1946 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1946 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1946. The regular season ended on October 3, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 96–58 records. It was Major League Baseball's first-ever regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 43rd World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 7 on October 15. The Cardinals defeated the Red Sox, four games to three, capturing their sixth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1944. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Detroit Tigers from the 1945 season.
National League (NL)
- April 16 – September 29, 1946 (AL)
- April 16 – October 3, 1946 (NL)
- October 6–15, 1946
| 1946 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: Ted Williams (BOS) NL: Stan Musial (STL) |
| AL champions | Boston Red Sox |
| AL runners-up | Detroit Tigers |
| NL champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL runners-up | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| World Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
The 13th All-Star Game was held on July 9 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, hosted by the Boston Red Sox. The American League won, 12–0.
Many notable ballplayers returned from their military service this season, following the end of World War II, such as Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams.
This was the first season in which the minor-league baseball color line broke. With the support from then-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. Robinson would play for the Royals for the 1946 season.
This was the last National and American League seasons to be played under the color barrier, as in the following season, Jackie Robinson would make his debut with the NL's Brooklyn Dodgers to start and Larry Doby would make his debut with the AL's Cleveland Indians in July.
Schedule
The 1946 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 16, featuring all sixteen teams, continuing the trend from the previous season. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on September 29, which saw all sixteen teams play, the first time since 1944. Due to the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals finishing with the same record of 96–58, a best-of-three tie-breaker was scheduled, to be considered an extension of the regular season. The Cardinals swept the series in two games, on October 1 & 3. The World Series took place between October 6 and October 15.
Rule changes
The 1946 season saw the following rule changes:
- Rules for unlimited night games for all teams (excluding holidays and Sundays) were confirmed to be permanent by commissioner Happy Chandler.[1]
- Twilight-night doubleheaders were banned unless caused by postponements.[1]
- The National League rule which permitted a 30-man roster until June 15 was expanded to the American League. Previously, the AL's rules permitted expanding the roster until 31 days after the commencement of the season.[1]
- High-school players were prohibited from being signed by any major- or minor-league teams, until they were out of school for more than one year.[1]
- As commissioner, Chandler did not retain the right to veto league rules that he believed were detrimental to baseball, as his predecessor, Kenesaw Mountain Landis did, though the major leagues acknowledged that the commissioner had the authority to determine when a rule or act was harmful to baseball and to block the implementation of such a rule.[1]
- The Triple-A level was created as the new highest level of minor-league baseball, with the elevation of the American Association, International League, and Pacific Coast League, from Double-A.[1]
- Restrictions were implemented on giving out large signing bonuses. If a player was signed for an annual salary and a bonus exceeding $6,000 (equivalent to $99,100 in 2025), the signing team could not send him to the minor leagues unless no other team claimed him on waivers. Moreover, if he was claimed by another team, his team could not withdraw the waivers. And if the "bonus baby" did end up going to the minors after all teams passed on him, he would be subject to the annual player draft. Any team violating the rule would lose the player, be unable to re-sign him for three years, and be fined $2,000 (equivalent to $33,000 in 2025). In addition, the individual transgressor for the team would be fined $500 (equivalent to $8,300 in 2025).[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 104 | 50 | .675 | — | 61–16 | 43–34 |
| Detroit Tigers | 92 | 62 | .597 | 12 | 48–30 | 44–32 |
| New York Yankees | 87 | 67 | .565 | 17 | 47–30 | 40–37 |
| Washington Senators | 76 | 78 | .494 | 28 | 38–38 | 38–40 |
| Chicago White Sox | 74 | 80 | .481 | 30 | 40–38 | 34–42 |
| Cleveland Indians | 68 | 86 | .442 | 36 | 36–41 | 32–45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 66 | 88 | .429 | 38 | 35–41 | 31–47 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 49 | 105 | .318 | 55 | 31–46 | 18–59 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 98 | 58 | .628 | — | 49–29 | 49–29 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 96 | 60 | .615 | 2 | 56–22 | 40–38 |
| Chicago Cubs | 82 | 71 | .536 | 14½ | 44–33 | 38–38 |
| Boston Braves | 81 | 72 | .529 | 15½ | 45–31 | 36–41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 69 | 85 | .448 | 28 | 41–36 | 28–49 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 67 | 87 | .435 | 30 | 35–42 | 32–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 63 | 91 | .409 | 34 | 37–40 | 26–51 |
| New York Giants | 61 | 93 | .396 | 36 | 38–39 | 23–54 |
- The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in best-of-three playoff series to earn the National League pennant.
Tie games
9 tie games (5 in AL, 4 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
- Chicago White Sox, 1
- Cleveland Indians, 2
- Detroit Tigers, 1
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 1
National League
- Boston Braves, 1
- Brooklyn Dodgers, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 2
- Cincinnati Reds, 2
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
Postseason
The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 15 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Boston Red Sox in the 1946 World Series in seven games.
Bracket
| National League playoff | World Series | ||||||||
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 3 | |||||||
| NL | STL Cardinals | 2 | NL | STL Cardinals | 4 | ||||
| NL | Brooklyn | 0 | |||||||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | Del Bissonette | Billy Southworth |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Billy Southworth | Eddie Dyer |
In-season
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Mickey Vernon (WSH) | .353 |
| OPS | Ted Williams (BOS) | 1.164 |
| HR | Hank Greenberg (DET) | 44 |
| RBI | Hank Greenberg (DET) | 127 |
| R | Ted Williams (BOS) | 142 |
| H | Johnny Pesky (BOS) | 208 |
| SB | George Case (CLE) | 28 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Bob Feller (CLE) Hal Newhouser (DET) |
26 |
| L | Dick Fowler (PHA) Lou Knerr (PHA) Phil Marchildon (PHA) |
16 |
| ERA | Hal Newhouser (DET) | 1.94 |
| K | Bob Feller (CLE) | 348 |
| IP | Bob Feller (CLE) | 371.1 |
| SV | Bob Klinger (BOS) | 9 |
| WHIP | Hal Newhouser (DET) | 1.069 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Stan Musial (STL) | .365 |
| OPS | Stan Musial (STL) | 1.021 |
| HR | Ralph Kiner (PIT) | 23 |
| RBI | Enos Slaughter (STL) | 130 |
| R | Stan Musial (STL) | 124 |
| H | Stan Musial (STL) | 228 |
| SB | Pete Reiser (BRO) | 34 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Howie Pollet (STL) | 21 |
| L | Dave Koslo (NYG) | 19 |
| ERA | Howie Pollet (STL) | 2.10 |
| K | Johnny Schmitz (CHC) | 135 |
| IP | Howie Pollet (STL) | 266.0 |
| SV | Ken Raffensberger (PHI) | 6 |
| WHIP | Mort Cooper (BSN) | 1.106 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Mickey Vernon (WSH):
- Vernon hit for his first cycle and fourth in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on May 19 against the Chicago White Sox.[7]
- Ted Williams (BOS):
- Williams hit for his first cycle and 11th in franchise history, in game two of a doubleheader on July 21 against the St. Louis Browns.[8]
Other batting accomplishments
- Rudy York (BOS):
- Became the third player to hit two grand slams in a single game, in a 13–6 win over the St. Louis Browns on July 27.[9]
- Became the fifth player to hit at least 10 runs batted in (RBI) in a single game, hitting 10 against the St. Louis Browns on July 27.[10][11]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Ed Head (BRO):
- Head threw his first career no-hitter and the ninth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Boston Braves 5–0 on April 23. Head walked three and struck out two.[12]
- Bob Feller (CLE):
- Feller therw his second career no-hitter and the seventh no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the New York Yankees 1–0 on April 30. Feller walked five and struck out 11.[13]
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Most Valuable Player | Stan Musial (STL) | Ted Williams (BSN) |
Other awards
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year[14] | Stan Musial (STL) | — |
| Rookie of the Year[15] | Del Ennis (PHI) | — |
| Manager of the Year[16] | Eddie Dyer (STL) | — |
| Executive of the Year[17] | — | Tom Yawkey (BSN) |
Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jesse Burkett
- Frank Chance
- Jack Chesbro
- Johnny Evers
- Tommy McCarthy
- Joe McGinnity
- Eddie Plank
- Joe Tinker
- Rube Waddell
- Ed Walsh
- Clark Griffith (executive/pioneer contributor)
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[18] | 87 | 7.4% | 2,265,512 | 156.9% | 29,422 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[19] | 96 | 10.3% | 1,796,824 | 69.6% | 22,745 |
| Detroit Tigers[20] | 92 | 4.5% | 1,722,590 | 34.5% | 21,805 |
| Boston Red Sox[21] | 104 | 46.5% | 1,416,944 | 134.7% | 18,166 |
| Chicago Cubs[22] | 82 | −16.3% | 1,342,970 | 29.6% | 17,441 |
| New York Giants[23] | 61 | −21.8% | 1,219,873 | 20.0% | 15,843 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[24] | 98 | 3.2% | 1,061,807 | 78.6% | 13,613 |
| Cleveland Indians[25] | 68 | −6.8% | 1,057,289 | 89.4% | 13,731 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[26] | 69 | 50.0% | 1,045,247 | 266.7% | 13,401 |
| Washington Senators[27] | 76 | −12.6% | 1,027,216 | 57.4% | 13,516 |
| Chicago White Sox[28] | 74 | 4.2% | 983,403 | 49.5% | 12,448 |
| Boston Braves[29] | 81 | 20.9% | 969,673 | 159.1% | 12,593 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[30] | 63 | −23.2% | 749,962 | 24.0% | 9,615 |
| Cincinnati Reds[31] | 67 | 9.8% | 715,751 | 146.8% | 9,295 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[32] | 49 | −5.8% | 621,793 | 34.4% | 7,972 |
| St. Louis Browns[33] | 66 | −18.5% | 526,435 | 9.0% | 6,837 |
Venues
The Cleveland Indians would play their last game at League Park on September 21 against the Detroit Tigers, permanently moving into Cleveland Stadium for the start of the 1947 season. Over 77 home games, the Indians played 41 games at Cleveland Stadium and 36 games at League Park.[34] All Sunday home games took place at Cleveland Stadium. This would be the last of 12 seasons since 1932 that saw the Indians play at both venues.
