In my eagerness to move on to another season, I almost forgot the post my "stat notes" on the 1937 season.
Here are the standings, first of all:
Code:
AMERICAN W L PCT GB
Detroit 94 60 .610 --
Boston 93 61 .604 1.0
New York 77 77 .500 17.0
Philadelphia 77 77 .500 17.0
Chicago 75 79 .487 19.0
St. Louis 72 82 .468 22.0
Cleveland 69 85 .448 25.0
Washington 59 95 .383 35.0
NATIONAL W L PCT GB
Philadelphia 90 64 .584 --
New York 88 66 .571 2.0
St. Louis 82 72 .532 8.0
Pittsburgh 78 76 .506 12.0
Cincinnati 73 81 .474 17.0
Boston 70 84 .455 20.0
Chicago 69 85 .448 21.0
Brooklyn 66 88 .429 24.0
Both leagues featured close pennant races that weren't decided until the final days of the season. The Phillies, led by catcher Shanty Hogan (.322-9-80), outfielder Chuck Klein (.315-20-96) and third baseman Stan Hack (.305, .397 OBP), fought off the Giants to win the first pennant in the team's history. Jim Weaver and former Red Sox Buster Ross each won 20 games for the Phils.
Their World Series opponent was the Detroit Tigers, who added rookie catcher Rudy York (.247-17-73) to a potent lineup that already featured first sacker Hank Greenberg (.320-33-150) shortstop Willie Wells (.318-24-89) and centerfielder Cool Papa Bell (.306, 71 stolen bases). The Bengals had three 20-game winning hurlers: Schoolboy Rowe (23 victories), Marv Gudat (22), and Charlie Devens (20). Uel Eubanks (13 saves) provided excellent support from the bullpen.
The Phillies completed their magical season by upsetting the Tigers in the World Series, 4 games to 3. Hugh Mulcahy won two games for the Phils, including a thrilling 4-3 battle in the Series' deciding game. Mulcahy, you might remember, was a high school athletic rival of Mike O'Farrell back in Massachusetts.
The Red Sox might have barely lost the pennant, but their star first baseman, Lou Gehrig, won his fifth American League Most Outstanding Batter award. The Iron Horse led the league with a lusty .358 average and also captured the home run crown with 36. Only Hank Greenberg's outstanding RBI production kept Gehrig from the Triple Crown; Lou drove in 142 runs to Hank's 150.
The National League's top batsman was, like Gehrig, a slugging first baseman who has won his league's top hitting honor five times. He was, of course, the Giants' Buck Leonard, who hit .315 with 26 homers and 94 RBI.
Leonard was closely challenged for the MOB prize by several other hitters. Archie Graham of the Cubs won the batting title at .336, and stole 54 bases to finish first in that category, too. Home run leader Mel Ott of the Braves crushed 32 homers and drove in 101 runs, and Ripper Collins of Pittsburgh drove in 118 runs to lead in that category while also batting .323.
The junior circuit awarded its pitching prize to Bill Foster of St. Louis, who went 23-8 with a 2.18 ERA and 280 strikeouts. He edged lefty Carl Hubbell of the Red Sox, who led all AL hurlers with 26 wins, and Hilton Smith of the White Sox, who won 21 games and led the majors with 324 strikeouts.
Cincinnati's Ralph Birkofer won 26 games to lead the National League, two more than the Cardinals' Dizzy Dean. Birkhofer was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher for his efforts, although a good argument could be made in favor of Satchel Paige. The Cubs ace led the league in strikeouts with 262, and won the ERA title as well at 2.75.
Both 1937 Rookies of the Year called Boston their home. Red Sox pitcher Bucky Walters went 20-10 with a 4.09 ERA, while Braves first baseman Elbie Fletcher produced a .297-5-80 batting line.