5 draft. Perhaps because of the 1943 injury to his eye, Mayo developed a peculiar habit of ducking after every pitch. In 1944, the Tigers moved Mayo from third base to second base. Prior to 1944, Mayo had never played in a single major game at second base, but he adjusted well. He had an excellent .978 fielding percentage for the Tigers in 1944 and led all American League second basemen with 120 double plays. Mayo also substantially improved his offensive performance in 1944, raising his average 30 points to .249 with 151 hits, 18 doubles, and 63 RBIs. Mayo finished 29th in the 1944 AL MVP voting. MVP runner-up (1945) Going into the 1945 season, writers were skeptical about the middle of the Tigers' infield. Second baseman Mayo and shortstop Skeeter Webb were both 35 years old, and both had been back-up or utility infielders before the depletion of talent in World War II. Yet, Mayo went on to be MLB's AL Most Valuable Player runner-up (he was selected by The Sporting News for their AL MVP award). In post-season voting, Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser, won the official American League Most Valuable Player award with 9 first place votes, and Mayo finished second with 7 first place votes. Prior to 1944, Mayo had never hit for a batting average higher than .227. In 1945, Mayo hit for a .285 average and .347 on base percentage—both career highs. He also had 24 doubles and a career-high 10 home runs. In addition to a better than average offensive year, Mayo led all American League second basemen with a .980 fielding percentage. The 35-year-old Mayo showed great range, as his range factor of 5.80 was 45 points higher than the league average. Mayo's performance also won him an unofficial American League All Star team position in 1945, no MLB All-Star Game was held due to the ending of the war and seven exhibitions games were played for the war relief fund. Mayo helped lead the Tigers to the American League pennant. In fact, the man previously known as a good-field and no-hit infielder, had the highest batting average among Tigers players with at least 300 at bats. Newhouser called Mayo the "take-charge guy in our infield." Mayo also contributed to the Tigers victory over the Cubs in the 1945 World Series. He started all seven games of the Series and had 7