1954 Major League Baseball season

Last updated

1954 MLB season
League American League (AL)
National League (NL)
Sport Baseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 13 – September 26, 1954
World Series:
  • September 29 – October 2, 1954
Number of games154
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
TV partner(s) ABC, NBC
Regular season
Season MVP AL: Yogi Berra (NYY)
NL: Willie Mays (NYG)
AL champions Cleveland Indians
  AL runners-up New York Yankees
NL champions New York Giants
  NL runners-up Brooklyn Dodgers
World Series
Champions New York Giants
  Runners-up Cleveland Indians
Finals MVP Dusty Rhodes (NYG)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1954 American League season
ButtonRed.svg American League
Locations of teams for the 1953–1957 National League seasons
ButtonBlue.svg National League

The 1954 major league baseball season began on April 13, 1954. The regular season ended on September 26, with the New York Giants and Cleveland Indians as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 51st World Series on September 29 and ended with Game 4 on October 2. The Giants swept the Indians in four games, capturing their fifth championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1933.

Contents

The 21st Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 13, hosted by the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland, Ohio, with the American League winning, 11–9, ending the National League's four-win streak.

In a continuation of the relocation trend that began the previous season, the St. Louis Browns moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Baltimore, Maryland, leaving St. Louis a one-team city, and seeing the return of American League baseball to Baltimore after 52 seasons. The previous American League relocation involved the same franchise, when the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis as the Browns, 53 seasons earlier. The season would also prove to be the last season of the Athletics franchise in Philadelphia, moving to Kansas City, Missouri the following season as the Kansas City Athletics.

On Opening Day, April 13, the Pittsburgh Pirates [a] and St. Louis Cardinals became the ninth and tenth teams in professional baseball to break the color line when they fielded Curt Roberts and Tom Alston, respectively; the Cincinnati Redlegs became the 11th team just four days later when they fielded future Nino Escalera and Chuck Harmon, while the Washington Senators became the 12th team on September 6 when they fielded Carlos Paula. [2]

Schedule

The 1954 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 13, featuring all sixteen teams, the first time since 1950. The final day of the regular season was on September 26, which saw fourteen teams play, and was the first time since 1945 that the scheduled regular season didn't end with all sixteen teams. The World Series took place between September 29 and October 2.

Rule changes

The 1954 season saw the following rule changes: [3]

Teams

LeagueTeamCityStadiumCapacityManager
American League Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Memorial Stadium 47,866 Jimmy Dykes
Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 34,824 Lou Boudreau
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 46,550 Paul Richards,
Marty Marion
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Al López
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Briggs Stadium 58,000 Fred Hutchinson
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,000 Casey Stengel
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,166 Eddie Joost
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 29,023 Bucky Harris
National League Brooklyn Dodgers New York, New York Ebbets Field 32,111 Walter Alston
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 Stan Hack
Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 29,439 Birdie Tebbetts
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 44,091 Charlie Grimm
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 54,500 Leo Durocher
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,166 Steve O'Neill,
Terry Moore
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 34,249 Fred Haney
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Eddie Stanky

Standings

American League

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cleveland Indians 11143.721—59‍–‍1852‍–‍25
New York Yankees 10351.669854‍–‍2349‍–‍28
Chicago White Sox 9460.6101745‍–‍3249‍–‍28
Boston Red Sox 6985.4484238‍–‍3931‍–‍46
Detroit Tigers 6886.4424335‍–‍4233‍–‍44
Washington Senators 6688.4294537‍–‍4129‍–‍47
Baltimore Orioles 54100.3515732‍–‍4522‍–‍55
Philadelphia Athletics 51103.3316029‍–‍4722‍–‍56

National League

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Giants 9757.630—53‍–‍2344‍–‍34
Brooklyn Dodgers 9262.597545‍–‍3247‍–‍30
Milwaukee Braves 8965.578843‍–‍3446‍–‍31
Philadelphia Phillies 7579.4872239‍–‍3936‍–‍40
Cincinnati Redlegs 7480.4812341‍–‍3633‍–‍44
St. Louis Cardinals 7282.4682533‍–‍4439‍–‍38
Chicago Cubs 6490.4163340‍–‍3724‍–‍53
Pittsburgh Pirates 53101.3444431‍–‍4622‍–‍55

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
      
AL Cleveland Indians 2 1 2 4
NL New York Giants 510* 367

*Denotes walk-off

Managerial changes

Off-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Baltimore Orioles Marty Marion
(St. Louis Browns)		 Jimmy Dykes
Brooklyn Dodgers Chuck Dressen Walter Alston
Chicago Cubs Phil Cavarretta Stan Hack
Cincinnati Redlegs Buster Mills Birdie Tebbetts
Philadelphia Athletics Jimmy Dykes Eddie Joost

In-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Chicago White Sox Paul Richards Marty Marion
Philadelphia Phillies Steve O'Neill Terry Moore

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Bobby Ávila (CLE).341
OPS Ted Williams (BOS)1.148
HR Larry Doby (CLE)32
RBI Larry Doby (CLE)126
R Mickey Mantle (NYY)129
H Nellie Fox (CWS)
Harvey Kuenn (DET)		201
SB Jackie Jensen (BOS)22
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Bob Lemon (CLE)
Early Wynn (CLE)		23
L Don Larsen (BAL)21
ERA Mike Garcia (CLE)2.64
K Bob Turley (BAL)185
IP Early Wynn (CLE)270.2
SV Johnny Sain (NYY)26
WHIP Mike Garcia (CLE)1.125

National League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Willie Mays (NYG).345
OPS Willie Mays (NYG)1.078
HR Ted Kluszewski (CIN)49
RBI Ted Kluszewski (CIN)141
R Stan Musial (STL)
Duke Snider (BKN)		120
H Don Mueller (NYG)212
SB Bill Bruton (MIL)34
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Robin Roberts (PHP)23
L Murry Dickson (PHP)20
ERA Johnny Antonelli (NYG)2.30
K Robin Roberts (PHP)185
IP Robin Roberts (PHP)336.2
SV Jim Hughes (BKN)24
WHIP Robin Roberts (PHP)1.025

Milestones

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Rookie of the Year Wally Moon (STL) Billy Martin (NYY)
Most Valuable Player Willie Mays (NYG) Yogi Berra (NYY)

Other awards

The Sporting News Awards
AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Player of the Year [7] Willie Mays (NYG)—
Pitcher of the Year [8] Johnny Antonelli (NYG) Bob Lemon (CLE)
Rookie of the Year [9] Wally Moon (STL) Bob Grim (NYY)
Manager of the Year [10] Leo Durocher (NYG)—
Executive of the Year [11] Horace Stoneham (NYG)—

Baseball Hall of Fame

Home field attendance

Team nameWins%±Home attendance%±Per game
Milwaukee Braves [12] 89−3.3%2,131,38816.7%27,680
New York Yankees [13] 1034.0%1,475,171−4.1%18,912
Cleveland Indians [14] 11120.7%1,335,47224.9%17,344
Chicago White Sox [15] 945.6%1,231,6293.4%15,790
New York Giants [16] 9738.6%1,155,06742.3%15,198
Detroit Tigers [17] 6813.3%1,079,84722.1%14,024
Baltimore Orioles [18] 540.0%1,060,910256.9%13,778
St. Louis Cardinals [19] 72−13.3%1,039,69818.1%13,503
Brooklyn Dodgers [20] 92−12.4%1,020,531−12.3%13,254
Boston Red Sox [21] 69−17.9%931,127−9.3%11,786
Chicago Cubs [22] 64−1.5%748,183−2.0%9,717
Philadelphia Phillies [23] 75−9.6%738,991−13.4%9,474
Cincinnati Redlegs [24] 748.8%704,16728.5%9,145
Washington Senators [25] 66−13.2%503,542−15.5%6,456
Pittsburgh Pirates [26] 536.0%475,494−17.0%6,175
Philadelphia Athletics [27] 51−13.6%304,666−15.9%3,957

Television coverage

ABC aired the Saturday Game of the Week for the second consecutive year. The All-Star Game and World Series aired exclusively on NBC.

Retired numbers

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Major League Baseball recognizes Curt Roberts as the Pirates' first Black player; however, Carlos Bernier of Puerto Rico, also a Black man, debuted on April 22, 1953. [1]

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References

  1. ↑ Guzzardi, Joe (April 14, 2013). "Carlos Bernier, more than a footnote". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  2. ↑ "These players integrated each MLB team". MLB.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ "MLB Rule Changes | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ Bass, Mike. "Mike Bass column: Hate MLB's changes? You ain't seen nothing yet ... I hope". The Enquirer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  5. ↑ admin. "The Sacrifice Fly – Society for American Baseball Research" . Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  6. ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.42, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN   978-0-451-22363-0
  7. ↑ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
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