 Before his 40th and last appearance of the season, Stuart asked his manager if he could pitch barefoot, which was his custom as a boy.Given the green light, Stuart went to the mound on September 7 without socks or spikes and defeated the Fulton Tigers, throwing a seven-inning complete game and striking out 11.After three years in the lower minors, Stuart missed the 1943–1945 seasons while performing World War II military duty.