In 1940 he was 20–12 with a 3.06 ERA and 115 strikeouts, and threw a pair of one-hitters, as Cincinnati repeated as NL champions; he finished fourth in the MVP voting, with first baseman Frank McCormick taking the trophy for the Reds for the third year in a row (Ernie Lombardi had won it in 1938). Derringer finally broke his run of bad breaks in the 1940 World Series against the Detroit Tigers; after losing Game 1 by a 7–2 score, he rebounded with complete game wins in Games 4 and 7. Walters contributed two other victories as the team won its second title, and first since 1919.