Lucky 13: Mort Cooper and the Jinx That Led to a MVP Season

Mort Cooper was the ace of the St. Louis Cardinals in the early1940's. Never a superstitious player, he proudly wore uniform #13. But in 1942 Cooper began to question the impact that number was having on his season and his career. Twice he had tried to win his fourteenth game-and twice he had failed. In fact Cooper had never won more than 13 games in a season in his entire career with the Cardinals in either the major or the minor leagues. It appeared the #13 had cast a jinx on his career. To break the jinx, Cooper came up with a plan. He would change jersey numbers for his next start. He would wear #14! The plan worked so Cooper continued to change jersey numbers for he remainder of the season. The result was the best season of Cooper's career. He won 22 games leading the Cardinals to the National League pennant and to a World Series Championship. His success made him a leading candidate for the NL Most Valuable Player award. Only when the results of that voting were released could Cooper fully appreciate the impact that the #13 had on his season. 1942 would truly be his season of the "Lucky Thirteen!"