World War II wrapped up in 1945, and the MLB players tied up with military service were set to return even before the season ended. Some players would hold off until 1946 to return to action with a clean slate, but some players were on teams that were on the cusp of a World Series, and they jumped to return early so they can strike while the iron is hot. Who could pass up on winning a World War in the spring, then winning a World Series in the fall?
The Detroit Tigers were one of those teams in the heat of the pennant race when the stars were able to return. Manager Steve O'Neill kept the team in the 1st division when he got back Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg to inject some added power in the playoff push. Virgil Trucks, another player returning from military service, came back to make his debut on the final day of the season. The Tigers would win that game and clinch the pennant, their 88-65 record a game and a half better than the Washington Nationals.
Commissioner Happy Chandler made an exception to the rule that stated you had to be on the roster by September 1st to be postseason eligible, meaning players like Trucks were allowed to play in the World Series. The Tigers would need him after Hal Newhouser lost to the Chicago Cubs in Game 1. Trucks would keep the NL champions in check 4-1 to tie the series up. They would split the next four games, bringing everything down to Game 7, where the Tigers bats went off early as Newhouser cruised to a 9-3 victory and Detroit claimed their 2nd championship.
Newhouser easily claimed the MVP award with his majors best 25 Wins, 212 Strikeouts, 29 Complete Games and 8 Shutouts. He also claimed the AL pitching triple crown with his 1.81 ERA. For good measure, he won Games 5 and 7 of the World Series.
Trucks got one start in the regular season, and his card shows it as more of a tune up start compared to the work he put in against the Cubs.
The other Tigers Starters. Mueller's 7IP seems inaccurate, seeing how he pitched 19+ innings in a game during the season. Dizzy Trout nailed down a win during the World Series.
The bullpen of Detroit was a work in progress, with many arms brought in during the season.
Other prominent arms relied upon as the long season wore on. Billy Pierce debuted for Detroit, but his destiny was in Chicago in a few short years where he'd make a name for himself.
Eddie Mayo finished 2nd to his teammate in the MVP race. His .285 Batting Average was best on the team and his .980 Fielding Percentage was best in the league among 2nd Basemen.
The offensive power guys for the Tigers. Both York and Cullenbine led the team with 18 Home Runs each, while Cullenbine led with 93 RBI and 80 Runs while York drove in 87 and led the Tigers with 157 Hits.
The rest of the lineup. This wasn't a running team, as evident with Skeeter Webb leading the team with just 8 Stolen Bases. Outlaw was the man holding down the outfield spot until Greenberg returned from the war, then he took up position at 3rd Base the rest of the way.
Bench guys. Richards didn't get as much playing time as Swift did behind the plate, but he put up better numbers, even earning him some MVP votes, giving the Tigers 3 different players in the top 10 in voting.
Greenberg didn't show up for Detroit until July, but he made the limited time count with 13 Home Runs and 60 RBI, numbers which weren't far off from the team leaders. Such work earned him a few MVP votes, despite not playing in the first three months of the year.
