1941 World Series

The series was punctuated by the Dodgers' Mickey Owen's dropped third strike of a sharply breaking curveball (a suspected spitball) pitched by Hugh Casey in the ninth inning of Game 4.

The Dodgers cut it to 2–1 in the fifth inning when Pee Wee Reese singled with two outs off Red Ruffing and scored on Mickey Owen's triple.

Then they threatened in the ninth inning with hits by Joe Medwick and Pee Wee Reese, before Ruffing was able to get Herman Franks to ground into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

The Yankees struck first in Game 2 on Spud Chandler's RBI single in the second with runners on second and third, but Joe Gordon was thrown out at home trying to score to end the inning.

In the fifth, the Dodgers loaded the bases off Chandler with no outs on a double and two walks when Pee Wee Reese's sacrifice fly and Mickey Owen's RBI single tied the game.

Hugh Casey, who came out to pitch in the eighth for Brooklyn, promptly gave up four straight one-out singles, the last two of which to Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller scoring a run each.

Next inning, Pete Reiser's two-run home run put the Dodgers up 4–3, but with two out, two strikes and no runners on base in the ninth, the Yankees rallied off Hugh Casey.

First, Tommy Henrich swung and missed at a 3-2 pitch which should have ended the game, but Dodger catcher Mickey Owen failed to catch the ball.

In 1947 the Yankees and Dodgers would meet in the World Series for the second time and again play a dramatic Game 4 which was decided on a lead change with two outs in the ninth inning.