1934 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1934 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1934. The regular season ended on September 30, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 31st World Series on October 3 and ended with Game 7 on October 9. The Cardinals then defeated the Tigers, four games to three, capturing their third championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1931. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Giants from the 1933 season.
National League (NL)
- April 17 â September 30, 1934
- October 3â9, 1934
| 1934 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Mickey Cochrane (DET) NL: Dizzy Dean (STL) |
| AL champions | Detroit Tigers |
| AL runners-up | New York Yankees |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | New York Giants |
| World Series | |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
The second Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 10 at the Polo Grounds in New York, New York, home of the New York Giants. The American League won, 9â7.
Schedule
The 1934 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.
Opening Day, April 17, featured all sixteen teams, the first since the 1931 season. The final day of the regular season was on September 30, which also saw all sixteen teams play, continued the trend which began with the 1930 season. This was the second time that both Opening Day and the final day of the season saw all sixteen teams play, the previous being in 1931. The World Series took place between October 3 and October 9.
Rule changes
The 1934 season saw the following rule changes:
- The National and American Leagues agree to adopt a uniform ball, authorizing respective Presidents John Heydler and Will Harridge to meet with manufactures and settle on a ball for both leagues.[1]
- Both leagues agreed to prohibit "synthetic" doubleheaders (which is when teams would postpone weekday games to have two games on a weekend day) on Sundays until after June 15.[1]
- Both leagues altered the practices governing counting players on option toward team limits and salary responsibility for optioned players.[1]
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | 101 | 53 | .656 | â | 54âââ26 | 47âââ27 |
| New York Yankees | 94 | 60 | .610 | 7 | 53âââ24 | 41âââ36 |
| Cleveland Indians | 85 | 69 | .552 | 16 | 47âââ31 | 38âââ38 |
| Boston Red Sox | 76 | 76 | .500 | 24 | 42âââ35 | 34âââ41 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 68 | 82 | .453 | 31 | 34âââ40 | 34âââ42 |
| St. Louis Browns | 67 | 85 | .441 | 33 | 36âââ39 | 31âââ46 |
| Washington Senators | 66 | 86 | .434 | 34 | 34âââ40 | 32âââ46 |
| Chicago White Sox | 53 | 99 | .349 | 47 | 29âââ46 | 24âââ53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 95 | 58 | .621 | â | 48âââ29 | 47âââ29 |
| New York Giants | 93 | 60 | .608 | 2 | 49âââ26 | 44âââ34 |
| Chicago Cubs | 86 | 65 | .570 | 8 | 47âââ30 | 39âââ35 |
| Boston Braves | 78 | 73 | .517 | 16 | 40âââ35 | 38âââ38 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 74 | 76 | .493 | 19½ | 45âââ32 | 29âââ44 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 71 | 81 | .467 | 23½ | 43âââ33 | 28âââ48 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 56 | 93 | .376 | 37 | 35âââ36 | 21âââ57 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 52 | 99 | .344 | 42 | 30âââ47 | 22âââ52 |
Tie games
8 tie games (5 in AL, 3 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Boston Red Sox, 1
- Chicago White Sox, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 3
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 3
National League
- Boston Braves, 1
- Brooklyn Dodgers, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 1
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
- St. Louis Cardinals, 1
Postseason
The postseason began on October 3 and ended on October 9 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Detroit Tigers in the 1934 World Series in seven games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | Detroit Tigers | 3 | ||
| NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | Lew Fonseca | Jimmy Dykes |
| Cincinnati Reds | Bob O'Farrell | Burt Shotton |
| Burt Shotton | Chuck Dressen | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | George Gibson | Pie Traynor |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY) | .363 |
| OPS | Lou Gehrig (NYY) | 1.172 |
| HR | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY) | 49 |
| RBI | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY) | 166 |
| R | Charlie Gehringer (DET) | 135 |
| H | Charlie Gehringer (DET) | 214 |
| SB | Billy Werber (BOS) | 40 |
1 American League Triple Crown batting winner
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY) | 26 |
| L | Bobo Newsom (SLB) | 20 |
| ERA | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY) | 2.33 |
| K | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY) | 158 |
| IP | Lefty Gomez (NYY) | 281.2 |
| SV | Jack Russell (WSH) | 8 |
| WHIP | Lefty Gomez (NYY) | 1.133 |
2 American League Triple Crown pitching winner
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Paul Waner (PIT) | .362 |
| OPS | Ripper Collins (STL) | 1.008 |
| HR | Ripper Collins (STL) Mel Ott (NYG) |
35 |
| RBI | Mel Ott (NYG) | 135 |
| R | Paul Waner (PIT) | 122 |
| H | Paul Waner (PIT) | 217 |
| SB | Pepper Martin (STL) | 23 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Dizzy Dean (STL) | 30 |
| L | Si Johnson (CIN) | 22 |
| ERA | Carl Hubbell (NYG) | 2.30 |
| K | Dizzy Dean (STL) | 195 |
| IP | Van Mungo (BRO) | 315.1 |
| SV | Carl Hubbell (NYG) | 8 |
| WHIP | Carl Hubbell (NYG) | 1.032 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Doc Cramer (PHA):
- Cramer hit for his first cycle and eighth in franchise history, on June 10 against the New York Yankees.[7]
- Lou Gehrig (NYY):
- Gehrig hit for his first cycle and sixth in franchise history, on June 25 against the Chicago White Sox.[8]
- Moose Solters (BOS):
- Solters hit for his first cycle and sixth in franchise history, in game one of a doubleheader on August 19 against the Detroit Tigers.[9]
Other batting accomplishments
- Babe Ruth (NYY):
- Became the first player in Major League history to hit 700 home runs on July 13 against the Detroit Tigers.[10]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Paul Dean (STL):
- Dean threw his first career no-hitter and third no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers 3â0 in game two of a doubleheader on September 21. Dean walked one and struck out six.[11]
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player | Dizzy Dean (STL) | Mickey Cochrane (DET) |
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player[12] | Dizzy Dean (STL) | Lou Gehrig (NYY) |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers[13] | 101 | 34.7% | 919,161 | 186.4% | 11,490 |
| New York Yankees[14] | 94 | 3.3% | 854,682 | 17.4% | 11,100 |
| New York Giants[15] | 93 | 2.2% | 730,851 | 20.9% | 9,745 |
| Chicago Cubs[16] | 86 | 0.0% | 707,525 | 19.1% | 9,189 |
| Boston Red Sox[17] | 76 | 20.6% | 610,640 | 127.2% | 7,930 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[18] | 71 | 9.2% | 434,188 | â17.6% | 5,639 |
| Cleveland Indians[19] | 85 | 13.3% | 391,338 | 0.9% | 5,017 |
| Washington Senators[20] | 66 | â33.3% | 330,074 | â24.6% | 4,343 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[21] | 95 | 15.9% | 325,056 | 26.9% | 4,222 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[22] | 74 | â14.9% | 322,622 | 11.7% | 4,136 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[23] | 68 | â13.9% | 305,847 | 2.9% | 4,024 |
| Boston Braves[24] | 78 | â6.0% | 303,205 | â41.4% | 4,043 |
| Chicago White Sox[25] | 53 | â20.9% | 236,559 | â40.5% | 3,154 |
| Cincinnati Reds[26] | 52 | â10.3% | 206,773 | â5.3% | 2,651 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[27] | 56 | â6.7% | 169,885 | 8.6% | 2,393 |
| St. Louis Browns[28] | 67 | 21.8% | 115,305 | 30.9% | 1,517 |
Venues
After moving into Cleveland Stadium mid-way through the 1932 season, the Cleveland Indians move back into League Park due to plummeting attendance caused by the Great Depression.[29]
The Cincinnati Reds' Redland Field is renamed to Crosley Field following the February 1934 purchase of the Reds by local businessman Powel Crosley Jr.