1944 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1944 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1944. The regular season ended on October 1, with the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In an all-St. Louis postseason, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 41st World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 6 on October 9. The Cardinals defeated the Browns, four games to two, capturing their fifth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1942. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Yankees from the 1943 season.
National League (NL)
- April 18 – October 1, 1944
- October 4–9, 1944
| 1944 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: Hal Newhouser (DET) NL: Marty Marion (STL) |
| AL champions | St. Louis Browns |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| World Series | |
| Venue | Sportsman's Park, St. Louis, Missouri |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | St. Louis Browns |
The 12th All-Star Game was held on July 11 at the Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The National League won, 7–1.
The season is notable for greatly relaxing restrictions on night games.[1]
This was Kenesaw Mountain Landis' last season of his 24-year tenure as commissioner, following his death in November. He would be succeeded by Happy Chandler.
Challenging the color line
During the final days of the 1943 Winter Meetings prior to the season's start, commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis (who, according to a number of baseball authors, has had racism ascribed to him for actively perpetuating the baseball color line)[2] invited singer Paul Robeson, and three black journalists, Ira F. Lewis of the Pittsburgh Courier, John H. Sengstacke of The Chicago Defender, and Howard Murphy of the Baltimore Afro-American, to plead their case in favor of integration in baseball, marking the first time a black person had spoken directly with the leaders of Organized Baseball about this topic. In response, Landis read a joint American League-National League statement stating that "There is no rule, formal or informal, or any understanding — unwritten, subterranean or sub-anything — against the hiring of Negro players by the teams of organized baseball."[3]
However, it would not be until after Landis' death in November 1944 that baseball would begin to move towards breaking the color line. With the support from incoming commissioner Happy Chandler, Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson in late-October 1945 to their top minor-league affiliate, the Montreal Royals, eventually breaking the major-league color barrier following his promotion to the majors in 1947.
Schedule
The 1944 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 took place on April 18, featuring fourteen teams. The final day of the regular season was on October 1, which saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend since the previous season. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 9.
Tri-Cornered Baseball Game
A unique three-way exhibition game, formatted as a round-robin, was held at the Polo Grounds, which saw the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and New York Yankees play a game on June 26 to sell war bonds to aid in the U.S. war effort in World War II, in which they would raise $6 million (equivalent to $109.7 million in 2025).[4] The Dodgers defeating the Yankees and Giants, winning the game 5–1–0, respectively.[4] Including a $50 million donation from New York City, a total of $56 million (equivalent to $1.024 billion in 2025) was raised or the war effort.[5]
Rule change
The 1944 season saw the following rule change:
- During the July All-Star break, all teams were given permission to have unlimited weekday night games. Previously, all teams were allowed only 14 (except the Washington Senators, which were allowed 21).[1]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Browns | 89 | 65 | .578 | — | 54–23 | 35–42 |
| Detroit Tigers | 88 | 66 | .571 | 1 | 43–34 | 45–32 |
| New York Yankees | 83 | 71 | .539 | 6 | 47–31 | 36–40 |
| Boston Red Sox | 77 | 77 | .500 | 12 | 47–30 | 30–47 |
| Cleveland Indians | 72 | 82 | .468 | 17 | 39–38 | 33–44 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 72 | 82 | .468 | 17 | 39–37 | 33–45 |
| Chicago White Sox | 71 | 83 | .461 | 18 | 41–36 | 30–47 |
| Washington Senators | 64 | 90 | .416 | 25 | 40–37 | 24–53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 105 | 49 | .682 | — | 54–22 | 51–27 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 90 | 63 | .588 | 14½ | 49–28 | 41–35 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 89 | 65 | .578 | 16 | 45–33 | 44–32 |
| Chicago Cubs | 75 | 79 | .487 | 30 | 35–42 | 40–37 |
| New York Giants | 67 | 87 | .435 | 38 | 39–36 | 28–51 |
| Boston Braves | 65 | 89 | .422 | 40 | 38–40 | 27–49 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 63 | 91 | .409 | 42 | 37–39 | 26–52 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 61 | 92 | .399 | 43½ | 29–49 | 32–43 |
Tie games
11 tie games (3 in AL, 8 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, 2
- Cleveland Indians, 1
- Detroit Tigers, 2
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
National League
- Boston Braves, 1
- Brooklyn Dodgers, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 3
- Cincinnati Reds, 1
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 5
- St. Louis Cardinals, 3
Postseason
The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 9 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the St. Louis Browns in the 1944 World Series in six games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | St. Louis Browns | 2 | ||
| NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | ||
Managerial changes
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | Jimmie Wilson | Roy Johnson |
| Roy Johnson | Charlie Grimm |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Lou Boudreau (CLE) | .327 |
| OPS | Bob Johnson (BOS) | .959 |
| HR | Nick Etten (NYY) | 22 |
| RBI | Vern Stephens (SLB) | 109 |
| R | Snuffy Stirnweiss (NYY) | 125 |
| H | Snuffy Stirnweiss (NYY) | 205 |
| SB | Snuffy Stirnweiss (NYY) | 55 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Hal Newhouser (DET) | 29 |
| L | Bill Dietrich (CWS) Early Wynn (WSH) |
17 |
| ERA | Dizzy Trout (DET) | 2.12 |
| K | Hal Newhouser (DET) | 187 |
| IP | Dizzy Trout (DET) | 352.1 |
| SV | Joe Berry (PHA) George Caster (SLB) Gordon Maltzberger (CWS) |
12 |
| WHIP | Tex Hughson (BOS) | 1.048 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Dixie Walker (BRO) | .357 |
| OPS | Stan Musial (STL) | .990 |
| HR | Bill Nicholson (CHC) | 33 |
| RBI | Bill Nicholson (CHC) | 122 |
| R | Bill Nicholson (CHC) | 116 |
| H | Phil Cavarretta (CHC) Stan Musial (STL) |
197 |
| SB | Johnny Barrett (PIT) | 28 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Bucky Walters (CIN) | 23 |
| L | Ken Raffensberger (PHI) | 20 |
| ERA | Ed Heusser (CIN) | 2.38 |
| K | Bill Voiselle (NYG) | 161 |
| IP | Bill Voiselle (NYG) | 312.2 |
| SV | Ace Adams (NYG) | 13 |
| WHIP | Ted Wilks (STL) | 1.069 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Bobby Doerr (BOS):
- Doerr hit for his first cycle and ninth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on May 17 against the St. Louis Browns.[11]
- Bob Johnson (BOS):
- Johnson hit for his first cycle and 10th in franchise history, on July 6 against the Detroit Tigers.[12]
- Dixie Walker (BRO):
- Walker hit for his first cycle and fifth in franchise history, on September 2 against the New York Giants.[13]
Other batting accomplishments
- Phil Weintraub (NYG):
- Became the fourth player to hit at least 10 runs batted in (RBI) in a single game, hitting 11 against the Brooklyn Dodgers in game one of a doubleheader on April 30.[14][15]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Jim Tobin (BSN):
- Tobin threw his first career no-hitter and the sixth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers 2–0 on April 27. Tobin walked two and struck out four.[16]
- Clyde Shoun (CIN):
- Shoun threw his first career no-hitter and the eighth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Braves 1–0 on May 15. Shoun walked one and struck out one.[17]
Other pitching accomplishments
- Mel Harder (CLE):
- Becomes the 50th pitcher in major league history to win 200 games, defeating the Boston Red Sox, 5–4.
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player | Marty Marion (STL) | Hal Newhouser (DET) |
Other awards
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player[18] | Marty Marion (STL) | Bobby Doerr (BOS) |
| Player of the Year[19] | Marty Marion (STL) | — |
| Pitcher of the Year[20] | Bill Voiselle (NYG) | Hal Newhouser (DET) |
| Manager of the Year[21] | — | Luke Sewell (SLB) |
| Executive of the Year[22] | — | Bill DeWitt (SLB) |
Baseball Hall of Fame
- Kenesaw Mountain Landis (executive)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers[23] | 88 | 12.8% | 923,176 | 52.3% | 11,836 |
| New York Yankees[24] | 83 | −15.3% | 789,995 | 27.8% | 10,128 |
| New York Giants[25] | 67 | 21.8% | 674,483 | 44.7% | 8,993 |
| Chicago Cubs[26] | 75 | 1.4% | 640,110 | 25.9% | 8,207 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[27] | 63 | −22.2% | 605,905 | −8.4% | 7,869 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[28] | 90 | 12.5% | 604,278 | 21.2% | 7,460 |
| Chicago White Sox[29] | 71 | −13.4% | 563,539 | 10.7% | 7,319 |
| Washington Senators[30] | 64 | −23.8% | 525,235 | −8.6% | 6,821 |
| St. Louis Browns[31] | 89 | 23.6% | 508,644 | 137.2% | 6,606 |
| Boston Red Sox[32] | 77 | 13.2% | 506,975 | 41.5% | 6,500 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[33] | 72 | 46.9% | 505,322 | 34.1% | 6,649 |
| Cleveland Indians[34] | 72 | −12.2% | 475,272 | 8.3% | 6,093 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[35] | 105 | 0.0% | 461,968 | −10.7% | 6,000 |
| Cincinnati Reds[36] | 89 | 2.3% | 409,567 | 8.0% | 5,251 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[37] | 61 | −4.7% | 369,586 | −20.9% | 4,678 |
| Boston Braves[38] | 65 | −4.4% | 208,691 | −23.1% | 2,676 |
Venues
Over 78 home games, the Cleveland Indians played 43 games at Cleveland Stadium and 35 games at League Park.[39] All Sunday home games took place at Cleveland Stadium. All Saturday home games took place at League Park. This would be the 10th of 12 seasons since 1932 that saw the Indians play at both venues.
Retired numbers
Carl Hubbell had his No. 11 retired by the New York Giants. This was the first number retired by the team.