Paul Derringer - Prime Seasons

Prime Seasons

In 1935 he was 22–13 for the 68–85 Reds, and was named to the All-Star team for the first of six times. On May 24 of that season, he started the first night game in major league history, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1; President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned on the stadium lights from the White House. Seasons of 19–19 and 10–14 followed, on clubs which did not come close to contending, before he hit his peak from 1938-40. In 1936 he set a team record with 51 appearances, breaking Rube Benton's 1912 mark of 50; his record was broken by Harry Gumbert, with 61 games in 1948.

In 1938 he was 21–14, and led the league in innings and complete games, as the Reds finished above .500 for the first time in ten years; he finished second in the NL in strikeouts (132) and third in ERA (2.93). His best season followed for the 1939 league champions as he was among the leaders in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings and shutouts, and led the league with a .781 winning percentage – a new team record. He finished third in the MVP voting, won by teammate Bucky Walters. But in the World Series against the New York Yankees, he couldn't collect a victory as the Reds were swept; he lost a heartbreaking 2–1 decision in Game 1 when the Yankees scored in the ninth inning, and got no decision in the Reds' 10-inning loss in Game 4 after leaving in the seventh inning with a 3–2 lead.

In 1940 he was 20–12 with a 3.06 ERA and 115 strikeouts, and threw a pair of one-hitters, as Cincinnati repeated as NL champions; he finished fourth in the MVP voting, with first baseman Frank McCormick taking the trophy for the Reds for the third year in a row (Ernie Lombardi had won it in 1938). Derringer finally broke his run of bad breaks in the 1940 World Series against the Detroit Tigers; after losing Game 1 by a 7–2 score, he rebounded with complete game wins in Games 4 and 7. Walters contributed two other victories as the team won its second title, and first since 1919.