His great hitting and hustling made him an American Icon in 1942. Reiser out-hustled everyone, he simply ignored outfield walls - constantly crashing into them with his "I'm going to catch that ball; regardless of the outcome style of play". Reiser had to be carried off the field 11 times due to injuries. He is one of baseball's great unfinished heroes.

Reiser's speed remains a standard by which baseball prospects are judged - he ran a 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds wearing spikes and a full uniform.

He separated his right shoulder playing for the Army team in 1943 and dislocated his left shoulder, broke his ankle and tore muscles while playing in the major leagues. Leo Durocher, Brooklyn's and later the Giants' manager had said, "He had everything but luck while Willie Mays was the greatest player, Reiser could have been".

Due to injuries, Pete Reiser played only four full seasons, here's his career stats: .295 BA in 861 games, scored 473 runs, .380 on base pct and a sign of his speed stole 87 career bases and was thrown out only 3 times. Baseballhistorian.com

Kenny Keltner was one of the AL main heroes with his batting and outstanding fielding thru the 1940's. He was chosen to play in seven All-Star games. In 1941, he hit 31 D, 13 triples and blasted 23 HR's.

Keltner was the hero in 1948 when the Indians ended the season in a tie for first place with the Red Sox. He blasted a 3-run homer to put the Indians into the WS and then helped them win the World Crown with a win over the Boston Braves.

Kenny Keltner is in both the Ohio St. Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. His career: .276 BA, with 1570 hits, 308 D, 169 HR's in 1526 games.

Major League Baseball History

While attending the University of Oregon, 'Flash' Gordon played baseball, football, soccer and was a star long jumper. He signed with the New York Yankees and was an immediate success in 1938, hitting 24 doubles, 25 home runs, .502 slg pct with 97 RBI's. In fact- Gordon averaged 25 and 100 RBI's the next four seasons and his clutch hitting brought the World Crown to the Yankees in 1941.

Joe Gordon was called 'Flash' because of his fast, slick fielding and hot line drive hitting. He was named to 6 All-Star Teams. Joe Gordon holds the AL single season record for HR's by a 2nd baseman with 32, hit while playing for Cleveland in 1948, the year he helped them win the World Championship.

Gordon's 246 career home runs set an American League record for 2nd basemen.

Joe 'Flash' Gordon career stats: 1566 games, 1530 hits, 264 D, 253 HR's, a batting ave of .268 with over 900 each in runs scored and RBI's. We salute your winning play and consistent performances - you were top-of-the-line in our books. Baseballhistorian.com American Heroes World War II.

Old Newspaper Clipping, Boston, Oct. 4, 1948, Special to "The New York Times" by John Drebinger. Actual Wording.

"Cleveland is to have its first world series in 28 years. This became an actuality today as the Indians, fired by the inspirational leadership of their talented skipper, Lou Boudreau, crushed' Joe McCarthy's Red Sox in a single game that had been found necessary to break the deadlock in the AL 1948 pennant scramble.

The playoff, first in history of the junior circuit and witnessed by a crowd of 33,957, was decided by an 8-3 score. As a consequence the Indians will oppose the Boston Braves when the world series opens here Wednesday. It marked only the second AL flag to be won by Cleveland and the first since 1920, when Tris Speaker, led the band of Indians to a pennant as well as a subsequent world championship. Behind the stout-hearted five-hit hurling of Gene Bearden, 27 year old southpaw freshman, Manager Boudreau blazed the trail with two home runs.

Ken Keltner blasted another with two comrades aboard to spark a bruising four-run fourth inning, and that about tells the story. Boudreau's play throughout was phenomenal. Playing his own position at shortstop flawlessly, Boudreau still found time not only to larrup two homers over the left field barrier, but added two singles, each of which figured in further scores.

In a surprise move McCarthy started righthanded, Denny Galehouse, and lived to regret it for Denny was put to rout with the Keltner's three-run homer. Even the renowned Ted Williams cast a rather sorry figure in this sudden death struggle.

The "Kid's" (Ted Williams)mighty bat connected for only one single in four tries. To add further to the woes of the disconsolate Boston fans, Williams capped his day by muffing a fly ball that gave the Clevelanders their tally in the eight inning. Bobby Doerr alone remained about the only "hero in defeat". Doerr whacked his 27 homer of the year in the sixth.

And so the Indians, after nearly three decades of bitter disappointments and in in the third year of Bill Veeck's spectacular tenure as club president, at long last brought a second pennant to Cleveland." Baseballhistorian.com - archives Research Dept. 1948 AL Pennant Baseball History