1942 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1942 throughout the world.  

Champions

Major League Baseball

• World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-1)
• All-Star Game, July 6 at Polo Grounds: American League, 3-1

Other champions

• Negro Leagues World Series: Kansas City Monarchs over Homestead Grays (4-0)
• Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: East, 5-2
• Minor leagues
  • Northern League: Winnipeg Maroons

Awards and honors

• Most Valuable Player
  • Joe Gordon (AL) - New York Yankees (2B)
  • Mort Cooper (NL) - St. Louis Cardinals (P)
• The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
  • Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox (LF)
• The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award
  • Joe Gordon (AL) - New York Yankees (2B)
  • Mort Cooper (NL) - St. Louis Cardinals (P)
• The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
  • Billy Southworth - St. Louis Cardinals

Ted Williams was MLB 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

Events

January–March

• January 15 - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent a letter to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, encouraging Major League Baseball to continue playing during World War II. Roosevelt's famed "Green Light" letter ensured that the 1942 season would be played as planned, negating rumors of a shutdown. Despite a loss of many star players to military service, such as Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller & Ted Williams, all sixteen teams continued to play regular schedules for the duration of WWII.

• February 12 - Minor league outfielder Gordon Houston becomes the first player in Organized Baseball to die during active duty in World War II. Houston had played with Texarkana in 1940.

• March 18 - Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland request try-outs with the White Sox. Jimmie Dykes later fails to make either an offer.

April–June

• June 2 - Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists in the United States Navy.

• May 13 - Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves almost single-handedly beats the Chicago Cubs at Braves Field, 6–5, by pitching a five-hitter and hitting three consecutive home runs. Tobin, who hit a pinch-homer the day before, becomes the only pitcher in modern history to collect three home runs in a Major League game. His fourth at-bat results in a fly ball caught against the fence in left field.

• June 19 - Paul Waner of the Boston Braves joins the 3,000 hit club.

July–September

• July 6 - At the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants, the American League defeated the National League, 3-1, in the All-Star Game.

• July 19 - Boston Red Sox pitcher Mike Ryba catches both games of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.

• September 11 - Chicago Cubs catcher Paul Gillespie homers in his first major league at bat. In 1945 he will homer in his final major league at bat and become the only player in MLB history to do both.

• September 27 - The St. Louis Cardinals clinch the National League pennant on the last day of the regular season by defeating the Chicago Cubs, 9-2, in the first game of a double header at Sportsman's Park, St. Louis. The Cardinals also win Game 2 of the double header and finish the season with a record of 106-48, giving them the most victories by any National League team since Pittsburgh's 110 wins in 1909. Meanwhile the Brooklyn Dodgers win their season finale, 4-3, against Philadelphia to end the season in second place at 104-50.

October–December

• October 5 - The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Yankees, 4-2, in Game 5 of the World Series to win their fourth World Championship, four game to one. The loss was the Yankees' first since the 1926 World Series to the Cardinals. They had won eight Series in the interim.

• November 1 - The Brooklyn Dodgers name Branch Rickey as the team president, replacing Larry MacPhail who enters the military service. Rickey had resigned as vice-president of the St. Louis Cardinals only three days earlier.

• December 1 - At major league meetings in Chicago, World War II travel restrictions are the order of the day. Owners decide to restrict travel to a three-trip schedule rather than the customary four. Spring training in 1943 will be limited to locations north of the Potomac or Ohio rivers and east of the Mississippi.

Movies

• The Pride of the Yankees

Births

January–March

• January 7 - Jim Lefebvre
• January 14 - Dave Campbell
• February 4 - Joe Sparma
• February 8 - Fritz Peterson
• February 12 - Pat Dobson
• February 16 - Tim Cullen
• February 21 - Fred Newman
• March 3 - Don Dennis
• March 8 - Dick Allen
• March 9 - Bert Campaneris
• March 12 - Jimmy Wynn
• March 23 - Danny Coombs
• March 24 - Jesús Alou
• March 26 - Mel Queen

April–June

• April 4 - Jim Fregosi
• April 7 - Tom Phoebus
• April 8 - José Herrera
• April 12 - Dale Roberts
• April 12 - Tommie Sisk
• April 13 - Ike Brown
• April 16 - Jim Lonborg
• April 18 - Steve Blass
• May 12 - Ted Kubiak
• May 13 - Billy Macleod
• May 14 - Tony Pérez
• May 26 - Chuck Hartenstein
• May 30 - John Felske
• June 1 - Randy Hundley
• June 1 - Ken McMullen
• June 3 - Duane Josephson
• June 15 - Bruce Dal Canton
• June 27 - Danny Breeden
• June 28 - Tom Fletcher

July–September

• July 4 - Hal Lanier
• July 15 - Don Bosch
• July 17 - Don Kessinger
• July 20 - Mickey Stanley
• July 21 - Mike Hegan
• July 27 - Jack Hiatt
• August 4 - Angel Bravo
• August 4 - Cleon Jones
• August 9 - Tommie Agee
• August 11 - Sal Campisi
• August 20 - Fred Norman
• August 29 - Dan Schneider
• August 31 - Ray Webster
• September 5 - Dave Morehead
• September 8 - Steve Hargan
• September 21 - Sam McDowell
• September 23 - Jim Rooker
• September 23 - Woody Woodward
• September 28 - Grant Jackson

October–December

• October 6 - Jerry Grote
• October 8 - Bill Landis
• October 13 - Bob Bailey
• October 18 - Willie Horton
• October 22 - Cecil Upshaw
• October 31 - Dave McNally
• November 2- Ron Reed
• November 5 - Richie Scheinblum
• November 6 - Jim Gosger
• November 19 - Larry Haney
• December 4 - Dick Billings
• December 7 - Alex Johnson
• December 13 - Ferguson Jenkins
• December 14 - Jim Roland
• December 21 - Pete Charton
• December 23 - Jerry Koosman
• December 27 - Byron Browne

Deaths

• January 22 - Louis Santop, 52, star catcher in the Negro Leagues who was among the sport's earliest home run sluggers

• January 31 - Henry Larkin, 19th century first baseman/manager who hit .303 in 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Infants/Indians and Washington Senators

• April 11 - Norm McNeil, 49, catcher for the 1919 Boston Red Sox

• May 28 - Charley Bassett, 79, infielder who played from 1884 to 1892. Led the league in fielding percentage three times.

• May 30 - Lee Fyfe, 62, Federal League and National League umpire

• June 26 - Gene Stack, 24, minor league pitcher with the White Sox who was the first player on a major league roster to be drafted for WWII service

• July 20 - Rap Dixon, 39, All-Star outfielder in the Negro Leagues

• August 3 - Jack Hayden, 61, outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Americans and Chicago Cubs in the early 20th century

• August 6 - Gordon McNaughton, 32, pitched for the 1932 Boston Red Sox

• September 2 - Henry Thielman, pitched from 1902 to 1903 baseball for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas

• September 26 - Joe Giannini, 54, shortstop for the 1911 Boston Red Sox

• October 3 - Pinky Hargrave, catcher for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers and Boston Braves between 1923 and 1930

• November 8 - Birdie Cree, 60, outfielder who spent his entire career with the New York Highlanders/Yankees from 1908–1915, while hitting .292 in 742 games

• November 14 - Scrappy Carroll, 82, Outfielder for three teams from 1884-1887.

• November 15 - Joe Gunson, 79, catcher/outfielder who played four seasons in the majors from 1884, 1889, 1892-1893.

• November 24 - Frank Owen, 62, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1901–1908, who posted a 82-67 with a 2,55 ERA

• November 30 - Slim Love, 52, pitcher who posted a 28-21 record with a 3.04 ERA in six seasons with the Senators, Yankees and Tigers

• December 5 - Val Picinich, 46, catcher in 1307 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates between 1916 and 1933

• December 6 - Amos Rusie, 71, pitcher who won 245 games by age 27 in a 10-year career (1889–98), mainly with the New York Giants; led NL in ERA twice and in strikeouts five times, twice topping 300; his powerful delivery was major reason for 1893 change in pitching distance from 50 feet to 60 feet 6 inches