1934 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1934 throughout the world.  

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers (4-3)
• All-Star Game, July 10 at Polo Grounds: American League, 9-7

Other champions

• Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: East, 1-0

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player:
  • American League: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers, C
  • National League: Dizzy Dean, St. Louis Cardinals, P

MLB statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro League Baseball final standings

Negro National League final standings

*Source refers to the league as the "East-West League," but the league was more generally known as the "Negro National League." Several games were included in the standings against non-League teams.

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. 305. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0. 

Post-season:

• Chicago won the first half, Philadelphia won the second half.
• Philadelphia beat Chicago 4 games to 3 games (1 tie) in a play-off.

Events

January - June

• January 19 - Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement. Jackson was one of eight Chicago White Sox players banned for their part in throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

• February 5 - Hank Aaron is born in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron will later set a major league record 755 home runs.

• April 17 - Opening day, Casey Stengel makes his Major League managerial debut, as his Brooklyn Dodgers lose to the Boston Braves, 8–7 at Ebbets Field.^[1]

• April 17 - Opening day, Lon Warneke of the Chicago Cubs throws first of two consecutive complete game one-hit victories, defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 6–0. Warneke will throw his second consecutive one-hit victory on April 22, defeating Dizzy Dean and the St. Louis Cardinals, 15–2.

• April 18 - Dizzy Dean's kid brother, Daffy Dean, makes his major league debut on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals. He lasts just two innings, giving up four earned runs.

• April 22 - Washington Senators back up catcher Moe Berg's American League record of 117 consecutive errorless games dating back to 1931 comes to an end. He is, however, three-for-four with the bat as Washington beats the Philadelphia Athletics 4–3.

• April 29 - The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Cincinnati Reds 9-5 at Forbes Field in the teams first ever Sunday home game after Pennsylvania's "Blue Law" prohibiting games on Sundays was repealed.

• May 25 - The Cleveland Indians trade Wes Ferrell and Dick Porter to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Bob Seeds, Bob Weiland and $25,000.

• June 3 - In the sixth inning with two outs, the St. Louis Browns string together nine consecutive hits to beat the first place Cleveland Indians, 12–8.

July - September

• July 4 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords' Satchel Paige pitches a 4-0 no-hitter against the Homestead Grays in Pittsburgh, then drove to Chicago to shut out the Chicago American Giants 1-0 in twelve innings, giving him two shutouts in two different cities on the same day.

• July 6 - Jocko Conlan makes his major league debut in right field for the Chicago White Sox. After two seasons as a part time player with the ChiSox, Conlan retires in order to pursue a career as an umpire.

• July 10 - At the All-Star Game held at the Polo Grounds in New York City, New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell strikes out five consecutive American League batters: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin, all future Hall-of-Famers. The American League defeated the National league, however, 9–7.^[1]

• July 13 - Babe Ruth founds the 700 home run club. He will be the only member for almost 40 years.

• August 4 - Already up 10-4 in the second game of a double header, the New York Giants score eleven runs in the ninth inning.

• August 14 - The Detroit Tigers sweep a double header with the New York Yankees to bring their winning streak to fourteen games. The Yankees beat them the following day to end the streak.

• September 16 - In the first game of a double header with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Phil Cavarretta makes his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs at barely eighteen years old. He strikes out in one at-bat as a pinch hitter.

• September 21 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean pitches a three hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers. His brother, Daffy Dean, pitches a no-hitter in the second game.

• September 23 - With a 2.5 lead in the National League, the New York Giants lose the second game of a double header with the Boston Braves. They lose their last five games of the season, and end the season two games back of the St. Louis Cardinals, who win their last four.

• September 26 - The Detroit Tigers sweep a double header from the Chicago White Sox, giving Chicago ten losses in a row, and 97 losses for the season. The ChiSox, however, go 2-2 in their final four games to avoid 100 losses for the season.

• September 30 - Dizzy Dean shuts out the Cincinnati Reds, 9-0, for his 30th win of the season.

October - December

• October 3 - Sloppy play by the Detroit Tigers (five errors) helps the Cardinals cruise to an 8-3 victory in game one of the 1934 World Series.

• October 4 - Goose Goslin's single in the twelfth wins it, as the Tigers take game two, 3-2.

• October 5 - With two outs in the ninth inning, Paul Dean allows the Detroit Tigers their only run of the game. The Cards take a 2-1 series advantage with both wins come with one of the Dean brothers on the mound.

• October 6 - This time it is the Cardinals who commit five errors in one game, two of which came in the Tigers' five run eighth inning, as Detroit wins game four, 10-4.

• October 7 - The Detroit Tigers take game five of the World Series, 3-1. Dizzy Dean in the losing pitcher.

• October 8 - Daffy Dean pitches nine innings, and again just gives up one earned run. Sloppy play, however, allows the Tigers to plate two more. Dean helps his own cause with a single in the seventh to drive in the game winning run as the Cardinals win 4-3 to even up the series.

• October 9 - The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Detroit Tigers, 11–0, in Game seven of the World Series to win their third World Championship, four games to three. All four games are won by one of the Dean brothers (Dizzy is 2-1, Paul is 2-0). The St. Louis "Gashouse Gang" collected 73 hits in the series.^[1]

• November 21 - The New York Yankees acquire Joe DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League.

• December 26 - Matsutaro Shoriki, head of Yomiuri Shimbun, announces the formation of the first professional baseball team in Japan, the Yomiuri Giants. The team is composed primarily of players who had played the American All-Stars who had toured Japan.^[1]

Births

January–April

• January 8 - Gene Freese
• January 20 - Camilo Pascual
• January 25 - Ted Kazanski
• January 28 - Bill White
• February 5 - Hank Aaron
• February 22 - Sparky Anderson
• February 25 - Johnny Schaive
• March 8 - Marv Breeding
• March 9 - Jim Landis
• April 8 - Turk Farrell
• April 10 - Wes Stock
• April 14 - Marty Keough
• April 26 - Mary Weddle
• April 28 - Jackie Brandt
• April 29 - Luis Aparicio

May–August

• May 3 - Joey Amalfitano
• May 3 - Chuck Hinton
• May 5 - Don Buddin
• May 12 - Louise Clapp
• May 13 - Leon Wagner
• May 22 - Arlene Kotil
• June 3 - Jim Gentile
• June 10 - Gloria Schweigerdt
• June 22 - Russ Snyder
• June 29 - Duane Wilson
• July 5 - Gordy Coleman
• July 11 - Bob Allison
• July 13 - Ken Hunt
• July 19 - Bill Kirk
• July 29 - Félix Mantilla
• July 30 - Bud Selig
• August 4 - Dallas Green
• August 9 - Eli Grba
• August 18 - Roberto Clemente
• August 18 - Billy Consolo
• August 23 - Johnny Romano
• August 26 - Mary Froning
• August 28 - Shirley Crites

September–December

• September 10 - Roger Maris
• September 11 - Marlan Coughtry
• September 12 - Albie Pearson
• September 18 - Marilyn Jenkins
• September 22 - Lou Johnson
• October 1 - Chuck Hiller
• October 2 - Earl Wilson
• October 14 - Tom Cheney
• November 10 - Norm Cash
• December 11 - Lee Maye
• December 16 - Jim Bailey
• December 19 - Al Kaline

Deaths

• February 25 - John McGraw, 60, winningest manager in history with 2763 victories, all but 180 with the New York Giants, whom he led from 1902–1932; domineering style inspired both fierce loyalty and widespread hatred; won record 10 NL pennants, with three World Series titles (1905, 1921–22), also 11 second-place finishes; career .586 winning percentage was second highest among managers with 1000 wins; as third baseman, batted .334 lifetime, led NL in walks and runs twice each with Baltimore Orioles teams which won pennants in 1894-95-96
• February 28 - John Irwin, 72, third baseman for eight seasons; 1882, 1884, 1886-1891.
• March 13 - Fielder Jones, 62, center fielder who batted .300 six times, managed White Sox "Hitless Wonders" to upset victory in 1906 World Series
• March 20 - Herm Doscher, 81, third baseman for five teams from 1872 to 1882 who also umpired for five seasons in the National League and American Association
• April 1 - Barney Gilligan, 78, catcher for 11 seasons, most prominently for the Providence Grays.
• April 4 - Dick Johnston, 70, center fielder who played eight seasons, from 1884 to 1891.
• April 27 - Joe Vila, 67, sportswriter and editor for New York newspapers since 1893 who assisted in AL's move of Baltimore franchise to New York in 1903
• May 14 - Lou Criger, 62, catcher who was behind plate for most of Cy Young's 511 victories, led AL in assists and double plays with 1903 champion Red Sox
• June 11 - Tim Manning, 80, second baseman who played for the Providence Grays and the Baltimore Orioles from 1882-1885.
• June 29 - Charles Somers, 65, executive who fostered startup of American League as owner of the Indians from 1901 formation until 1916, also owned Red Sox in 1901-02 and financed Athletics in their initial seasons; owner of New Orleans minor league team since 1913
• July 6 - Ray Francis, 42, pitched from 1922 through 1925 for the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox
• July 18 - Si Sanborn, 67, sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune from 1900–1920, later with The Sporting News
• August 8 - Wilbert Robinson, 71, catcher for the Orioles champions of the 1890s who batted .334 and .353 in 1893-94 seasons, briefly held record for career games caught; managed Brooklyn from 1914–31, winning NL pennants in 1916 and 1920; also Giants pitching coach from 1903–13
• August 27 - Henry Kohler, 82, utility player for three teams in the National Association.
• November 21 - Fred Glade, 58, pitcher for the Chicago Orphans, St. Louis Browns and New York Highlanders at the turn of the 19th to 20th century
• November 22 - Pop Swett, 64, catcher who played in 37 games for the 1890 Boston Reds.
• December 20 - Parke Wilson, 67, catcher for the New York Giants from 1893 to 1899.

References