McCormick became their starting First Baseman in 1938, and he began a nine-year streak of All-Star seasons. From ’38 to ’40, a case could be made that McCormick was the best hitter in the National League. In all of those seasons, the New Yorker led the NL in Hits and batted over .300, had over 100 RBIs, and was in the top five in MVP voting, including a win in 1940.
The Reds had also put it all together at this time, and they won the National League Pennant in both 1939 and 1940. In the former World Series, McCormick batted .400, but the New York Yankees swept the Reds. In the MVP year of 1940, McCormick was not as effective, but Cincinnati beat Detroit in seven.
The First Baseman remained a quality player throughout the first half of the 40s, gaining two more .300 years, and stringing together MVP votes annually from 1942 to 1946. McCormick was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for 1946, and that was his last All-Star year. He played two more seasons with the Boston Braves, finishing his career with 1,711 Hits and a lifetime Batting Average of .299.
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