1946 Major League Baseball season
| 1946 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 16 – October 15, 1946 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | AL: Boston Red Sox NL: St. Louis Cardinals |
| Season MVP | AL: Ted Williams (BSR) NL: Stan Musial (SLC) |
| World Series | |
| Champions | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Boston Red Sox |
The 1946 Major League Baseball season. Due to the end of World War II many drafted ballplayers returned to the majors and the quality of play greatly improved.[original research?]
Events
- May 18 – The Chicago Cubs become the first team in Major League history to score six runs in the first and ninth innings of a game, when defeating the New York Giants 19–3.[1]
- June 9 – Mel Ott of the New York Giants is the first manager to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader, when the Giants lose both games to the Pittsburgh Pirates.[2]
Awards and honors
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- MLB Most Valuable Player Award
- The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
- The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
Final standings
American League final standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 104 | 50 | .675 | — | 61–16 | 43–34 |
| Detroit Tigers | 92 | 62 | .597 | 12 | 48–30 | 44–32 |
| New York Yankees | 87 | 67 | .565 | 17 | 47–30 | 40–37 |
| Washington Senators | 76 | 78 | .494 | 28 | 38–38 | 38–40 |
| Chicago White Sox | 74 | 80 | .481 | 30 | 40–38 | 34–42 |
| Cleveland Indians | 68 | 86 | .442 | 36 | 36–41 | 32–45 |
| St. Louis Browns | 66 | 88 | .429 | 38 | 35–41 | 31–47 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 49 | 105 | .318 | 55 | 31–46 | 18–59 |
National League final standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 98 | 58 | .628 | — | 49–29 | 49–29 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 96 | 60 | .615 | 2 | 56–22 | 40–38 |
| Chicago Cubs | 82 | 71 | .536 | 14½ | 44–33 | 38–38 |
| Boston Braves | 81 | 72 | .529 | 15½ | 45–31 | 36–41 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 69 | 85 | .448 | 28 | 41–36 | 28–49 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 67 | 87 | .435 | 30 | 35–42 | 32–45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 63 | 91 | .409 | 34 | 37–40 | 26–51 |
| New York Giants | 61 | 93 | .396 | 36 | 38–39 | 23–54 |
Managers
American League
National League
National League playoff series
The National League pennant race ended in a tie between the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers and was decided by an unprecedented best-of-three playoff. St. Louis won the series, 2–0.
World Series
The World Series began on October 6 and pitted the Boston Red Sox against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won in 7 games.
See also
References
- ^ "Elias Says..." ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
Further reading
- Weintraub, Robert (2013) The Victory Season: The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball's Golden Age. New York: Little, Brown & Company. ISBN 978-0-316-20591-7.
External links