1932 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1932 throughout the world.  

Champions

• World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs (4-0)

Awards and honors

• MLB Most Valuable Player Award
  • Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics, 1B
  • Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies, OF

Statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro League Baseball final standings

East-West League standings

* The East-West League folded before the end of the season, so a championship was not awarded.

† Pittsburgh and New York were not in the league, but their games are included in the statistics compiled by John Holway.

Source: Holway, John B. (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, FL: Hastings House Publishers. p. 288. ISBN 0803820070. 

Events

January - May

• January 23 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade Hack Wilson to the Brooklyn Dodgers for a minor leaguer and $45,000.

• February 27 - Waite Hoyt joins the Brooklyn Dodgers.

• March 14 - The Brooklyn Dodgers trade Wally Gilbert, Babe Herman and Ernie Lombardi to the Cincinnati Reds for Tony Cuccinello, Joe Stripp and Clyde Sukeforth.

• April 11 - The first game of the season goes extra innings. Heinie Manush's tenth inning double carries the Washington Senators to a 1-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

• April 17 - New York Giants First baseman Bill Terry ties a National League record with 21 putouts in the New York Giants' 6-0 victory over the Boston Braves.

• May 12 - Carey Selph of the Chicago White Sox collects his ninth strikeout of the season. But it won't happen again. Selph will go another 89 games without striking out, to set a major league record, hitting a .283 average in 396 at-bats in his second and last season. Selph's record will last until 1958 when another White Sox, Nellie Fox, sets a new mark with 98 consecutive games whitout striking out.

• May 16 - The New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians, 8-0, for their fourth shut out in a row.

• May 19 - With first place in the American League on the line, the Washington Senators sweep both games from the New York Yankees to advance to first place by half a game. The Yankees, however, win the following day's game, and both games of the May 21 double header to end the series up 2.5 games. They maintain first place for the rest of the season.

• May 20 - The Pirates' Paul Waner hits four doubles, tying a major league record held by many players.

• May 30 - The New York Yankees unveil a plaque dedicated to former manager Miller Huggins. It is the first of what will eventually be a large number of plaques and other monuments to Yankee personnel.^[1]

June - July

• June 3
  • In the New York Yankees' 20-13 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics, Lou Gehrig becomes the third player to hit four home runs in a game, and third baseman Tony Lazzeri hits for the cycle. Gehrig is the first player to accomplish the feat in the American League and the first to do so in 36 years.^[1]
  • New York Giants manager John McGraw resigns. He had been the team's manager since the 1902 season.^[2]

• June 9 - The St. Louis Browns trade Dick Coffman to the Washington Senators for Carl Fischer. They trade the two ball players back for each other on December 13.

• June 22 - National League club presidents approve the addition of numbers on player uniforms. The New York Yankees had initiated the concept in 1929 in the American League.

• June 23 - Waite Hoyt joins the New York Giants.

• July 10 - Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack brings only two pitchers to face the Cleveland Indians. As luck would have it, Athletics' starter Lew Krausse is lifted after giving up four hits in the first inning, and is replaced by Eddie Rommel. A slugfest emerges, with the A's taking a 15-14 lead in the ninth inning only to have the Indians tie it in the bottom of the inning. The A's score two more in the sixteenth only to have Cleveland score two as well in the bottom of the inning. The A's eventually win it in eighteen, 18-17. While Rommel gives up 29 hits, he is still the winning pitcher. Johnny Burnett goes 9-for-11 for the Indians, setting a Major League record for most hits in a single game.^[1]

• July 31 - The Cleveland Indians lose the inaugural game in Cleveland Municipal Stadium, 1-0, to the Philadelphia Athletics.

August - September

• August 2 - Rogers Hornsby is fired as manager of the Chicago Cubs.

• August 14 - Despite a woeful 27-85 record, the Boston Red Sox defeat the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 behind the pitching of Johnny Welch. It is one of only two shut outs the A's endure all season (July 9 against the Chicago White Sox).

• August 17 - The New York Yankees defeat the Detroit Tigers, 8-3, for their tenth victory in a row.

• September 11 - The St. Louis Browns defeat the Boston Red Sox 7-1 in the first game of a double header to give Boston their 100th loss of the season. The BoSox come back to win the second game, but go on to lose 111 games by the end of the season.

• September 13 - The New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 for their 100th win of the season.

• September 18 - The St. Louis Browns defeat the New York Yankees 2-1. It is the eleventh time all season the Yankees are held to just one run. The Yankees are never shut out all season.

• September 19 - The Chicago White Sox lose their 100th game of the season, 9-6 to the Philadelphia Athletics.

• September 28
  • The Chicago Cubs jump out to a 2-0 lead in game one of the 1932 World Series, however, a three run fourth inning capped off by a two run home run by Lou Gehrig gives the Yankees the lead, as they take game one, 12-6.
  • The Philadelphia A's sell Mule Haas, Al Simmons & Jimmy Dykes to the Chicago White Sox for $100,000.

• September 29 - The Cubs again score in the first, however, their lead is short lived, as the Yankees score two in the bottom of the inning, and go on to win 5-2.

October - December

• October 1 - Lou Gehrig hits two home runs, as does teammate Babe Ruth, as the New York Yankees defeat the Chicago Cubs, 7–5 in Game 3 of the World Series. It is Ruth's second home run that is historic. Batting against Charlie Root in the fifth inning, with two strikes, Ruth is seen to gesture, according to some toward the outfield fence, before hitting the home run. While it is not universally accepted that Ruth was predicting a home run, it is referred to as "Babe Ruth's called shot".^[1]

• October 2 - The New York Yankees defeat the Chicago Cubs, 13-6, in Game four of the World Series to win their fourth World Championship, four games to none. This would be Ruth's tenth, and final, World Series appearance.

• October 19 - The Baseball Writers Association of America MVP awards are announced, with Athletics' Jimmie Foxx winning in the American League and Phillies' Chuck Klein in the National League.

• October 25 - Rogers Hornsby rejoins the St. Louis Cardinals.

• November 10 - Donie Bush, who managed the Minneapolis Millers to the American Association this past season, is named to manage the Cincinnati Reds the next year.

• November 22 - St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Charlie Gelbert shatters his leg in a hunting accident. He will return as a part-time infielder in 1935, playing until 1940.

• November 29 - The New York Giants release pitcher Waite Hoyt.

• December 12 - In a rarity for 1932, a three team trade is struck between the New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies send Kiddo Davis to the Giants, and receive Chick Fullis from the Giants. The Giants sent Freddie Lindstrom to the Pirates, and the Pirates sent Glenn Spencer to the New York Giants and Gus Dugas to the Phillies.

• December 15 - Farm systems, originally known as "Chain store baseball" is approved by a joint meeting of American and National League owners despite objections by Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

• December 17 - The St. Louis Cardinals trade Jim Bottomley to the Chicago Cubs for Ownie Carroll and Estel Crabtree.

Births

January-April

• January 18 - Mike Fornieles
• February 3 - Glenn Cox
• February 10 - Billy O'Dell
• March 2 - Chico Fernández
• March 9 - Ron Kline
• March 11 - Paul Martin
• March 16 - Don Blasingame
• March 22 - Al Schroll
• March 23 - Helen Nordquist
• March 25 - Woodie Held
• March 27 - Wes Covington

May-August

• May 2 - Eddie Bressoud
• May 16 - Isora del Castillo
• May 17 - Billy Hoeft
• May 17 - Ozzie Virgil, Sr.
• May 26 - Joe Altobelli
• May 26 - Delores Brumfield
• June 4 - John McNamara
• June 27 - Eddie Kasko
• July 9 - Tex Clevenger
• July 9 - Coot Veal
• July 26 - Dick Brodowski
• August 4 - Jim Coates
• August 24 - Hal Woodeshick

September-December

• September 6 - Marguerite Pearson
• September 18 - Barbara Payne
• September 30 - Johnny Podres
• October 2 - Jim Heise
• October 2 - Maury Wills
• October 7 - Bud Daley
• October 27 - Dolores Moore
• November 7 - Dick Stuart
• November 16 - Harry Chiti
• November 18 - Danny McDevitt
• December 22 - Norma Berger

Deaths

• February 5 - Barney Dreyfuss, 66, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1900 who was principal force in creation of the World Series; Pirates won six NL pennants and two World Series (1909, 1925) under his leadership; built Forbes Field, first modern steel and concrete stadium, in 1909
• February 21 - John Peters, 48, catcher for the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies between 1915 and 1922
• March 3 - Ed Morris, 32, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox between 1922 and 1931, who won 19 games for the last place Red Sox in 1928
• March 23 - Charles F. Daniels, 83, one of the NL's original 1876 umpires; career of 25 years included ten major league seasons
• April 2 - Honest John Morrill, 79, first baseman and manager of Boston's 1883 NL champions who batted .300 twice and was among first ten players to reach 1000 hits
• April 10 - Fred Pfeffer, 72, second baseman for Chicago and Louisville who in 1884 was one of first players to hit 20 home runs; led league in putouts nine times and double plays seven times
• April 16 - Johnny Lucas, 29, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1931-32
• April 18 - Ike Benners, 75, left fielder for the 1884 Brooklyn Atlantics and the Wilmington Quicksteps.
• April 23 - Lon Knight, 78, right fielder and manager of Philadelphia's 1883 American Association champions
• July 21 - Bill Gleason, 73, shortstop for three different teams of the American Association from 1882-89, and a member of three St. Louis Browns champion teams from 1885-87
• August 2 - Dan Brouthers, 74, first baseman who was 19th century's greatest slugger, winning five batting titles and retiring with a .342 lifetime average; .519 career slugging percentage was record until 1920s, led NL in HRs twice and doubles three times; third player to hit 100 home runs and fourth to reach 2000 hits; batted .338 with league-leading 153 runs for 1887 Detroit champions
• August 16 - Candy LaChance, 63, first baseman of the 1903 World's championship team Boston Americans
• September 19 - Otto Neu, 38, shortstop for the 1917 St. Louis Browns

References