1931 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1931 throughout the world.  

Champions

• World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Philadelphia Athletics (4-3)

Awards and honors

• MLB Most Valuable Player Award
  • Lefty Grove, Philadelphia Athletics, P
  • Frankie Frisch, St. Louis Cardinals, 2B

Statistical leaders

¹MLB Pitching Triple Crown Winner

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro League Baseball final standings

Negro National League final standings

† Columbus and HoD were not in the league but their games counted in the standings.

• No official standings were published.
• St. Louis was declared champion.

East (independent teams) final standings

A loose confederation of teams were gathered in the East to compete with the West, however East teams did not organize a formal league as the West did.

Events

January - April

• January 24 - Following his release from the Cleveland Indians four days earlier, Joe Sewell joins the New York Yankees.
• February 5 - Chicago Cubs outfielder Hack Wilson, who set National League marks for home runs (56) and runs batted in (191) the previous season, signs for $35,000. His RBI record is still standing today.

• February 21 - The Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play a ten inning exhibition game at Buffs Stadium in Houston, Texas. It is the first major league night game.

• April 2 - Seventeen year old female Chattanooga Lookouts pitcher Jackie Mitchell takes the mound against the New York Yankees in a Spring training game. She strikes out the first two batters she faces- Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

• April 24
  • Rogers Hornsby has three home runs and eight runs batted in during the Cubs' 10-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • April 24 - The New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies play to a twelve inning 7-7 tie at the Polo Grounds.

• April 27 - Boston Braves centerfielder Wally Berger ties a modern record with four assists in a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

• April 29 - Wes Ferrell pitches a no-hitter as the Cleveland Indians defeat the St. Louis Browns, 9–0.

May - September

• May 26 - The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-2, snapping the A's seventeen game winning streak.

• June 13 - Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Adam Comorosky makes an unassisted double play in a 6-4 loss to the New York Giants. It is his second unassisted double play of the season (May 31 against the Chicago Cubs).

• June 30 - The Philadelphia Athletics purchased Waite Hoyt from the Detroit Tigers. Despite a 3-8 record with Detroit, Hoyt wins his first four starts with the A's.

• July 6 - The Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators play to a 0-0 eight inning tie.

• July 7 - The Chicago White Sox defeat the St. Louis Browns 10-8 in twelve innings. No one on either team strikes out all game.

• August 8 - Washington Senators pitcher Bobby Burke tosses a no-hitter in a 5–0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

• August 23 - Dick Coffman holds the Philadelphia Athletics to three hits on his way to a 1-0 victory, snapping Lefty Grove's sixteen game winning streak. It is one of only two times the A's are shut out all season (the other being the 0-0 tie with the Senators on July 6).

• September 16 - The Philadelphia A's defeat the Cleveland Indians 7-5 for their 100th victory of the season.

• September 18 - Lefty Grove wins his 30th game of the season, 3-1 over the Chicago White Sox.

• September 27 - In a double header on the last day of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals win their 100th & 101st game of the season. The Cardinals spent eight games out of first place all season, and were never more than 1.5 games back.

October - December

• October 1 - The Reigning World Champion Philadelphia A's take game one of the World Series, 6-2 over the team they defeated in the 1930 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals.

• October 2 - George Earnshaw grounds into a double play and strikes out to end two potential rallies for the Athletics. The Cards take game two of the Series, 2-0, behind Bill Hallahan's three hit performance.

• October 5 - Burleigh Grimes gives up just two hits, including a two run home run by Al Simmons in the ninth, to lead the Cardinals to a 5-2 victory in game three.

• October 6 - George Earnshaw two hits the Cards to even the series at two games apiece.

• October 7 - Bill Hallahan wins his second start of the series, 5-1.

• October 9 - Sloppy play in the fifth and seventh innings lead to five unearned runs as the A's cruise to an 8-1 victory behind Lefty Grove.

• October 10 - The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4–2, in Game seven of the 1931 World Series, earning their second World Championship title. Bill Hallahan pitches the final out for the Cards to end the series with a 0.49 ERA.

• November 30 - George Gibson comes out of retirement to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ten years earlier, Gibson had led the Pirates to three first-division finishes.

• December 4 - The Washington Senators trade Bump Hadley, Jackie Hayes and Sad Sam Jones to the Chicago White Sox for John Kerr and Carl Reynolds.

• December 11 - The Chicago Cubs trade future Hall of Famer Hack Wilson and pitcher Bud Teachout to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Burleigh Grimes. Wilson slumped to .261 with 13 home runs and 61 RBI, after hit .356 with 56 HR and set a major league record with 191 RBI a year earlier.

Births

January–April

• January 17 - Don Zimmer
• January 18 - Barbara Hoffman
• January 19 - Ed Sadowski
• January 30 - Charlie Neal
• January 31 - Hank Aguirre
• January 31 - Ernie Banks
• February 14 - Joe Caffie
• March 13 - Carlos Pascual
• March 18 - Shirley Stovroff
• March 19 - Al Salerno
• April 14 - Kal Segrist
• April 15 - Ed Bailey

May–August

• May 6 - Willie Mays
• May 20 - Ken Boyer
• May 25 - Jim Marshall
• May 26 - Jim Frey
• May 31 - Betty McKenna
• June 1 - Hal Smith
• June 2 - Marshall Bridges
• June 2 - Larry Jackson
• June 6 - Carlton Willey
• June 9 - Bill Virdon
• June 22 - Faye Throneberry
• June 23 - Doris Cook
• June 23 - Karl Spooner
• July 3 - Ed Roebuck
• July 4 - Bobby Malkmus
• July 5 - Arnie Portocarrero
• July 7 - Betty Francis
• July 8 - Eddie Phillips
• July 9 - Gene Fodge
• July 15 - Bob Will
• July 28 - Gus Keriazakos
• August 9 - Chuck Essegian
• August 27 - Joe Cunningham

September–December

• September 3 - Tom Brewer
• September 13 - George Susce
• September 14 - Don Williams
• September 22 - Ken Aspromonte
• September 29 - Margaret Russo
• October 3 - Bob Skinner
• October 13 - Eddie Mathews
• October 16 - Janet Rumsey
• October 16 - Dave Sisler
• October 18 - Andy Carey
• October 20 - Mickey Mantle
• October 23 - Jim Bunning
• November 1 - Russ Kemmerer
• November 4 - Marie Mansfield
• November 9 - Whitey Herzog
• November 16 - Frank Bolling
• December 3 - Bill Harris
• December 4 - Jean Buckley
• December 10 - Bob Roselli
• December 15 - Sammy Esposito
• December 20 - Julio Bécquer
• December 30 - Frank Torre

Deaths

• January 4 - Roger Connor, 73, first baseman, mainly for the New York Giants, who batted .317 lifetime and held career home run record until 1921; ranked second all-time in hits, runs and RBI, and first in triples, upon retirement, and led league in batting, hits, HRs, RBI and doubles once each; hit first grand slam in major league history
• January 14 - Hardy Richardson, 75, second baseman and outfielder who batted .300 seven times, led NL in hits and HRs with 1886 Detroit team; among first ten players to reach 1500 hits
• February 11 - Charles Dryden, 71, sportswriter who made his name with an idiosyncratic style that emphasized personalities in the game; known for the many nicknames he created, included "The Peerless Leader," "The Old Roman", "Hitless Wonders"
• March 27 - Ernest Barnard, 56, president of the American League since 1927, previously general manager and president of the Indians
• March 28 - Ban Johnson, 67, founder of the American League who served as its president from 1901–1927; played major role in eradicating rowdyism prevalent in the game of the 1890s, and fiercely protected authority of umpires
• April 25 - August "Garry" Herrmann, 71, owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1902 to 1927 who led the sport as chairman of the National Commission from 1903 to 1920; ensured that World Series would be held annually
• April 28 - Mike Mattimore, 72, pitcher/outfielder for four seasons from 1887 to 1890.
• April 29 - Jimmy McAleer, 66, center fielder for the Cleveland Spiders who later managed AL teams in Cleveland, St. Louis and Washington; was part owner of the Red Sox in 1910s
• May 14 - Doc Newton, 53, pitcher for eight seasons, with the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Superbas, and New York Highlanders.
• June 10 - Mickey Hughes, 64, pitcher for three seasons from 1888–1890, mainly for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
• September 21 - Walter Byrne, 82, American Association umpire
• October 2 - George Bradley, 79, pitcher who threw the major leagues' first no-hitter, also winning 45 games and leading NL in ERA in 1876
• October 6 - John Kirby, 66, pitcher for five seasons from 1884 to 1888.
• October 26 - Charles Comiskey, 72, owner of the Chicago White Sox since the team's formation in 1901, during which time they won four AL pennants and two World Series; was first manager to win four consecutive pennants, with St. Louis Browns (1885–1888), and had highest winning percentage (.608) among managers of at least 1200 games; revolutionized defensive play at first base
• November 6 - Jack Chesbro, 57, pitcher who used spitball to set modern record of 41 victories with 1904 New York Highlanders; five-time 20-game winner led both leagues in wins and winning percentage, led NL in shutouts twice
• November 27 - Jack Burdock, 79, second baseman, mainly for Boston, who was among first ten players to collect 500 hits; hit into the majors' first unassisted triple play
• December 18 - C. V. Matteson, 70, pitched one game for the 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association