Red Munger

Who was Red Munger?

George David "Red" Munger was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who spent a decade in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. The native of Houston, Texas, stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds.

Munger pitched a complete game, 12–3 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the 1946 World Series at Fenway Park. He gave up nine hits, including a home run by future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr, but only one run was earned. Munger's victory in his only World Series appearance was the only Cardinal win not registered by teammate Harry Brecheen, whose three triumphs propelled the Redbirds to a seven-game World Series championship over the Red Sox.

A three-time National League All-Star, Munger worked in 273 regular-season Major League games during his career, winning 77 and losing 56 with an earned run average of 3.83. He struck out 564 batters in 1,228⅔ innings pitched. In his finest season, 1944, he won 11 of 14 decisions in 21 games, 12 as a starter, with a brilliant 1.34 earned run average. He entered the United States Army for World War II service during the middle of that campaign, and did not qualify for the National League's ERA title. He also missed the 1944 World Series, which delivered another Cardinal championship.