1937 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1937 throughout the world.

List of years in baseball
See also: 1937 Major League Baseball season

Champions

Major League Baseball

Other champions

Awards and honors

Statistical leaders
TypeNameStatNameStat
AVGCharlie Gehringer DET.371Joe Medwick SLC.374
HRJoe DiMaggio NYY46Joe Medwick SLC
& Mel Ott NYG		31
RBIHank Greenberg DET183Joe Medwick SLC154
WinsLefty Gomez1 NYY21Carl Hubbell NYG22
ERALefty Gomez1 NYY2.33Jim Turner BSB2.38
KsLefty Gomez1 NYY194Carl Hubbell NYG159

1American League Triple Crown Pitching Winner

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings
RankClubWinsLossesWin %  GB
1stNew York Yankees102  52.662    --
2ndDetroit Tigers89  65.578  13.0
3rdChicago White Sox86  68.558  16.0
4thCleveland Indians83  71.539  19.0
5thBoston Red Sox80  72.526  21.0
6thWashington Senators73  80.477  28.5
7thPhiladelphia Athletics54  97.358  46.5
8thSt. Louis Browns46  108.299  66.0

National League final standings
RankClubWinsLossesWin %  GB
1stNew York Giants95  57.625    --
2ndChicago Cubs93  61.604  3.0
3rdPittsburgh Pirates86  68.558  10.0
4thSt. Louis Cardinals81  73.526  15.0
5thBoston Bees79  73.520  16.0
6thBrooklyn Dodgers62  91.405  33.5
7thPhiladelphia Phillies61  92.399  34.5
8thCincinnati Reds56  98.364  40.0

Negro league baseball final standings

Negro American League final standings
Negro American League
ClubWinsLossesWin %  GB
Cincinnati Tigers 19 10 .655
Chicago American Giants 25 14 .641
Kansas City Monarchs 13 8 .619
Memphis Red Sox 12 10 .545
Birmingham Black Barons 17 21 .447
Indianapolis Athletics 16 20 .444
St. Louis Stars 9 27 .250
Detroit Stars (1937) 4 12 .250
  • Kansas City awarded first-half championship, but Chicago American Giants had better record and disputed it.
  • No second half of the season was recorded and Kansas City was awarded the Pennant.

Negro National League final standings
Negro National League
ClubWinsLossesWin %  GB
Homestead Grays 31 13 .705 --
Newark Eagles 26 11 .703 1.5
Washington Elite Giants 27 17 .614 4
Philadelphia Stars 25 27 .481 10
Pittsburgh Crawfords 12 16 .429 11
New York Black Yankees 9 14 .391 11.5

Events

January–June

July–September
  • July 7 – The American League defeats the National League, 8-3, in the All-Star Game, held at Griffith Stadium, home of the Washington Senators.
  • July 9 - The Detroit Tigers claim Charlie Gelbert off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds
  • July 15 – Philadelphia Athletics pitcher George Caster holds the Chicago White Sox to just four hits as the A's beat the ChiSox 2-1, snapping a fifteen-game losing streak.
  • July 25 – Washington Senators leadoff hitter Mel Almada ties a major league record by scoring five runs in the second game of a double header with the St. Louis Browns. He'd scored four runs in the first game, giving him nine for the day.
  • August 3 – St. Louis Cardinals catcher Mickey Owen pulls off an unassisted double play in the Cards' 5-2 over the Boston Bees at Sportsman's Park.
  • August 8 – John Whitehead and the Chicago White Sox shut out the Boston Red Sox 13-0 in the second game of a double header to end the BoSox twelve-game winning streak (excluding one tie on August 1).
  • August 14 – The Detroit Tigers score 34 runs in a double header with the St. Louis Browns.
  • September 11 – The St. Louis Browns win the second game of a double header with the Cleveland Indians, 8-3, to snap a twelve-game losing streak.
  • September 22 – The St. Louis Browns lose 4-1 to the New York Yankees for their 100th loss of the season.
  • September 29 – After scoring fifteen runs in the first game a double header, the New York Yankees manage just one hit off Philadelphia A's pitcher Eddie Smith in the second game, losing 3-0. It is only the second time all season the Yankees are shut out (May 8).
  • September 30 – The Boston Bees sweep a double header from the Dodgers to bring Brooklyn's losing streak to fourteen games.

October–December
  • October 3 – On the final day of the season, the Cincinnati Reds are swept in a double header by the Pittsburgh Pirates to end the season with a fourteen-game losing streak.
  • October 4 – The Brooklyn Dodgers trade Jim Bucher, Johnny Cooney, Roy Henshaw and Joe Stripp to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leo Durocher.
  • October 5- The St. Louis Browns draft George McQuinn from the New York Yankees as part of the Rule 5 draft.
  • October 6 – Having gotten just one hit, the New York Yankees finally get to Carl Hubbell in the sixth inning. Joe DiMaggio's single with the bases loaded drives in two, as the Yankees go on to score seven runs that inning. Lefty Gomez, meanwhile, gives up just one run to carry the Yankees to an 8-1 victory in Game one of the rematch of the 1936 World Series.
  • October 7 – The Yankees win game two of the 1937 World Series by the same score, 8-1. Red Ruffing is the winning pitcher, and goes two-for-four with a double and three runs batted in.
  • October 8 – For the third game in a row, Yankees pitching gives up just one run, as Monte Pearson pitches the Yankees to a 5-1 victory in game three.
  • October 9 – On the brink of elimination, New York Giants bats finally erupt, as they score six runs in the second inning on their way to a 7-3 victory in game four of the World Series.
  • October 10 – The New York Yankees defeat the New York Giants, 4-2, in Game five of the World Series to win their Major-League-record sixth World Championship, four game to one. The Yankees had been tied with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox for most championships (they each had five). By the time either of those teams won their next Series, the Yankees had far outdistanced them, with 20 wins as of 1972, and 26 wins as of 2004, respectively.
  • October 15- The New York Yankees release Tony Lazzeri, one of the last members of the infamous "Murders Row" players on the roster.
  • October 28 – Tony Lazzeri joins the Chicago Cubs.
  • November 2 – American League batting champion Charlie Gehringer of the Detroit Tigers is named Most Valuable Player, receiving 78 out of a possible 80 points. Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees is a close second four points behind while Gehringer teammate Hank Greenberg, who collected 183 RBI, is a distant third. Gehringer also becomes the third Detroit player in four years to receive MVP honors.
  • November 9 – St. Louis Cardinals Triple Crown winner Joe Medwick is named National League Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
  • December 2
  • December 6 – The Boston Red Sox acquired the contract of nineteen-year-old Ted Williams.
  • December 7- The Red Sox begin to complete the deal with San Diego of the Pacific Coast league by sending cash, along with Dom Dallessandro, Al Niemiec to the Padres. The deal is officially considered complete when Boston sends Spence Harris to San Diego.

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January
  • January 5 – Ben Beville, 59, pitcher/first baseman and an original member of the Boston Americans club during the American League's inaugural season of 1901.
  • January 9 – Doc Kerr, 54, backup catcher who played from 1914 to 1915 for the Pittsburgh Rebels and Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League.
  • January 12 – Joe McCarthy, 55, catcher for the New York Highlanders in 1905 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1906.
  • January 14 – Ed Trumbull, 76, outfielder/pitcher for the 1884 Washington Nationals.
  • January 15 – Charlie Baker, 81, outfielder for the 1884 Chicago/Pittsburgh club of the Union Association.
  • January 15 – Eddie Foster, 49, third baseman who played with the New York Highlanders, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns in a span of 13 seasons from 1910–1923.
  • January 18 – Michael H. Sexton, 73, president of the Minor Leagues from 1909 through 1931, during which time the minors expanded to record size and success, peaking with 47 leagues.
  • January 29 – George Fisher, 81, versatile utility man who played at five different positions for the Cleveland Blues and Wilmington Quicksteps in 1884.

February
  • February 4 – Harry Wolverton, 63, third baseman for the Chicago Orphans, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators and Boston Beaneaters from 1898 through 1905, and later a player/manager for the New York Highlanders in 1912.
  • February 5 – Al Bradley, 80, outfielder for the 1884 Washington Nationals.
  • February 7 – Charlie Bell, 68, pitcher who played with the Kansas City Cowboys in 1889, and for the Louisville Colonels and Cincinnati Kelly's Killers in 1891.
  • February 7 – Jim Miller, 56, backup infielder for the New York Giants in 1901.
  • February 25 – George Darby, 68, pitcher who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1893.
  • February 26 – Ernie Lush, 51, backup outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1910.

March
  • March 1 – Nig Fuller, 58, backup catcher for the Brooklyn Superbas during the 1902 season.
  • March 1 – Roy Vaughn, 25, pitcher for the 1934 Philadelphia Athletics.
  • March 7 – Lady Baldwin, 77, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Wolverines, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and Buffalo Bisons during six seasons spanning 1890–1890, who led the National League with 42 wins and 323 strikeouts in 1886, while setting a Major League record for the most wins in a single season by a left-hander, which still stands today.
  • March 14 – Rudy Kling, 66, shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1902.
  • March 19 – Otto Williams, 59, shortstop who played from 1902 through 1904 with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, and for the Washington Senators in 1906.
  • March 26 – Jerry Nops, 61, pitcher who played from 1896 to 1900 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas of the National League, and for the Baltimore Orioles of the American League in 1901.
  • March 29 – Bill White, 76, first baseman for the 1879 Providence Grays.

April
  • April 4 – Earl Howard, 40, pitcher for the 1918 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • April 12 – Ed Morris, 74, pitcher who played from 1884 through 1890 with the Columbus Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Alleghenys and Pittsburgh Burghers.
  • April 17 – Bill Foxen, 57, pitcher who played from 1908 to 1911 for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.
  • April 14 – Ned Hanlon, 79, Hall of Fame player and masterful manager known by pioneering strategies such as the hit-and-run, who led the Baltimore Orioles teams which won three consecutive National League pennants from 1894 to 1896, and later guided the Brooklyn teams to league titles in 1899 and 1900, while compiling a World Series title with the 1887 Detroit Wolverines as their player-captain and a career managerial record of 1,313–1,164 (.530).
  • April 15 – Emmett McCann, 35, shortstop who played from 1920 to 1921 with the Philadelphia Athletics and for the Boston Red Sox in 1926.
  • April 18 – Hick Carpenter, 81, third baseman for five teams in a span of 12 seasons from 1879–1892, and a member of the 1882 American Association champions Cincinnati Red Stockings.
  • April 19 – Sam Nicholl, 67, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1888 and the Columbus Solons in 1890.
  • April 25 – George Gilham, 37, backup catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1920 and 1921 seasons.

May
  • May 8 – Al Yeargin, 35, pitcher for the Boston Braves in the 1922 and 1924 seasons.
  • May 11 – Nick Scharf, 78, outfielder who played from 1882 to 1883 for the Baltimore Orioles.
  • May 18 – Doc Leitner, 71, pitcher for the Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1887.
  • May 21 – Jack McAdams, 50, pitcher who played in 1911 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
  • May 22 – Hi Jasper, 50, pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians in a span of four seasons from 1914–1919.
  • May 23 – Danny Clark, 43, infielder for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in three seasons between 1922 and 1927.
  • May 27 – Frank Grant, 71, Hall of Fame second baseman widely considered to have been the greatest African-American player of the 19th century.
  • May 31 – John Reilly, 78, slugging first baseman for the Cincinnati teams during 10 seasons spanning 1880–1891, who hit for the cycle three times and led the American Association for the most home runs in 1884 and 1888.

June
  • June 9 – Bill Watkins, 79, Canadian manager who guided the Detroit Wolverines to the first professional sports championship for Detroit, Michigan, leading them to the 1887 National League championship en route to defeat the St. Louis Browns in a 15-game World Series.
  • June 12 – Jim St. Vrain, 54, pitcher for the Chicago Orphans of the National League in the 1902 season.
  • June 14 – Bert Miller, 61, pitcher for the 1897 Louisville Colonels.
  • June 15 – Al Krumm, 72, pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1889.
  • June 18 – Willie Adams, 46, pitcher who played from 1912 through 1914 with the St. Louis Browns and the Pittsburgh Rebels, and for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1918 to 1919.
  • June 28 – Pop Joy, 77, first baseman who played for the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884.
  • June 30 – Pete O'Brien, 70, second baseman who played for the Washington Nationals in 1887 and the Chicago Colts in 1890.
  • June 30 – Jerry Upp, 53, pitcher for the 1909 Cleveland Naps.

July
  • July 1 – Russ Hall, 65, shortstop who played for the St. Louis Browns in 1897 and the Cleveland Blues in 1901.
  • July 2 – Joe Yeager, 61, pitcher/third baseman who played for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas, Detroit Tigers, New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns in parts of 10 seasons spanning 1898–1908, and a member of the Brooklyn clubs that won the National League pennant in 1899 and 1900.
  • July 15 – Tully Sparks, 62, pitcher who played with the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Giants and Boston Americans in a span of 11 seasons from 1897–1910.
  • July 18 – Fred Jacklitsch, 61, catcher who played with five different teams during 13 seasons from 1900–1917, seven of them for the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • July 22 – Sam Woodruff, 60, third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1904 and 1910 seasons.
  • July 23 – Phil Saylor, 65, relief pitcher for Philadelphia Phillies in the 1891 season.
  • July 29 – Pete Fries, 79, pitcher who played from 1883 to 1884 for the Columbus Buckeyes and Indianapolis Hoosiers.

August
  • August 6 – Bruno Block, 52, catcher who played for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Chi-Feds in parts of five seasons spanning 1907–1914.
  • August 9 – Duff Cooley, 64, outfielder who played for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Beaneaters and Detroit Tigers in a span of 13 years from 1893 to 1905.
  • August 10 – John Keefe, 70, pitcher who played for the Syracuse Stars of the American Association in 1890.
  • August 19 – Bunk Congalton, 62, Canadian-born right fielder for the Chicago Orphans, Cleveland Naps and Boston Americans in four seasons from 1902–1907, who finished fourth in the American League batting race with a .320 average in 1906.
  • August 21 – George Wright, 90, Hall of Fame pioneer of the sport who starred as a shortstop on the first professional team in 1869, then as captain of the powerhouse Boston teams from 1871 to 1978, and later managed the Providence Grays to the 1879 National League pennant.
  • August 22 – John Galligan, 72, outfielder for the 1889 Louisville Colonels.
  • August 29 – Stan Rees, 38, pitcher who played with the Washington Senators in the 1918 season.
  • August 31 – Gene Connell, 31, backup catcher for the 1931 Philadelphia Phillies.

September
  • September 20 – Harry Stovey, 80, outfielder/first baseman and prolific slugger and base-stealer, who became the first player to hit 100 home runs while leading the hitters in homers (five times), hits (4), runs (4), triples (3), total bases (3), slugging (3), stolen bases (2), doubles (1) and RBI (1), in a career that lasted from 1880 to 1893 both in the American Association and the National League.
  • September 30 – George Shoch, 78, utility-man who played all-positions except catcher for the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Grooms/Bridegrooms in 11 seasons spanning 1886–1897, and also a player-manager in 11 Minor League seasons between 1885 and 1905 before retiring at age 46.

October
  • October 1 – Mickey Devine, 45, backup catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Giants in part of three seasons spanning 1918–1925.
  • October 9 – Hank Gastraight, 72, pitcher for the Columbus Solons, Washington Senators, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Grooms and Cincinnati Reds from 1889 to 1896. who posted the best winning-percentage of the National League in the 1893 season.
  • October 17 – Clyde Hatter, 29, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the 1935 and 1937 seasons.
  • October 18 – Charlie Starr, 59, second baseman for the St. Louis Browns in 1905 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1908, as well as with the Boston Doves and the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1909 season.
  • October 23 – John Singleton, 40, pitcher for the 1922 Philadelphia Phillies.
  • October 28 – Gus Shallix, 79, who pitched from 1884 to 1885 for the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
  • October 28 – Jesse Whiting, 58, pitcher who played with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1902, and for the Brooklyn Superbas from 1906 to 1907.
  • October 31 – Ed Walsh, Jr., 32, pitcher and son of Hall of Famer Big Ed Walsh, who played four seasons with the Chicago White Sox before joining the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League in 1933, when his claim to fame was stopping a young Joe DiMaggio's Minor League record 61-game hitting streak.

November
  • November 1 – Benny Frey, 30, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1929–1936, who committed suicide after being unable to make a comeback following an arm injury.
  • November 8 – Henry Mullin, 75, Canadian-born outfielder who played with the Washington Nationals and Boston Reds in the 1884 season.
  • November 10 – Fred Andrus, 87, outfielder/pitcher for the Chicago White Stockings in the 1876 and 1884 seasons.
  • November 12 – Peek-A-Boo Veach, 75, pitcher and first baseman who played with the Kansas City Cowboys in 1884 and the Louisville Colonels in 1887, and also for the Cleveland Spiders and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1890.
  • November 14 – Jack O'Connor, 71, catcher for eight teams in 21 seasons spanning 1887–1910, and just one of 29 ballplayers in Major League Baseball history who have played in four different decades.[1]
  • November 16 – Dick Burns, 73, pitcher/outfielder for the Detroit Wolverines, Cincinnati Outlaw Reds and St. Louis Maroons from 1883 through 1885, who hurled a no-hitter against the Kansas City Cowboys in the 1884 season.
  • November 17 – John Hibbard, 72, pitcher for the 1884 Chicago White Stockings.
  • November 17 – Bill Merritt, 67, catcher who played from 1891 to 1899 for the Chicago Colts, Louisville Colonels, Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
  • November 19 – Cub Stricker, 78, second baseman for seven different teams during an 11-season career spanning 1882–1893, who compiled 1,106 hits and also managed the St. Louis Browns in 1892.
  • November 21 – Al Pratt, 90, National Association pitcher/outfielder for the Cleveland Forest Citys from 1889 through 1892, and manager for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association in 1882 and 1883.
  • November 23 – Welday Walker, 77, utility player for the 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings of the original Northwestern League, who is officially recognized as one of the first African-Americans to play in organized baseball.
  • November 25 – Ben Conroy, 66, shortstop who played with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1890.
  • November 26 – Andy Bednar, 29, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930 and 1931 seasons.

December
  • December 10 – Joe Battin, 84, slick-fielding second baseman who played 10 seasons for seven different clubs, more prominently with the 1875 St. Louis Brown Stockings, where he combined with shortstop/manager Dickey Pearce to become one of the best double play combinations in the early days of baseball, and later managed the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and the Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies from 1883 to 1884.
  • December 12 – Rube Benton, 47, left handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants from 1910 through 1925, who led the National League in pitching appearances, starts, batters faced, and hit by pitches in the 1912 season.
  • December 16 – Frank Boyd, 69, catcher who played briefly for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in 1893.
  • December 16 – Charlie Reilly, 70, catcher in parts of eight seasons spanning 1889–1897 for the Columbus Solons, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators, who became the first player to have four hits that included two home runs in his first Major League game, a feat matched by J. P. Arencibia 121 years later.
  • December 23 – Walt Preston, 69, outfielder and third baseman who played for the Louisville Colonels of the National League during the 1895 season.

Sources
  1. Baseball Reference Bullpen : Four-Decade Players
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