1950 Boston Red Sox season

Last updated

1950  Boston Red Sox
League American League
Ballpark Fenway Park
City Boston, Massachusetts
Record94–60 (.610)
League place3rd (4 GB)
Owners Tom Yawkey
President Tom Yawkey
General managers Joe Cronin
Managers Joe McCarthy, Steve O'Neill
Television WBZ-TV/WNAC-TV
(Jim Britt, Tom Hussey, Bump Hadley)
Radio WHDH
(Jim Britt, Tom Hussey, Leo Egan)
Stats ESPN.com
BB-reference
  1949 Seasons 1951  

The 1950 Boston Red Sox season was the 50th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished third in the American League (AL) with a record of 94 wins and 60 losses, four games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees. This was the last time that the Red Sox won at least 90 games until their return to the World Series in 1967.

Contents

The team scored 1,027 runs, one of only six teams to score more than 1,000 runs in a season in the modern era (post-1900), and, along with the 1999 Cleveland Indians, are one of two teams to do so post-World War II. [1] The 1950 Red Sox compiled a .302 batting average, and remain the most recent major league team to record a .300 or higher team batting average for a season. [2]

In a game on June 8, the Red Sox set a major league record for total bases by a team in one game, which still stands. During their 29–4 win over the St. Louis Browns, the Red Sox collected 28 hits: 7 home runs, 1 triple, 9 doubles, and 11 singles for 60 total bases. [3] [4] The Red Sox, who had already beaten the Browns 20–4 the day before, became only the second team since 1901 (after the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates) to score 20 or more runs in consecutive games. [5] [6]

Offseason

Trades and Transactions

Regular season

Trades and Transactions

Season standings

American League W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 98560.63653–2445–32
Detroit Tigers 95590.617350–3045–29
Boston Red Sox 94600.610455–2239–38
Cleveland Indians 92620.597649–2843–34
Washington Senators 67870.4353135–4232–45
Chicago White Sox 60940.3903835–4225–52
St. Louis Browns 58960.3774027–4731–49
Philadelphia Athletics 521020.3384629–4823–54

Record vs. opponents


Sources:
TeamBOSCWSCLEDETNYYPHASLBWSH
Boston 15–710–1210–129–1319–319–312–10
Chicago 7–158–146–16–28–1411–1112–108–14
Cleveland 12–1014–813–9–18–1417–513–915–7
Detroit 12–1016–6–29–13–111–1117–517–513–9
New York 13–914–814–811–1115–717–514–8–1
Philadelphia 3–1911–115–175–177–158–1413–9
St. Louis 3–1910–129–135–175–1714–812–10
Washington 10–1214–87–159–138–14–19–1310–12

Opening Day lineup

  7 Dom DiMaggio   CF
  6 Johnny Pesky 3B
  9 Ted Williams LF
  5 Vern Stephens SS
  2 Al Zarilla RF
  1 Bobby Doerr 2B
10 Billy Goodman   1B
14 Matt Batts C
17 Mel Parnell P

Roster

1950 Boston Red Sox
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Birdie Tebbetts 7926883.310845
1B Walter Dropo 136559180.32234144
2B Bobby Doerr 149586172.29427120
SS Vern Stephens 149628185.29530144
3B Johnny Pesky 127490153.312149
OF Al Zarilla 130471153.325974
OF Ted Williams 89334106.3172897
OF Dom DiMaggio 141588193.328770

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Billy Goodman 110424150.354468
Matt Batts 7523865.273434
Clyde Vollmer 5716948.284737
Tom Wright 5410734.318020
Buddy Rosar 278425.298112
Tommy O'Brien 9314.12903
Ken Keltner 13289.32102
Lou Stringer 24175.29402
Fred Hatfield 10123.25002
Jim Piersall 6114.36400
Charlie Maxwell 380.00000
Merl Combs 100----00
Bob Scherbarth 100----00

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Mel Parnell 40249.018103.6193
Joe Dobson 39206.215104.1881
Chuck Stobbs 32169.11275.1078
Willard Nixon 22101.1866.0457

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Ellis Kinder 48207.014124.2695
Mickey McDermott 38130.0735.1996
Walt Masterson 33129.1865.6460
Harry Taylor 319.0201.428

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Al Papai 164226.7519
Dick Littlefield 152219.2613
Charley Schanz 143208.3414
Earl Johnson 110007.246
Jim McDonald 91003.795
Gordie Mueller 800010.291
Jim Suchecki 40004.503
James Atkins 10003.860
Dave Ferriss 100018.001
Bob Gillespie 100020.250
Frank Quinn 10009.000
Phil Marchildon 10006.750

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Louisville Colonels American Association Mike Ryba
AA Birmingham Barons Southern Association Pinky Higgins
A Scranton Red Sox Eastern League Jack Burns
B Roanoke Red Sox Piedmont League Red Marion
C San Jose Red Sox California League Marv Owen
C Oneonta Red Sox Canadian–American League Eddie Popowski
D Kinston Eagles Coastal Plain League Wally Millies
D Marion Red Sox Ohio–Indiana League George Susce and Elmer Yoter

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Roanoke, Marion [17]

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References

  1. Rochford, Jeremy (September 9, 2014). "The Last 1,000 Run Team". Striking Out Looking.
  2. Ferkovich, Scott (December 29, 2016). "Will a baseball team ever hit .300 again?". vintagedetroit.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  3. "Boston Red Sox 29, St. Louis Browns 4". Retrosheet . June 8, 1950. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. "Team Batting Game Finder: From 1908 to 2018, (requiring TB>=50), sorted by greatest TB". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  5. "1950 Boston Red Sox Batting Game Log". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  6. "Team Batting Streak Finder: Consecutive games with Runs Scored >= 20, In the Regular Season, since 1901". Stathead Baseball. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  7. "Dick Gernert Signs With Boston Red Sox". Reading Eagle . October 24, 1949. p. 18.
  8. "Sox Draft Rochester Pitcher; Braves Pass Up Minor Stars". The Boston Globe . Associated Press. November 18, 1949. p. 39.
  9. "Sox Buy Papai (4─11) From Browns". The Boston Globe . Associated Press. December 2, 1949. p. 36.
  10. "Red Sox Deny Kramer Railroaded Out American League: Couldn't Make Any Deals for Him In Their Own Circuit". Lewiston Sun Journal . Associated Press. February 27, 1950. p. 10. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  11. "Bosox Strengthen Bench By Signing Ken Keltner". Lewiston Daily Sun . Associated Press. April 15, 1950. p. 12.
  12. Hurwitz, Hy (May 8, 1950). "Red Sox Trade O'Brien, Combs for Nats' Vollmer". The Boston Globe . p. 6.
  13. "Dorish of Sox (He's a Pitcher) Sold to Browns". The Boston Globe . May 9, 1950. p. 20.
  14. "Unable To Play". Wilmington Morning-Star . Associated Press. June 2, 1950. p. 10.
  15. "Bosox Sign High School Outfielder". Lewiston Evening Journal . Associated Press. June 8, 1950. p. 20.
  16. "Bosox Sign Youth Denied to Tigers". Windsor Daily Star . Associated Press. June 22, 1950. pp. 3 (Section 2).
  17. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007