*1940*
Anticlimactic....
On Opening Day, Bob Feller no-hits the White Sox.
Halitosis? Flatulence? Valedictorian of the Ty Cobb School of Charm?....
Willis Hudlin plays for four teams in the same year: Cleveland, St. Louis (Browns), New York (Giants), and Washington.
And you wonder why Philadelphia fans are so hostile....
The Phillies and Athletics both lose 100+ games.
Melonball?....
The Yankees' Frank Crosetti (career BA .245; career OBP .341) leads the AL in hit-by-pitches for the fifth consecutive year.
*1941*
Jose Hernandez doesn't last 77 minutes....
Lloyd Waner plays 77 consecutive games without striking out.
What the puck?....
Canadian Jeff Heath of the Indians is the first AL player to hit 20+ doubles/triples/home runs in the same year.
I wish the Blue Jays would quit trying to top this....
The St. Louis Browns strand 1334 baserunners.
And how was your day?....
On May 7, Reds SS Eddie Joost handles 19 chances.
Sixty years later and we're still not impressed....
Danny Murtaugh of the Phillies leads the NL in steals (18), but hits just .219.
*1942*
I don't care if he's throwin' grapefruit--he's stayin' in....
On May 13, Braves' pitcher Jim Tobin blasts three HR.
War is hell....
Cardinals rookie Johnny Beazley goes 21-6, 2.13 ERA, enters the armed forces and never pitches effectively after his return (9-6, 4.39 ERA from 1946-49).
Neifi Perez x 8 =....
The Phillies drive in just 354 runs. Danny Litwhiler leads the club with 56 RBI. They also score just 394. Their team OPS? .593.
He was a two-way player, for a Phillie....
Danny Litwhiler goes the whole season without committing an error.
Gimme the ball and leave me the hell alone....
White Sox Ted Lyons makes 20 starts, pitches 20 complete games, and goes 14-6.
Make mine a double....
The A's bang into seven double plays against the Yankees on August 14.
What do I have to do? Walk on water?....
Ted Williams hits .406 in 1941 and loses the MVP to Joe DiMaggio. In 1942 he wins the Triple Crown and loses the MVP to the Yankees' Joe Gordon.
Somebody up there (the press box?) loves me!....
MVP Joe Gordon leads the AL in errors, strikeouts, and grounding into double plays.
*1943*
Of course modern baseball never experiments with half-baked ideas....
To save on rubber, MLB invents the balata ball. No home runs are hit in the first 11 games and the ball is shelved.
I can't pitch night games or my Mom will be upset....
On September 16, Carl Schweib (age 16) becomes the youngest pitcher in a ML game.
More is not always better....
The Phillies play 43 doubleheaders. The White Sox play 44.
*1944*
As if puberty weren't complicated enough....
15 year-old Joe Nuxhall of the Reds becomes the youngest pitcher to appear in a 20th century game on June 10.
There is no I in Tom Sunkel....
Tom Sunkel is the last one-eyed player to play in MLB.
How I learned to love World War II....
Tigers' rookie Chuck Hostetler hits .298 in 90 games. He is 41 at the time.
Miguel Batista would have one out in the second inning at this point....
The Braves' Red Barrett tosses a 58 pitch complete game on August 10 against the Reds.
So I got a little sidetracked, sue me....
The Browns clinch the AL flag with a starting pitcher (Sig Jakucki) who hasn't played in the majors since 1936.
Gotta be steroids....
The Washington Senators hit 23 home runs. Stan Spence accounts for 18.
Now that's a 1-2 punch....
Tiger pitchers Hal Newhouser (29-9, 2.22 ERA) and Spinning Salmon, er, Dizzy Trout (27-14, 2.12 ERA) finish 1-2 in MVP voting.
*1945*
The doctor wondered how he got a concussion from adjusting his cup....
One-armed outfielder Pete Gray plays a full season with the St. Louis Browns--he hits .218.
I think Miguel Batista's second leg is holding him back....
Bert Shepard of the Washington Senators surrenders three hits, a walk, and a single run in a 5.1 IP relief appearance--with one leg.
And you want us to fill the cup why?....
The Senators hit one HR in Griffith Stadium--an inside-the-parker.
Gerkin's pickle....
Steve Gerkin of the Athletics has a 3.62 ERA in 102 IP, and goes 0-12. He never pitches in MLB again.
Where have you gone Vince DiMaggio pitchers turn their lonely eyes to you....
The Phillies Vince DiMaggio leads the NL in whiffs for the fourth straight year He K's 387 times from 1942-45.
Baby Boomer....
Dodgers shortstop Tommy Brown becomes the youngest MLer to hit a home run (17) on August 20.
*1946*
It's amazing what a few years rest will do....
In his first full season since 1941 Bob Feller goes 26-15, 2.18 ERA in 371.1 IP fanning 348. He also tosses 36 complete games.
Which is 200 more than he fanned in the big leagues....
Bill Kennedy of Rocky Mount in the Coastal Plains League goes 28-3, 1.03 ERA with 456 punch-outs.
Which is why God gave us two butt cheeks....
Mel Ott gets the boot from both games of a doubleheader.
*1947*
It's the red socks, isn't it?....
Ted Williams hits .406 in 1941 and loses the MVP to Joe DiMaggio. In 1942 he wins the Triple Crown and loses the MVP to the Yankees' Joe Gordon. Now Williams once again cops the Triple Crown and loses the MVP to Joe DiMaggio by one vote.
Did they bring in the closer?....
The Reds Ewell Blackwell throws a no-hitter on June 18. He then throws eight no-hit innings in his next start.
*1948*
Going out with a bang-bang-bang-bang....
Pat Seerey of the White Sox hits 4 HR in an 11 inning game on July 18. He has four AB in 1949 and is then out of baseball for good.
Geriantics....
Satchel Paige, somewhere between age 42-48 makes his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians. He goes 6-1, 2.48 ERA and helps the Tribe to the World Series.
Again?....
Stan Musial has four five-hit games.
*1949*
Consolation prize....
Ted Williams misses the Triple Crown by less than .001 in BA to George Kell but wins the MVP.
It could've been higher had Toronto been in the league....
The Philadelphia A's turn 217 double plays.
The tarp must have eaten them....
The St. Louis Cardinals steal 17 bases as a team.
In Soviet Russia beaver shoots you!....
A deranged female fan shoots and almost kills Eddie Waitkus in a hotel room.
One man gang....
On July 6, Walker Cooper of the Reds goes 6-for-7 and rips three HR.
Isn't this how bullpens are used today?....
In the final game of the season, the St. Louis Browns use a pitcher an inning, for all nine innings.
Today's link is Netshrine....A Celebration of Baseball. It's got a little bit of everything from opinions to history and the forums are top notch. Very addictive.
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