Researching Ernie White

White pitched for two National League clubs, the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves, during his seven-year MLB career, and was a member of three pennant-winners and one World Series champion. He threw a complete-game shutout in Game 3 of the 1942 World Series, defeating the New York Yankees 2–0 at Yankee Stadium, as the Cardinals beat New York in five games in the only World Series ever lost by the Yanks during Joe McCarthy's 15+-year term as manager. During the previous season, 1941, White enjoyed his best campaign, winning 17 of 24 decisions, compiling an ERA of 2.40, and finishing sixth in the NL Most Valuable Player poll.

White served in the U.S. Army during World War II missing the 1944–45 seasons. While in Europe he participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

Because of a sore arm, White pitched in only one game and four innings for the Braves, and spent most of that campaign as a coach on the staff of Boston manager Billy Southworth. But he was able to return to the mound for 15 games and 23 innings with Boston's 1948 NL championship team. In 108 major-league games, he won 30 and lost 21 contests, with 24 complete games, five shutouts and six saves, with an earned run average of 2.78; in 489 innings pitched, he struck out 244, and permitted 425 hits and 188 bases on balls. All thirty victories came during his first four years in the league as a Cardinal. His six-hit shutout of the Bombers in 1942 was his only World Series appearance.

In 1949, White embarked on a 15-year career as a minor league manager, toiling in the farm systems of the Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Athletics, Yankees and New York Mets, winning three league championships. His 1952 Columbia Reds won 100 regular-season games, but lost in the Sally League playoffs. White also spent one season,, as pitching coach of the Mets on the staff of legendary Casey Stengel.

White died in Augusta, Georgia, at the age of 57 from complications following knee surgery.

Ernie White played college football at the University of Dayton and, after playing rugby for the London Lords of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, joined the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1960, where he had only 3 carries. White blossomed as a member of the Ottawa Rough Riders the following year, rushing for a 9.0 yard average on 30 carries on a backfield that included Dave Thelen and Ron Stewart. White became an eastern conference all-star in 1962, rushing for 804 yards (5.9 yards per carry), along with 758 receiving yards (24.5 yards per catch), 429 yards in kick returns (26.8 yards per return), and 10 touchdowns. Despite his 6.4 yards per rush average and 23.4 yards per catch, he had fewer than half as many carries the following year. He nevertheless led the east in kickoff return yards with 665 and a 35.0 yard per return average. He played only 5 games for Ottawa in 1964 and 5 more in 1965 for the Montreal Alouettes before retiring.