GREATER WINNIPEG SENIOR LEAGUE
First-place tie-breaker
(August 18) Norwood defeated Transcona 12 to 4 for a tenth victory in their last eleven games, a streak which elevated them from third spot to the top of the rung in the 1940 Winnipeg & District Senior Baseball League. Catcher “Red” Schledewitz led the victors with the willow, banging out four base blows. Shortstop Dick Roche followed with a triple, double and single which produced four RBI’s.
Lamoureux (L) and Marcotte
Foster (W) and Schledewitz
Second-place tie-breaker
(August 22) The Canadian Ukrainian Athletic Club, behind the three-hit pitching of Tommy Dickson, defeated Transcona 4 to 1 in a second-place tie-breaker shortened to six innings.
Dickson (W) and Dame
Zawley (L) and Marcotte
Semi-final playoffs (best-of-five series)
(August 24) The Selkirk Fishermen humbled the C.U.A.C. Blues 10 to 6 in their semi-final opener. Mike Genthon struck out ten in recording the mound win.
Schmall (L) and Dame
Genthon (W) and May
(August 24) Norwood and Transcona battled to a 1 – 1 draw in the first game of their series. Both teams had six hits. Les Edwards’ home run in the fifth stanza accounted for the Norwood tally while Jerry Blaquiere’s single in the eighth frame drove home the tying marker.
Lamoureux and Marcotte
Edwards and Schledewitz
(August 25) The Selkirk Fishermen went two up in their Winnipeg & District League playoff series by bouncing the favoured C.U.A.C. Blues 7 to 4. Bob Halloran tossed a complete game eight-hitter for the pitching victory.
Halloran (W) and May
Dickson (L) and Dame, Scott
(August 25) In a tight mound joust, the pennant-winning Norwood nine emerged with a one-game lead in their playoff showdown by blanking the defending league champion Transcona squad 2 to 0. Winning chucker Willie Plotkin limited the Railroaders to just four safeties. Norwood got to losing hurler Mike Zawley for only six hits. Dick Roche’s double in the seventh inning drove in the game’s initial run, breaking a scoreless tie. “Lefty” Smith’s RBI single in the eighth canto brought in an insurance counter.
Plotkin (W) and Schledewitz
Zawley (L) and Marcotte
(August 28) Elimination faced the defending champion Transcona Railroaders following their 11 to 4 defeat at the hands of Norwood. The pennant-winners led from the start as they lit up losing pitcher Albert Lamoureux for 14 safeties. Les Edwards led the way with the hickory, slamming four base hits including a circuit clout. Bill Antoniak followed with a trio of base raps. Athol Foster yielded eight hits in taking the mound decision.
Lamoureux (L) and Marcotte
Foster (W) and Schledewitz
(August 29) C.U.A.C. and Selkirk failed to complete seven innings of their playoff encounter as required by league rules when the game was called after five frames with Selkirk leading 7 to 0.
(August 30) Norwood ousted Transcona, the defending champion, in the Winnipeg & District Senior Baseball playoff race, winning the fourth game of the series 10 to 1. Les Edwards allowed only three Transcona hits in stymying the frustrated Railroaders. Dick Roche and Bill Antoniak led the winners at the dish with a brace of base raps each. Roche’s first base knock was a two-run round-tripper in the third frame.
Edwards (W) and Schledewitz
Zawley (L) and Marcotte, Lamoureux
(September 1) The Selkirk Fishermen qualified to meet Norwood for the Greater Winnipeg senior baseball title by defeating the C.U.A.C. Blues 3 to 1 in the fourth game of their semi-final series. The game was scoreless until the eighth inning when the Blues counted their lone tally on an RBI single off the bat of losing chucker Tommy Dickson. A pair of crucial C.U.A.C. errors in the last half of that frame allowed the Fishermen to plate three unearned runs and cop the victory. Selkirk held a 5 to 3 advantage in base hits.
Dickson (L) and Dame
Genthon (W) and Barker, May
Finals (best-of-seven series)
(September 7) Southpaw Willie Plotkin fired Norwood into a one game lead over Selkirk in the battle for the Greater Winnipeg senior crown with a three-hit mound performance which escorted his mates to a 6 to 3 victory. A second game, in which Norwood held a 4 to 2 lead, went only four innings before rain washed it out. Plotkin was always in command, whiffing eight Selkirk batters. His battery mate, “Red” Schledewitz, topped the hitters in the contest with three safeties, including a double. Andy MacKenzie, Selkirk first sacker, had two of the three hits surrendered by Plotkin.
Halloran (L) and May
Plotkin (W) and Schledewitz
(September 14) In an eleven inning thriller, Norwood edged past the Selkirk Fishermen 5 to 4 to take a two-game lead in the Winnipeg & District final series. After Norwood had jumped into a 4 to 0 lead, Selkirk tied the score by plating three in the eighth stanza and another counter in the ninth. In the bottom of the eleventh, Bill Antoniak tripled to lead things off. Following an infield out which left Antoniak stranded at third, catcher “Red” Schledewitz won the game for Norwood by singling over second to drive in Antoniak. Winning pitcher Les Edwards yielded only five hits while ringing up ten strikeouts throughout the overtime game.
Edwards (W) and Schledewitz
Genthon (L) and May
(September 15) After absorbing a 6 to 3 defeat at the hands of Norwood in the matinee game of a double-dip, the Selkirk Fishermen found themselves facing a three games to none deficit in the Winnipeg & District senior finals. Despite falling behind 2 to 0 early in the fourth game of the series, the Fishermen never panicked and went on to pound out 16 safeties in taking the second match by a 10 to 2 score.
The third game of the series was close and not decided until the seventh when Norwood scored once to take a 4 to 3 lead. They made victory certain after tallying another pair in the ninth. Norwood out hit the homesters 9 to 7. Winner Athol Foster punched out nine batters on strikes. Loser Bob Halloran fanned eight but wildness precipitated his downfall as he issued seven free passes to two for Foster.
Foster (W) and Schledewitz
Halloran (L) and May
Although not considered as Selkirk’s top-ranking pitcher, winning hurler Gordon McGregor handcuffed the heavy hitting Norwood aggregation on four hits in the late game as the Fishermen avoided a sweep. Andy MacKenzie and Lionel Laing had three hits apiece for the winners.
Plotkin (L), Edwards and Karpiak, Schledewitz
McGregor (W) and May
(September 22) As a fitting climax to a late season’s drive which saw them soar into top position from fourth place, Norwood won the 1940 Greater Winnipeg Senior Baseball League title with a crushing 19 to 4 victory over the Selkirk Fishermen. Norwood’s Willie Plotkin came back from a defeat in the last contest to register the hurling triumph. The new champions roughed up three Selkirk flingers for 20 base blows in taking the spoils. Shortstop Dick Roche had four safeties while catcher “Red” Schledewitz and hot corner artist Jimmy Worthington kicked in with three apiece. Ken Barker had a two-run four-bagger for the Fishermen.
Plotkin (W) and Schledewitz
Genthon (L), McGregor, Halloran and May
BRANDON & SOUTHWESTERN MANITOBA
The independent Brandon MacArthurs, strengthened with a few area player acquisitions, were essentially a tournament team in 1940, annexing top spot in Brandon’s Victoria Day tourney and winning two out of three out-of-town events in June. The Road Warriors of the Wheat City only played one exhibition contest at home, a July fixture, before topping off a successful campaign by hosting and winning a second Brandon tournament in late July, a four-team event featuring stiff opposition in the form of Bottineau ND, Winnipeg C.U.A.C. and Belmont MB.