1942 Major League Baseball season

February 2024 1942 1942 MLB season American League (AL)National League (NL) Baseball Regular season: April 14 – September 27, 1942World Series: September 30 – October 5, 1942 154 16 (8 per league) Regular season AL: Joe Gordon (NYY)NL: Mort Cooper (STL) Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award AL New York Yankees Boston Red Sox NL St. Louis Cardinals Brooklyn Dodgers World Series 1942 World Series St. Louis Cardinals New York Yankees List of MLB seasons MLB 1941 Major League Baseball season 1941 1943 Major League Baseball season 1943 The 1942 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1942. The regular season ended on September 27, 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 39th World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 5 on October 5. In the third iteration of this World Series matchup, the Cardinals defeated the Yankees, four games to one, capturing their fourth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1934. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Yankees from the 1941 season. The 10th All-Star Game was played on July 6 at the Polo Grounds in New York, New York, home of the New York Giants. The American League won, 3–1. In the National League, the Brooklyn Dodgers had a record of 104–50, but finished two games behind the Cardinals; the Dodgers tied the 1909 Chicago Cubs, who had a record of 104–49, for the most wins in an MLB regular season without reaching the postseason.https://www.mlb.com/news/best-baseball-teams-that-missed-the-postseason-c291835388 Best MLB teams to miss the postseason David Adler MLB.com 2019-09-30 2020-10-08 The Philadelphia Athletics set a record for the fewest runs batted in during a season, with only 354.Runs Batted In – Single Season RBI Records http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_rbi2.shtml Baseball Almanac 2012-06-06 The St. Louis Browns nearly moved to Los Angeles, California for the start of the 1942 season. During the 1941 Winter Meetings in Chicago, Illinois, a vote was scheduled for the morning of December 8, and was expected to be approved. However, due to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan the previous day (and subsequent entry of the United States into World War II), when it came time to vote, all teams (including the Browns) unanimously voted against the move.Derrick Goold 2016-01-12 Goold: The time a St. Louis baseball team tried to move to LA https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_1b333012-eb4e-5596-bba3-357f7075a174.html 2025-05-30 St. Louis Post-Dispatch enSt. Louis Browns almost move to L.A. in 1941 https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/the-story-of-the-los-angeles-browns-changed-baseball-forever 2025-05-30 Major League Baseball en The team would eventually leave for Baltimore, Maryland in 1954 where they remain today as the Baltimore Orioles, while Los Angeles would eventually get a major league team in 1958 when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn, New York. Schedule Major League Baseball schedule The 1942 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, April 16, featured all sixteen teams, the first since the 1940 season. The final day of the regular season was on September 27 and featured ten teams. The World Series took place between September 30 and October 5. Rule changes The 1942 season saw the following rule changes: Any player drafted for World War II would be regarded as voluntarily retired, though placed on a separate list.Green Jeremy 1941 Winter Meetings: War and Uncertainty Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/journal/article/1941-winter-meetings-war-and-uncertainty/ 2025-05-30 en-US Regarding doubleheaders: It was made official that both St. Louis teams could schedule doubleheaders after the third Sunday home game (as opposed to the other fourteen teams, who must wait until after the fourth home Sunday game). Regularly scheduled games could not be pushed back to the final series of the season for the purpose of causing a doubleheader. If the postponement of a contest requires transfer between cities, a game cannot be called off less than one hour before the game’s scheduled start time. In the American League, a rule that was previously implemented for the 1940 season, which limited a defending champion team from trading with other American League teams, except through waivers, was repealed.July 8, 1941 American League Bars Champion's Trades With Rival Clubs Except on Waiver https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/07/08/105157708.html?pageNumber=22 subscription 2025-05-30 The New York Times en 0362-4331 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1941/07/08/105157708.pdf2008-10-10 Regulating the Yankees: Baseball and Antitrust in 1939 – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2011/01/regulating-the-yankees-baseball-and-antitrust-in-1939/ 2025-05-30 en-US The number of night games allowed per team was increased from 7 to 14 (with the Washington Senators allowed 21).Moraski Richard The Washington Senators in Wartime Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-washington-senators-in-wartime/ 2025-05-30 en-US Teams An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at LeagueTeamCityBallparkCapacityManager1942 Major League Managers https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1942-managers.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enAmerican League American LeagueBoston Red SoxBoston, MassachusettsFenway Park33,817Joe CroninChicago White SoxChicago, IllinoisComiskey Park50,000Jimmy DykesCleveland IndiansCleveland, OhioCleveland Stadium78,811Lou BoudreauLeague Park*22,500*Detroit TigersDetroit, MichiganBriggs Stadium58,000Del BakerNew York YankeesNew York, New YorkYankee Stadium70,000Joe McCarthy managerPhiladelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaShibe Park33,000Connie MackSt. Louis BrownsSt. Louis, MissouriSportsman's Park34,023Luke SewellWashington SenatorsWashington, D.C.Griffith Stadium32,000Bucky HarrisNational League National League (baseball) National LeagueBoston BravesBoston, MassachusettsBraves Field37,746Casey StengelBrooklyn DodgersNew York, New YorkEbbets Field35,000Leo DurocherChicago CubsChicago, IllinoisWrigley Field38,396Jimmie Wilson baseballCincinnati RedsCincinnati, OhioCrosley Field29,401Bill McKechnieNew York GiantsNew York, New YorkPolo Grounds56,000Mel OttPhiladelphia PhilsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaShibe Park33,000Hans LobertPittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaForbes Field33,467Frankie FrischSt. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis, MissouriSportsman's Park34,023Billy Southworth Standings start American League New York Yankees break National League St. Louis Cardinals end Tie games 9 tie games (2 in AL, 7 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season. start American League Cleveland Indians, 2 Detroit Tigers, 2 break National League Boston Braves, 2 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1 Chicago Cubs, 1 Cincinnati Reds, 2 New York Giants, 2 Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 St. Louis Cardinals, 2 end Postseason The postseason began on September 30 and ended on October 5 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the New York Yankees in the 1942 World Series in five games. Bracket World Series AL New York Yankees 1 NL St. Louis Cardinals 4 Managerial changes Off-season Team Former Manager New ManagerCleveland IndiansRoger PeckinpaughLou BoudreauNew York GiantsBill TerryMel OttPhiladelphia PhilsDoc ProthroHans Lobert League leaders American League start + Hitting leaders1942 American League Batting Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1942-batting-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enStat PlayerTotal AVG Ted Williams1 (BOS) .356 OPS Ted Williams (BOS) 1.147 HR Ted Williams1 (BOS) 36 RBI Ted Williams1 (BOS) 137 R Ted Williams (BOS) 141 H Johnny Pesky (BOS) 205 SB George Case (WSH) 44 1 American League Triple Crown batting winner break + Pitching leaders1942 American League Pitching Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1942-pitching-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enStat PlayerTotal W Tex Hughson (BOS) 22 L Eddie Smith (CWS) 20 ERA Ted Lyons (CWS) 2.10 K Tex Hughson (BOS)Bobo Newsom (WSH) 113 IP Tex Hughson (BOS) 281.0 SV Johnny Murphy (NYY) 11 WHIP Tiny Bonham (NYY) 0.987 end National League start + Hitting leaders1942 National League Batting Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1942-batting-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enStat PlayerTotal AVG Ernie Lombardi (BSN) .330 OPS Mel Ott (NYG) .912 HR Mel Ott (NYG) 30 RBI Johnny Mize (NYG) 110 R Mel Ott (NYG) 118 H Enos Slaughter (STL) 188 SB Pete Reiser (BRO) 20 break + Pitching leaders1942 National League Pitching Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1942-pitching-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enStat PlayerTotal W Mort Cooper (STL) 22 L Jim Tobin (BSN) 21 ERA Mort Cooper (STL) 1.78 K Johnny Vander Meer (CIN) 186 IP Jim Tobin (BSN) 287.2 SV Hugh Casey (BRO) 13 WHIP Mort Cooper (STL) 0.987 end Milestones Batters Paul Waner (BSN): Became the seventh member of the 3,000-hit club with a single in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 19.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wanerpa01.shtml Paul Waner Statistics and History Baseball Reference Sports Reference July 4, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101203063748/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wanerpa01.shtml December 3, 2010 live mdy-all Awards and honors Regular season Baseball Writers' Association of America AwardsBBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican LeagueMost Valuable Player Mort Cooper (STL) Joe Gordon (NYY) Other awards The Sporting News Awards Award National League American League Most Valuable PlayerMost Valuable Player Award by The Sporting News https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snmv.shtml 2025-01-14 Baseball Almanac Mort Cooper (STL) Joe Gordon (NYY) Player of the YearMajor League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snml.shtml 2025-01-14 Baseball Almanac — Ted Williams (BOS) Manager of the YearManager of the Year Award by The Sporting News https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snmy.shtml 2025-01-14 Baseball Almanac Billy Southworth (STL) — Executive of the YearMLB Executive of the Year Award https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_sney.shtml 2025-01-14 Baseball Almanac Branch Rickey (STL) — Baseball Hall of Fame National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Rogers Hornsby 1942 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting Home field attendance Team nameWins%± Percent changeHome attendance%± Percent changePer game Average home attendance per gameBrooklyn Dodgershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/attend.shtml Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference1044.0%1,037,765 −14.6%13,136New York Yankeeshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/attend.shtml New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference1032.0%922,011 −4.4%11,974New York Giantshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/attend.shtml San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference8514.9%779,6212.2%9,869Boston Red Soxhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/attend.shtml Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference9310.7%730,3401.6%9,485Chicago Cubshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/attend.shtml Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference68 −2.9%590,9728.4%7,577Detroit Tigershttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/attend.shtml Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference73 −2.7%580,087 −15.3%7,534St. Louis Cardinalshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference1069.3%553,552 −12.6%7,097Cleveland Indianshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/attend.shtml Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference750.0%459,447 −38.4%5,743Pittsburgh Pirateshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/attend.shtml Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference66 −18.5%448,897 −6.9%5,830Cincinnati Redshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/attend.shtml Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference76 −13.6%427,031 −33.6%5,546Chicago White Soxhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/attend.shtml Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference66 −14.3%425,734 −37.1%6,082Philadelphia Athleticshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/attend.shtml Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference55 −14.1%423,487 −19.9%5,572Washington Senatorshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/attend.shtml Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference62 −11.4%403,493 −2.9%5,240Boston Braveshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/attend.shtml Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference59 −4.8%285,3328.2%4,019St. Louis Brownshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/attend.shtml Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference8217.1%255,61745.0%3,320Philadelphia Philshttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/attend.shtml Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors 2020-09-08 Baseball Reference42 −2.3%230,183 −0.5%3,111 Venues Over 80 home games, the Cleveland Indians played 46 games at Cleveland Stadium and 34 games at League Park.Seamheads.com Ballparks Database — 1942 Season https://www.seamheads.com/ballparks/year.php?Year=1942 2025-11-12 www.seamheads.com All Thursday home games took place at League Park. This would be the 8th of 12 seasons since 1932 that saw the Indians play at both venues. Following the reversion of the Boston Bees name to Boston Braves the previous season, National League Park's name was also reverted, to Braves Field. Retired numbers The Cincinnati Reds re-entered Willard Hershberger's No. 5 into circulation, only two years after his number was retired. This was the first number to be de-retired by any team in MLB. His number would later be re-retired to honor Johnny Bench in 1984. See also 1942 in baseball (Events, Movies, Births, Deaths) References External links 1942 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference Category:Major League Baseball seasons Category:1942 in baseball