1940 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1940 throughout the world.

Champions

Major League Baseball

Other champions

Awards and honors

Hank Greenberg, Hall of Famer and 2-time MVP

Statistical leaders

American League National League Negro American League Negro National League
Stat Player Total Player Total Player Total Player Total
AVG Joe DiMaggio (NYY) .352 Debs Garms (PIT) .355 Ed Mayweather (SNS) .376 Monte Irvin (NE) .380
HR Hank Greenberg (DET) 41 Johnny Mize (STL) 43 Turkey Stearnes (KCM) 5 Buster Clarkson (NE)
Bill Hoskins (BEG)
Buck Leonard (HOM)
Henry McHenry (PHS)
Lennie Pearson (NE)		 8
RBI Hank Greenberg (DET) 150 Johnny Mize (STL) 137 Turkey Stearnes (KCM) 33 Howard Easterling (HOM) 45
W Bob Feller1 (CLE) 27 Bucky Walters (CIN) 22 Frank Bradley (KCM)
Lefty Calhoun (SNS)
Jack Matchett (KCM)		 6 Ray Brown (HOM) 17
ERA Bob Feller1 (CLE) 2.61 Bucky Walters (CIN) 2.48 George Walker (KCM) 1.29 Ray Brown (HOM) 2.07
K Bob Feller1 (CLE) 261 Kirby Higbe (PHI) 137 Preacher Henry (CBR) 63 Henry McHenry (PHS) 86

1 American League Triple Crown pitching winner

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro league baseball final standings

All Negro leagues standings below are per MLB and Seamheads.[1][2]

Negro American League final standings

Negro National League final standings

Independent teams final standings

Several All Star teams played against individual teams of established leagues.

vs. All Teams
Independent Clubs W L T Pct. GB
North All Stars 1 0 0 1.000 —
Taylor's All Stars 0 1 0 .000 1
Satchel Paige All Stars 0 2 0 .000 1½

Events

January

Joe Beggs
Moe Berg

February

March

Debs Garms
  • March 3 – The Boston Bees sell the contract of outfielder Debs Garms to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although he records only 385 plate appearances, Garms, 32, will breeze to the National League batting crown (127-for-358, .355) in the season to come.
  • March 13 – Vowing that his arm feels "swell," erstwhile holdout Dizzy Dean signs his 1940 contract and leaves for the Chicago Cubs' Catalina training camp. Dean, 30 years old and a future Hall of Famer, has been struggling with a sore arm since a broken toe suffered in the 1937 MLB All-Star Game caused him to alter his pitching motion. He was 6–4 (3.36) in only 19 games and 961⁄3 innings pitched for the 1939 Cubs.
  • March 17 – In Tampa, the National League defeats the American League, 2–1, in a special, charity exhibition game organized by former President Herbert Hoover to benefit the Finnish Relief Fund. The contest, broadcast on the Mutual radio network, raises more than $20,000 to help citizens of Finland whose homes and businesses were destroyed in 1939's attack from the Soviet Union.[11] Tampa native Al López scores the winning run in the bottom of the ninth off losing hurler Bob Feller before 13,180 fans.
  • March 23

April

Bucky Walters
  • April 22 – With heavy rains and cold temperatures wreaking havoc with the opening week of the MLB season, the rising floodwaters of the Ohio River and its tributaries threaten the opening contest of a three-game series between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals at Crosley Field. Players sit on benches at field level, because the dugouts are inundated with one foot of water.[18] With rain still falling, Cincinnati wins its third straight, 6–1, behind Bucky Walters' complete game and three runs batted in. The final two games of the series will be postponed when Crosley's playing surface itself is submerged during peak flood stage.
  • April 23 – Future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese makes his major league debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Playing shortstop (in place of Leo Durocher, his manager) and batting eighth, Reese, 21, singles in three at bats, scores two runs and drives in another, and commits an error in the field in an 8–3 win over the Boston Bees.[19]
  • April 26 – The Washington Senators reacquire hard-hitting Zeke Bonura from the New York Giants for $20,000. The first baseman, 31, batted .321 in 123 games for the 1939 Giants. Bonura had spent 1938 with Washington, knocking in 114 runs, before his contract was sold to the Giants that November.
  • April 30 – Rescued from the minor leagues on January 31, veteran righty Tex Carleton no-hits the Cincinnati Reds, 3–0, at postdiluvial Crosley Field for the Dodgers' ninth straight win to start the 1940 season. Carleton walks two, fans four, and survives three Brooklyn errors committed behind him.[14][20] Tomorrow, the Reds halt the Dodgers' streak, scoring eight runs in the fourth inning and running away with a 9–2 victory.

May

Bob Feller
  • May 7
  • May 8 – The Cincinnati Reds trade outfielder Vince DiMaggio to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Johnny Rizzo.
  • May 9 – An estimated 10,000 fans greet the Dodgers when their chartered airplane lands at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field. Although their first-place team is returning from a successful (8–2) road trip, the event's excitement is generated by its pioneering of air travel, introduced by club president Larry MacPhail. Tonight's flight from Chicago is the Dodgers' second of the week. Catcher Babe Phelps declines the airborne journey, boarding an eastbound train instead.[24]
  • May 11 – The first-place Boston Red Sox (16–5) score two runs in the visitors' 11th inning to break a seven-all tie, then hold on during the home half of the frame to defeat the host New York Yankees, 9–8. Boston wins its sixth straight, and pins the eighth consecutive defeat on the Yankees, now 6–14. Heavy, if not prohibitive, favorites to win their fifth straight AL pennant in 1940, the Bombers are now eighth and last in the Junior Circuit, 9½ games behind the Red Sox and two full games out of seventh.
  • May 13 – In a blunder committed by the National League office, no umpires are assigned to the St. Louis Cardinals–Cincinnati Reds contest at Crosley Field. Veteran NL arbiter and Cincinnati resident Larry Goetz, who had a scheduled day off, is hastily summoned to the park to officiate behind the plate; Reds' coach Jimmie Wilson and Cardinals' pitcher Lon Warneke (a future NL umpire) are stationed at first and third bases.[25]
    • The game, delayed 29 minutes while the situation is resolved, features three homers by Redbird slugger Johnny Mize, and the teams play to an 8–8 tie in 14 innings over three hours and 35 minutes before a curfew halts matters. Mize's achievement and all statistics will count, but the game will be replayed in its entirety on August 11.[14][26]
  • May 17 – At League Park, the host Cleveland Indians score ten runs in the first inning and cruise to an 18–1 rout of the Washington Senators. Cleveland capitalizes on the wildness of Washington starting pitcher Sid Hudson, who walks five of the six hitters he faces, without recording an out.[27] The victory enables the 15–8 Indians to move within 2½ games of first place.
  • May 20
    • Detroit Tigers third baseman Pinky Higgins belts three home runs, hitting them in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings in the Tigers' 10–7 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.[14] Detroit is 14–11, in third place and four games behind Boston.
    • The Chicago White Sox, who have lost their first nine home games of 1940, finally win at Comiskey Park, defeating the Senators, 5–4. The White Sox, now 10–16, have stayed afloat by winning nine of their 16 road games thus far.
  • May 22 – The Brooklyn Dodgers sign infielder and future front-office executive Al Campanis as a free agent. Campanis, 23, turns professional after graduating from New York University, where he was a multi-sport athlete.
  • May 24 – Two major league ballparks introduce night baseball.
  • May 25 – Larry MacPhail picks up another useful former American Leaguer when he purchases the contract of outfielder Jimmy Wasdell from the Washington Senators. Since becoming general manager of the Dodgers in 1938, MacPhail has acquired hidden stars like Dixie Walker and Whit Wyatt from AL teams. Wasdell's impact will not be as great, but he'll be a valuable platoon outfielder and left-handed bat for Brooklyn this season and in 1941.
  • May 30 – Only Johnny Hudson stands between Carl Hubbell and a perfect game at Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn second baseman's third-inning single is the only baserunner the Giants' Hall-of-Fame southpaw will allow in today's 7–0, one-hit victory. When Hudson is promptly erased by a double play, Hubbell faces the minimum of 27 batters. He fans seven.[28]

June

July

August

September

  • September 24 – Jimmie Foxx hit his career 500th home run.
  • September 30 – The Cleveland Indians finish one-game behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League pennant race, thus disappointing Ohio baseball fans who had been rooting all season long for what would have been the only All-Ohio World Series in baseball history, between the National League champions Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians.

October

November

December

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

  • January 3:
    • Mike Mahoney, 88, first baseman who played from 1897 to 1898 for the Boston Beaneaters and St. Louis Browns.
    • Parke Swartzel, 74, pitcher for the 1889 Kansas City Cowboys.
  • January 12 – Ed Keas, 77, pitcher for the 1888 Cleveland Blues of the American Association.
  • January 20 – Wally Andrews, 60, infield utility man who played with the Louisville Eclipse in 1884 and for the Louisville Colonels in 1888.
  • January 31 – Red Fisher, 52, left fielder who played in 1910 with the St. Louis Browns of the American League.

February

  • February 5:
    • Frank Decker, 83, catcher/infielder who played with the Syracuse Stars in 1879 and for the St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1882.
    • Byrd Lynn, 50, Chicago White Sox catcher who served as a backup for Hall of Famer Ray Schalk and also was a member of the White Sox club that won the World Series in 1917.
  • February 13 – Walter Barnes, 79, sports editor for several Boston newspapers from 1891 to 1933 who was that city's first regular sports columnist.
  • February 15:
    • Chick Fulmer, 89, shortstop who played for eight teams in three different leagues during 11 seasons from 1871 to 1884.
    • Ray Morgan, 50, second baseman who was part of a stellar double play combo along with shortstop George McBride for the Washington Senators from 1911 through 1918.
  • February 16 – Charlie Berry, 79, second baseman for the Altoona Mountain City, Kansas City Cowboys, and Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies during the 1884 Union Association season.
  • February 21 – John Taber, 71, pitcher for the 1890 Boston Beaneaters of the National League.
  • February 26 – Matt Broderick, 62, second baseman for the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League in 1903.

March

  • March 2 – Matt Kilroy, 73, pitcher for six teams in 10 seasons spanning 1896–1898, who won 46 games in 1887, hurled a no-hitter in 1886 and struck out 513 batters that season, the most ever in a single season and far ahead of second-place Charles Radbourn, who struck out 441 in 1884.
  • March 6 – Marshall Locke, 82, outfielder for the 1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers.
  • March 7 – Johnny Johnston, 49, left fielder who played with the St. Louis Browns in 1913.
  • March 13 – Ira Flagstead, 46, outfielder with a strong arm and a reliable glove who played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators and Pittsburgh Pirates in a span of 14 seasons from 1917 to 1930, hitting .290 with 40 home runs and 450 RBI in 1,218 career games, while leading all American League outfielders for the most assists in 1923 (31) and 1925 (24), and for the best fielding average in 1927 (.986).
  • March 22 – Libe Washburn, 29, outfielder and pitcher who played from 1902 to 1903 with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
  • March 30:
    • Roy Crabb, 49, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics during the 1912 season.
    • George McQuillan, 55, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians during ten seasons from 1907 to 1918, who in 1907 set one of the longest-lived records in Major League history when he pitched 25 innings before giving up the first earned run of his career, a feat broken by Brad Ziegler in 2008.

April

  • April 8:
    • Bill Abstein, 57, first baseman who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Browns in part of three seasons spanning 1906–1910.
    • Dave Murphy, 63, shortstop for the 1905 Boston Beaneaters.
  • April 10 – Tom Seaton, 52, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Tip-Tops, Newark Pepper and Chicago Cubs in six seasons from 1912 to 1917, who posted a record of 93–63 and a 3.14 ERA in 231 career games, while leading the National League in wins and strikeouts during the 1913 season.
  • April 12 – Fred Klobedanz, 68, pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters in a span of five seasons from 1896 to 1902, who was a member of the Boston team that clinched the National League pennant in 1897 and 1898 and led the league in winning percentage in 1897.
  • April 22 – Alex Hardy, 62, Canadian-born pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs/Orphans of the National League in 1902 and 1903.
  • April 28 – Henry Cote, 76, pitcher for the Louisville Colonels of the National League in the 1894 and 1895 seasons.
  • April 30 – Patsy Dougherty, 63, outfielder for the Boston Americans and Chicago White Sox clubs that won the World Series in 1903 and 1906 respectively, who became the first player to hit two home runs in a single World Series game with a pair in 1903, while leading the American League with 47 stolen bases in 1908.

May

  • May 5 – Bill Wise, 79, pitcher/outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1882, the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884, and the Washington Nationals of the National League in 1886.
  • May 8 – Chick Fraser, 66, pitcher for seven teams in 14 seasons from 1896 through 1909, most prominently for the 1907 and 1908 Chicago Cubs clubs that won the World Series, who hurled a no-hitter in 1903 and ranks second on the all-time list of most hit batsmen by a Major League Baseball pitcher.
  • May 14 – Harry Gaspar, 57, pitcher who played from 1909 through 1912 for the Cincinnati Reds.
  • May 16 – Spike Shannon, 62, outfielder over parts of five seasons from 1904 to 1908 with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates, who led the National League for the most scored runs in the 1907 season.

June

July

August

  • August 3 – Willard Hershberger, 30, Cincinnati Reds' catcher who committed suicide in his hotel room as the Reds were visiting the Boston Bees during a weekend series; he was hitting .309 in 48 games when he died; the Reds dedicated the 1940 season to his memory, then won NL pennant by 12 games and the seven-game 1940 World Series.
  • August 5 – Ed Bruyette, 65, outfielder.
  • August 13 – Buck Stanley, 50, pitcher.
  • August 14 – Charlie Hollocher, 44, shortstop for the 1918–1924 Chicago Cubs, appearing in 760 career games.
  • August 17 – Bock Baker, 62, pitcher.
  • August 21 – Ernest Thayer, 77, newspaper editor whose 1888 poem "Casey at the Bat" became a staple of baseball culture.
  • August 24 – Ed Hallinan, 52, shortstop.
  • August 28 – Charlie Johnson, 55, outfielder.

September

October

  • October 5 – Crazy Schmit, 74, pitcher.
  • October 9 – Bill Massey, 69, first baseman.
  • October 17 – George Davis, 70, Hall of Fame shortstop for the Cleveland Spiders, New York Giants and Chicago White Sox in 20 seasons spanning 1890–1909, who hit over .300 in nine consecutive seasons from 1893 to 1901, fashioned a then-record 33-game hitting streak in 1893, and set Major League records for the most career hits (2600+) and RBI (1437) by a switch-hitter, while leading the Hitless Wonder White Sox in their victory over the Chicago Cubs in the 1906 World Series.
  • October 23 – Harry Krause, 52, pitcher.

November

December

  • December 7 – Harry Eells, 60, pitcher.
  • December 16 – Billy Hamilton, 74, Hall of Fame center fielder and a prolific hitter who hit better than .300 in 12 successive seasons en route to a career mark of .344, including two batting crowns, while collecting eleven 100-run seasons with a record 192 in 1894; 914 career stolen bases, a single-season total of 111 steals in 1891 and a single-game of seven in 1894, ending his career as one of only three big leaguers whose runs scored (1,691) exceeded his games played (1,578).
  • December 18 – John Kiley, 81, left fielder/pitcher.
  • December 22:

References

Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1940 in baseball.
  1. ↑ "1940 MLB Standings and Records: Regular Season". MLB.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  2. ↑ "1940 Season- Seamheads Negro Leagues Database". Seamheads.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  3. ↑ Corbett, Warren. "Benny McCoy". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Transactions for 1940." Retrosheet.
  5. ↑ The Associated Press (January 15, 1940). "Baseball World Awaits Another Blast by Landis Today on Rules Violations" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  6. ↑ Berger, Ralph. "Moe Berg". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ The Associated Press (February 1, 1940). "MacPhail Assails Landis' Role as Prosecutor, Judge and Jury; Baseball Must Act Quickly to Save Minors, Dodger Chief Warns at Boston Dinner" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ Schwartz, John (1981). "The Sacrifice Fly". sabr.org. SABR (Baseball Research Journal). Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Philadelphia Athletics vs Cleveland Indians Box Score: May 14, 1940". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  10. ↑ Lanctot, Neil (2008). Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 88–90.
  11. ↑ Rothenberg, Matt. "When Baseball Stepped to the Plate for Finns". baseballhall.org. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ United Press (March 23, 1940). "Big Leagues Spurn Los Angeles Offer" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ Rogers, C. Paul III. "April 16, 1940: Bob Feller's No-Hitter on Opening Day Propels Cleveland to 1-0 Win Over White Sox". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Top Individual Performances of 1940." Retrosheet.
  15. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds 2, Chicago Cubs 1." Retrosheet box score (April 16, 1940).
  16. ↑ "St. Louis Browns 5, Detroit Tigers 1. Retrosheet box score (April 16, 1940).
  17. ↑ "Philadelphia Athletics 2, New York Yankees 1 (10 innings)." Retrosheet box score (April 16, 1940).
  18. ↑ The Associated Press (April 22, 1940). "Reds Turn Back Cards on Field Just Above Flood Level" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ Krell, David. "April 23, 1940: Pee Wee Reese Goes 1-for-3 in Dodgers Debut". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ Wolf, Gregory H. "April 30, 1940: Tex Carleton's No-Hitter Gives Dodgers Record-Tying Ninth Victory to Start Season". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Top Team Performances of 1940." Retrosheet.
  22. ↑ Riis, Richard. "May 7, 1940: Cardinals Tie NL Record With Seven Home Runs in Rout of Dodgers". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  23. ↑ Ayers, Thomas. "Bill DeLancey". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  24. ↑ "10,000 Acclaim Dodger Heroes After Plane Trip From Chicago" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. May 10, 1940. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ The Associated Press (May 13, 1940). "Reds Tie Cardinals in 14 Innings; Umpires Fail to Appear for Game" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ Bauer, John. "May 13, 1940: Johnny Mize Mashes Three Home Runs as Cardinals, Reds Tie in Ladies' Day Darkness". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Cleveland Indians 18, Washington Senators 1." Retrosheet box score (May 17, 1940).
  28. ↑ "New York Giants 7, Brooklyn Dodgers 1." Retrosheet box score (May 30, 1940, Game 1).
  29. ↑ "Billy Southworth". baseballhall.org. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  30. ↑ Huber, Mike. "June 15, 1940: Harry Danning's Cycle Leads Giants Rout After Pirates Miss Batting Practice". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  31. ↑ Effrat, Louis (June 19, 1940). "Medwick Injured by Pitched Ball as Dodgers Lose" (PDF). timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.