Marius Russo - The World Series

The World Series

Russo also started and won a complete game 2-1 victory in the Yankees 1941 World Series win over the Brooklyn Dodgers. In Game 3, with the Series tied 1-1, Russo was locked in a scoreless duel with Dodgers' pitcher Freddie Fitzsimmons when, with two out in the seventh inning, Russo hit a line drive that caught Fitzsimmons flush on the knee. While shortstop Pee Wee Reese caught the deflected ball on the fly to end the inning, Fitzsimmons was through for the day. Then, Dodgers reliever Hugh Casey was cuffed for four hits and two runs in the eighth, and Brooklyn, able to get only four hits off Russo, lost 2-1.

The reports on Russo from 1942 were not good. A sore arm limited him to pitch in only 45.1 innings, ending with a 4-1 record and a 2.78 ERA in nine games (five as a starter). In 1943, he never had control problems, his arm wasn't hurting, but his fastball was losing velocity while trying to simplify his delivery, and finished 5-10. Unfortunately, the Yankees provided him with 3.50 runs per game in offense, pretty close to his 3.72 ERA in that season. Moreover, Russo responded with a brilliant offseason.

In the 1943 World Series, Russo limited the St. Louis Cardinals to seven hits in Game 4, and helped himself with the bat, hitting two doubles and scored the winning run in the eighth inning as New York won 2-1.

After the 1943 season, Russo left his team and his family to serve in the Army Signal Corps in Hawaii. When he returned two years later, he played for the Yankees again briefly.