Boston Red Sox - The Second World War Era (1940-1949)

Boston
Home
Click
on Logo

1940

Decade

Click

on Logo

104

Titles:

Top Red Sox Players of the Forties

1946 - AL Champs (Lost to Cards)

Pitchers:

BallPark:

Tex Hughson (25.61) - 57

Fenway Park

Joe Dobson (17.51) - 53

Boo Ferriss (832) - 43

Team Name:

Mel Parnell (10.07) - 24

Red Sox

Ellis Kinder (6.59) - 19

Dick Newsome (1.43) - 21

Owner:

Charlie Wagner (4.65) - 18

Tom Yawkey

Mike Ryba (4.76) - 15

Mickey Harris (4.9) - 14

General Managers:

Oscar Judd (2.27) - 12

Billy Evans (1940)

Jack Kramer (0.94) - 12

Eddie Collins (1940-1947)

Yank Terry (0.17) - 6

Joe Cronin (1948-1949)

Mace Brown (4.2) - 4

Managers:

Catchers:

Joe Cronin (1940-1947)

Birdie Tebbetts (2.59) - 21

Joe McCarthy (1948-1949)

Hal Wagner (3.65) - 11

No Hitters:

First Basemen:

None

Jimmie Foxx (10.47) - 23

Lou Finney (3.67) - 19

Hall of Famers:

Billy Goodman (2.45) - 12

Tom Yawkey

Rudy York (2.65) - 9

Joe McCarthy

Bobby Doerr

Second Basemen:

Joe Cronin

Bobby Doerr (41.71) - 82

Lefty Grove

Skeeter Newsome (4.74) - 17

Jimmie Foxx

Al Simmons

ShortStop:

Ted Williams

Johnny Pesky (23.64) - 59

Billy Evans

Joe Cronin (11.51) - 23

Eddie Lake (8.1) - 15

Rookie of the Year:

None

Third Base:

Jim Tabor (7.08) - 33

MVP:

Vern Stephens (11.37) - 29

Ted Williams (1946)

Ted Williams (1949)

Outfield:

Ted Williams (65.83) - 112

Notable Events:

Dominic DiMaggio (24.74) - 98

Catfish Metkovich (2.01) - 24

1939 - In a bad trade, the Sox send future HOF shortstop Pee Wee Reese

Pete Fox (2.85) - 21

to the Dodgers. Owner Tom Yawkey favorite Joe Cronin was still in

Indian Bob Johnson (9.35) - 16

his prime and Johnny Pesky had not yet been signed.

Leon Culberson (2.97) - 16

GM Billy Evans resigns in protest of the trade.

Notable Events:

1940 - The core of the Red Sox dynamic lineup in the Forties

(minus the war years) had been acquired prior to the 1940 season.

1947 - The Sox purchase veteran righty Denny Galehouse from the Browns

Infielders Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky and

outfielders Ted Williams and Dominic DiMaggio had all

1947 - Ted Williams wins the Triple Crown

been acquired as teenagers and all hailed from the West Coast

Williams from San Diego, Pesky from Portland, DiMaggio

1948 - Thirty three year old righthander Ellis Kinder is obtained from

from San Francisco and Doerr from Hollywood (Los Angeles)

the Browns. He was a big league rookie only two seasons earlier.

Note that there are no pitchers in this list. The Sox were a great

Kinder got a late start in baseball and was slow to move up the

hitting ballclub in this era but never quite had the pitching to sustain

baseball ladder due to his age, but he persevered. Ellis had started

a run at the top of the league after their pennant season in 1946.

late because he had a large extended family to support and had to

work for a living. The Sox sent $65,000 to the Browns as part of the deal

1941 - Twenty four year old righthander Joe Dobson is acquired from

Cleveland in a seven player trade. Dobson will go on to pitch eight

1948 - Slugging twenty eight year old shortstop Vern Stephens is

seasons for Boston, in seven of which he will post double figure wins

purchased from the Browns for $310,000. The Red Sox also sent the

Browns several warm bodies while also obtaining righthander Jack

1941 - Twenty five year old rookie righthander Tex Hughson debuts.He

Kramer in the deal. Stephens was one of the best players in the game.

will win twenty games twice for the Sox during the decade including

His acquisition forced incumbent shortstop Johnny Pesky to third.

their pennant winning season of 1946

Stephens, helped by the Fenway short porch in left, had three huge

seasons for the Sox until a knee injury severely curtailed him and

1941 - Ted Williams bats .406. No one has hit .400 since.

his career in 1951 at the age of thirty one. With his legs gone, he had

to move to third base and he lost his power at the plate.

1942 - Ted Williams enlists to fight in WWII after the season

Dominic DiMaggio also enlists

1948 - Thanks to the deals with the Browns, the additions of pitchers

Jack Kramer, Ellis Kinder and Denny Galehouse make up for the

1945 - Twenty three year old rookie Boo Ferriss joins the club and

losses due to injury of aces Tex Hughson and Boo Ferriss. The addition

promptly wins 21 games. He wins twenty five the following year

of slugger Vern Stephens doesn't hurt either and the Sox are back

helping Boston win the pennant and then hurts his arm and is out

to contending after they had dropped 21 games in the standings in 1947,

of the big leagues by the end of the decade

1948 - The Red Sox and Indians tie for the regular season

1946 - With the troops (Williams, DiMaggio, Doerr and Pesky)

title, but the Sox are beaten in a one game playoff at Fenway.

returning from the war, the Red Sox win the

To make matters worse, the crosstown Braves make it to the

pennant going away. However, the Cards beat Boston

World Series.

in the World Series. It is the only blot on Ted Williams'

brilliant career as he bats only .200 in the series in his only

1949 - The Sox lead the Yankees by one game with two games

post season appearance

left in the season. Boston-New York at Yankee Stadium. The

Yanks win them both and the pennant.

1947 - Twenty five year old rookie lefty Mel Parnell joins the club. He'll

Boston was thisclose to three pennants in four years to close out the decade.

pitch for the Sox for a decade, winning twenty twice. Parnell defied the

odds pitching in Fenway as a lefthander. He had been signed before

the war in 1941