1952 Major League Baseball season

Last updated

1952 MLB season
League American League (AL)
National League (NL)
Sport Baseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 15 – September 28, 1952
World Series:
  • October 1–7, 1952
Number of games154
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
Regular season
Season MVP AL: Bobby Shantz (PHA)
NL: Hank Sauer (CHC)
AL champions New York Yankees
  AL runners-up Cleveland Indians
NL champions Brooklyn Dodgers
  NL runners-up New York Giants
World Series
Champions New York Yankees
  Runners-up Brooklyn Dodgers
Finals MVP Johnny Mize (NYY)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1942–1953 American League seasons
ButtonRed.svg American League
Locations of teams for the 1943–1952 National League seasons
ButtonBlue.svg National League

The 1952 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1952. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Brooklyn Dodgers 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 49th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 7 on October 7. In the fourth iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to three, capturing their 15th championship in franchise history, and their fourth in a five-run World Series. This was the fourth World Series between the two teams.

Contents

The 19th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 8, hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, with the National League winning, 3–2. To date, it was the only All-Star Game to be called early due to rain.

The 1952 season would prove to be the final season of a 50-season run which saw no team relocate from one city to another, as the Boston Braves would move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin the following year as the Milwaukee Braves. 1952 would also be Ford Frick's first full year as commissioner.

Schedule

The 1952 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.

Opening Day took place on April 15, featuring 12 teams. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on September 28, which saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend from 1946. The World Series took place between October 1 and October 7.

Teams

LeagueTeamCityStadiumCapacityManager
American League Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 35,200 Lou Boudreau
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 47,400 Paul Richards
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Al López
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Briggs Stadium 58,000 Red Rolfe,
Fred Hutchinson
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,000 Casey Stengel
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Shibe Park 33,166 Jimmy Dykes
St. Louis Browns St. Louis, Missouri Sportsman's Park 34,000 Rogers Hornsby,
Marty Marion
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 29,731 Bucky Harris
National League Boston Braves Boston, Massachusetts Braves Field 37,106 Tommy Holmes,
Charlie Grimm
Brooklyn Dodgers New York, New York Ebbets Field 32,111 Chuck Dressen
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 Phil Cavarretta
Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 29,980 Luke Sewell,
Rogers Hornsby
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 54,500 Leo Durocher
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Shibe Park 33,166 Eddie Sawyer,
Steve O'Neill
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 33,730 Billy Meyer
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Sportsman's Park 34,000 Eddie Stanky

Standings

American League

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 9559.617—49‍–‍2846‍–‍31
Cleveland Indians 9361.604249‍–‍2844‍–‍33
Chicago White Sox 8173.5261444‍–‍3337‍–‍40
Philadelphia Athletics 7975.5131645‍–‍3234‍–‍43
Washington Senators 7876.5061742‍–‍3536‍–‍41
Boston Red Sox 7678.4941950‍–‍2726‍–‍51
St. Louis Browns 6490.4163142‍–‍3522‍–‍55
Detroit Tigers 50104.3254532‍–‍4518‍–‍59

National League

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 9657.627—45‍–‍3351‍–‍24
New York Giants 9262.5974½50‍–‍2742‍–‍35
St. Louis Cardinals 8866.5718½48‍–‍2940‍–‍37
Philadelphia Phillies 8767.5659½47‍–‍2940‍–‍38
Chicago Cubs 7777.50019½42‍–‍3535‍–‍42
Cincinnati Reds 6985.44827½38‍–‍3931‍–‍46
Boston Braves 6489.4183231‍–‍4533‍–‍44
Pittsburgh Pirates 42112.27354½23‍–‍5419‍–‍58

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
         
AL New York Yankees 2 73 25 34
NL Brooklyn Dodgers 41 50 6112 2

Managerial changes

Off-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Boston Red Sox Steve O'Neill Lou Boudreau
St. Louis Browns Zack Taylor Rogers Hornsby
St. Louis Cardinals Marty Marion Eddie Stanky

In-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Boston Braves Tommy Holmes Charlie Grimm
Cincinnati Reds Luke Sewell Rogers Hornsby
Detroit Tigers Red Rolfe Fred Hutchinson
Philadelphia Phillies Eddie Sawyer Steve O'Neill
St. Louis Browns Rogers Hornsby Marty Marion

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Ferris Fain (PHA).327
OPS Mickey Mantle (NYY).924
HR Larry Doby (CLE)32
RBI Al Rosen (CLE)105
R Larry Doby (CLE)104
H Nellie Fox (CWS)192
SB Minnie Miñoso (CWS)22
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Bobby Shantz (PHA)24
L Art Houtteman (DET)20
ERA Allie Reynolds (NYY)2.06
K Allie Reynolds (NYY)160
IP Bob Lemon (CLE)309.2
SV Harry Dorish (CWS)11
WHIP Bobby Shantz (PHA)1.048

National League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Stan Musial (SLC).336
OPS Stan Musial (SLC).970
HR Ralph Kiner (PIT)
Hank Sauer (CHC)		37
RBI Hank Sauer (CHC)121
R Solly Hemus (SLC)
Stan Musial (SLC)		105
H Stan Musial (SLC)194
SB Pee Wee Reese (BKN)30
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Robin Roberts (PHP)28
L Murry Dickson (PIT)21
ERA Hoyt Wilhelm (NYG)2.43
K Warren Spahn (BSB)183
IP Robin Roberts (PHP)330.0
SV Al Brazle (SLC)16
WHIP Warren Hacker (CHC)0.946

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Rookie of the Year Joe Black (BKN) Harry Byrd (PHA)
Most Valuable Player Hank Sauer (CHC) Bobby Shantz (PHA)

Other awards

The Sporting News Awards
AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Player of the Year [1] Robin Roberts (PHP)—
Pitcher of the Year [2] Robin Roberts (PHP) Bobby Shantz (CLE)
Rookie of the Year [3] Joe Black (BKN) Clint Courtney (SLB)
Manager of the Year [4] Eddie Stanky (SLC)—
Executive of the Year [5] — George Weiss (NYY)

Baseball Hall of Fame

Home field attendance

Team nameWins%±Home attendance%±Per game
New York Yankees [6] 95−3.1%1,629,665−16.4%21,164
Cleveland Indians [7] 930.0%1,444,607−15.3%18,761
Chicago White Sox [8] 810.0%1,231,675−7.3%15,591
Boston Red Sox [9] 76−12.6%1,115,750−15.0%14,490
Brooklyn Dodgers [10] 96−1.0%1,088,704−15.1%13,609
Detroit Tigers [11] 50−31.5%1,026,846−9.3%13,336
Chicago Cubs [12] 7724.2%1,024,82614.6%13,309
New York Giants [13] 92−6.1%984,940−7.0%12,791
St. Louis Cardinals [14] 888.6%913,113−9.9%11,859
Philadelphia Phillies [15] 8719.2%755,417−19.4%9,940
Washington Senators [16] 7825.8%699,4570.6%8,967
Pittsburgh Pirates [17] 42−34.4%686,673−30.0%8,918
Philadelphia Athletics [18] 7912.9%627,10034.7%8,040
Cincinnati Reds [19] 691.5%604,1972.7%7,847
St. Louis Browns [20] 6423.1%518,79676.6%6,651
Boston Braves [21] 64−15.8%281,278−42.3%3,653

Retired numbers

Events

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1943 major league baseball season began on April 20, 1943. The regular season ended on October 3, 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 40th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 5 on October 11. In the fourth iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Cardinals, four games to one, capturing their tenth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1941.

The 1945 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1945. The regular season ended on September 30, with the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 42nd World Series on October 3 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. In the fourth iteration of this World Series matchup, the Tigers defeated the Cubs, four games to three, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1935. It would prove to be the Cubs' last appearance in a World Series until the 2016 World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 Major League Baseball season</span> Sports season

The 1959 major league baseball season began on April 9, 1959. The regular season ended on September 29, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Braves in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 86–68 records. This was the fourth regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 56th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 6 on October 8. The Dodgers defeated the White Sox, four games to two, capturing their second championship in franchise history, their first since in 1955, and first in Los Angeles. This was the first appearance of the White Sox in the "Fall Classic" since the infamous Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series and interrupted a Yankees' dynasty that dominated the American League between 1949 and 1964.

The 1957 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1957. The regular season ended on September 29, with the Milwaukee Braves 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 54th World Series on October 2 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. The Braves defeated the Yankees, four games to three, capturing their second championship in franchise history, their first since 1914, and first in Milwaukee.

The 1947 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1947. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Brooklyn Dodgers 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 44th World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 7 on October 6. In the second iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to three, capturing their 11th championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1943.

The 1962 major league baseball season began on April 9, 1962. The regular season ended on October 3, with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title in three games, after both teams finished their 162-game schedules with identical 101–61 records. This was the fifth regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 59th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 7 on October 16. In the seventh iteration of this World Series matchup, and their first since the Giants relocated to San Francisco from New York, the Yankees defeated the Giants, four games to three, capturing their 20th championship in franchise history, winning back-to-back World Series.

The 1950 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1950. The regular season ended on October 1, with the Philadelphia Phillies 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 47th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 4 on October 7. The Yankees swept the Phillies in four games, capturing their 13th championship in franchise history, and their second in a five-run World Series.

The 1951 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1951. The regular season ended on October 3, with the New York Giants and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Giants defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 96–58 records. This was the third regular season tie-breaker, and saw a reversion from the single-game tie-breaker featured in 1948 to the three-game format featured in the 1946 tie-breaker series. After splitting the first two games, the stage was set for a decisive third game, won in dramatic fashion on a walk-off home run from the bat of Giant Bobby Thomson, one of the most famous moments in the history of baseball, commemorated as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and "The Miracle at Coogan's Bluff". The postseason began with Game 1 of the 48th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 6 on October 10. In the sixth iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Giants, four games to two, capturing their 14th championship in franchise history, and their third in a five-run World Series. This would be the final Subway Series matchup between the two teams, as the next World Series between the two in 1962 would see a relocated Giants franchise in San Francisco, California.

The 1956 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1956. The regular season ended on September 30, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 53rd World Series on October 3 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. The series is notable for Yankees pitcher Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5. In the seventh iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to three, capturing their 17th championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1953. This would be the final Subway Series matchup between the two teams, as the next World Series between the two in 1963 would see a relocated Dodgers franchise in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Major League Baseball season</span> Sports season

The 1955 major league baseball season began on April 11, 1955. The regular season ended on September 25, with the Brooklyn Dodgers 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 52nd World Series on September 28 and ended with Game 7 on October 4. In the sixth iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, The Dodgers defeated the Yankees, four games to three, capturing their first championship in franchise history. This was the first World Series between the two teams to see the Dodgers win over the Yankees.

The 1953 major league baseball season began on April 13, 1953. The regular season ended on September 27, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 50th World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 6 on October 5. In the fifth iteration of this Subway Series World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to two, capturing their 16th championship in franchise history, concluding their 5-year World Series winning streak, an all-time record.

The 1948 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1948. The regular season ended on October 4, with the Boston Braves and Cleveland Indians as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Indians won the American League title via a tie-breaker game victory over the Boston Red Sox, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 96–58 records. This was the second regular season tie-breaker, and saw a change from the previous three-game format to that of a single-game, Game 163. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 45th World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 6 on October 11. The Indians defeated the Braves, four games to two, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1920.

The 1958 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1958. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Milwaukee Braves 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 55th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 7 on October 9. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Braves, four games to three, capturing their 18th championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1956.

The 1936 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1936. The regular season ended on September 27, with the New York Giants 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 33rd World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 6 on October 6. In the fourth iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Giants, four games to two, capturing their fifth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1932, and their first in a four-World Series run.

The 1937 major league baseball season began on April 19, 1937. The regular season ended on October 3, with the New York Giants 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 34th World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 5 on October 10. In the fifth iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees defeated the Giants, four games to one, capturing their sixth championship in franchise history, and their second in a four-World Series run. With this victory, the Yankees became the team with the most World Series victories, a feat that continues today.

The 1938 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1938. The regular season ended on October 2, with the Chicago Cubs 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 35th World Series on October 5 and ended with Game 4 on October 9. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup, the Yankees swept the Cubs in four games, capturing their seventh championship in franchise history, and their third in a four-World Series run, becoming the first team to win three consecutive World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1941 Major League Baseball season</span> Sports season

The 1941 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1941. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Brooklyn Dodgers 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 38th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 5 on October 6. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to one, capturing their ninth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1939. This was the first Subway Series World Series to feature the Dodgers.

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.

The 1944 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1944. The regular season ended on October 1, with the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In an all-St. Louis postseason, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 41st World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 6 on October 9. The Cardinals defeated the Browns, four games to two, capturing their fifth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1942.

The 1946 major league baseball season began on April 16, 1946. The regular season ended on October 3, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The Cardinals defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in a regular season best-of-three tiebreaker, for the National League title, after both teams finished their 154-game schedules with identical 96–58 records. It was Major League Baseball's first-ever regular season tie-breaker. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 43rd World Series on October 6 and ended with Game 7 on October 15. The Cardinals defeated the Red Sox, four games to three, capturing their sixth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1944.

References

  1. ↑ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "April 23, 1952 boxscore from Baseball Reference". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Strange and Unusual Plays". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Odd Baseball Facts Archive – II: One At-Bat, Two Ejections". goldenrankings.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.