Baseball – 1944

Baseball in 1944

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January

January 3White Sox star Luke Appling reports for duty at Camp Lee‚ VA. Appling was the AL batting leader last season‚ finishing 2nd in the MVP voting.
January 5Longtime AL 3B Joe Dugan‚ hit by a car while crossing a Boston street‚ escapes with a slight concussion and a lacerated scalp.
January 8Bill Terry announces he is through with baseball and plans to enter the cotton business.
January 27Lou Perini‚ Guido Rugo‚ and Joseph Maney buy control of the Braves and oust Casey Stengel as manager.

February

February 2The leagues meet at New York to discuss postwar action. They decide players with war service will be guaranteed 30 days of trial at pay and restrictions of their release or assignment. Military service will count as playing time.
February 12Bob Coleman‚ after 23 years of managing in the minors‚ is named to pilot the Boston Braves.
February 17Connie Mack brings back Frankie Hayes to the A’s‚ trading P Sam Zoldak and minor leaguer Barney Lutz to the Browns for the catcher.
February 18Fifteen-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs a contract with the Cincinnati Reds just one day after playing in a high school basketball game.
February 29Brooklyn Dodger 1B Howie Schultz is rejected for military service a 2nd time. At 6 foot 6 inches‚ Schultz is deemed too tall.

March

March 4The Browns send veteran C Rick Ferrell to Washington for Gene Moore and cash.

The woeful Phillies announce their new nickname-the Blue Jays. The winning entry in the contest was submitted by a Mrs. Elizabeth Crooks‚ and was chosen over a number of names ranging from Daisies to Stinkers. President Carpenter says he hopes to have the farm system identified by the same blue color‚ with the Wilmington club called the Blue Rocks and possibly the New Bradford team as the Blue Wings. The Blue Jays will be the unofficial team name for 1944-45 but abandoned in 1946‚ though the team will still occasionally be referred to in newspaper accounts as the Blue Jays through 1949. Ms. Crooks wins a $100 war bond and a season ticket to the Blue Jays.
March 8The Detroit Tigers invite 6 foot 11 inch Ralph Siewert to spring training in Evansville‚ IN.
March 15In Maryland‚ the Senators start training with 5 knuckleballers likely to make the staff: Dutch Leonard‚ Roger Wolff‚ Mickey Haefner‚ John Niggeling‚ and Bill Lefebvre. Pity catcher Rick Ferrell‚ who will have to corral the flutterballs.
March 17Due to war-time restrictions‚ the Red Sox open training camp at Tufts College in Medford‚ MA with 4 players showing up. Their real opening day for training will be on March 26‚ in Baltimore.
March 25The Negro League Chicago American Giants leave to train in Memphis. The Cleveland Buckeyes are in Clarksdale‚ Mississippi‚ the Kansas City Monarchs in Houston‚ and the Indainapolis Clowns are in Montgomery‚ Alabama. The Monarchs will be at Pelican Park in New Orelans for a Easter exhibition against the Cuban Giants (as noted in the Chicago Defender).
March 29Oakland loans Los Angeles 3 players for a PCL exhibition game after 5 Los Angeles players suffer various injuries in an automobile accident. Los Angeles beats Oakland 6-2.
March 30Branch Rickey suggests pooling of surplus players if ML 4F players are drafted for military service. Nothing comes of the suggestion.

April

April 1The Red Sox play their first exhibition game‚ taking on the talented Coast Guard “Cutters” at Curtis Bay Navy Yard. The Cutters‚ managed by Dick Porter‚ score 12 runs in the bottom of the 1st‚ knocking out Joe Wood‚ Jr. Hank Sauer hits a bases loaded triple off Mike Ryba in the frame. The final is 23-16 as the Red Sox kick in 8 errors in the loss.

Gerald Juzek pitches 3 innings for Los Angeles in a PCL exhibition game less than 2 years after suffering a severe leg wound while fighting in Guadalcanal. Juzek was told he would never walk again.
April 2In a pre-game exhibition before playing the Jersey City Giants in Lakehurst‚ NJ‚ outfielder Danny Gardella and 1B Phil Weintraub of the NY Giants catch balls dropped from a blimp 400 feet above the ground.
April 11Hollywood and San Diego play the first night baseball game in the PCL since night games were banned after August 19‚ 1942.
April 16Jack Hand of the Associated Press names the Yankees‚ White Sox‚ and Senators as favorites to win the AL pennant. Like most observers‚ he picks the Browns to finish last.
April 18All 16 ML teams see action on Opening Day. But Bobby Doerr‚ Tex Hughson‚ and Mort Cooper are the only established stars still on the wartime rosters. A potential star among the new crop of rookies is George Kell‚ now Connie Mack‘s 3B‚ who last year with Lancaster (Inter-State League) led all minor league hitters with a .396 average.

In Washington‚ Vice President Wallace throws out the first ball and the A’s then nip the Senators‚ 3-2‚ in 12 innings. The A’s Connie Mack celebrates the start of his 50th year as manager.

At Fenway Park‚ Hank Borowy of the Yankees shuts out the Red Sox 3-0 on five hits‚ as Johnny Lindell hits the first HR of 1944‚ an opposite field shot in the 2nd inning. Yank Terry allows 7 hits in 7 innings to take the loss.

At Detroit‚ the Browns win their 8th straight Opening Day game‚ beating the Tigers‚ 2-1. Jack Kramer tops Dizzy Trout‚ with Pinky Higgins and Vern Stephens matching homers.
April 19The Giants defeat the Braves 2-1‚ as Mel Ott hits the first NL HR of the year and the 464th of his career.

The Browns strand 14 runners but still score 3 times to beat the Tigers‚ 3-1. Steve Sundra allows just 3 hits‚ one of them a homer by Rudy York‚ his 1‚000th ML hit. A second hit is a pinch single by Detroit rookie Chuck Hostetler in his first ML at bat. At age 40‚ Hostetler is the oldest rookie in ML history.
April 20At Cincinnati‚ the Reds edge the Cubs‚ 2-1‚ behind Tommy de la Cruz. the loser is Bill Fleming. The major league career of Mike Kosman ends after a 30-yard dash. Sent in to pinch-run for Steve Mesner at 3rd base for the Reds‚ Kosman is thrown out at the plate and never appears in another box score.

After a pair of 2-1 victories‚ the Giants use heavy artillery to subdue the Braves‚ 10-8. Ott‚ Lombardi and Medwick homer and Ducky adds 2 singles and a double. The Braves make it close knocking out starter Melton and beating up reliever Lou Polli‚ making his first ML appearance since 1932. Feldman retires the side in the 9th after 3 runs had scored in both the 8th and 9th.

Twenty-six-year old Elmer Gedeon‚ a part-time outfielder with the Senators in 1939‚ is killed when his plane is shot down over France. He is the first major leaguer killed in the war. Gedeon is the son of former major leaguer Joe Gedeon.
April 21Mike Kreevich hits a pair of HRs‚ as the Browns beat the White Sox 5-3. In the preceding 3 years‚ a period involving 297 games‚ Kreevich tallied just one homer. The Browns‚ off to a fast start will win their first six games April 23rd.
April 22The Yankees hand out 1943 WS rings before beating the Senators 6-3. Manager Joe McCarthy is absent because of illness and is at home on his farm near Buffalo. He is suffering from influenza and according to his doctor‚ “will be away indefinitely.” Artie Fletcher will serve as acting manager.
April 23Jim Tobin tosses a one-hitter in the Braves’ home opener as Philadelphia 2B Ford Mullen gets the only hit in the 6th inning. In his previous start Tobin lost a 3-hitter to the Giants.
April 24The Browns sweep the White Sox‚ winning 5-2 and 4-3‚ to extend their season-opening winning streak to six games. Jack Kramer is the winner in the opener‚ aiding his cause with a two-run homer.
April 26Frank McCormick homers in the bottom of the 13th inning as Bucky Walters and the Reds beat the Cardinals 1-0.
April 27Boston knuckleballer Jim Tobin hits a HR‚ off Fritz Ostermueller‚ and no-hits the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0 before a mid-week crowd of just 1‚984 at Braves Field. Tobin walks Paul Waner to lead off the game‚ then retires 26 consecutive batters before again walking Waner with 2 outs in the 9th inning. Tobin has now given up 4 hits in 27 innings.

The Browns tie the Yankees’ AL record by winning their 7th straight to open the season. Steve Sundra beats Cleveland’s Allie Reynolds 5-2 as a paid crowd of 960 look on.
April 28OF Woody Wheaton drives home the winning run in the 16th inning to give the A’s a 7-5 victory over the Red Sox. It is Woody’s only hit in the game.

The Browns win their 8th straight‚ topping the Indians‚ 5-1.
April 29Following Nelson Potter’s win yesterday‚ Jack Kramer pitches the Brown’s to their AL record 9th straight win to start the season. The 3-1 win over the Indians gives the first place Browns a 3 1/2 game lead.
April 30Before 58‚000 at the Polo Grounds‚ the Giants pummel the Dodgers 26-8 in the opener of two. Player/manager Mel Ott reaches base 7 times‚ scoring 6 runs for the 2nd time in his career‚ and Phil Weintraub drives in 11 runs with a homer‚ triple‚ and 2 doubles. Teammate Ernie Lombardi drives in another 7. Dodger pitchers give up NL record-tying 17 walks‚ including six in a row (ties NL mark) in the 2nd. They walk Mel Ott 5 times‚ the 4th time in his career that Ott has been issued 5 passes. A ML record-tying 3 players (Ott-6: Medwick-5: Weintraub-5) score 5 runs each: another ML mark since 1900 is set with Ott’s 6 runs + 5 runs by another teammate) The Dodgers earn a split as Hal Gregg wins the nitecap 5-4‚ despite walking 8 batters. The 2-game total of 25 free passes by the Giants is an NL record. Ott adds to his lifetime NL marks by recording his 1‚700th run and driving in his 1‚700th run.

The White Sox beat the Browns 4-3 to hand St. Louis their first loss after 9 wins.

St. Louis pitcher Max Lanier shuts out the slumping Cubs‚ 5-0 in the opener. Ed Hanycewski takes the loss. Then Rookie Ted Wilks‚ on his way to a 17-4 season‚ beats Hank Wyse‚ 7-5‚ to give the Cards a sweep. With the Cubs losing 9 of their first 10 games‚ Jimmie Wilson resigns as manager.

May

May 1George Myatt of the Washington Senators collects 6 hits (5 singles and a 2B) in 6 at bats‚ as the Nats pound out 20 hits to beat Boston 11-4.
May 2Phillies P Charley Schanz takes a 1-0 no-hitter into the 7th inning before giving up a 2-run homer to Joe Medwick of the Giants‚ the only Giants’ hit of the day. Schanz wins his own game by clearing the bases with a triple in the 9th.
May 3Joe Cronin‚ making his 1944 debut at 1B‚ makes putouts at both ends of a double play‚ one out at 1B and the other at 3B. The Sox make 4 DPs and collect 15 hits in beating the Senators‚ 11-10. Stan Spence and Bobby Doerr each hit a HR‚ double‚ and single. The Nats have 16 hits in the loss.
May 4Joe Cicero‚ actor Clark Gable’s cousin‚ hits 3 HRs‚ 2 of which are grand slams‚ for 10 RBI‚ as Newark beats Montreal 17-8 in the International League.

The Browns announce that they are dropping their segregation policy restricting African Americans to the bleachers. Henceforth‚ “Negroes” may purchase a ticket for any seat.
May 5The Senators beat the Athletics 11-8‚ as both teams combine for 33 hits.

Charlie Grimm resigns as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in the American Association to take over the Cubs. Casey Stengel is named manager in Milwaukee.
May 7The Cubs lose to the Pirates 6-5‚ Chicago’s 12th loss in a row‚ and ruin Grimm’s 2nd debut as Cubs manager.
May 9Joe McCarthy returns as Yankees manager after missing much of spring training and the early season due to illness.
May 10Mel Harder wins his 200th career game as Cleveland defeats the Red Sox 5-4. He is the 50th to reach this mark.

Cardinal ace Mort Cooper picks up his first win of the season as the Cards beat the Dodgers 4-2.
May 11The Cubs beat the Phillies 5-3 to snap a 13-game losing streak after Charlie Grimm gives a four-leaf clover to starting P Eddie Hanyzewski‚ who wore it under his cap. The Cubs are now 1-13 on the year.

Hal Trosky‚ making a comeback with the White Sox after having retired for 2 years because of migraine headaches‚ steals home in the 16th to break a 2-2 tie in a 4-2 win over the A’s. By inning‚ it is the latest steal of home‚ a feat Willie Davis will duplicate in 1964.
May 12The Giants purchase 6 foot 9 inch Johnny Gee from the Pirates. Gee has a ML record of 5-8‚ but his chief attraction is that he is too tall for the draft. He will compile a 2-4 record for the Giants.
May 13Joe Page‚ just called up from Newark‚ throws a 5-hitter‚ as the Yankees defeat the Indians 5-1.
May 14Connie Ryan singles with 2 outs in the 8th inning‚ as Reds P Bucky Walters fires a one-hitter against the Braves to win‚ 4-0. This is one of a record-tying 7 shutouts recorded today out of 16 games‚ a since-topped mark.
May 15A day after the Reds pitch a one-hitter‚ Reds reliever Clyde Shoun‚ making his first start of the season‚ throws a no-hitter to nip the Boston Braves 1-0. Only 1‚014 see the 32-year-old lefty top Jim Tobin‚ who had thrown one in April. Reds reserve 3B Chuck Aleno accounts for the sole run with his only 1944 HR.

Frankie Hayes hits a grand slam in the 9th inning off the Tigers Rufe Gentry‚ as the Athletics win 6-2.
May 16The White Sox beat the Yankees 10-4 to stop Hank Borowy‘s 2-year winning streak at 11.
May 17In the nitecap of a doubleheader‚ Bobby Doerr hits for the cycle‚ but last-place Boston loses to the Browns‚ 12-8. The loss leaves the Browns just a half game behind the Yankees. Boston outhits the Browns‚ 15-14‚ but Red Sox hurlers‚ including a 2-inning stint by infielder Eddie Lake‚ walk 14 batters. Emmett O’Neil is the loser to Jakucki. In the opener‚ Boston’s Tex Hughson allows 4 hits in the 5-1 win.
May 18Rufe Gentry wins his own game with an RBI single in the 8th inning. The Tigers defeat the Athletics‚ 1-0.
May 20Mel Harder of the Indians and Paul Derringer of the Cubs both win their 201st career games. Derringer’s win comes at home‚ 3-2 over Boston’s Nate Andrews. At Philadelphia‚ Harder wins his‚ 5-0‚ allowing 3 hits and finishing in 1 hour: 37 minutes. Cy Young is on hand to watch the game.
May 21The Giants split with the Cardinals‚ losing 10-3 and then winning the 2nd game 7-5. Mel Ott has a HR‚ triple‚ 2 doubles and a single in the two games‚ and puts himself in at 3B in the nitecap. Jurges moves from 3B to short‚ replacing Buddy Kerr.
May 22The Cincinnati Clowns of the Negro American League defeat the Great Lakes Naval Center Negro team 7-5.
May 23Wartime restrictions are eased‚ and Ebbets Field is the scene of the first night game in metro New York since 1941. The Giants Bill Voiselle loses a 2-1‚ 9th-inning lead because an apparent last-out ?y ball is dropped by CF Johnny Rucker when Charles Mead runs into him. Two runners score and the Dodgers win 3-2. In other cities‚ there was no restriction on night play‚ but games could be interrupted at any time by test blackouts.

Milwaukee defeats Toledo 28-0 in an American Association game.
May 24Frankie Hayes of the Athletics hits his 2nd grand slam in 10 days. This one comes against the Tigers. in an 8-4 win at Detroit and ties Hayes for the ML lead in homers with Seerey of Cleveland and Schultz of the Dodgers.
May 25On Mel Harder appreciation night in Cleveland‚ the Indians and Harder drop a 4-2 decision to the Senators. Mel tries harder scoring both of the Indian runs.
May 26The Red Sox defeat the Browns 4-2 in 11 innings‚ although Browns P Nels Potter retires the first 23 batters he faces.

The 1943 Negro League World Champions‚ the Homestead Grays‚ defeat the Fore River Shipyard team of the New England Industrial League 1-0 in a game played at Fenway Park.
May 30Dizzy Trout leads off the bottom of the 9th with a game ending HR to win his own game as the Tigers beat the Yankees 2-1. Hal Newhouser finishes off the nightcap with a complete-game‚ 4-1 win.

Mel Ott hits 3 HRs‚ as the Giants sweep two from the Cubs‚ 6-5 and 5-4.
May 31Al Unser hits his only 1944 HR‚ a pinch-hit grand slam with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th‚ to help the Tigers beat the Yankees 6-2. Batting for Joe Hoover‚ Unser connects on Walt Dubiel’s first pitch. Al’s son Del will hit three consecutive pinch HRs in 1979.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.

Cal McLish‚ 18 years old‚ picks up his first ML victory in a Dodgers’ 8-4 win over the Pirates.

John McKelvey‚ last surviving member of the National Association (1871-75)‚ dies at Rochester‚ NY. At age 96‚ he was the oldest former ML player.

June

June 1Stan Spence goes 6-for-6 with a HR and 5 singles in the Senators’ 11-5 win over the Browns. Teammate George Myatt went 6-for-6 a month ago‚ on May 1.

Hal Newhouser picks up a victory in relief as the Tigers beat the Yankees 4-3 on Don Ross‘s 16th- inning RBI.

Dick Barrett‚ the winning pitcher in the Phillies 8-7 win over the Reds‚ has a double‚ triple‚ 4 RBI‚ plus 3 wild pitches.
June 2Mel Ott hits 2 HRs in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Pirates. These are Ott’s 7th and 8th HRs in his last 10 games.

The Tigers beat the Red Sox 4-1 for their 7th straight win‚ as Red Sox SS Eddie Lake tosses 2 hitless innings in relief. Lake will make 6 appearances this season‚ pitch 19-1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA. He’ll walk 11.
June 3The Giants and Pirates are tied after 9 innings when an announcement comes over the loud speaker that the invasion of Europe has begun. After cheering by the 9‚171 fans on hand‚ the players stood for a moment of silent prayer. It turns out to be a false alarm‚ started when a young teletype operator in the London office of AP was practicing on her machine and punched out the message. The AP office in New York sent out the message nationwide‚ then quickly sent a retraction. The genuine D-Day message will go out in three days.
June 4In Hawaii‚ Joe DiMaggio hits a 435-foot HR‚ but the 7th Army Force team loses 6-2 to a Navy team‚ as former ML P Bob Harris throw a 4-hitter for the Navy.
June 6D-Day begins. All ML games are canceled as the country’s focus is turned toward Europe as allied forces invade occupied France. Yesterday was an off-day after all teams played Saturday doubleheaders.
June 7Detroit’s Hal Newhouser is wild and issues 9 passes in 6 innings as the White Sox defeat the Tigers by the score of 3-1.

At Racine (All-American Girls Baseball League)‚ Racine runs by Minneapolis‚ 11-5. Racine 3B Maddy English steals 6 bases‚ and her teammates swipe another 18.
June 8Bucky Walters of the Reds outduels Max Lanier of the Cardinals 2-1. The Cardinal run‚ scored in the 9th‚ is the first they have scored off the Reds righty in 45 innings.

At Pittsburgh‚ three runs score for the Cubs on one wild pitch by Pirates rookie Art “Cookie” Cuccurullo‚ as the Cubs win‚ 10-6. Hy Vandenberg wins over Preacher Roe.

Helped by an unassisted DP by CF George Case‚ the Senators tip the A’s‚ 7-5. Case adds 3 stolen bases. The loss drops the A’s into last place‚ though they are just 4 1/2 games out of first.

The Cubs trade reserve infielder Eddie Stanky to the Dodgers for P Bob Chipman.
June 10P Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds is the youngest player in the 20th century to appear in a game. Nuxhall‚ only 15 years‚ 10 months old‚ pitches 2?3 of an inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and Mort Cooper. He manages to give up 5 walks and 2 hits before Bill McKechnie takes him out. The Cards tie a league record by stranding 18 runners in the most lopsided shutout win in the NL in 10 years. The loser at the end of the day is Bill Lohrman. Only Jack Chapman‚ age 14‚ who appeared in one game on July 22‚ 1887‚ was younger than Nuxhall when he appeared in a ML game. Unlike Chapman‚ Nuxhall will return to the majors‚ in 1952‚ and win 135 games.
June 11Gene Moore hits a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the 7th off Joe Heving of Cleveland to give the Browns a 4-2 win in a doubleheader split with St. Louis. The Browns win the other game 13-1.

The Giants takes a doubleheader from the Phillies by identical scores of 6-5. In the first game the Giants use 22 players‚ including 5 pitchers‚ 3 catchers‚ 3 second basemen‚ 3 pinch hitters‚ and 2 pinch runners.

In Pittsburgh‚ Chicago’s Paul Erickson stops the Pirates‚ 5-0‚ and newly acquired Bob Chipman follows with a 1-0 win. The Cubs score in the nitecap comes on rookie Tony York’s 6th hit of the day: he’ll have just 20 hits in this‚ his only ML season.

The Cards set a NL record for DPs in a doubleheader as they turn 9 to back the six-hit efforts of Red Munger and Harry Gumbert to win 3-1 and 4-1. The Cards up their NL lead to 5 1/2 games. The Cards turn 4 double plays in game 1 and 5 in game 2 to up the NL mark from 7 in a DH: the 1943 Senators had 2 DPs in a double header. 2B Emil Verban is in 7 of the twin killings. In game 2‚ the Cards break a 1-1 tie with three consecutive homers in the 6th of Clyde Shoun-by Walker Cooper‚ Whitey Kurowski‚ and Danny Litwhiler.
June 12The Giants defeat the Dodgers 15-9‚ as Mel Ott and Phil Weintraub each homer twice and each scores 5 runs. Ralph Branca makes his ML debut for Brooklyn‚ striking out the first 3 batters he faces. The Giants also announce the purchase of 6′ 9″ pitcher Johnny Gee from Pittsburgh. Gee is too tall for military service.
June 13Al Simmons‚ 42‚ comes to bat for the first time in 1944 in the 9th inning of the Athletics’ 7-2 loss to the Red Sox. He hits into a double play.

The Yanks lose their 7trh straight as Washington drops them‚ 3-0‚ behind Dutch Leonard’s pitching.

The Browns stay 1 1/2 games in front of Boston by scoring 3 runs in the 9th to beat the host White Sox‚ 5-3. Jack Kramer is the winner over Eddie Lopat. Playing in his final game‚ veteran outfielder Frank Demaree is 0-for-3 to drop his 12-year career average from .29954 to .29947‚ preventing him from finishing with a .300 average.
June 14At Cincinnati‚ the Reds Bucky Walters beats the Pirates 3-2 in 11 innings to become the season’s first 10-game winner.
June 15Tex Hughson runs his record to 9-2 with a 5-1 victory over the Athletics‚ as the Red Sox win their 9th in a row. Less than 800 fans are in attendance in Boston.

In the 7th inning of 5-5 game at Borchert Field in Milwaukee (AA)‚ a sudden thunderstorm erupts blowing off 100-ft section of the grandstand roof‚ blowing over part of the OF fence‚ and damaging cars. Thirty fans are injured‚ some seriously.
June 16Washington’s Milo Candini shuts out the Red Sox 4-0 to end the Boston win streak at 9.

Whit Wyatt wins his first game of the year as the Dodgers beat the Phillies 4-3. Phils P Bill Lee takes a one-hitter into the 9th inning but loses the game on 2 errors.
June 18The White Sox take a pair from the Indians in Cleveland by the scores of 3-2 and 7-6. The White Sox win the first game on a 10th-inning HR by Wally Moses‚ who‚ in the twin bill‚ has 2 triples‚ a double‚ and a single.

Cal McLish is knocked from the mound by a 5-run outburst by the Phillies in the first inning of a Philadelphia 6-2 victory over the Dodgers. The 18-year-old McLish is followed to the mound by Dodgers hurlers Ralph Branca‚ also 18‚ and Charley Osgood‚ 17‚ in his only major league appearance.
June 22In the doubleheader opener in Philadelphia‚ Ron Northey homers in the bottom of the 15th off starter Al Javery for a 1-0 Phillies win over the Braves. It is a first for the Phils to end a game like that. The Braves answer quickly in the 2nd game as Tommy Holmes leads off with a HR and‚ a batter later‚ Butch Nieman bangs a 2-run homer. That’s all the support Jim Tobin needs‚ as he throws his 2nd no-hitter‚ albeit shortened‚ winning 7-0. The game is called in the 5th inning because of darkness.
June 23The Dodgers Ed Head tosses a 2-hitter against the Phillies to win his 4th straight‚ 2-0. Philadelphia infielder Charley Letchas accounts for both Phillies hits.
June 24The Cardinals beat the Pirates 16-0 as Cards hurler Mort Cooper tosses a 3-hitter while his teammates pound out 22 hits. Cooper won an 18-0 shutout two weeks ago and he will lead the NL with 7 this season.
June 25At Forbes Field‚ the Cards nose out the Pirates‚ 2-1‚ Red Munger (9-1) then play a 5-5 tie called after 9 innings because of the Blue Law. The Pirates score 3 in the 9th on a pinch homer by Virgil Davis that goes through the screen in front of the RF stands. Cards manager Southworth protests on the basis that the ground rules state that a fair ball sticking in the screen is a double. Beans Reardon rules it penetrated the screen for a HR.
June 26More than 50‚000 pack the Polo Grounds to watch the Yankees‚ Dodgers and Giants play each other in a 6-inning contest to raise money for war bonds. Each team plays successive innings against the other two teams‚ then sits out an inning. The final score is Dodgers 5‚ Yankees 1‚ Giants‚ 0.
June 28At Yankee Stadium‚ the Yankees move into 2nd place‚ beating the Browns‚ 7-2‚ for their 6th win in 8 games with St. Louis. Bob Muncrief loses‚ snapping his 6-game win streak. Stirnweiss hits an inside-the-park HR to CF with a man on in the 4th.
June 29The Yanks move to 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis with a 1-0 win over Sig Jakucki. Walt Dubiel gives up 2 hits for the win.

July

July 1The Yankees make 4 errors in the 9th the wrest defeat from victory‚ losing to the White Sox‚ 3-2. Hank Borowy takes the loss.

The Cards outhit the Dodgers‚ 18-4‚ to win‚ 8-3. Marty Marion starts a triple play by snagging a popup with his back to the infield‚ wheeling and thrwoing to Verban at 2B.
July 4Sig Jakucki‚ the Browns 31-year-old rookie‚ throws his 3rd shutout in 4 games‚ blanking the Athletics‚ 4-0. Sig has given up 1 run in 27 innings. The win keeps the Browns 1 1/2 games ahead of Boston. The A’s win the nitecap‚ 8-3‚ behind Hot Potato Hamlin‚ who strands 10 runners. Frankie Hayes has a HR to tie for the AL lead with 9.

Baltimore’s Oriole Park‚ erected in 1914 for the Federal League‚ burns down. The team moves to the city’s unroofed Municipal Stadium. It will be used this way until a second tier is added when the St. Louis Browns move in for the 1954 season.
July 6At Fenway‚ Tex Hughson (13-3) benefits from 20 Red Sox hits to coast to a 13-3 win over the Tigers. Every Sox batter collects a hit‚ led by Bobby Doerr‚ the AL’s 2nd leading batter‚ with 4 hits and 5 RBIs. Veteran Sox left fielder Bob Johnson hits for the cycle and scores 4 runs before giving way in the 7th to rookie Tom McBride.

On Mueller night in Cincy‚ 636 people named Mueller are guests of the Reds and watch the Dodgers suffer their 10th straight loss‚ losing to the Reds‚ 10-4. Bucky Walters wins his 14th while his batterymate Ray Mueller establishes a NL record by catching in his 134th straight game. He’ll finish the season catching all 155 Reds games‚ as will Frankie Hayes of the A’s. It is the first time in the 20th century that catchers will play in all their team’s games. Deacon McGuire (1895-Washington. 132 games) was the last to do it. (as noted by Chuck Rosciam). The loss goes to young Ralph Branca‚ who combines with Clyde King to give up 13 hits-4 to Gee Walker.

At Philadelphia‚ the first-place Browns top the A’s 5-0‚ behind Bob Muncrief‘s 4-hitter. Vern Stephen’s 3-run HR in the 1st is the big offensive blow. Woody Wheaton‚ 1943 player-manager at Lancaster‚ takes the loss. Wheaton started the season in the outfield.
July 8At Boston‚ the Indians stake Allie Reynolds to a 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st‚ but the Chief allows the 1st 4 batters to reach base and exits with a 3-0 count on Bobby Doerr. Calvert then serves up a HR to Doerr‚ and the Hubmen add another 6 runs off Calvert in the 2nd to complete their scoring for a 11-7 tally The win goes to Terry and the loss goes to Calvert under the existing rules. Tribe OF Paul O’Dea throws 3 shutout innings of relief. Fox has 4 hits for Boston‚ while Seerey‚ Keltner‚ and Boudreau (2) homer for Cleveland.

At Washington‚ the Browns edge the Nationals‚ 5-4‚ behind Sig Jakucki. Sig walks 7‚ including 3 intentional walks to Stan Spence. Johnny Niggeling gives up 10 hits and strikes out 10 in losing to the league-leaders.
July 9Cardinals Mort Cooper and Harry Brecheen each throw shutouts over the Braves‚ winning 1-0 and 9-0.
July 11At Forbes Field‚ Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs sets an All-Star Game record by reaching base 5 successive times on a triple‚ single‚ and 3 walks‚ as the NL romps 7-1. Ken Raffensberger is the winner over Tex Hughson‚ who gives up four runs in the 5th. The AL manages just six hits-all singles-and five come off Bucky Walters in the first three innings.

At Albany‚ the Philadelphia A’s top the Albany club‚ 13-5‚ in a rain delayed game that finally starts at 9:50 p.m. Because of the rain‚ the entire infield is covered with sawdust to soak up the water. Connie Mack is given a pen and pencil set by the Elks before the game.

The major leagues approve an unlimited number of night games for any clubs‚ with the exception of Sunday when they need the approval of the visiting club. Only Washington‚ at present‚ plays all its weekday games under the lights.
July 13A .300 hitter as a rookie for the Tigers in 1943‚ Dick Wakefield finishes Navy air training and then is released from the service pending assignment. He rejoins the Tigers and will hit .355 the rest of the season‚ pushing Detroit near the flag despite the loss of 12 of its first 13 home games. In the first week after the All-Star Game‚ Wakefield homers twice‚ and goes 9-for-24.
July 15In St. Louis‚ the Cards rack up 7 runs in the first inning against the Reds and former teammate Harry Gumbert‚ turn a triple play in the 2nd‚ and coast to a 12-1 win. Emil Verban‚ who started the triple play‚ is the winner. The Cards also reeled off a triple play on July 1 against the Dodgers‚ and the 2 in a season ties the mark of the 1911 Red Sox and 1924 Tigers. St. Louis now leads the NL by 11 1/2 games.
July 16In the first of two games‚ the Dodgers score 8 unearned runs against the Braves to win 8-5 and break their 16-game losing streak. Curt Davis is the winner. They will lose another 5 in a row. The 16 straight is the longest losing streak in the NL since the Reds of 1914 lost 19.
July 20In St. Louis‚ the Browns stretch their lead with a 7-3 win over the Yankees. The game is marked by a wild display among fans after ump Cal Hubbard banishes Browns hurler Nelson Potter in the 5th inning for wetting the ball. The game is held up for 15 minutes. The Browns start the spitcalling in the 4th inning‚ accusing Yanks Hank Borowy of loading up a ball. Potter is banished for 10 days for allegedly “putting an illegal substance on the ball‚” but will return to win 19 games for St. Louis.
July 21The Senators score 4 in the 8th and one in the 9th‚ but Detroit comes back with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win‚ 6-5. Dizzy Trout picks up his 13th win and homers in the process. Chuck Hostetler‚ has 3 hits and drives in the winning run in the 9th. The 40-year-old rookie is now 3rd in the league in batting.
July 23After hitting 4 consecutive HRs in two games (one in his last at bat yesterday‚ and three in the opener today‚ a 7-4 Cubs win over the Giants)‚ Bill Nicholson of the Cubs is given the ultimate compliment. He comes to bat with the Cubs down 10-7 in the 8th of game 2 with the Giants and is given an intentional walk forcing in a run. The strategy backfires as the Cubs tie the score at 10-10‚ but the Giants score twice in their half of the 8th with Joe Medwick driving home the winner. The Giants win‚ 12-10 Nicholson has hit 6 HRs within 48 hours (one on Friday night‚ one on Saturday‚ and the 4 today). Nicholson is the first batter since Ott and Lajoie to get a bases loaded free pass. Nicholson and Mel Ott‚ who homered in game one‚ are tied for the NL lead with 23 homers. Each team uses seven pitchers in the slugfest; the 14 hurlers is a ML record.
July 25Pirate hurler Max Butcher chops up the Giants‚ 15-0. The Bucs back Max with 20 hits and a 9-run second inning. Reliever Seward gives up 17 of the hits in 7.2 innings. Bob Elliott is the big Buc with 6 RBIs‚ 3 coming on a 9th inning homer.
July 27The first-place Cards sweep a doubleheader from Philadelphia to push lead over Cincinnati to 14 1/2 games. Mort Cooper runs his record to 11-1 by winning 5-0 in the nitecap. Harry Brecheen opened with an 8-7 win in the first game.
July 30The 4th straight bad start by Bucky Walters of Cincinnati will deprive him of the ERA title. Bucky is batted out for the 4th straight time and gives up 27 runs in 24 innings after a brilliant start of the season. He will recover to win 23 games and finish with an ERA of 2.40‚ but teammate Ed Heusser will be the ERA champ with 2.38. The Giants Rube Fischer beats Walters‚ 8-0‚ and Gumbert gives the Reds a 9-3 nitecap win.

The Cards finally lose after 9 straight wins as Brooklyn upends them 10-4 in a doubleheader opener. St. Louis takes game 2‚ 9-7‚ in 11 innings when Stan Musial steals 3rd and scores the winning run on a Mickey Owens’ wild throw. The win is the Birds’ 26th of the month‚ their winningest month ever.
July 31The last place Dodgers beat the Cards Mort Cooper‚ 5-1‚ for only their 5th win of the month. ‘Da Bums’ are 31 1/2 game out of 1st.

August

August 3Tommy Brown‚ just 16 years and 8 months old‚ plays SS for Brooklyn in both games of a twin bill loss‚ 6-2 and 7-1‚ to the Cubs. He makes an error‚ hits a double‚ and scores a run.
August 4In Philadelphia‚ 29‚166 ignore a transit strike and jam Shibe Park to help Connie Mack celebrate his 50th anniversary as manager of the A’s. Even the Yankees 1-0 win doesn’t diminish the enthusiasm of the evening. Mack receives a check for $5‚000 as well as other gifts. On hand are members of Connie Mack‘s All Time All Star team‚ each of whom he called to the center of the diamond. These include George Sisler‚ Eddie Collins‚ Frank Baker‚ Honus Wagner‚ Lt. Bill Dickey‚ Lefty Grove (introduced by Mack as “Groves”)‚ Walter Johnson‚ Tris Speaker‚ Babe Ruth‚ and Al Simmons. Ty Cobb and Lt. Commander Mickey Cochrane‚ two members of Mack’s club‚ did not appear. In the pre-game Abbott and Costello dressed in uniforms of the A’s and Yankees respectively‚ take batting practice. The Yankees score on a fumble in the 9th to beat Bob Newsom. Hank Borowy wins his 14th.

Despite homers by Ron Northey and Jimmy Wasdell‚ the Phils lose 4-3 to the Giants in 10 innings. Starter Ken Raffensberger serves up a game-winning homer to Hal Luby‚ and the 4th place Giants win their 10th in a row over the Quakers.

At Brooklyn‚ former AL outfielder Ben Chapman makes his comeback debut as pitcher a successful one‚ beating the Braves‚ 9-4. He yields 8 hits while walking 5 and striking out 5 in the complete game win. He adds 2 hits‚ 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
August 6The Cardinals top the Reds‚ 5-4‚ in the 13th inning on doubles by Max Lanier and Johnny Hopp. Earlier‚ St. Louis rookie pitcher Ted Wilks was struck by a line drive off the bat of Steve Mesner and was knocked out. He left the field on a stretcher and was taken to Cincinnati’s Christ Hospital.

The Cubs 11-game winning streak comes to an abrupt end as the host Pirates win twice‚ 13-5 and 5-4. Preacher Roe wins his 7th game in the opener with 1 1/3 innings of relief and pitches 2+ innings of hitless relief to finish the nitecap.

At Brooklyn‚ the Braves score 10 runs in the top of the 9th to turn a 4-3 nail biter into a 14-4 victory in game 1. Boston tallies 21 hits. The Braves win the nitecap‚ 8-7.
August 9The Browns win their 9th straight game for the 2nd time this season in a 3-2 win over the Yankees in New York. They lead by 6 1/2 games. St. Louis’s other team‚ the Cardinals‚ after winning 26 in July‚ now leads the NL by 16 1/2 games.
August 10Red Barrett of the Boston Braves throws only 58 pitches and shuts out the Cincinnati Reds 2-0. This is the ML record for fewest pitches in a 9-inning game. The game takes one hour‚ 15 minutes‚ the fastest night game ever. Barrett gives up two singles and is never behind on a batter. Damon Phillips has 3 hits and the only RBIs in the game.

The Browns win their 10th in a row as RH Denny Galehouse beats the Yankees‚ 3-0.
August 12At Fenway Park‚ the temperature is 101 degrees‚ as the Red Sox melt the White Sox‚ 5-4.
August 13The Red Sox fly in pitcher Rex Cecil‚ from San Diego who arrives minutes before the start of a twinbill with the Browns. Cecil relieves in the first game‚ a 7-6 Sox win in 13 innings‚ pitching the last 4 innings‚ allowing no runs. Vern Stephens has a pair of homers‚ while Culbertson’s homer ties the game in the 9th. Bobby Doerr homers in the 13th to end it. Nels Potter wins the nitecap‚ 6-1‚ in 5 innings.

The Senators cop a pair from Cleveland‚ winning 2-1 behind Mickey Haeffner and 4-1 behind Early Wynn in game 2. Stan Spence hits a 3-run homer early in the 1st inning‚ and SS John Sullivan is 3-for-3 and starts an AL-record 5 DPs‚ the most started by an AL shortstop since 1905.

In the Negro League All-star game at Comiskey Park‚ a sweltering 46‚000 watch the West beat the East‚ 7-4. The winning pitcher is starter Verdel Mathis‚ while Josh Gibson hits a 440 foot homer in the 7th. Satchel Paige‚ in a dispute over gate receipts‚ does not play. Satch wants them donated to charity.

At Cincinnati‚ the Giants boot their way to a doubleheader loss to the Reds‚ 4-3 and 9-2. In the 4th inning of the nitecap‚ The Reds score 4 runs on one hit‚ mostly with the help of a ML-record tying 3 errors by New York 2B George Hausmann. Jim Konstanty is the winner‚ while Shoun takes the win in game 1. NY’s Nap Reyes has 6 stight hits before making out in the 7th of game 2.
August 15The Giants blow a 3-2 lead in losing to the Reds‚ 6-3‚ and manager Bill Terry fines Buddy Kerr and Joe Medwick $100 each for mental errors. Kerr was slow in returning to his position after a pickoff attempt and the next batter singled; Medwick’s catch in left was ruled a trapped ball. Joe then raced in to show the ump the ball while two Cincy runners scored.
August 16Cardinal reliever Fred Schmidt starts against the Giants and shuts them out 5-0‚ to give the first-place Cards their 80th victory. It is the earliest date in history that an team has recorded 80 wins.
August 17Yankee OF Johnny Lindell‚ converted from a pitcher last year‚ hits 4 straight doubles to share a ML mark. The Yanks win 10-3 over the Indians.
August 20In St. Louis‚ the Cards top the Giants‚ 7-4‚ to hand New York its 13th straight loss‚ the club’s longest losing streak since 1902. Bill Voiselle wins the nitecap‚ 3-1‚ to stop the skid.
August 21Ernie Lombardi drives in all 4 runs in a Giants 4-3 victory over the host Cubs‚ connecting for 2 line drive HRs and a game winning single. Vet Johnny Allen earns the win over Bill Fleming.
August 25In the 4th inning‚ Tiger SS Joe Hoover singles off Browns pitcher Denny Galehouse‚ then steals 2B. A grounder moves him to 3B and‚ with Eddie Mayo on 1B with a walk‚ the two engineer a double steal. Hoover’s swipe of home holds up as the only run of the 1-0 game. Dizzy Trout allows just 4 hits in winning his 21st of the season.
August 27The Indians sweep a pair from the White Sox‚ winning 4-3 and 1-0. Steve Gromek shuts out the Sox in game 2 and wins when Roy Cullenbine hits a HR in the bottom of the 9th off Johnny Humphries.

The Red Sox sweep the A’s‚ 8-5 and 7-2. In game 2‚ Boston manager Joe Cronin calls every pitch in the first 6 innings with Russ Christopher on the mound. His “fastball” and “curve” audibles are loud enough to be heard in the stands.

A crowd of 43‚634 at the Polo Grounds sees the Giants take a pair from the Dodgers‚ 8-1 and 4-1. Mel Ott has a pair of 2-run homers in the opener.
August 29The Cardinals beat the Reds 3-0 as Ted Wilks (14-1) wins his 11th in a row.

Braves 3B Damon Phillips has 11 assists‚ and no putouts or errors‚ versus the Giants‚ equaling a 19th C 1884 mark (James White‚ 1884; Jerry Denny‚ 1890). The Giants win‚ 4-2‚ behind Bill Voiselle. All the scoring comes on homers: Holmes‚ Ott‚ and a 3-run homer by Lombardi.

Dizzy Trout drives in 5 runs-on a homer‚ double and single-and pitches a 9-hit shutout over the White Sox‚ 7-0. It is his 22nd victory and moves the Tigers to 4 games in back of the leading Browns.

September

September 1The Giants lose to Brooklyn 8-1‚ as Giant Joe Medwick is hit on the elbow and leaves the game for treatment. With both teams out of the race‚ Dodgers manager Leo Durocher agrees to allow Medwick to reenter the game if Durocher can pick the courtesy pinch runner for him. He selects slow-footed Gus Mancuso‚ who is promptly erased on a DP ground ball.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Senators start semipro pitcher Jug Thesenga‚ who holds the Yankees scoreless for 5 innings before the roof caves in. But the Senators rally to win‚ 10-7‚ behind reliever Roger Wolff‚ who snaps his personal 11-game losing streak.
September 2The Pirates nip the Cardinals’ Ted Wilks 5-4‚ to give him his first loss after 11 straight victories. He is now 14-2.

Behind Dixie Walker’s 4-for-4 cycle and Bordagaray’s 4 hits‚ the Dodgers beat the Giants‚ 8-4‚ and move out of last place. Curt Davis is the winner over Bill Voiselle. Walker is now hitting .362.
September 3The Pirates take a pair from the Cardinals‚ 6-5 and 8-2‚ to sweep the 4-game series from St. Louis. For the Cardinals‚ the 4 losses ends their phenomenal ML record of 132 consecutive series without a sweep: the 1903-05 New York Giants are next with 97 straight series without a sweep‚ marks that will not be matched this century. Luke Sewell and Jumbo Strincevich are the complete game winners today‚ handing the Cards their first doubleheader loss this season. Forbes Field hosts the largest Buc crowd this year-34‚927.

After losing 13 of 17 games and dropping from first place‚ the Browns turn back their principal rival‚ the Tigers‚ 4-1‚ behind Jack Kramer. The Browns thwart Dizzy Trout try for his 24th win and now lead the rampaging Yankees-winners of a pair from Washington-by just a half game.

The Red Sox outlook got darker today as Bobby Doerr leaves the team for the Army following a 5-1 loss to the A’s. The loss of Doerr‚ hitting a league-high .325‚ combined with the departure last month of Tex Hughson (18-5) and catcher Hal Wagner (.332) is critical. The Sox are in 4th place‚ but just 1 1/2 games in back of the Browns‚ and are drawing nearly twice the crowds as the Boston Braves.
September 4The Yankees move past St. Louis and Detroit by bombing the A’s 10-0 and 14-0. Two rookies are winners‚ Monk Dubiel in the opener and Mel Queen in the nitecap. Queen had a double and 2 singles in the opener and George Stirnweiss has a steal in each game to run his total to 49. Bobo Newsom takes the loss in the opener while Luke Hamlin gives up 19 hits in a complete game loss in game 2. It’s the first time since May 31st that the Yanks have been in 1st. The Red Sox are in 4th place‚ 3 games behind.
September 5Cooper and Walters each reach the 20-victory mark as each pitch duplicate 6-hit 4-0 shutouts. The Cards win the opener and the Reds take the nitecap.
September 6In a rare night game‚ allowed by AL prexy Harridge after wet grounds delayed the afternoon game‚ the Tigers edge the host White Sox‚ 3-2‚ to stay close to the Browns and Yankees. Only 1‚216 fans are on hand.
September 7At Comiskey‚ the Browns score 3 in the 9th to beat the White Sox‚ 5-4. The win puts St. Louis in a tie for first with the idle Yanks.
September 9The wobbling Browns lose to the White Sox‚ 2-1‚ in 14 innings and are now in 3rd place‚ a half game in back of Detroit. Jack Kramer pitches 12 innings for the Browns and accounts for the only St. Louis run with an 8th inning homer. Ed Lopat goes all the way for the win.

The 4th place Red Sox put themselves 3 games from the top with a 7-1 win over the visiting Yankees. Rookie Rex Cecil allows just 5 hits. Catfish Metkovich has a HR and single to run his consecutive game hitting streak to 23 games‚ tying the Red Sox record held by Del Pratt‚ George Burns‚ and Ted Williams.

The Cubs score 6 runs in the last 2 frames to beat the Cardinals‚ 6-1. It is Chicago’s first win of the year over the league leaders. Cubs SS Len Merullo handles 17 of 18 chances and has 12 assists‚ 2 short of the NL mark .
September 10The Red Sox and Yankees split a pair at Fenway‚ the Sox taking the opener‚ 3-2‚ and the Yankees the nitecap‚ 4-3. Metkovich has hits in both games to run his consecutive game hitting streak to 25 games‚ a new Red Sox record. Metkovich hit .407 during his streak‚ but will end the year at .277. Dom DiMaggio will top Catfish’s mark.

The Cubs and Cards split a pair‚ with Erickson shutting out the Redbird‚ 9-0‚ in the opener. St. Louis takes the nitecap‚ 4-2‚ behind Cooper‚ but Redbird fans get a score when Garms and Musial collide in the outfield. Musial leaves on a stretcher and will miss 11 days.
September 14Reds catcher Ray Mueller catches his 135th straight game of the season-his 197th over two years-to erase an ironman record set by George Gibson in 1909. Fifteen major leaguers have played in every one of their team’s games this season. Mueller also belts a homer in the opener as the Reds win‚ 3-2 in 13 innings over the Cubs. Ed Heusser goes the rout‚ and scores the winning run after a leadoff double. The Cubs take the nitecap 4-2‚ behind Paul Derringer as Roy Hughes hits a 2-run inside-the -park homer off loser Jim Konstanty.

At New York‚ #96 Bill Voiselle‚ (from Ninety Six‚ NC) wins his 20th as the Giants belt the Phillies‚ 12-1. Ron Northey‘s homer is the only score for Philley‚ while Putsy Caballero‚ 18-year-old third sacker for the Phils‚ is 1-for-1 in his debut. Rain washes out the second game.

After no scheduled AL games on the 11th and 12th‚ two days of rain wash out the rest. New York (76-61) leads Detroit (75-61) by a half-game and the Browns by a full game: Boston is in 4th place‚ three games back.

At Memphis‚ Pete Gray has a triple‚ double‚ and three singles to lead Memphis to a 7-6‚ 12-inning win over Nashville in the Southern Association playoffs. The one-armed Gray is named the Southern Associations’ MVP winner.
September 15Radio announcer Bill Stern reports on a scandal involving the Browns. A Chicago newspaper attributes the Browns’ recent slump to the fact that the team wants a larger park for the WS. Four days later‚ Stern repudiates the story.
September 16Reds pitcher Tommy de la Cruz fires a one-hitter in Pittsburgh‚ winning 2-1. Frank Colman’s triple in the 1st inning is the only hit for the Bucs.

Jack Kramer pitches a brilliant one-hitter to give the Browns a 9-0 win over the White Sox and give St. Louis a half game lead in front of the Yankees‚ losers to the A’s. Ray Schalk‘s single in the 4th is the only hit.
September 17After homers by Vern Stephens and Don Gutteridge back Nels Potter in St. Louis’ 5-1 win in the curtain raiser‚ the Browns drop the nightcap 8-2 to Chicago. Chicago works successive double steals in the 7th and 8th inning‚ with winner Joe Haynes swiping home in the 8th. Haynes is the first AL pitcher in 21 years to steal home. Taking advantage of the split‚ the Tigers move into 1st place.
September 19Chicago pitchers Thornton Lee and Eddie Lopat win 9-3 and 2-0 over Washington in Chicago. The Senators lose all 11 games they played at Comiskey this year.
September 21The Cardinals finally clinch the NL flag with a 5-4 win over Boston as Harry Brecheen wins in relief. The Cat comes back for his second win of the day with two innings of relief as the Cards win in 10 innings‚ 6-5. Musial makes his 1st appearance in 11 days and collects 2 hits. Twenty games ahead on September 1‚ the Cards then blew 15 of the next 20 games. They will finish with 105 victories and their 3rd title under Billy Southworth‚ whose clubs won 316 games in 3 years. Pittsburgh finishes 14 1/2 games behind.

Reds OF Dain Clay has no chances in a 21-innings of a doubleheader with the Phils. The Reds win the opener‚ 5-3 in 12 innings‚ and hammer out an 8-4 nitecap win.
September 25Going into the final Monday of the season‚ the Tigers hold a one-game lead over the Browns with the Yankees now out of the running. Nelson Potter stops the Red Sox‚ 3-0‚ and Russ Christopher of the A’s beats the Tigers 2-1 to produce a tie for the lead.
September 26Sig Jakucki pitches the Browns to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox to keep St. Louis in 1st place.

In the first of two games at Shibe Park‚ the 4th-place Cubs maul the Phils 15-0 behind Hank Wyse’s 4-hitter. Dewey Williams and Phil Cavarretta each drive in 4 runs. Lou Novikoff hits his final homer as a Cub. The Phils rebound in the nitecap to win‚ 10-1.
September 27The Browns give the lead back by insisting on playing the Red Sox in the rain under the arcs and then losing 4-1. The Red Sox had just lost 10 straight.
September 29The final series of the year begins. Trailing Detroit by one game‚ the Browns have 4 games with the Yankees‚ who are three games out of first place. With rainouts the night before‚ all contenders play doubleheaders.

The Browns are last in the AL in attendance‚ and only 6‚172 fans watch St. Louis sweep the critical Friday night doubleheader. With the help of Jack McQuillan’s two run homer‚ Jack Kramer takes the opener 4-1. In the nitecap‚ Nels Potter wins a 1-0 shutout over the Yankees Hank Borowy‚ even though St. Louis batters get but 2 hits.

In Detroit‚ the Tigers split with 2 of the Washington knuckleballers‚ beating Johnny Niggeling in the opener‚ 5-2‚ behind Rufe Gentry‚ but losing to Mickey Haefner‚ 9-2‚ in the nightcap. Stan Spence‘s three-run homer in the 3rd off Dizzy Trout is the Nats big blow.
September 30Pitching on two days rest‚ Hal Newhouser wins his 29th as Detroit whips Washington 7-3.

The Browns remain tied with Detroit as Dennis Galehouse goes all the way‚ winning 2-0 over New York for his 9th victory of the year. Gene Moore hits his 6th homer of the year‚ four of them coming against Yankee pitching. Paid attendance is 12‚982. The loss eliminates the Yankees and leaves the Tigers and Browns tied with one game left.

In the battle of the Soxes‚ Boston beats host Chicago‚ 11-2‚ as Catfish Metkovich scores 5 runs.

October

October 1In Detroit 45‚565 watch 27-game winner Dizzy Trout‚ pitching on one day’s rest‚ lose to Washington knuckleballer Dutch Leonard 4-1. Prior to that‚ Leonard had lost 7 straight to Detroit in 1943-44. Years later‚ Leonard reports he had received a phone call offering him $20‚000 to throw the game. Despite the victory‚ the Senators will finish in 8th place‚ 25 games behind the first place Browns. Except for the shortened season of 1918‚ this is the closest an 8th place AL team will finish to the leader.

The Browns have their first sellout in 20 years‚ and their largest crowd ever‚ as 37‚815 pack Sportsman’s Park. St. Louis clinches the flag on the final day of the season by sweeping the series with the Yankees and winning 5-2. The big blows are a pair of 2-run HRs by Chet Laabs‚ off Mel Queen Sig Jakucki is the winning pitcher.

At Chicago‚ the Red Sox and White Sox scramble through a double header‚ finishing the two games in a total of 2 hours and 48 minutes. In the opener‚ Rex Cecil outduels Chicago’s Joe Haynes to give Boston a 3-1 win as each team collects 5 hits. In the nitecap‚ completed in 1:10‚ Chicago raps 11 hits off Johnny Humphries‚ but 4th place Boston wins‚ 4-1. The crowd is 3‚917‚ up from 839 yesterday.

A’s reliever Joe Berry wins a pair from the Indians‚ pitching two innings in the opener‚ a 5-2 win‚ and four more in the nitecap‚ 5-0‚ in 10 innings. Berry finishes the year with 10 wins and 8 losses‚ AL highs in relief. His 12 saves is also tops in the AL. Boudreau is 1-for-8 to win the AL batting title (.327) over the Army’s Bobby Doerr.
October 4The first all-St. Louis WS opens with the Browns‚ as the visiting team‚ beating the Cardinals 2-1 on George McQuinn‘s HR. Denny Galehouse is the winning P and Mort Cooper loses despite allowing just 2 hits. It is the first Series in which all the games are played west of the Mississippi River. The Series is dubbed the Streetcar Series and is played with no days off. Red Hayworth is behind the plate for the Browns‚ with Frank Mancuso as his backup. In a family oddity‚ brothers Ray Hayworth and Gus Mancuso also catch in the big leagues.
October 5Ken O’Dea’s pinch single in the 11th drives in Ray Sanders for a Cardinals’ 3-2 win. Two errors by Potter and one by Mark Christman give the Cards 2‚ early-inning‚ unearned runs.
October 6The Browns take a 2-1 game lead with a 6-2 victory for Jack Kramer‚ who fans 10. Five singles and a wild pitch by Fred Schmidt give the Browns 4 runs in the 3rd.
October 7The Cards even the Series with a 5-1 win by Harry Brecheen‚ who strands 10 runners.
October 8Mort Cooper strikes out 12; Denny Galehouse‚ 10. But the Cards get the runs to win 3-0.
October 9Emil Verban drives in 3 runs as the Cardinals top the Browns 3-1 and win the Series in 6 games. Ted Wilks allows no one to reach base in 3 2?3 innings of relief‚ fanning 4 pinch hitters. George McQuinn hits .438 for the Series. The winners get $4‚626 each; the Browns take $2‚743‚ the lowest player shares since 1933.

In the Junior World Series in Baltimore‚ a record (for Municipal Stadium) crowd of 52‚833 watch Louisville edge Batlimore‚ 5-4‚ in game 4.

November

November 1Total attendance in the 2 leagues is 8.9 million. No team draws over a million‚ as Detroit leads with 923‚000.

The Sporting News selects Bobby Doerr as the MVP in the American League and Marty Marion as the MVP in the NL. Doerr was leading the AL in hitting (.325) and was third in RBIs when he entered the Army with a month to go in the season. Marion’s selection as MVP will stand up and he will be the official MVP in the Senior circuit‚ but Detroit’s Hal Newhouser will be the official MVP in the American League.
November 23Five groups totaling 23 players‚ managers‚ umpires‚ and writers visit war theaters as part of the USO program. Included are Mel Ott‚ Dutch Leonard‚ Frankie Frisch‚ Bucky Walters‚ Harry Heilmann‚ Carl Hubbell‚ Freddie Fitzsimmons‚ Bill Summers‚ Beans Reardon‚ Johnny Lindell‚ Tuck Stainback‚ Steve O’Neill‚ Leo Durocher‚ Joe Medwick‚ Nick Etten‚ Dixie Walker‚ Paul Waner‚ and Rip Sewell.
November 25Kenesaw Mountain Landis‚ baseball’s first commissioner‚ dies of a heart attack at age 78 in Chicago. The Commissioner had ruled over baseball since November 1920 in the wake of the Black Sox scandal‚ and wielded authority perhaps unparalleled in any other industry. Landis had entered the hospital on October 2nd. He will be named to the Hall of Fame on December 9th by a special committee which he formed on August 4th.
November 28Hal Newhouser is named MVP in the AL gathering 4 more votes than teammate Dizzy Trout (232). Newhouser’s 29 wins contrasts with 9-9-8-8 win-totals in previous years. His 2.22 ERA is bettered by Trout (2.12)‚ who also has 27 wins.

December

December 12The Tigers swap infielder Joe Orengo to the Red Sox for Skeeter Webb‚ son-in-law of Detroit manager Steve O’Neill. O’Neill denies any knowledge of trade talks‚ saying “I read about it in the morning paper.”
December 21NL averages show Brooklyn’s Dixie Walker at the top of the hitters with a .357 mark‚ ahead of Stan Musial at .347. In an even closer vote than occurred in the AL‚ the NL MVP award goes to fielding wizard Marty Marion‚ who tallies one more vote than Cubs slugger Bill Nicholson (189). The Cardinals commited only 112 errors, for a fielding average of .982‚ both better than previous records held by the 1940 Reds. Marion is the 3rd different Cardinal in 3 years to win the honor.
December 28Former Washington 3B Buddy Lewis wins the Distinguished Flying Cross for precision flying over the Burma War Theater.