WINNIPEG & DISTRICT SENIOR LEAGUE (GREATER WINNIPEG SENIOR LEAGUE)
Playoff matchups paired pennant-winning Norwood against Transcona and runner-up St. Boniface facing the Canadian Ukrainian Athletic Club. With the escalation of the war on the European front, all four playoff teams were granted permission to sign players from the Selkirk Fishermen team to fill the gaps caused by intensified military recruitment and the subsequent call to active service.
Semi-finals (best-of-five series)
(August 20) Transcona and Norwood battled to a 6 – 6 deadlock in the opening game of their playoff series. The Railroaders let victory slip away by allowing the pennant winners to score four unearned runs.
Zawaley and Marcotte
Desjardins and Sparrow
(August 24) Transcona went one game up on Norwood in their senior baseball playoff series by capturing the second game by a 6 to 1 score. Albert Lamoureux pitched a six-hitter for the mound win. His battery mate, Gerry Marcotte, provided offensive punch by slamming a triple and single. Also prominent at the plate was Carl Lehman who singled three times.
Lamoureux (W) and Marcotte
Pitt (L) and Roche
(August 27) Effective pitching in the clutch by Jack Taylor enabled the St. Boniface Native Sons to defeat C.U.A.C. Blues 4 to 2 in the inaugural tussle of their semi-final showdown. The Native Sons were outhit by a 10 to 2 margin but Taylor was invincible in the pinches. Losing twirler Walt Stuyck picked up three hits for the Blues while Gord McNeil and Joe Goodman had two each.
Stuyck (L), England (4) and Bartko
Taylor (W) and Toupin
(August 27) Playing on their home turf, Transcona took a two game lead in their semi-final series by knocking off first-place Norwood. No final score, batteries or game details found in Winnipeg Tribune.
xxx (L) and xxx
xxx (W) and xxx
(August 29) Willie Plotkin tossed a masterful two-hitter in leading Norwood to a 3 to 0 win over Transcona. Losing flinger “Slim” Nicholson allowed the winners only three base knocks. The contest was terminated after seven frames when darkness prevented further play.
Nicholson (L) and Marcotte
Plotkin (W) and Sparrow
(August 29) The C.U.A.C. Blues evened their series with St. Boniface by trimming the Native Sons 8 to 5. Darkness limited the game to seven innings. Joe Popeil and Joe Goodman both picked up a pair of base raps for the winners.
Milard (L), Genthon, Hebert and Toupin
Douglas (W) and Bartko
(August 31) Transcona qualified for the Winnipeg & District senior baseball finals after a 3 to 1 win over the Norwood team. Both pitchers were sharp in holding the opposition batters to four hits. Larry Desjardins lost his first game of the season as his club was eliminated. Former Winnipeg Maroon chucker Mike Zawley took the mound decision.
Desjardins (L) and Sparrow
Zawaley (W) and Blaquiere
(August 31) The Canadian Ukrainian Athletic Club Blues swept a doubleheader from the St. Boniface Native Sons to win their series and move into the City finals, The scores were 11 to 8 in a ten-inning matinee contest and 9 to 3 in the late game. The Blues scored three runs in the extra frame of the opener after St. Boniface had rallied after trailing 8 to 3. Stan Shaley had four hits for the Blues while teammate Walt Stuyck contributed three. Ed Slowinski paced the Sons at the dish with a trio of base raps.
Halloran (W) and Bartko
Hebert, Milord (L) and Toupin
Seven errors beat the Native Sons in the afterpiece as C.U.A.C. delivered on the opportunities afforded them. St. Boniface held a 6 to 5 edge in base hits garnered.
Risi (W) and Bartko
Lambert (L) and Bourbonnais
Finals (best-of-seven series)
(September 14) Transcona took the lead in the Winnipeg Senior Baseball finals, defeating C.U.A.C. 14 to 5 in the first game of a best-of-seven series. A second game ended in a seven-inning 4 – 4 tie. A combination of heavy hitting by the Railroaders and inept defensive play by the Blues led to the first-game onslaught. Gerry Marcotte and Aime Pageot both had three hits for the winners as did Nick Shaley and Joe Popiel of C.U.A.C.
Lamoureux (W) and Marcotte
Douglas (L), Eggland and Bartko
The Railroaders shoved over three runs in the fifth stanza to tie the score in the nightcap. Midi Blaquiere’s double was the blow that robbed the Blues of victory. Joe Goodman, Walt Stuyck and Stan Shaley each had two Blue hits while Gerry Marcotte picked up a pair for Transcona.
Halloran and Bartko
Laing and Marcotte
(October 5) C.U.A.C. swept both ends of their twin-bill playoff set-to with Transcona to forge ahead in the much-delayed final series two games to one. Repeated adverse weather conditions had kept the series in limbo for three weeks. The Blues pushed across a bottom-of-the-ninth-inning run, after Transcona had tied the game by plating four tallies, to take the early game 7 to 6. The second fixture, limited to seven innings, was grabbed by the Blues 6 to 1. The Railroaders were outhit 13 to 8 in the early match as Bob Halloran of the Blues in a relief role, was credited with the mound triumph.
Zawley (L) and Marcotte
Risi, Halloran (W) (9) and Bartko
Although Transcona held an 8 to 6 advantage in base hits acquired, it was the Blues who made their hits count in the second affair. Joe Goodman of the victors and playing-manager Midi Blaquiere of the Railroaders each had three hits while C.U.A.C.’s Johnny Carrick picked up a brace.
Douglas (W) and Bartko
Lamoureux (L) and Marcotte
(October 12) Transcona fought its way back into a tie with C.U.A.C. in the playoff battle for the Greater Winnipeg senior baseball championship with two timely rallies in a doubleheader. The Railroaders scored once in the ninth to gain a 5 – 5 tie in the first game and then hammered across four runs in the nightcap to prevail 6 to 3.
Laing and Marcotte
Halloran and Bartko
Risi (L) and Bartko
Nicholson (W) and Marcotte
(October 19) The Canadian Ukrainian Athletic Club of Winnipeg won the Senior Baseball championship by defeating Transcona 4 to 2 and 7 to 5 in the seventh and eighth games of the series. The sweep for the Blues gave them the title by virtue of a four games to two advantage with two games tied. Transcona blew a 1 to 0 lead in the seventh inning of the first game when the Blues scored four times.
Zawaley (L) and Marcotte
Risi (W) and Bartko
A great catch by Walt Stuyck in the seventh inning of the nightcap saved the situation for C.U.A.C. Stuyck fell fielding the ball after a long run but never dropped it.
Halloran (W) and Bartko
Laing (L), Nicholson and Marcotte
BRANDON
Aggressive recruitment for the Armed Forces seemed to have put a damper on the availability of player personnel from within Brandon and surrounding area in 1941 as not a trace of any local baseball action, junior or senior-level, was located in the pages of the Brandon Sun.
Teams from military bases stationed in southwestern Manitoba tended to opt for diamondball (fastball) as their preferred choice of diamond play.