Big Hank Greenberg rubbed a lucky piece of bone on his bat, strode thoughtfully to the plate, and slammed a grand-slam homer into the left field bleachers. That did it: Hank's 13th home run (in 78 games since his Army discharge) finally clinched the American League pennant for the Detroit Tigers, on the last day of the season. The 6-to-3 win over the St. Louis Browns was No. 25 for Lefty Hal Newhouser, who had relieved fast-bailer Virgil ("Fire") Trucks, fresh out of Navy blues.
Although the solemn Tigers had stumbled and bumbled before applying the clincher, betters made them 13 to...