The Monday After: World Series heroes remembered

They call Major League Baseball "The Show." Minor league players strive to reach that big stage.

And the largest stage of all in the sport is the annual World Series − "The Fall Classic."

About two dozen players from Stark County have made it to the top professional level since Major League Baseball was founded in Cincinnati in 1876. That number grows to nearly 50 if you include players from not only Stark, but Summit, Tuscarawas, Wayne and Carroll counties.

Only a handful of area players have made appearances in the World Series. Three of them − Thurman Munson of Canton, Tommy Henrich of Massillon, and Gene Woodling of Akron − played for the New York Yankees, a team that perennially made it to the championship series in October.

Arguably, the most successful was Munson, who was born in Akron and raised in Canton.

"As captain, Munson helped lead the Yankees to three consecutive World Series appearances from 1976 to 1978, winning championships in the latter two years," one historical account reports.

Still, Henrich helped win a World Series on a single, out-of-the-ordinary play. And Woodling played on the Yankees when they won five consecutive World Series titles from 1949 to 1953.

With the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies underway, it seems appropriate to look back at area athletes who took the field in World Series games of the past.

Thurman Munson wins a pair

As a defensive player in the World Series, Thurman Munson was perfect.

In 16 World Series games, the dependable New York Yankees catcher committed no errors.

In one game against the Cincinnati Reds, Munson leaned far over a railing into an area for cameras just to catch a foul ball behind home plate. In another stellar World Series play, Munson snagged a dipping "sinker ball" and tossed it off-balance and underhand from home plate to nab a Los Angeles Dodger runner trying to steal second base.

Munson's offensive heroics were even more obvious.

In those 16 World Series games, the talented hitter went to bat 67 times, getting 25 hits (including five doubles and a home run) and driving in 12 runs. His batting average for World Series play was .373. With five walks, his on-base percentage was even higher at .417. He got on base nearly half the time he went to home plate to bat.

"Of all the Yankee hitters, Thurman Munson was the one who scared me the most when he came up to bat," said Tommy Lasorda, manager of the Dodgers when they lost to the Yankees during the World Series games of 1977 and 1978.

"He had that swing and that heart. He was just totally clutch."

How did Munson maintain his consistency in World Series competitions? According to Jimmy Keenan and Frank Russon in a profile article published at the website for the Society of American Baseball Research, Munson "did all of the things that a Yankee of old would have done to win games: run, hit, throw and break up double plays."

"Munson played every inning as if it were the seventh game of the World Series, and Yankee fans loved him for it."

Tommy Henrich's strikeout heroics

The Yankees' Tommy Henrich, an outfielder from Massillon, helped win the 1941 World Series by striking out.

The tall and lanky Henrich was at the plate and the Dodger's stalwart catcher Mickey Owen was behind it on that Sunday afternoon of Oct. 5, 1941.

"Brooklyn, only one strike away from evening the World Series at two games apiece, had veteran righty relief pitcher Hugh Casey on the mound facing Henrich, the Yankees’ left-handed hitting right fielder. In this top of the ninth dramatic faceoff, the Dodgers led 4-3 with no Yankees runners on base and a full count on the batter," wrote Bill Francis in a reminiscence published on the Baseball Hall of Fame's website, baseballhall.org. "Then Casey delivered what was described as a 'jaw-dropping curveball' that Henrich took a swing at but missed by a foot."

Case had struck him out, but the game was not over.

"The baseball thrown by Casey was heading to the backstop, having kicked off Owen’s mitt," wrote Francis. "Henrich, realizing what had happened, ran safely to first base without Owen making a throw."

The Yankees famed center fielder Joe DiMaggio singled following the passed ball. Left fielder Charlie Keller doubled both runs home, and the Yankees suddenly were leading. Second baseman Joe Gordon drove in two more runs with a double, so the Yankees won 7-4, extending their lead in the series to 3-1. A New York win the next day − Henrich hit a solo home run in the 3-1 victory − clinched the 1941 series in five games.

Henrich − "Old Reliable," was the nickname broadcaster Mel Allen gave him during his time on the Yankees − was a man of many more World Series moments.

Clutch hitting − especially in the World Series − solidified Henrich's "Reliable" reputation. In four World Series between 1938 and 1949, Henrich played in 21 games, going to bat 84 times and getting 22 hits, including four doubles and four home runs. Henrich drew eight walks, scored 13 runs and drove in eight other runners.

“Tommy was a terrific player," former teammate Dr. Bobby Brown said in a statement at the time of Henrich's death. "What made him so special was that he always played well in big games. You get him in a close or important game and he would always show up ready to play. It seemed like he never made any mistakes in the outfield.”

Woodling was Series mainstay

In Gene Woodling's obituary in 2001, the New York Times called the left-handed batter "a key figure on the Yankee teams that dominated baseball in the decade after World War II."

The obituary, written by Richard Goldstein, said Woodling's "smooth batting swing and superb play in left field helped the Yankees win five consecutive World Series championships."

"Playing alongside Joe DiMaggio and then Mickey Mantle, Woodling was among eight players who appeared in every victorious Yankee World Series from 1949 to 1953," the obituary noted. "He compiled a .318 batting average in World Series play."

Woodling was signed by a Cleveland Indians scout who had discovered Henrich, who was in the Indians minor league system before heading to the Yankees. Woodling would have two stints playing with Cleveland, before and after his time in New York.

According to the website historic baseball.com, Yankee manager Casey Stengel considered Woodling his best defensive left fielder," earning him the nickname "Old Faithful," but Woodling also excelled in batting, Woodling hit home runs in each of the three World Series between 1951 and 1953, and batted .400 and .429 during the World Series games of 1949 and 1950.

"In 1952," recalls one online history, "Woodling became the first player to pinch-hit a triple in the World Series."

Others had minor experiences

The World Series experience of Joe Sparma of Massillon, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers for six seasons from 1964 to 1969, was brief − a single appearance.

Sparma had a career best 16-9 record for the Tigers in 1967, with 11 complete games and five shutouts. But, partially because of a lack of command of his pitches and no small amount because of a dispute with Tiger manager Mayo Smith, Sparma's role diminished the following season. Although the Tigers went on to the World Series in 1968, Sparma pitched only one-third of an inning in the championship games.

Still, Sparma had one moment of glory at the end of the 1968 regular season. On Sept. 17, 1968, according to an article by Jeff Samoray posted at the website for The Society for American Baseball Research, Sparma unexpectedly was chosen at the last minute to start the game against the Yankees that could win the pennant for the Tigers.

According to Samoray, Sparma "pitched the greatest game of his career."

"He allowed two singles in the first, but the Tigers erased the threat with a double play. Afterward, he was practically untouchable. Sparma pitched with conviction, remained consistently ahead in the count, and set down 19 of the next 21 batters," wrote Samoray.

"Anticipation rose to a fever pitch as Sparma strode to the mound holding a 1-0 lead in the ninth. But Jake Gibbs singled with two outs to drive in Dick Howser with the tying run. Sparma struck out Mickey Mantle for the third out."

Vic Wert went on to drive in Al Kaline − the game-winning run, although a near-simultaneous loss by Baltimore earlier already had earned the Tigers the pennant − with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning.

And Sparma's place in Tiger history was secured.

Sparma may not have played much in the 1968 World Series that followed. But, he helped send them to the Series in style.

Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: The Monday After: World Series heroes remembered