Boston Red Sox - The Depression Era (1930-1939)

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1930

102

Decade

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Titles:

Top Red Sox Players of the Thirties

None

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Lefty Grove (42.49) - 64

Fenway Park

Wes Ferrell (18.39) - 42

Black Jack Wilson (13.35) - 30

Team Name:

Fred Ostermueller(16.87) - 29

Red Sox

Danny MacFayden (7.98) - 21

Gordon Rhodes (7.2) - 15

Owner:

Jack Russell (0.66) - 15

JA Robert Quinn (1930-1933)

Jim Bagby Jr (2.2) - 10

Tom Yawkey (1933-1939)

John Welch (6.91) - 12

Ed Durham (6.56) - 12

General Managers:

Hod Lisenbee (4.58) - 12

Eddie Collins (1933-1939)

Milt Gaston (5.84) - 12

Billy Evans - Farm Director (1936-1840)

John Marcum (7.76) - 10

Bob Weiland (5.54) - 10

Managers:

Wilcy Moore (4.4) - 9

Heinie Wagner (1930)

Bobo Newsom (3.43) - 7

Shano Collins (1931-1932)

Rube Walberg (8.21) - 5

Marty McManus (1932-1933)

Bucky Harris (1934)

Catchers:

Joe Cronin (1935-1939)

Rick Ferrell (11.06) - 39

Gene DeSautels (1.29) - 18

No Hitters:

Moe Berg (1.18) - 2

None

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Jimmy Foxx (24.07) - 57

Tom Yawkey

Dale Alexander (4.82) - 9

Bucky Harris

Lefty Grove

Second Basemen:

Herb Pennock

Bobby Doerr (3.19) - 17

Red Ruffing

Eric McNair (0.23) - 9

Rick Ferrell

Jimmie Foxx

ShortStop:

Bobby Doerr

Joe Cronin (17.94) - 46

Joe Cronin

Heinie Manush

Third Base:

Ted Williams

Bill Werber (9.76) - 38

Bobby Doerr

Pinky Higgins (2.8) - 10

MVP:

Outfield:

Jimmy Foxx (1938)

Roy Johnson (9.57) - 41

Doc Cramer (1.32) - 29

Notable Events:

Ben Chapman (6.04) - 25

Tom Oliver (2.04) - 19

1930 - The Red Sox come into the Thirties a pitiful team that has eleven straight

Ted Williams (6.72) - 19

sub .500 seasons, averaging only 52 wins over the last five.

Dusty Cooke (5.57) - 18

Earl Webb (9.1) - 13

1932 - Boston steals Roy Johnson from Detroit in exchange for Earl Webb

Smead Jolley (3.13) - 8

1933 - Tom Yawkey buys the club from Bob Quinn. The Sox now have a lot of

Notable Events:

money to play with

1938 - Jimmie Foxx is MVP and Boston contends for a while. The firsi

1933 - Eddie Collins is hired to be Red Sox GM - he's a good baseball man.

time they contend since their 1918 World Championship club twenty

years earlier.

1933 - Let the spending begin! The Sox purchase Third Baseman Billy

Werber and pitcher George Pipgras from the Yankees for $100,000

1939 - Ted Williams' rookie year. All he does is hit .327 with 31 homers

and 145 RBI. The Sox contend again, finishing second. The twenty one

1934 - The Red Sox spend again! They pay Connie Mack $125,000 for Lefty Grove

year old Williams had been signed in 1936 and had been serving

his apprenticehsip in San Diego of the Pacific Coast League

1934 - Collins steals ace pitcher Wes Ferrell away from Cleveland. Ferrell had

one off season after several brilliant ones and was promptly dealt away by the

1939 - The Sox sign twenty year old shortstop Johnny Pesky who will be

Indians. This scenario would be repeated four years later by the Sox when,

a starter for the Red Sox for ten years thru 1951 (minus the war). He was

after three brilliant seasons in Boston, he was shipped off to Washington after

a lifetime .307 hitter but his loss of three prime years during the war cost

one bad year in 1937. Anyway, the Sox suddenly now had a great top of the

him as a possible Hall of Fame candidate. Pesky was another shortstop

rotation featuring Grove and Ferrell, two of the best

with good leadership qualities as he managed the Red Sox after his

playing days were over

1935 - Boston picks up Joe Cronin from the Senators after a bit of family

intrigue in Washington as the twenty eight year old Cronin was suddenly dumped

1939 - Boston purchases twenty two year old centerfielder Dominic

despite (or because of) being Washington owner Clark Griffith's son in law.

DiMaggio from San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League. He was an

Cronin is an outstanding player and future Hall of Farmer. Also, a natural

outstanding player, but did not get the recognition he deserved because

leader, Cronin takes over as Red Sox manager. Eventually he would become

he was the brother of Joe DiMaggio and the teammate of Ted Williams,

Commissioner of Baseball. The pricetag for Cronin was $225,000 and .

two of the greatest to play the game. The Pacific Coast League had

shortstop Lynford Lary

been sort of Major League Light thru most of the century to this point,

but big bucks teams from the east like the Yankees and Red Sox were

1936 - The Red Sox spend again! This time they get Jimmie Foxx from

now aggressively buying up the best PCL youngsters.

Connie Mack's A's for $150,000

1939 - The culmination of six years of spending since the Sox had

1936 - Another $175,000 goes in the direction of the A's in exchange for Second

bottomed out at 43-111 in '32, the before year they were purchased

Baseman Eric McNair and Outfielder Doc Cramer

by Yawkey, was a pair of second place finishes at the end of the

decade ('38 and '39) to the Yankees. They didn't really contend,

1937 - Nineteen year old future Hall of Fame Second Baseman Bobby Doerr

however, as they were nine and a half behind New York in '38 and

makes his debut. He had been purchased from Hollywood of the Pacific Coast

seventeen behind in '39.

League for the princely sum of $75,000

1938 - Twenty one year old third baseman Jim Tabor comes up to the majors.

He will be a solid starter for six years for the Sox. Tabor had been signed a

a year earlier and was brought up from Minneapolis.