1938 Team-By-Team Season Review

American League

New York Yankees (Replay: 108-44; Actual 99-53; +9)

 

The 1938 New York Yankees got their replay off to a slow start, but finally assumed their spot atop the AL in mid-to-late May, and from there they ran away with the AL. Much like they had previously done in 1936 and 1937, the Yankees blasted their way to the AL crown, while supported by strong pitching and fielding, the rest of the AL never really stood a chance. Once the Yankees grabbed the lead, they never gave it up, and routinely added on to it every week, finally finishing 13.5 games ahead of second-place Boston.

Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio (.380, 33 HR, 154 RBI) started the season as a salary holdout and missed most of the first two weeks of the season. He got off to a bit of a slow start, and once they settled on Tommy Henrich (.316, 25, 110) in right field, along with first baseman Lou Gehrig (.336, 25, 152) and catcher Bill Dickey (.348, 27, 115), the third through sixth hitters in the Yankees lineup was their own reincarnation of the Murderer's Row. With shortstop Frank Crosetti (.298, 6, 60, 150 runs) and third baseman Red Rolfe (.309, 10, 73, 127 runs) setting the table in front of them, the Yankees finished with 1038 runs scored.

Red Ruffing (21-6, 3.61) and Lefty Gomez (19-7, 3.08) were the backbone of the Yankees' rotation, but while they were handling the tougher loads, Monte Pearson (19-4, 4.59) and Spud Chandler (17-2, 3.45) picked up the slack with outstanding seasons. Johnny Murphy (4-2, 4.65, 4 Saves) was the ace out of the bullpen when needed. Gomez also threw the only no-hitter of the season, on June 22, versus Cleveland.

 

Boston Red Sox (R: 93-56; A: 88-61; +5)

 

The Red Sox were an outstanding team that was fully engaged in the pennant race all season long. Unfortunately, the Yankees finished 13.5 games ahead of them, and no matter how well they played, the Red Sox could never truly dent the Yankees' lead, and New York was able to run away with it. On the other hand, the Red Sox finished 13.5 games ahead of third-place Cleveland, meaning that Boston was in the frustrating position of not being able to do anything with their position in the standings. They were safe from someone sneaking up on them, but they weren't going to be sneaking up on anyone either. Perhaps, worst of all, as they looked at the final standings, the Red Sox could plainly see that they would have won the NL pennant with their final win/loss record.

 

Jimmie Foxx

First baseman Jimmie Foxx (.419, 55, 180) and manager/shortstop Joe Cronin (.330, 24, 107) led the Boston attack. Foxx had a good start to the season, but then in mid-season, he went on a real rampage. His average soared up as high as .448, and his homerun and RBI explosion put a serious challenge to Detroit's Hank Greenberg for the lead in these two categories. Center fielder Doc Cramer (.340, 0, 81, 147 Runs) and left fielder Joe Vosmik (.339, 14, 99, 147 runs), number one and two in the Red Sox batting order,  served as table setters for the run producers behind them. Second baseman Bobby Doerr (.323, 9, 84), in his second season in the major leagues, showed glimpses of what he was to become with a solid bat and an outstanding glove.

Lefty Grove (17-4, 2.31) was the best pitcher in the league, but then an arm injury sidelined him, and he missed most of the final two months of the season. Rookie Jim Bagby (16-9, 3.15) and Jack Wilson (13-16, 3.80) pitched well, and Quincy, IL native Fritz Ostermueller (9-3, 3.00) and Bill Harris (8-2, 3.71), who made his first major league appearance since 1924, both filled in for Grove while he was out.

 

Cleveland Indians (R: 81-71; A: 86-66; -5)

 

The Indians got off to a horrible start, but after their initial stumble, were able to resurrect themselves and finish in third place in the AL. They were never able to truly challenge Boston for second place, but the infusion of new talent provided Cleveland fans with hopes for the upcoming seasons.

 

Bob Feller

The Indians' surge began when Moose Solters (.214, 4, 26) was replaced by fiery young Canadian Jeff Heath (.384, 28, 129) in left field. After having seen limited playing time in the first month of the season, Heath's full-time inclusion in the lineup sparked the while Cleveland offense. Center fielder Earl Averill (.310, 18, 87) played a steady outfield, and Hal Trosky (.385, 17, 110), still not able to replicate his massive power numbers from previous seasons, still played a major role in the Cleveland attack. Youngsters like third baseman Ken Keltner (.280, 27, 114) and center fielder Roy Weatherly (.261, 7, 31) stepped up with their new roles, and infielders Lou Boudreau and Ray Mack only came up for a quick cup of coffee late in the season, but showed their promise to the Indians fans.

Nineteen-year old Bob Feller (13-14, 4.43) made the Indians fans' eyes glisten when he took the mound, and while the strikeouts (220) were nice, the walks (198) were killers. Far too often, Feller simply made a bad situation worse when he would get in trouble and then start walking batters, making his difficult situation even worse. Mel Harder (18-8, 3.12) provided a stable mound presence, as did Johnny Allen (15-7, 4.57).

 

Washington Nationals (R: 76-75; A: 75-76; +1)

 

The 1938 Nationals were a treat. On the one hand, after stumbling through the first two months of the season while maintaining a record right around .500, the "Washington Hit Machine" suddenly came alive in June and July. For a while, Washington had a team batting average in the .340's and ended the season hitting .322 as a team. If an opponent dared to throw out a poorly graded pitcher, Washington was not afraid to pounce and tear them to shreds.

 

Dutch Leonard

The key to the offense turned when young George Case (.312, 2, 36, 81 runs) was permanently moved into right field and set into the lead-off spot in the batting order, in front of rookie third baseman Buddy Lewis (.316, 13, 84, 105 runs), First baseman Zeke Bonura (.383, 20, 120) took over the position for good in mid-May and took over the four-spot in the lineup as well. Most surprising was second baseman Buddy Myer (.383, 7, 83), who hit for the Cycle two times during the season.

Dutch Leonard (19-5, 2.75) led the pitching staff, but unfortunately, Wes Ferrell (12-8, 4.55) wasn't up to the task this year and found himself released with two months remaining in the season due to recurrent arm issues and managerial disagreements. Things were bleak for the Nationals' pitching staff following these two, although their final team ERA of 4.98 was almost a full run behind the two league leaders.

 

Detroit Tigers (R: 75-79; A: 84-70; -9)

 

The Tigers were fully anticipating vying with the Yankees for the 1938 AL pennant, but nearly all of their pitchers took a step back from their 1937 season. Elden Auker (3-17, 8.83) was a major disappointment, Tommy Bridges (12-5, 3.59) was limited in appearances by injuries, and Schoolboy Rowe (0-0, 12.89) was expected to rebound from a poor 1937 season, but instead, he only made four appearances and didn't make it out of May. Vern Kennedy (16-11, 5.65) had a good season, but only when the Tigers' offense was clicking, which they did quite often when he was on the mound.

 

Hank Greenberg

And when the Tigers' offense was clicking, it was really clicking. Their 3-4-5 hitters were truly outstanding. Batting third was second baseman Charlie Gehringer (.316, 28, 127), followed by first baseman Hank Greenberg (.354, 59, 204), followed by catcher Rudy York (.321, 33, 148). Greenberg had a truly magnificent campaign as he continuously saved his homerun magic until there were runners on base. The only way a batter could exceed 200 RBI's is to be extremely productive when the opportunity presented itself, and with York batting behind Greenberg, teams didn’t have much choice but with which to face Greenberg, and all too often would make them pay.

And when the Tigers' offense was not clicking, they were a middle-of-the-road team at best. Greenberg had a great start to the season, and a strong finish, but he underwent a bit of a mid-season swoon, and their struggling pitching crew was unable to carry the team through the rough patch. This, in turn, opened the door for other teams to move ahead of the Tigers.

 

St. Louis Browns (R: 69-83; A: 55-97; +14)

 

Replayers know that even bad pitchers can occasionally come out with a strong outing, and the Browns certainly had plenty of bad pitching. However, the Browns got off to a strong start as their collection of bad pitchers bunched their surprise outings early in the season, pushing the Browns to the top of the standings, including several weeks in the #1 spot. Unfortunately for St. Louis, with all of their strong starts used up early, the remainder of the season turned into a struggle.

 

Bobo Newsom

Right fielder Beau Bell (.281, 23, 108) led the early-season charge for the offense as he hit 2/3rd's of his homeruns in the first two months of the season. Harlond Clift (.326, 28, 131) had a slow start but picked it up later in the season. George McQuinn (.380, 16, 102) batted second and had a strong season, and Mel Almada (.358, 5, 47, 90 runs) picked up in a mid-season trade with Washington, settling their center field position as well as the lead-off hitter question.

Bobo Newsom (24-13, 4.02) did yeoman's work from the mound as he led the AL in innings pitched (338.3) and complete games (32). Howard "Lefty" Mills (9-12, 5.41) did what he could, but things got pretty bleak after that. To the Browns' credit, they weren't willing to stand pat, and they rotated several youngsters through their starting rotation, although none of their additional starters were able to truly step up when given their opportunity.

 

Chicago White Sox (R: 59-83; A: 65-83; -6)

 

The White Sox started the season, and they were only going to go as far as their pitching could carry them, but they also knew they were going to need some offense along the way. Unfortunately for Chicago, shortstop Luke Appling (.326, 0, 36) broke his leg in spring training, and the Chicago season, questionable as it was, struggled even more than expected. Appling returned at mid-season, but the die was cast for the White Sox by this point

 

Luke Appling

While Appling didn’t necessarily have a bad season, the rest of the lineup struggled to score many runs at all, so Appling didn’t get much of a chance to shine. Right fielder Gee Walker (.280, 10, 52) and third baseman Marv Owen (.330, 10, 84) led the team in homeruns, while left fielder Rip Radcliff (.305, 8, 88) led the team in RBI's. First baseman Merv Connors (.359, 9, 19) played only twenty games late in the season, but his surprising power output had White Sox fans anticipating a strong 1939 season from the young man.

By taking advantage of the spacious dimensions of Comiskey Park, the Chicago pitching rotation hoped to lead the team in a charge up the standings, but it was not to be. Thornton Lee (12-16, 3.97),  Ted Lyons (12-10, 3.82), and Monty Stratton (13-8, 3.86) did what they could, but John Whitehead (9-16, 7.14) and Jack Knott (5-9, 3.40), acquired from the Browns at mid-season, struggled at the back end of the rotation.

 

Philadelphia Athletics (R: 44-108; A: 53-99; -9)

 

The A's, with all their stars now sold off, often struggled to even imitate what would be considered a professional team. Owner/Manager Connie Mack was undeterred, as after he gave the Opening Day lineup a few weeks to provide something, and when they didn’t, wholesale replacements were made. This second lineup proved to be considerably better than the original, but wins were still hard to come by.

Bob Johnson

The offense was led by center fielder Bob Johnson (.318, 24, 116), and outfielder/first baseman Lou Finney (.305, 13, 88), whose eighteen triples led the AL. Sam Chapman (.282, 22, 83) was signed out of the University of California at Berkeley in May and immediately went directly into the Philadelphia outfield. While he played well overall, Chapman sometimes struggled against big league pitching.

 

George Caster (11-19, 4.69), Bud Thomas (8-17, 5.38), and Buck Ross (10-14, 6.81) were the big three in the A's rotation, but things got bleak after that, and their relief staff routinely allowed games to get out of hand. No one doubted that Mack would be able to rebuild his franchise as he had done in the past, but at this point, no one was anticipating the onset of World War II and the disruption it would bring.

 

National League

 

Pittsburgh Pirates (Replay: 91-59; Actual: 86-64; +5)

 

Much to the chagrin of the Pittsburgh fans, the Pirates fell just short in the actual 1938 pennant race, but in the replay, they stayed strong and held off several late-season challenges from the second-place Chicago team to claim the NL pennant on the final day of the season. The Pirates led the NL in hitting, pitching, and fielding, but could never muster the strength to run away with the lead, but instead, they tenaciously held on with clutch pitching performances and tough, timely hitting to claim the flag.

 

Arky Vaughan

The two Waner brothers, center fielder Lloyd Waner (.312, 7, 73, 82 runs) and right fielder Paul Waner (.323, 6, 66, 87 runs), batted one and two in the Pirates lineup, and contributed a strong batting presence as well as a strong defensive presence. Shortstop Arky Vaughan (.348, 7, 75, 111 runs) batted behind them and provided a solid pop in the middle of the order, with left fielder Johnny Rizzo (.292, 25, 102), a pre-season pickup from St. Louis, earning Rookie-of-the-Year plaudits for his outstanding season.

Jim Tobin (24-8, 2.00) and Russ Bauers (22-5, 2.28) both had outstanding seasons, and both also pitched in with crucial relief appearances during the final weeks of the season. Pittsburgh relief aces Bill Swift (6-4, 2.33, 7 SV) and Mace Brown (5-3, 3.59, 9 SV) were also key to the Pirates as they were both eager to step in during tight situations and shut down Pirates opponents when it was really needed.

 

Chicago Cubs (R: 91-59; A: 89-63; +2)

 

The Cubs actually won the NL pennant in 1938, but there is little doubt that this was one of the least powerful teams to have ever done so. Augie Galan (.259, 4, 50) was a good player, but if you were batting Galan in the cleanup spot in your batting order, you better have had plenty of firepower around him, and the Cubs just didn't. The Cubs finished third in hitting, second in pitching, and second in fielding, but they were in and out of first place all season, and when it came right down to it, they couldn’t ever maintain that position.

 

Bill Lee

First baseman Ripper Collins (.367, 16, 87) did most of his damage in the first half of the season, but faded dramatically as the season wore on. Stan Hack (.310, 7, 65, 104 runs) and Billy Herman (,262, 0, 55, 84 runs) batted 1-2 in the everyday lineup, but both also took turns disappearing from the offense. Catcher/manager Gabby Hartnett (.315, 10, 59) did not have a strong season and was occasionally impacted by injuries, including a key three-week period in September.

Bill Lee (22-11, 1.60) and Clay Bryant (21-11, 2.80) tried their best to pick up the whole team and carry them over the finish line on their broad shoulders, but it was just too much. Dizzy Dean (9-2, 2.23) had a strong start to the season, but arm injuries sidelined him in May, and while he made a few late-season starts, a healthy Dean would have likely made a difference to the Cubs' season. Veterans like Charley Root (5-6, 2.26) and Larry French (17-13, 3.91) were cleverly spotted throughout the season to maximize their mound effectiveness.

 

Cincinnati Reds (R: 87-63; A: 82-68; +5)

 

The Reds got off to a horrible start and spent much of the first two months of the season wallowing around the bottom of the NL standings, but management then decided changes were in order. Left fielder Wally Berger (.283, 11, 58) was acquired from the Giants to replace Dusty Cooke (.240, 1, 14), and pitcher Bucky Walters (16-6, 2.97) was picked up in a trade with the Phillies. With their lineup and pitching rotation reconstituted, Cincinnati immediately started to slug its way up the NL standings.

 

Ernie Lombardi

Catcher Ernie Lombardi (.378, 17, 96) and first baseman Frank McCormick (.378, 8, 101) both flirted with .400 during much of the mid-season, before they leveled off, both batting .378 for the season. The MVP for the Reds was likely center fielder Harry Craft (.292, 29, 106), though, as his bat kept the Reds afloat during their rough start to the season.

Paul Derringer (27-7, 2.61) and Johnny Vander Meer (17-5, 3.05) were the aces of the Cincinnati staff, but adding Walters to this mix turned this rotation into a real powerhouse. If Vander Meer hadn't missed most of September due to arm issues, perhaps the Reds could have slipped past Chicago and Pittsburgh.

 

New York Giants (R: 84-66; A: 83-67; +1)

 

The Giants were looking to repeat their 1936 and 1937 pennants, but 1938 got off to an unexpected start when second baseman Burgess Whitehead as an illness forced him to miss the entire season. This, in turn, forced manager Bill Terry to scramble his infield, and even with a strong start to the season, the Giants spent most of the season looking up at Chicago and Pittsburgh.

 

Mel Ott

The Giants' infield shuffle found Mel Ott (.316, 35, 116) moved from right field to third base for the first 2/3rd's of the season. Ott got off to a tremendous start at the plate, but once he cooled off no one else really stepped up. Harry Danning (.310, 7, 56) and Gus Mancuso (.331, 3, 27) caught all the New York games and provided a solid bat from their position behind the plate, and left fielder Jo-Jo Moore (.327, 10, 52, 81 runs) had a good year as well. Alex Kampouris (.281, 4, 24) was acquired in mid-season to help straighten out the Giants' infield woes, and while this allowed Ott to move back to right field, they remained stuck in the middle of the NL standings.

Hal Schumacher (16-7, 3.42) anchored the New York pitching rotation, but the other anchor, Carl Hubbell (10-9, 3.67), pitched in pain most of the season and was finally shut down with two months to go so he could have bone chips removed from his elbow. Cliff Melton (16-11, 3.54) and Bill Lohrman (11-4, 2.21) provided strong contributions from the back of the rotation, and relievers Dick Coffman (5-1, 2.76, 11 SV) and Jumbo Brown (8-2, 1.06, 6 SV) had strong seasons as well. Unfortunately, New York could never pull it all together at the same time and ended their dream of a three-peat.

 

St. Louis Cardinals (R: 73-78; A: 71-80; +2)

 

St. Louis had great teams earlier in the 1930's and would again in the upcoming 1940's, but 1938 was a rebuilding year for the Cardinals. The pre-season included a decree from Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis that freed up 90+ farmhands in the Cardinals' massive minor league system, including the prized Pete Reiser, who was claimed by Brooklyn. The Cardinals still had plenty of youngsters they could bring up, including people like Terry Moore (.265, 2, 16), Enos Slaughter (.292, 14, 54), and Jimmy Brown (.272, 0, 28), all of whom would be part of the St. Louis core over the next decade.

 

Joe Medwick

The Cardinals already had Joe Medwick (.299, 12, 93) and Johnny Mize (.357, 33 DV, 20 TR, 32 HR, 110) sitting in the middle of their lineup, both of whom were forces that opponents knew they would have to reckon with. And added to that, Slaughter slugged a trio of two-homerun games all within a ten-day period in late May. The Cardinals were knocking on the door of second place at this time, but the season soon caught up with them, and they leveled off back down in the middle of the pack.

The Cardinals' starting rotation was a combination of veterans and youngsters, and St. Louis wanted to give some of their prized rookies an opportunity to get some big-league experience. Veterans like Bill McGee (12-11, 2.92), Lon Warneke (14-6, 3.53), Bob Weiland (12-16, 3.57), and Curt Davis (13-12, 3.19) led the staff, with Max Macon (6-7, 4.57), Roy Henshaw (5-8, 4.04), and Clyde Shoun (3-9, 5.17) all getting their turns to prove their worth.

 

Brooklyn Dodgers (R: 70-79; A: 69-80; +1)

 

The 1938 Dodgers were a mess, and they spent much of the season working through aging veterans like Woody English (.353, 0, 11), Kiki Cuyler (.291, 1, 26), and Heinie Manush (.224, 0, 2), and then making spots open for youngsters to get a cup of coffee at the big league level. Brooklyn had enough pitching that they could stay out of the basement in the NL, but it was still a long season for Dodger fans.

 

Freddie Fitzsimmons

First baseman Dolph Camilli (.284, 22, 90) was picked up in a pre-season trade with the Phillies and showed good promise at first base. Catcher Babe Phelps (.286, 5, 40) was limited in playing time due to having suffered a broken finger three different times during the season, severely limiting his playing time. Leo Durocher's (.174, 2, 38) glove kept him in the everyday lineup, as several others were given a shot at the position but were not able to meet the challenge.

The front end of the Dodgers' starting rotation included Freddie Fitzsimmons (14-8, 208), Luke Hamlin (14-12, 3.40), and Vito Tamulis (12-7, 4.69), who chipped in well as a spot-starter. Tot Pressnell (6-15, 3.38) and Bill Posedel (6-13, 5.50) both struggled to hold up the back end of the rotation, though. Van Mungo (7-10, 4.47) would have helped, but he spent much of the season on the injured list.

 

Boston Bees (R: 62-90; A: 77-75; -15)

 

Similar to the Chicago White Sox, a strong pitching staff was just not enough to overcome a severe lack of offense. The Bees finished third in the NL in pitching and third in defense, but their seventh-place finish in hitting, just barely ahead of Brooklyn, condemned Boston to a poor season.

 

Lou Fette

First baseman Elbie Fletcher (.302, 6, 43) and third baseman/left fielder Debs Garms (.307, 0, 38) led the Bees' offense, along with Johnny Cooney (.285, 0, 30). The 37-year-old Cooney played all three outfield positions and took in games as a first baseman as well. Most disappointing was Vince DiMaggio (.186, 11, 42), whose glove kept him in the starting lineup, but he made way too many outs. Second baseman Tony Cuccinello (.251, 3, 60) batted fourth, and shortstop Rabbit Warstler (.217, 0, 44), along with DiMaggio and Cuccinello, made a strong up-the-middle defense for the Bees.

 

The core of the Boston starting staff consisted of Jim Turner (15-14, 2,60), Danny MacFayden (11-16, 2.70), and Lou Fette (13-18, 3.16). Boston was willing to give other young pitchers an opportunity, but most ended up run-starved by the Bees' often dormant offense.

 

Philadelphia Phillies (R: 44-106; A: 45-105; -1)

 

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of Philadelphia in 1938 was the Phillies moving out of the Baker Bowl and having to share Shibe Park with the A's until the A's moved to Kansas City in the early 1950's. But like the 1938 A's, the Phillies got off to a bad start, and then they started moving players in and out of the lineup trying to find a better product. And again, similar to A's, while they remained a bad team, they did manage to settle into a much stronger team that opponents quickly realized they could no longer just take the Phillies for granted.

 

Clause Passeau

 Chuck Klein (.250, 6, 56), a future Hall-of-Fame player, was slowly reaching the end of his productive career. First baseman Phil Weintraub (.359, 4, 54) was added early in the season, and he and outfielders Hersh Martin (.289, 5, 43), and Morrie Arnovich (.312, 4, 76) provided the core of the Philadelphia offense.

 Claude Passeau (11-21, 4.69) was used sparingly early in the season, but by season's end, he was the Phillies most reliable pitcher. Hugh Mulcahy (3-25, 5.63) provided a healthy, strong arm, but as his record indicates, he had a rough, rough season. Veteran hurler Bill Hallahan (2-9, 7.13) was playing out the string at this point and was unable to provide much either.