|
They were strapping young men from Missouri. Mort Cooper, a 6'2, 210 pound pitcher and his brother Walker, a 6'3, 210 pound catcher. During the 1940s, few major leaguers did their jobs better.
Morton Cecil Cooper joined his home-state St. Louis Cardinals team in 1939 and immediately had an impact. He was a starter and reliever, finishing 12-6. While the Cardinals struggled at times, Cooper pitched well. In 1941, the club began to play better but Mort was bothered by elbow problems and wound up missing six weeks after surgery. The Dodgers won the pennant but Cooper returned with a vengeance in 1942. He won 22 games and led St. Louis to the NL pennant. His 10 shutouts and 1.78 ERA helped him earn the league's Most Valuable Player award. After losing the opening game of the World Series, Cooper and the Cards won the next four to take the championship.
In '43, Cooper won 21 games and started his second straight All Star game. Again, the Cards went to the Series. Cooper pitched and won the second game but lost a heart-breraking fifth game 2-0.
In '44, Cooper won 22 games and again led the Cards to the pennant. Their opponent was the cross-town St. Louis Browns. Cooper won the decisive fifth game and the Cards wound up as World Series champs.
Mort's brother Walker was the catcher during those years and in '45, both brothers held out for a raise in pay. In May, Mort was traded to Boston where elbow trouble continued to hurt him. Another surgery followed but in 1946, Mort made the All Star team.
Walker Cooper was a confident backstop for the Cardinals, taking and giving no quarter. From 1942-1950 he appeared in every All Star game played. In '42, he picked Joe Gordon off second base to cut short a ninth-inning rally by the Yankees and helped clinch the Cards' Series championship.
1943 was almost as good for Walker. He finished second to his teammate, Stan Musial in the MVP voting thanks to a .318 average and 81 RBI. Walker played in 16 World Series games, averaging .300. He missed most of the 1945 season with a commitment to the Navy. While he was gone, the New York Giants acquired him and Cooper continued his success. In '47, he helped the Giants set a major league record for team home runs by belting 35 of the club's 221. Cooper's career was winding down, but after joining the Cincinnati Reds in 1949, Walker had one of his greatest days, driving in 10 runs in one game. Cooper's career ended in 1957--17 years after it began.
Mort Cooper passed away in 1958, at the relatively young age of 45. Walker Cooper lived to the age of 76, passing away early in the baseball season of 1991.
|
| |
