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The Chicago
Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are arguably the fiercest rivals in
the history
of baseball, if not the history of sport. Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean is
one of the few baseball players that experienced both sides of that
rivalry. As the anchor for the Cardinals’ pitching staff, Dean earned
four consecutive strikeout titles, led the National League in complete
games for four consecutive seasons, and won two games in the 1934 World
Series. The Cardinals championship in 1934 was kept in the family
as
Paul "Daffy" Dean, Dizzy’s younger brother, won the other two games
of the World Series. Dizzy’s career in Chicago lacked the brilliance
he conveyed in St. Louis, due in part to an injury suffered in the
1937
All-Star game. His toe was broken by a line drive off the bat of Earl
Averill. Dean altered his pitching motion to compensate for the broken
toe, injuring his throwing arm in the process. Dean last played in
1947, pitching a four inning shutout for the St. Louis Browns. The
four-time 20-game winner was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in
1953.
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