Litwhiler had to overcome serious knee injuries in the minor leagues. Called up by
the Phillies late in the 1940 season, he batted .345, hitting in 21 straight games.
The following year he had a career-high 18 home runs, collecting one in every NL
park. In 1942 he became the first major league outfielder to play at least 150 games
in a season without making an error. He was traded in 1943 to the Cardinals, who
won pennants in 1943 and 1944. His was one of two Cardinal homers hit in their 2-0
victory over the Browns in Game Five of the '44 World Series. Because of his badly
damaged knee, Litwhiler was originally classified 4F, but in 1945 the Selective Service
began targeting ballplayers. After spending 1945 in the military playing baseball
at Fort Lewis, Litwhiler was solely a platoon player for the rest of his ML career.
(JK)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»September 16, 1940:
Called up from the Eastern League in August,
Phillies rookie Danny Litwhiler singles in both games
of 7-1 and 32 losses to St. Louis, extending
his hitting streak to 21 straight games. He will be
stopped tomorrow by Whitey Moore at Cincinnati. He
will hit .345 in 36 games.