1948 Major League Baseball season
Sports season
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The 1948 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1948. The regular season ended on October 4, with the Boston Braves and Cleveland Indians as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Indians won the American League title via a tie-breaker game victory over the Boston Red Sox, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 96–58 records. This was the second regular season tie-breaker, and saw a change from the previous three-game format to that of a single-game, Game 163. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 45th World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 6 on October 11. The Indians defeated the Braves, four games to two, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1920. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Yankees from the 1947 season.
National League (NL)
- April 19 – October 4, 1948 (AL)
- April 19 – October 3, 1948 (NL)
- October 6–11, 1948
| 1948 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: Lou Boudreau (CLE) NL: Stan Musial (STL) |
| AL champions | Cleveland Indians |
| AL runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
| NL champions | Boston Braves |
| NL runners-up | St. Louis Cardinals |
| World Series | |
| Venue | |
| Champions | Cleveland Indians |
| Runners-up | Boston Braves |
The 15th All-Star Game was held on July 13 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted by the St. Louis Browns. The American League won, 5–2, for their third straight win.
The 1948 season is notable as being the final season of any Negro league holding major-league status, as per MLB's 2020 designation of Negro leagues. It would be the final season of the Negro National League, while the Negro American League would continue as a minor-league until it ceased play after the 1962 season.
Schedule
The 1948 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 19, featuring six teams. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on October 3, which saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend from 1946. Due to the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians finishing with the same record of 96–58, a tie-breaker game was scheduled, to be considered an extension of the regular season. The Indians won the Game 163 tie-breaker on October 4. The World Series took place between October 6 and October 11.
Teams
Standings
American League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 97 | 58 | .626 | — | 48–30 | 49–28 |
| Boston Red Sox | 96 | 59 | .619 | 1 | 55–23 | 41–36 |
| New York Yankees | 94 | 60 | .610 | 2½ | 50–27 | 44–33 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 84 | 70 | .545 | 12½ | 36–41 | 48–29 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | 76 | .506 | 18½ | 39–38 | 39–38 |
| St. Louis Browns | 59 | 94 | .386 | 37 | 34–42 | 25–52 |
| Washington Senators | 56 | 97 | .366 | 40 | 29–48 | 27–49 |
| Chicago White Sox | 51 | 101 | .336 | 44½ | 27–48 | 24–53 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | 91 | 62 | .595 | — | 45–31 | 46–31 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 85 | 69 | .552 | 6½ | 44–33 | 41–36 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 84 | 70 | .545 | 7½ | 36–41 | 48–29 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 83 | 71 | .539 | 8½ | 47–31 | 36–40 |
| New York Giants | 78 | 76 | .506 | 13½ | 37–40 | 41–36 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 66 | 88 | .429 | 25½ | 32–44 | 34–44 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 64 | 89 | .418 | 27 | 32–45 | 32–44 |
| Chicago Cubs | 64 | 90 | .416 | 27½ | 35–42 | 29–48 |
- The Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox in a one-game regular season extension to earn the American League pennant.
Tie games
7 tie games (3 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
- Chicago White Sox, 2
- Cleveland Indians, 1
- St. Louis Browns, 2
- Washington Senators, 1
National League
- Boston Braves, 1
- Brooklyn Dodgers, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 1
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 2
- St. Louis Cardinals, 1
Postseason
The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 11 with the Cleveland Indians defeating the Boston Braves in the 1948 World Series in six games.
Bracket
| American League playoff | World Series | ||||||||
| AL | Cleveland | 4 | |||||||
| AL | Cleveland | 1 | NL | Boston Braves | 2 | ||||
| AL | Boston Red Sox | 0 | |||||||
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | Burt Shotton | Leo Durocher |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Bill Burwell | Billy Meyer |
| St. Louis Browns | Muddy Ruel | Zack Taylor |
| Washington Senators | Ossie Bluege | Joe Kuhel |
In-season
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Ted Williams (BOS) | .369 |
| OPS | Ted Williams (BOS) | 1.112 |
| HR | Joe DiMaggio (NYY) | 39 |
| RBI | Joe DiMaggio (NYY) | 155 |
| R | Tommy Henrich (NYY) | 138 |
| H | Bob Dillinger (SLB) | 207 |
| SB | Bob Dillinger (SLB) | 28 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Hal Newhouser (DET) | 21 |
| L | Fred Sanford (SLB) | 21 |
| ERA | Gene Bearden (CLE) | 2.43 |
| K | Bob Feller (CLE) | 164 |
| IP | Bob Lemon (CLE) | 293.2 |
| SV | Russ Christopher (CLE) | 17 |
| WHIP | Bob Lemon (CLE) | 1.226 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Stan Musial (STL) | .376 |
| OPS | Stan Musial (STL) | 1.152 |
| HR | Ralph Kiner (PIT) Johnny Mize (NYG) |
40 |
| RBI | Stan Musial (STL) | 131 |
| R | Stan Musial (STL) | 135 |
| H | Stan Musial (STL) | 230 |
| SB | Richie Ashburn (PHI) | 32 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Johnny Sain (BSN) | 24 |
| L | Dutch Leonard (PHI) | 17 |
| ERA | Harry Brecheen (STL) | 2.24 |
| K | Harry Brecheen (STL) | 149 |
| IP | Johnny Sain (BSN) | 314.2 |
| SV | Harry Gumbert (CIN) | 17 |
| WHIP | Harry Brecheen (STL) | 1.037 |
Milestones
Batters
Four home runs in one game
- Pat Seerey (CWS/CLE):
- Became the fifth player to hit four home runs in one game as a part of the Chicago White Sox in a 12–11 win against the Philadelphia Athletics in game one of a doubleheader on July 18.[6]
Cycles
- Joe DiMaggio (NYY):
- DiMaggio hit for his second cycle and 11th in franchise history, on May 20 against the Chicago White Sox.[7]
- Wally Westlake (PIT):
- Westlake hit for his first cycle and 14th in franchise history, on July 30 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.[8]
- Jackie Robinson (BRO):
- Robinson hit for his first cycle, the sixth in franchise history, and the sixth reverse cycle in major league history, in game one of a doubleheader on August 29 against the St. Louis Cardinals.[9]
Other batting accomplishments
- George Vico (DET):
- Becomes the fifth major league player to hit a home run off the first pitch he sees as a major league player against the Chicago White Sox.
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Bob Lemon (CLE):
- Lemon threw his first career no-hitter and ninth no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Detroit Tigers 2–0 on June 30. Lemon walked three and struck out four.[10]
- Rex Barney (BRO):
- Barney threw his first career no-hitter and 10th no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the New York Giants 2–0 on September 9. Barney walked two and struck out four, throwing 75 strikes on 116 pitches.[11]
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Alvin Dark (BSN) | — |
| Most Valuable Player | Stan Musial (STL) | Lou Boudreau (CLE) |
Other awards
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American League |
| Player of the Year[12] | — | Lou Boudreau (CLE) |
| Pitcher of the Year[13] | Johnny Sain (BSN) | Bob Lemon (CLE) |
| Rookie of the Year[14] | Richie Ashburn (PHI) | — |
| Manager of the Year[15] | Billy Meyer (PIT) | — |
| Executive of the Year[16] | — | Bill Veeck (CLE) |
Baseball Hall of Fame
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians[17] | 97 | 21.3% | 2,620,627 | 72.2% | 33,172 |
| New York Yankees[18] | 94 | −3.1% | 2,373,901 | 8.9% | 30,830 |
| Detroit Tigers[19] | 78 | −8.2% | 1,743,035 | 24.7% | 22,637 |
| Boston Red Sox[20] | 96 | 15.7% | 1,558,798 | 9.2% | 19,985 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[21] | 83 | 33.9% | 1,517,021 | 18.2% | 18,963 |
| New York Giants[22] | 78 | −3.7% | 1,459,269 | −8.8% | 18,952 |
| Boston Braves[23] | 91 | 5.8% | 1,455,439 | 13.9% | 19,151 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[24] | 84 | −10.6% | 1,398,967 | −22.6% | 17,935 |
| Chicago Cubs[25] | 64 | −7.2% | 1,237,792 | −9.3% | 15,869 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[26] | 85 | −4.5% | 1,111,440 | −10.9% | 14,434 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[27] | 84 | 7.7% | 945,076 | 3.7% | 12,274 |
| Cincinnati Reds[28] | 64 | −12.3% | 823,386 | −8.5% | 10,693 |
| Washington Senators[29] | 56 | −12.5% | 795,254 | −6.5% | 10,196 |
| Chicago White Sox[30] | 51 | −27.1% | 777,844 | −11.3% | 10,235 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[31] | 66 | 6.5% | 767,429 | −15.4% | 10,098 |
| St. Louis Browns[32] | 59 | 0.0% | 335,564 | 4.7% | 4,415 |
Retired numbers
- Babe Ruth had his No. 3 retired by the New York Yankees on June 13. This was the second number retired by the team.
- Mel Ott had his No. 4 retired by the New York Giants on July 17. This was the second number retired by the team.
