While it was freezing here in March of 1943, it was something felt by everyone across
the league... every Major League team was battling the snow and bitter cold
that would keep their pitchers from warming up properly. The Philadelphia Athletics
were a particularly bad team and they were on their way to an awful 49-105
finish for dead last in the American League. There was no hitting and no power
on this team (Bob Estalella was easly the best player on the team leading in
nearly everything... with his mediocre 11 HR and .259 batting average). On the
mound, Lum Harris would sum up the pitching staff best with his numbers of 7-21,
4.20. When the Athletics broke camp for Philadelphia in April, the ballpark
would move on to the Interstate League which is one of only 5 Minor Leagues out
of the over 50 in professional baseball which had suspended play due to the war.
Spring Training would return again in March of 1944 when the Philadelphia Phillies...
not the Athletics, would make this their spring training home. The Athletics
would move to a different Spring Training park nearby... Frederick's McCurdy
Field in Maryland. The Phillies meanwhile would leave little Hershey Park
Athletic Field behind and make this their home for the rest of the war, playing
here in February and March of 1944 and 1945. Even when the war effort was over,
the Phillies and Athletics would play many exhibition games here on their way
home to Philadelphia... often against each other. |