ST. LOUIS — When the Brooklyn Dodgers returned to St. Louis in mid-September 1947 for their fourth and final visit there, only a sweep by the host Cardinals could keep Jackie Robinson and his team from printing World Series tickets.
Stan Musial & Co. had done it a few months earlier.
The Cardinals won 11 of their first 12 games in August to get three games back of the Dodgers. On the morning of Sept. 11, 1947, as the Dodgers prepared for a three-game series at Sportsman’s Park, the Cardinals (79-56) trailed Brooklyn (86-53) by five games in the standings.