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1930

7

59

95

1933

8

58

94

1937

8

56

98

1930

1931

8

58

96

1934

8

52

99

1938

4

82

68

Decade

1932

8

60

94

1935

6

68

85

1939

1

97

57

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1936

5

74

80

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Titles:

Top Reds Players of the Thirties

1939 - NL Champs (Lost to Yankees)

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Paul Derringer (23.36) - 94

Redland Park (1930-34) renamed to Crosley Field (1935-39)

Red Lucas (9.38) - 46

Benny Frey (6.1) - 36

Team Name:

Si Johnson (3.68) - 35

Redlegs

Bucky Walters (9.29) - 28

Larry Benton (3.12) - 25

Owners:

Peaches Davis (3.07) - 18

Sid Weil (1930-1934)

Al Hollingsworth (3.01) - 17

Powel Crosley (1935-1939)

Gene Schott (4.26) - 17

Ray Kolp (5.32) - 16

General Managers:

Lee Grissom (3.41) - 15

Larry MacPhail (1933-1936)

Johnny Vander Meer (3.41) - 15

Warren Giles (1937-1939)

Eppa Rixey (2.91) - 14

Junior Thompson (3.12) - 7

Managers:

Catchers:

Dan Howley (1930-1932)

Ernie Lombardi (25.94) - 81

Donie Bush (1933)

Bob O'Farrell (1934)

First Basemen:

Burt Shotten (1934)

Frank McCormick (8.55) - 13

Chuck Dressen (1934-1937)

Jim Bottomley (1.99) - 10

Bobby Wallace (1937)

Bill Mckechnie (1938-1939)

Second Basemen:

Lonnie Frey (8.28) - 12

Hall of Famers:

Tony Cuccinello (6.95) - 11

Larry MacPhail

Bill Mckechnie

ShortStop:

Eppa Rixey

Billy Myers (11.84) - 30

Dazzy Vance

Leo Durocher (0.39) - 5

Ernie Lombardi

Jim Bottomley

Third Base:

George Kelley

Lew Riggs (6.23) - 15

Leo Durocher

Joe Stripp (3.93) - 12

Kiki Cuyler

Billy Werber (3.68) - 10

Chick Hafey

Harry Heilman

Outfield:

Edd Roush

Ival Goodman (18.92) - 46

Al Simmons

Babe Herman (11.76) - 26

Chick Hafey (9.46) - 19

MVP

Harry Craft (3.53) - 16

Ernie Lombardi (1938)

Kiki Cuyler (3.11) - 14

Bucky Walters (1939)

Wally Berger (3.49) - 12

Harry Heilmann (4.5) - 11

No Hitters:

Johnny Van der Meer (1938)

Notable Events:

Johnny Van der Meer (1938)

1934 - MacPhail entices industrialist Powel Crosley to buy the club. MacPhail didn't

Notable Events:

have the bucks to own the club himself. Instead, he found a guy with money who was

a capable, innovative, visionary himself. Crosley was a pioneer in radio, airplanes,

1930 - Coming into the decade, the Reds are in a bad way and will

and automobiles among other new industries of the early part of the century. He

continue to be so for most of the decade. Altho' Garry Herrmann was a

was more than open to MacPhail's ideas. The two were a terrific team.

penurious owner, the team was always at least decent under his time

in charge. When he sold the team in 1927, the franchise took a big turn

1934 - Crosley hires Red Barber to call baseball games for the Reds. Powel had

for the worse as the new owners were not up to competing financially.

been manufacturing radios in the 1920's. Then he started the WLW radio station

to provide content for the radios he was selling. A big factor in MacPhail convincing

1930 - Cincinnati's cupboard was pretty bare. As far as players on the

Crosley to buy the Reds was that now Crosley would have daily content for his radio

1930 roster that were keepers, there was only one, twenty eight year

station, Reds games, to help make his radio station viable to help him sell his radios.

old righthander Red Lucas. As with many Reds of the era, Lucas had

ties with the New York Giants, having come up originally with them

1935 - Redland Field is renamed Crosley Field

as a twenty one year old in 1923. After a brief soujorn with the Braves,

Lucas came up for good in 1926 at the age of twenty four and spent

1935 - May 24 - The first Major League night game is played in Cincinnati.

the next eight years in Cincinnati's rotation.

There is an immediate boost in attendence. MacPhail the innovator

and Crosley the businessman score another big victory here.

1930 - The 1930 roster also had a couple of good young infielders in

second baseman Tony Cuccinello, 22, and shortstop Leo Durocher, 24.

1937 - Twenty two year old lefthander Johnny Van der Meer joins the club. He had

The Reds did not keep either one of them, dealing Cuccinello to the

originally been signed by the Dodgers as an eighteen year old and had bounced

Dodgers in 1932 and Durocher to the Cards in 1933.

around the minors and thru the Braves organization before landing in Cincinnati.

Johnny would go 15-10 as a twenty three year old with the Reds in 1938 and

1932 - Cincinnati obtains future Hall of Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi from

17-14 as a thirty three year old with the Reds in 1948. In between, what could have

the Dodgers in the Cuccinello trade. Lombardi was big and slow but was

been a Hall of Fame career based on his talent was derailed by illness, injury and

one of the best hitters in the game. His lifetime .306 batting average

military service. He did end up with 119 victories lifetime despite the interruptions.

was even more impressive considering he never got a leg hit.

1937 - Larry MacPhail is relieved of his duties as General Manager. As good a

1933 - Cincinnati obtains twenty six year old righthander Paul Derringer

GM as he was, MacPhail was a heavy drinker who was getting himself in trouble

from the Cards in the Durocher deal. Derringer was a big time talent but

with the police as a result of his drinking. Powel Crosley could not abide the behavior.

infuriatingly inconsistent for the pennant contending Redbirds. The big

Crosley hired Warren Giles in his place. Giles had an excellent track record as a

righthander would have an opportunity to get his act together with the lowly

minor league executive in the Cardinals system. Crosley, an exceptionally capable

Reds and emerged as the ace of Cincinnati's staff for the next ten seasons.

businessman, knew how to find the best in managers.

1933 - Owner Sid Weil goes belly up financially and the Reds go mercifully

1937 - Crosley Field is flooded under 26 feet of water

into receivership. The bank hires highly successful minor league owner Larry

MacPhail to run the club. This turns out to be a great move for the fans of

1938 - Cincinnati purchases twenty nine year old righthander Bucky Walters from

the Reds. MacPhail is an extremely capable, innovative, visionary General

the lowly Phillies. With a good team behind him, Walters immediately goes to the

Manager who aggressively went out and recruited his ideal next boss

head of the class as one of the top pitchers in the National League. Bucky will be

a starter for Cincinnati for the next ten seasons, most of which time, he was

1934 - Frank McCormick, a twenty three year old first baseman, comes up

their ace along with Paul Derringer.

to the Reds. He wouldn't stick with Cincinnati until four years later when

he would become one of the Reds' top hitters for the next eight seasons

1938 - John Van der Meer tosses back to back no hitters on June 11 and June 15.

No one else has ever accomplished this feat in big league history.

1934 - Outfielder Ival Goodman is purchased from the Cardinals. The

outfielder is twenty six. He will be a solid contributor as a starter for

1939 - Twenty two year old righthander Gene Thompson joins the club as a rookie.

Cincinnati for the next six seasons.

Altho' he only has two effective seasons with Cincinnati, they are well timed as

he is a big part of the rotation in both of the Reds' pennant winning seasons.

1939 - Reds win the pennant and lose World Series to Yankees. The team

gained fifteen games in the standings mostly on the strength of Paul Derringer

and Bucky Walters combing for a 52-14 record.