two runs on an RBI double, and in the bottom of the first, the Reds scored on an Combrigs error which created an inside the park home run, their only hit of the day.

With this whimpering victory, the Combrigs extended their lead in the series 3-0.

Game 4
In perhaps one of the most captivating performances in recent memory, Steve Mercutio of the Reds pitched a no-hitter, freezing out the Combrigs in a devastating 1-0 game. The only score of the game came on an RBI double late in the 8th inning, securing for the Reds the victory, and giving them a glimmer of hope in mounting a comeback against the Combrigs.

With this victory, the Combrigs lead in the series shrank to 3-1.

Game 5
The final game of the series was tightly contested across the board, with each time scoring a single run in each inning through the fourth inning. With the game tied 4-4 going into the bottom of the 9th, Jack Hammerhead who had been forced to come off short rest due to bullpen injuries, and had been performing well since the middle of the 7th inning, pitched a ball that was driven deep into centerfield by the Combrigs, setting up for the walk-off run, ending the game and Cincinnati's World Series hopes.

With this game, the Combrigs won the 1941 World Series, 4 games to 1.

Composite box
1941 World Series (4-1): Cleveland Combrigs (SD) vs. Cincinnati Reds (LD)