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1950 in baseball

Champions

Major League Baseball

Other champions

Winter leagues

Club tournaments

Awards and honors

Statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League final standings

Nippon Professional Baseball final standings

Central League final standings

Pacific League final standings

Events

January

  • January 10 – R. R. M. Carpenter Jr., the 34-year-old owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, announces that his team is abandoning its six-year-old attempt to rebrand itself as the Philadelphia Blue Jays. Returning whole-heartedly to their original moniker, in use since 1885, the 1950 Phillies will deck themselves out in red-pinstriped home uniforms with bright red caps, sweatshirts and socks, and Phillies in red script across their shirtfronts.
  • January 18 – Coming off a sub-par season (15–14, 3.75, and only 108 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched), Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians asks for, and receives, a significant pay cut. His 1950 deal is worth an estimated $45,000—a 31% reduction from his previous earnings of $65,000.
  • January 23 – An Associated Press poll of sportswriters ranks the 1914 "Miracle" Boston Braves' comeback from last place on July 19 to the National League pennant and a four-game triumph in the 1914 World Series as the greatest upset in U.S. sports of the first-half of the 20th century.
  • January 31 – In perhaps the most prominent and controversial amateur free agent signing of the era, the Pittsburgh Pirates sign southpaw pitching phenom Paul Pettit, 18, out of a suburban Los Angeles high school for a record-setting $100,000 bonus. Of that total, $85,000 buys out a Hollywood film producer who had acquired the rights to Pettit's life story. At the behest of "jilted" MLB clubs, the office of Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler conducts an investigation that clears the Pirates of any wrongdoing.

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

  • September 2 – At Braves Field, the Philadelphia Phillies' Curt Simmons out-duels Boston's Johnny Sain, 2–0, for his 17th triumph of 1950, and the Phillies' 35th win in their last 48 games. Now 80–47, they maintain a seven-game lead over second-place Brooklyn in the National League.
  • September 5 – The New York Yankees purchase the contract of outfielder Johnny Hopp from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • September 7:
  • With a tie of their own, the Detroit Tigers pull into a tie with the Yankees for the American League lead by battling the Cleveland Indians to a 13–13 deadlock over ten innings before the Briggs Stadium contest is called due to darkness. Hoot Evers collects five hits and hits for the cycle. The stalemate gives Detroit an 82–48–3 (.631) record and a two-percentage-point lead over New York (83–49–1, .629), who lost today. The statistics (including Evers' feat) will stand, but the game will be replayed in full during Detroit's end-of-season home series against Cleveland.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals purchase the contract of outfielder Peanuts Lowrey from the Cincinnati Reds.
  • September 24 – Trailing the New York Yankees by 1½ games with only eight to play, the second-place Tigers drop a back-breaking ten-inning game to the home-standing Indians, 2–1. The game, played under smoke-filled skies caused by forest fires blazing across Lake Erie, is lost when Detroit catcher Aaron Robinson fails to see his first baseman record an out on Luke Easter's grounder with the bases loaded. Thinking that a force play is still in effect, when he gets the throw to execute a 3–2–3 double play, Robinson touches home to "force" the incoming Cleveland baserunner, Bob Lemon. However, because the out at first base demanded that Robinson tag the runner, not the plate, Lemon is able to score the Indians' winning tally. The Tigers ultimately finish three games in arrears of the Yankees when the season ends a week later.
  • September 25 – Rookie Whitey Ford wins his ninth straight decision as a major-leaguer, hurling a complete game, 7–4 triumph for the Yankees against the Washington Senators. Two days later, in relief against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park, Ford gives up a game-winning, two-run, ninth-inning homer to Sam Chapman and suffers the first loss of his career.
  • September 27 – Seventeen-year-old Harry Chiti makes his MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs. Chiti's best remember for something that happened later in his career. He would become the first player in major league history traded for himself.
  • September 30:
  • The Brooklyn Dodgers pull within one game of the National League lead, winning 7–3 over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first of a two-games series at Ebbets Field. Duke Snider and Roy Campanella hit home runs for the Dodgers, as Erv Palica (13–8) is the winning pitcher. Bob Miller (11–6) is the loser.
  • At Fenway Park, sixth-inning RBI hits by Gene Woodling, Billy Martin and Yogi Berra (a two-run homer) key an eventual 6–5 victory over the Boston Red Sox, and enable the New York Yankees to claim their 17th AL pennant since .

October

  • October 1:
  • At Ebbets Field, the Philadelphia Phillies clinch the National League pennant on a tenth-inning, three-run home run by left fielder Dick Sisler against Don Newcombe, in a dramatic 4–1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers on the season's last day. An inside-the-park home run by Pee Wee Reese accounts for the only Dodgers' run; a potential ninth-inning winning rally is quelled when Richie Ashburn easily throws out Brooklyn baserunner Cal Abrams at home plate. Robin Roberts, making his third start in five days, earns his 20th victory of the season. It's only the second NL title in the Phils' 68-year-long history, and their first since 1915.
  • At Comiskey Park, Gus Zernial of the Chicago White Sox becomes the first player to hit three home runs in his team's final game of a regular season, doing so in the White Sox' 10–6 loss in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns. Zernial will be joined by Dick Allen in and Evan Longoria in as players to hit three home runs in their team's regular-season finale.
  • October 7 – The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5–2, in Game 4 of the World Series to win undefeated their thirteenth world championship. The Phillies will not appear again in the postseason until , and they will not appear again in the World Series until they win it for the very first time in .
  • October 8 – Former MLB catcher Paul Richards, 42, is named manager of the Chicago White Sox. In 1950, Richards had led the Triple-A Seattle Rainiers to only a 96–104 record over the lengthy Pacific Coast League season, but in Chicago he will turn around the on-field fortunes of the long-bedraggled franchise, posting a 342–265–6 (.563) mark and four first-division finishes.
  • October 10 – The Chicago Cubs acquire two first basemen from the Brooklyn Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Hank Edwards and cash. One of them is Dee Fondy, who will become the Cubs' regular first sacker. The other is Chuck Connors, a Brooklyn native who will eventually become an actor and gain fame as the star of TV's The Rifleman.
  • October 16 – Eddie Dyer, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals since Opening Day 1946, resigns his post after a disappointing, fifth-place finish. He leaves with a 446–325–6 (.578) record over five seasons, with one World Series championship. Dyer, 51, steps away from baseball and returns full-time to his successful business career in Houston.
  • October 18 – Hall-of-Famer Connie Mack, 87, retires as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics after 50 years at the helm—the only pilot the team has known since its founding in 1901. Assistant manager Jimmy Dykes, 53, who played for "The Tall Tactician" between 1918 and 1932, then spent all or part of 13 seasons between 1934 and 1946 as manager of the Chicago White Sox, is named Mack's successor. Mack, who retains the title of team president and his ownership stake, retires after having won nine American League pennants and five World Series championships over his half century with the Athletics; however, he compiled a losing winning percentage (.484) over that time, and his Philadelphia teams finished last 17 times and were frequently in financial distress.
  • October 26:
  • A seismic change occurs in the Brooklyn Dodgers' front office. One-quarter owner Walter O'Malley announces that Branch Rickey's contract as president and general manager will not be renewed, and that he has acquired Rickey's 25% interest to become principal owner, controlling 50% of the team's stock. O'Malley, 47, assumes the club presidency and promotes two Dodger executives to vice president: Montreal Royals' general manager Buzzie Bavasi, who will supervise the MLB Dodgers' baseball operations, and assistant minor league director Fresco Thompson, who will run the far-flung Brooklyn farm system. O'Malley thus triumphs in a long-running power struggle with Rickey over the Dodger organization.
  • Phil Rizzuto, New York Yankees' shortstop, wins the American League MVP Award for 1950, capturing 16 of 23 first-place votes. Versatile Billy Goodman of the Boston Red Sox, the AL batting champ, is a distant second.
  • October 27 – Joe Gordon's 11-year big league playing career ends when he's released by the Cleveland Indians. The future Hall of Fame second baseman, 35, who won five World Series rings over that span, becomes the player-manager of the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League.

November

December

Movies

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

  • January 8 – Helene Robison Britton, 70, first woman to own a major league team when she inherited the St. Louis Cardinals from her uncle in 1911; sold Redbirds in 1917 to a local consortium that included Sam Breadon and Branch Rickey.
  • January 14 – Bill Thomas, 72, outfielder for the 1902 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • January 16 – Rudy Hulswitt, 72, shortstop who played for the Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals in parts of seven seasons spanning 1899–1910.
  • January 17:
  • Jewel Ens, 60, backup infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1922 to 1925, who later managed (1929–1931) and served as a coach (1926–1929 and 1935–1939) for them; member of the 1925 World Series champions and 1927 National League champs; also coached for Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves; manager of Syracuse Chiefs of the International League from 1942 until his death.
  • Roy Sanders, 57, pitcher who played from 1917 to 1918 for the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • January 26:
  • Chick Autry, 46, backup catcher who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox in part of six seasons spanning 1924–1930.
  • Tom Bannon, 80, backup first baseman and outfielder for the New York Giants in their 1895 and 1896 seasons.
  • January 29 – Monroe Sweeney, 57, umpire who officiated in the National League between the 1924 and 1926 seasons.

February

  • February 2 – John Butler, 70, backup catcher who played with the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Superbas in four seasons from 1901 to 1907, and later coached for the Chicago White Sox.
  • February 3 – Dick Spalding, 56, outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1927 season and the Washington Senators in 1928, who previously played the first two games in the history of the U.S. national soccer team and also competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years.
  • February 5 – Ralph Shafer, 55, who appeared as a pinch-runner in one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1914 season.
  • February 6 – Art Fletcher, 65, a player, coach and manager who participated in fourteen World Series––four as a smooth fielding shortstop for the New York Giants and ten as a base coach with the New York Yankees––earning nine series rings with the Yankees; led the National League for the most assists in 1915 and from 1917 to 1919; manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1923 to 1926 and acting skipper of the Yankees in September 1929.
  • February 10 – Charlie Roy, 65, pitcher for the 1906 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • February 11:
  • Kiki Cuyler, 51, Hall of Fame outfielder with a strong throwing arm as well as a solid line-drive hitter in an 18-year career from 1921 to 1938, who collected a .321 batting average with 2,299 hits and led the Major Leagues in stolen bases four times being a member of the National League pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs clubs, while leaving a definitive legacy when he hit a two-run, two-out double off Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 1925 World Series for a 9–7 lead, clinching the series title for the Pirates; coach for Cubs (1941–1943) and Boston Red Sox (1949 until his death).
  • Hank Griffin, 63, pitcher who played from 1911 to 1912 for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves.
  • Paul Meloan, 61, right fielder who played with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1910 and 1911.
  • February 17 – Jack Dalton, 64, outfielder who became one of only a few players to see action in three different Major Leagues, while playing with the Brooklyn Superbas and Dodgers of the National League, as well as for the Buffalo Blues of the outlaw Federal League and the Detroit Tigers of the American League in part of four seasons spanning 1910–1916.

March

  • March 5 – Effie Norton, 76, pitcher who played from 1896 to 1897 for the Washington Senators of the National League.
  • March 7 – Joe Brown, 49, pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox in 1927.
  • March 11 – William Gallagher, 76, shortstop and catcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1896.
  • March 13 – George Young, 60, pinch-hitter who played in two games for the Cleveland Naps in 1913.
  • March 16 – Nubs Kleinke, 38, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in part of two seasons from 1936 to 1938.
  • March 22 – Slim Sallee, 65, pitcher who posted a lifetime mark of 174-143 and a 2.56 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants in span of 14 seasons from 1908 through 1921, helping Cincinnati clinch the 1919 World Series and the Giants win the National League pennant in 1917.
  • March 24 – Bert Lewis, 54, pitcher for the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • March 25 – Pussy Tebeau, 80, outfielder who played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders during the 1895 season.
  • March 27 – Fred Frank, 77, outfielder for the 1898 Cleveland Spiders.
  • March 28:
  • Henry Clarke, 74, pitcher for the Cleveland Spiders in 1897 and the Chicago Orphans in 1898, who also coached at college for the Michigan Wolverines baseball team, and later served as a Nebraska state legislator and railroad commissioner.
  • Ernie Ross, 69, Canadian pitcher who appeared in two games with the original Baltimore Orioles of the American League in their 1902 season.

April

  • April 2 – Doc Sechrist, 74, pitcher who played for the New York Giants in its 1899 season
  • April 9 – John McDonald, 67, pitcher for the 1907 Washington Senators.
  • April 11 – Dick McCabe, 54, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the 1918 season and the Chicago White Sox in 1922.
  • April 19 – Dusty Miller, 73, outfielder for the 1902 Chicago Orphans of the National League.
  • April 22 – Dave Pickett, 75, outfielder who played for the Boston Beaneaters in 1898.
  • April 23:
  • Bill Hallman, 74, outfielder who played with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox in part of four seasons between 1901 and 1907.
  • Dike Varney, 69, pitcher for the 1902 Cleveland Bronchos of the American League.
  • April 25 – Offa Neal, 73, third baseman who appeared in four games with the New York Giants in 1905, and also spent 12 seasons in the Minor Leagues as a player, coach or manager.
  • April 30 – Tom Niland, 80, outfielder for the 1896 St. Louis Browns of the National League.

May

  • May 2 – Jo-Jo Morrissey, 46, infielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox in part of three seasons between 1932 and 1936.
  • May 3 – Jim Galloway, 62, second baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1912 and served in World War I, then returned to baseball in 1920 to play ten more seasons, retiring in 1929 at the age 41.
  • May 4 – Vince Molyneaux, 61, pitcher who played from 1917 to 1918 for the St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox.
  • May 9 – Art Watson, 66, catcher who played from 1914 to 1915 for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops and Buffalo Blues clubs of the outlaw Federal League.
  • May 19 – Wattie Holm, 48, fourth outfielder who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in a span of seven seasons from 1924 to 1932, as well for the 1926 World Champion Cardinals.
  • May 23 – Ernie Groth, 65, pitcher for the 1904 Chicago Cubs.

June

  • June 4:
  • Dan Griner, 62, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Robins in all or part of seven seasons spanning 1912–1916.
  • Dean Sturgis, 57, backup catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1914 season.
  • June 6 – Walt Thomas, 66, shortstop who appeared in six games for the 1908 Boston Doves of the National League.
  • June 8 – Ledell Titcomb, 83, pitcher who played with four teams in the National League and American Association in four seasons from 1886 to 1890, sporting a record of 30-28 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 games, while pitching a no-hitter against the Syracuse Stars in 1890.
  • June 28 – Mutz Ens, 65, first baseman who played for the Chicago White Sox in its 1912 season.
  • June 30:
  • Paul Fitzke, 49, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in 1924, who also played in the National Football League for the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1925.
  • Joe Lake, 69, pitcher who played from 1908 through 1913 for the New York Highlanders, St. Louis Browns and Chicago Cubs.

July

  • July 2 – Joe Gormley, 83, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1891 National League season.
  • July 3 – Ed Donalds, 67, pitcher who played briefly for the Cincinnati Reds in 1912.
  • July 5 – Joe Sargent, 56, middle infielder and third baseman who appeared in 66 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1921.
  • July 10 – John L. Smith, 61, pharmaceutical executive (Pfizer) who had been a co-owner and one of four equal partners in the Brooklyn Dodgers since 1945.
  • July 15 – Biddy Dolan, 69, first baseman who played in 1914 for the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Federal League.
  • July 17 – Fred Blanding, 62, pitcher who posted a record of 46–46 with a 3.13 ERA for the Cleveland Naps in five seasons from 1910 to 1914.
  • July 18 – Art LaVigne, 65, catcher who played for the Buffalo Buffeds of the Federal League in its 1914 season.
  • July 23 – Bill Lange, 79, center fielder who played his entire seven-year career for the Chicago Colts and Orphans of the National League from 1893 through 1899, collecting a .330 batting average with 400 stolen bases in 813 games and ranking in several season categories, including average, home runs, RBI, runs scored and stolen bases, while leading the league with 73 steals in 1897.

August

  • August 4:
  • John Burke, 73, pitcher for the 1902 New York Giants.
  • Harry Coveleski, 64, left-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers over nine seasons from 1907 to 1918, a three-time 20-game winner who is best remembered for his rookie season with the Phillies in 1908, when he defeated the powerful New York Giants three times in a span of five days at the end of the season, to deny John McGraw's squad the 1908 National League pennant, which forced a replay of the infamous Merkle's Boner game.
  • August 9 – Ed Klepfer, 62, spitball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians in a span of six seasons between 1911 and 1919.
  • August 10 – Leo Kavanagh, 56, shortstop who played for the Chicago Whales of the outlaw Federal League in its 1914 season.
  • August 11 – Frank Smykal, 60, shortstop for the 1916 Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • August 17:
  • Pit Gilman, 86, backup outfielder who played with the Cleveland Blues in its 1884 season.
  • Paddy O'Connor, 71, Irish catcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Rebels and New York Yankees over six seasons spanning 1908–1918.
  • August 20 – Ed Zmich, 65, pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1910 to 1911.
  • August 25 – George Disch, 71, pitcher for the 1905 Detroit Tigers.
  • August 29 – Doc Ralston, 65, fourth outfielder for the Washington Senators in their 1910 season.

September

  • September 1 – Frank Pearce, 45, pitcher who played from 1933 through 1935 for the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • September 3 – Jim Connor, 87, second baseman for the clubs of the National League in part of three seasons spanning 1892–1899, who also spent six years in the Minor Leagues, including a stint as player/manager for the Newburgh Hillies of the Hudson River League in its 1907 season.
  • September 14 – Billy Ging, 77, pitcher for the 1889 Boston Beaneaters of the National League.
  • September 15 – Joe Knotts, 66. backup catcher who played in 1907 with the Boston Doves of the National League.
  • September 17 – Jerry Hurley, 87, catcher who played for the Boston Beaneaters in the National League in 1889, the Pittsburgh Burghers in the Players' League in 1890, and the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers of the American Association in 1891.
  • September 21 – Duke Kenworthy, 64, second baseman who spent four seasons in the Major Leagues, including stints in the American League with the Washington Senators in 1912 and the St. Louis Browns in 1917. and for the Kansas City Packers of the short-lived Federal League from 1914 to 1915.
  • September 23 – Sam Barry, 57, collegiate athletic coach who achieved significant accomplishments in three major sports, as well as one of the principal forces behind the creation of the College World Series, which his team won in 1948.
  • September 25 – Pep Deininger, 72, German pitcher and center fielder who played for the Boston Americans and Philadelphia Phillies in part of three seasons spanning 1902–1909.
  • September 26 – John Scheneberg, 62, who pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1913 season and for the St. Louis Browns in 1920.
  • September 28 – George Paynter, 79, outfielder who played in 1894 for the St. Louis Browns of the National League.
  • September 30:
  • Ned Crompton, 61, English outfielder who played with the St. Louis Browns of the American League during the 1909 season, and later appeared in one game for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League in 1910.
  • Jack Harper, who pitched for five teams in an eight-year career between 1889 and 1906, sporting an 80–64 record and 3.55 ERA in 158 games, including two 23-win seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1901 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1904.

October

  • October 1 – Red Howell, 41, pinch hitter for 1941 Cleveland Indians, reaching base six times in 11 plate appearances (four walks and two singles); in his 17-year minor-league career (1928–1944) as an outfielder, he collected 2,509 hits and 229 homers in 2,121 career games, batting .326.
  • October 14 – Jocko Fields, 50, outfielder who played from 1887 through 1891 for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates teams, as well as for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1891 and the New York Giants in 1892.
  • October 17 – Tom Tuckey, 66, pitcher who played for the Boston Doves in the 1908 and 1909 seasons.
  • October 19 – Lefty Gervais, 60, pitcher for the 1913 Boston Braves.

November

December

  • December 1 – Bob Hall, 71, who played some outfield and infield utility positions with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants and Brooklyn Superbas between 1904 and 1905.
  • December 5 – Bill Dahlen, 80, one of the finest shortstops between 1891 and 1911 as well as a reliable hitter and aggressive baserunner, whose leadership helped the 1905 New York Giants win the World Series title, ending his career with 2,461 hits and 548 stolen bases, and having played more games than any player in Major League history, with 2,444.
  • December 6 – Jing Johnson, 56, pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in all or part of five seasons spanning 1916–1928.
  • December 9 – Mickey Corcoran, 68, second baseman who appeared in 14 games for the 1910 Cincinnati Reds; prolific minor-league base-stealer who swiped 384 bags in 1,875 games played.
  • December 19 – Wingo Anderson, 64, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in its 1910 season.
  • December 20 – Carroll Yerkes, 47, who pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago Cubs over the course of five seasons between 1927 and 1933.
  • December 21 – Dad Lytle, 88, second baseman and outfielder who split time with the Chicago Colts and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys during their 1890 season.
  • December 22 – Rip Egan, 79, pitcher who appeared in one game with the Washington Senators of the National League in 1894, and later managed in the Minor Leagues and worked as an umpire in the American League from 1907 to 1914.
  • December 22 – Cal Vasbinder, 70, pitcher who played in 1902 for the Cleveland Bronchos of the American League.

Sources

External links