1943 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1943 major league baseball season began on April 20, 1943. The regular season ended on October 3, with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 40th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 5 on October 11. In the fourth iteration of this World Series matchup (and a rematch of the previous year), the Yankees defeated the Cardinals, four games to one, capturing their tenth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1941. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the St. Louis Cardinals from the 1942 season.
National League (NL)
- April 20 – October 3, 1943 (AL)
- April 21 – October 3, 1943 (NL)
- October 5–11, 1943
| 1943 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: Spud Chandler (NYY) NL: Stan Musial (STL) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Washington Senators |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | Cincinnati Reds |
| World Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
The 11th All-Star Game was held on July 13 at the Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hosted by the Philadelphia Athletics. The American League won, 5–3. This was also the first All-Star Game held at night.
In order to conserve rail transport during World War II, the 1943 spring training sites was limited to an area east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River. Spring training sites included the Chicago White Sox in French Lick, Indiana; the Washington Senators in College Park, Maryland; and the Yankees in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[1]
Schedule
The 1943 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.
American League Opening Day took place on April 20 with a game between the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators, while National League Opening Day took place on the following day, featuring four teams. This was the first season since 1941 that both leagues opened on different days. The final day of the regular season was on October 3, which saw all sixteen teams play, also the first time since 1941. The World Series took place between October 5 and October 11.
Rule changes
The 1943 season saw the following rule changes:
- Draft rules in regard to payment of the selection fee for players on the National Defense, voluntarily retired, and suspended lists were revised. Previously, teams had not had to pay the selection fee until the player reported to the team. With the new revision, teams would now have to pay the fee when the player was selected.[2]
- During the July All-Star break, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis granted the Washington Senators the ability to play an unlimited amount of weekday night games (previously, they were allowed 21, while other teams were still only allowed 14).[3]
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 98 | 56 | .636 | — | 54–23 | 44–33 |
| Washington Senators | 84 | 69 | .549 | 13½ | 44–32 | 40–37 |
| Cleveland Indians | 82 | 71 | .536 | 15½ | 44–33 | 38–38 |
| Chicago White Sox | 82 | 72 | .532 | 16 | 40–36 | 42–36 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | 76 | .506 | 20 | 45–32 | 33–44 |
| St. Louis Browns | 72 | 80 | .474 | 25 | 44–33 | 28–47 |
| Boston Red Sox | 68 | 84 | .447 | 29 | 39–36 | 29–48 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 49 | 105 | .318 | 49 | 27–51 | 22–54 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 105 | 49 | .682 | — | 58–21 | 47–28 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 87 | 67 | .565 | 18 | 48–29 | 39–38 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 81 | 72 | .529 | 23½ | 46–31 | 35–41 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 80 | 74 | .519 | 25 | 47–30 | 33–44 |
| Chicago Cubs | 74 | 79 | .484 | 30½ | 36–38 | 38–41 |
| Boston Braves | 68 | 85 | .444 | 36½ | 38–39 | 30–46 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 64 | 90 | .416 | 41 | 33–43 | 31–47 |
| New York Giants | 55 | 98 | .359 | 49½ | 34–43 | 21–55 |
Tie games
11 tie games (4 in AL, 7 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, 3
- Chicago White Sox, 1
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- New York Yankees, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 1
National League
- Chicago Cubs, 1
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- New York Giants, 3
- Philadelphia Phillies, 3
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 3
- St. Louis Cardinals, 3
Postseason
The postseason began on October 5 and ended on October 11 with the New York Yankees defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1943 World Series in five games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | Del Baker | Steve O'Neill |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Hans Lobert | Bucky Harris |
| Washington Senators | Bucky Harris | Ossie Bluege |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | Casey Stengel | Bob Coleman |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Bucky Harris | Freddie Fitzsimmons |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Luke Appling (CWS) | .328 |
| OPS | Charlie Keller (NYY) | .922 |
| HR | Rudy York (DET) | 34 |
| RBI | Rudy York (DET) | 118 |
| R | George Case (WSH) | 102 |
| H | Dick Wakefield (DET) | 200 |
| SB | George Case (WSH) | 61 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Spud Chandler (NYY) Dizzy Trout (DET) |
20 |
| L | Lum Harris (PHA) | 21 |
| ERA | Spud Chandler (NYY) | 1.64 |
| K | Allie Reynolds (CLE) | 151 |
| IP | Jim Bagby (CLE) | 273.0 |
| SV | Gordon Maltzberger (CWS) | 14 |
| WHIP | Spud Chandler (NYY) | 0.992 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Stan Musial (STL) | .357 |
| OPS | Stan Musial (STL) | .988 |
| HR | Bill Nicholson (CHC) | 29 |
| RBI | Bill Nicholson (CHC) | 128 |
| R | Arky Vaughan (BRO) | 112 |
| H | Stan Musial (STL) | 220 |
| SB | Arky Vaughan (BRO) | 20 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Mort Cooper (STL) Elmer Riddle (CIN) Rip Sewell (PIT) |
21 |
| L | Nate Andrews (BSN) | 20 |
| ERA | Max Lanier (STL) | 1.90 |
| K | Johnny Vander Meer (CIN) | 174 |
| IP | Al Javery (BSN) | 303.0 |
| SV | Les Webber (BRO) | 10 |
| WHIP | Whit Wyatt (BRO) | 1.007 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Leon Culberson (BOS):
- Culberson hit for his first cycle, eighth in franchise history, and sixth natural cycle in major league history on July 3 against the Cleveland Indians.[9]
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player | Stan Musial (STL) | Spud Chandler (NYY) |
Other awards
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player[10] | Stan Musial (STL) | Spud Chandler (NYY) |
| Player of the Year[11] | — | Spud Chandler (NYY) |
| Manager of the Year[12] | — | Joe McCarthy (NYY) |
| Executive of the Year[13] | — | Clark Griffith (WSH) |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers[14] | 81 | −22.1% | 661,739 | −36.2% | 8,594 |
| New York Yankees[15] | 98 | −4.9% | 618,330 | −32.9% | 8,030 |
| Detroit Tigers[16] | 78 | 6.8% | 606,287 | 4.5% | 7,773 |
| Washington Senators[17] | 84 | 35.5% | 574,694 | 42.4% | 7,562 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[18] | 105 | −0.9% | 517,135 | −6.6% | 6,384 |
| Chicago White Sox[19] | 82 | 24.2% | 508,962 | 19.5% | 6,697 |
| Chicago Cubs[20] | 74 | 8.8% | 508,247 | −14.0% | 6,777 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[21] | 80 | 21.2% | 498,740 | 11.1% | 6,394 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[22] | 64 | 52.4% | 466,975 | 102.9% | 5,987 |
| New York Giants[23] | 55 | −35.3% | 466,095 | −40.2% | 6,053 |
| Cleveland Indians[24] | 82 | 9.3% | 438,894 | −4.5% | 5,700 |
| Cincinnati Reds[25] | 87 | 14.5% | 379,122 | −11.2% | 4,861 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[26] | 49 | −10.9% | 376,735 | −11.0% | 4,769 |
| Boston Red Sox[27] | 68 | −26.9% | 358,275 | −50.9% | 4,653 |
| Boston Braves[28] | 68 | 15.3% | 271,289 | −4.9% | 3,523 |
| St. Louis Browns[29] | 72 | −12.2% | 214,392 | −16.1% | 2,784 |
Venues
Over 77 home games, the Cleveland Indians played 48 games at Cleveland Stadium and 29 games at League Park.[30] All Sunday home games took place at Cleveland Stadium. This would be the 9th of 12 seasons since 1932 that saw the Indians play at both venues.