1952 Major League Baseball season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the 1952 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1952 in baseball.
Sports season
| 1952 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Number of games | 154 |
| Number of teams | 16 (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 | |
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.
The 19th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 8, hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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
[edit ]See also: Major League Baseball 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
[edit ]Standings
[edit ]American League
[edit ]| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 95 | 59 | .617 | — | 49–28 | 46–31 |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 61 | .604 | 2 | 49–28 | 44–33 |
| Chicago White Sox | 81 | 73 | .526 | 14 | 44–33 | 37–40 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 79 | 75 | .513 | 16 | 45–32 | 34–43 |
| Washington Senators | 78 | 76 | .506 | 17 | 42–35 | 36–41 |
| Boston Red Sox | 76 | 78 | .494 | 19 | 50–27 | 26–51 |
| St. Louis Browns | 64 | 90 | .416 | 31 | 42–35 | 22–55 |
| Detroit Tigers | 50 | 104 | .325 | 45 | 32–45 | 18–59 |
National League
[edit ]| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 96 | 57 | .627 | — | 45–33 | 51–24 |
| New York Giants | 92 | 62 | .597 | 41⁄2 | 50–27 | 42–35 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 88 | 66 | .571 | 81⁄2 | 48–29 | 40–37 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 87 | 67 | .565 | 91⁄2 | 47–29 | 40–38 |
| Chicago Cubs | 77 | 77 | .500 | 191⁄2 | 42–35 | 35–42 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 69 | 85 | .448 | 271⁄2 | 38–39 | 31–46 |
| Boston Braves | 64 | 89 | .418 | 32 | 31–45 | 33–44 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 42 | 112 | .273 | 541⁄2 | 23–54 | 19–58 |
Postseason
[edit ]Bracket
[edit ] AL
New York Yankees
4
NL
Brooklyn Dodgers
3
Managerial changes
[edit ]Off-season
[edit ]| Team | Former Manager | New 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
[edit ]League leaders
[edit ]American League
[edit ]| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 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
[edit ]| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 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
[edit ]Regular season
[edit ]| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Joe Black (BKN) | Harry Byrd (PHA) |
| Most Valuable Player | Hank Sauer (CHC) | Bobby Shantz (PHA) |
Other awards
[edit ]- Babe Ruth Award (World Series MVP): Johnny Mize (NYY)
| The Sporting News Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | National League | American 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
[edit ]Main article: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Further information: 1952 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting
Home field attendance
[edit ]| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees [6] | 95 | −3.1% | 1,629,665 | −16.4% | 21,164 |
| Cleveland Indians [7] | 93 | 0.0% | 1,444,607 | −15.3% | 18,761 |
| Chicago White Sox [8] | 81 | 0.0% | 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] | 77 | 24.2% | 1,024,826 | 14.6% | 13,309 |
| New York Giants [13] | 92 | −6.1% | 984,940 | −7.0% | 12,791 |
| St. Louis Cardinals [14] | 88 | 8.6% | 913,113 | −9.9% | 11,859 |
| Philadelphia Phillies [15] | 87 | 19.2% | 755,417 | −19.4% | 9,940 |
| Washington Senators [16] | 78 | 25.8% | 699,457 | 0.6% | 8,967 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates [17] | 42 | −34.4% | 686,673 | −30.0% | 8,918 |
| Philadelphia Athletics [18] | 79 | 12.9% | 627,100 | 34.7% | 8,040 |
| Cincinnati Reds [19] | 69 | 1.5% | 604,197 | 2.7% | 7,847 |
| St. Louis Browns [20] | 64 | 23.1% | 518,796 | 76.6% | 6,651 |
| Boston Braves [21] | 64 | −15.8% | 281,278 | −42.3% | 3,653 |
Retired numbers
[edit ]- Honus Wagner had his No. 33 retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 16. This was the first number retired by the team.
- Joe DiMaggio had his No. 5 retired by the New York Yankees on April 18. This was the third number retired by the team.
Events
[edit ]- April 23 – Bob Cain of the St. Louis Browns bested Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians in matching one-hitters, 1–0, at Sportsman's Park. This was only the second double one-hitter in the modern era (since 1901).[22]
- June 22 – Boston Braves player Sid Gordon hits a two-run homer over the left field fence at Braves Field. His homer won Gordon the prize of a 100-pound bear cub for being the first Braves player to homer on "State of Maine Day". After the game, Gordon was presented with the animal in the Braves clubhouse.[23]
- August 23 – Bob Elliott of the New York Giants is ejected for arguing a strike call during an at-bat against the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman's Park. Bobby Hofman completes Elliott's at-bat. Hofman strikes out and is also ejected for arguing.[24]
See also
[edit ]- 1952 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
- 1952 Nippon Professional Baseball season
References
[edit ]- ^ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ "April 23, 1952 boxscore from Baseball Reference". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Strange and Unusual Plays". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ "Odd Baseball Facts Archive – II: One At-Bat, Two Ejections". goldenrankings.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014.