1952 in baseball

Champions

Major League Baseball

Other champions

Winter Leagues

Awards and honors

MLB statistical leaders

American League National League
AVGFerris Fain PHA.327Stan Musial SLC.336
HRLarry Doby CLE32Ralph Kiner PIT &
Hank Sauer CHC
37
RBIAl Rosen CLE105Hank Sauer CHC121
WinsBobby Shantz PHA24Robin Roberts PHP28
ERAAllie Reynolds NYY2.06Hoyt Wilhelm NYG2.43
KsAllie Reynolds NYY160Warren Spahn BSB183

Major league baseball final standings

Events

January

February

  • February 16 – Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent most of those years.
  • February 21 – Thomas Fine of Cuba's Leones de la Habana hurled the first no-hitter in Caribbean Series history, a 1–0 masterpiece against Al Papai and Venezuela's Cervecería Caracas. Through 2013, it has been the only no-hitter pitched in Series history.
  • February 26 – Thomas Fine was three outs from consecutive no-hitters in the Caribbean Series, having allowed a single in the ninth inning to break it up, in an 11–3 Cuba's victory over Panama's Carta Vieja Yankees. His 17 consecutive hitless innings pitched record still as the longest in Series history.

March

  • March 24 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Slaybaugh is hit in the left eye with a line drive, necessitating an operation to remove the eye. Slaybaugh will pitch briefly in the minors in 1953-54 and then retire.

April

  • April 23 – Bob Cain and the St. Louis Browns defeat Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians, 1–0, in a game in which both pitchers throw a one-hitter.
  • April 30
    • Veteran Negro League catcher Quincy Trouppe makes his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians. At 39 years of age, he is one of the oldest rookies in major league history. Three days later, Trouppe is behind the plate when relief pitcher Toothpick Sam Jones enters the game, forming the first black battery in American League history.
    • Ted Williams hits a two run home run to break a 3-3 tie on "Ted Williams Day" at Fenway Park. It was Williams' final game of the season before his departure for the Korean War to serve as a Marine fighter pilot.

May

  • May 5 – Mickey Mantle's father dies of Hodgkin's Disease, and Mantle will miss six games while attending the funeral and seeing to family matters in Oklahoma.
  • May 13 – Ron Necciai of the Class-D Bristol Twins strikes out 27 batters while pitching a 7–0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners in an Appalachian League game. Four of the Welch hitters reach base on a walk, an error, a hit by pitch, and a passed ball charged to Twins' catcher Harry Dunlop on a swinging third strike. But 27 strikeouts are recorded on the night, including four in the ninth inning, as a result of Dunlop's miscue, while one batter is retired on a grounder in the second inning.
  • May 15 – After pitching four no-hitters in the minors, 33-year-old Virgil Trucks of the Detroit Tigers pitches his first in the majors, a 1–0 blanking of the Washington Senators. Vic Wertz's two-out home run in the ninth inning off Bob Porterfield wins the game at Briggs Stadium.
  • May 21 – At Ebbets Field, the Brooklyn Dodgers set a Major League record by scoring 15 runs in the first inning of a 19-1 pounding of the Cincinnati Reds. All nine Dodgers in the starting lineup both score a run and bat in a run in that first inning.
  • May 29 – Boston Red Sox pitcher Mickey McDermott faces 27 batters and fire a one-hitter to beat the Washington Senators, 1–0, at Fenway Park. Mel Hoderlein's fourth-inning single is the only Washington hit and he is thrown out while trying to stretch the hit into a double.

June

  • June 11 – Sammy White clouts a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning off pitcher Satchel Paige to give the Boston Red Sox an 11–9 victory over the St. Louis Browns at Fenway Park.
  • June 14- The Milwaukee Braves purchase the contract of Hank Aaron from the Indianapolis Clowns and assign him to the Eau Claire Bears, who were the Braves class C farm team in the Northern League.
  • June 19 – Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers tosses a 5–0 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field. Erskine would pitch his second career no-hitter on May 12, 1956 against the New York Giants, 3–0, at Ebbets Field.
  • June 25 – Chicago White Sox shortstop Chico Carrasquel fractures his little finger in a play‚ which drops Chicago four games out of first place. Carrasquel will reinjure it on July 9 and be out of the lineup until August 19. The injury to Carrasquel‚ the starting shortstop for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game, is a key damage component as the White Sox will finish in third place.

July

August

  • August 15 – Detroit Tigers pitcher Virgil Trucks hurled his second no-hitter of the season, a 1–0 shutout over the host New York Yankees. Previously, Trucks held the Washington Senators without a hit on May 15. Besides, Trucks is one of five pitchers to throw two no-hitters in a season, being the others Johnny Vander Meer (1938), Allie Reynolds (1951), Nolan Ryan (1973) and Roy Halladay (2010), as one of his no-hitters came in the postseason.[1]

September

October

  • October 1 – In Game 1 of the 1952 World Series, the Brooklyn Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees, 4–2, at Ebbets Field behind relief ace Joe Black, who started only two games during the regular season.
  • October 7 – The New York Yankees defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4–2, in the decisive Game 7 of the World Series to win their fourth straight World Championship title – tying the mark they set between 1936 and 1939 and fifteenth overall. Billy Martin saves the day by snaring a two-out, bases-loaded infield pop off the bat of Jackie Robinson. Gil Hodges goes hitless again and is 0-for-21 in the Series. This is the Yankees' third defeat of the Dodgers in six years.

November

  • November 12 – Bobby Shantz, who posted a 24-7 record with 152 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA for the Philadelphia Athletics, is selected the AL Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the AL Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.
  • November 22 – Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Harry Byrd, who won 15 games and posted and a 3.31 ERA, is selected American League Rookie of the Year. Byrd will be the last Athletics player to win the award until José Canseco in 1986.
  • November 28 – International League President Frank Shaughnessy reveals plans to form two new major leagues by merging the top teams in the American Association and the top teams from the IL. Shaughnessy thinks that in five to six years, Major League Baseball will elevate these two leagues, along with the Pacific Coast League, which nearly has MLB status now.
  • November 30 – On a local New York TV program, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers charges that the New York Yankees management is racist for its failure to bring up a black player. Yankees executive George Weiss denies the allegations.

December

  • December 2:
    • The Pittsburgh Pirates draft relief pitcher Elroy Face from the Montreal Royals, the top minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. During a 15-year career with the Pirates, Face will lead the National League in saves three times and will be a three-time All-Star, as well as his amazing 18 relief wins in 1959 remains a major league record.
    • Brooklyn Dodgers executive Buzzie Bavasi dismisses the New York Yankees reaction to the Jackie Robinson racism charges. Commissioner Ford Frick plans no action against Robinson. Two days earlier, Robinson had called the Yankees a racist organization for its failure to promote a black player to the parent club.

Movies

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January

  • January   6 – Frank Oberlin, 75, pitcher who played for the Boston Americans and Washington Senators over four seasons spanning 1906–1910.
  • January   8 – Art Evans, 40, pitcher for the 1932 Chicago White Sox.
  • January 10 – Bones Ely, 88, one of the top defensive shortstops of his generation and also a versatile two-way player, whose 19-season professional career included stints with eight major league teams in three different leagues in a span of fourteen seasons between 1884 and 1902.[3]
  • January 14 – Rube Sellers, 70, outfielder who played for the Boston Doves in its 1910 season.
  • January 15 – Ben Houser, 68, first baseman who played with the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1910 season, and for the Boston Rustlers and Braves from 1911 to 1912.
  • January 17 – Solly Salisbury, 75, pitcher who played in 1902 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • January 20 – Ollie Pickering, 81, outfielder for six major league clubs in three different leagues between 1896 and 1908, who entered the record books as the first ever batter in American League history, when he faced Chicago White Sox pitcher Roy Patterson as a member of the Cleveland Blues on April 24, 1901.[4][5]
  • January 24 – Ángel Aragón, 61, third baseman for the New York Yankees in three seasons from 1914 to 1917, who was also the first Cuban and Latin American player to wear a Yankees uniform.[6]
  • January 24 – Dick Wright, 61, catcher who made four game appearances for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the outlaw Federal League in 1915.

February

  • February   5 – Esty Chaney, 61, pitcher who played from 1913 to 1914 for the Boston Red Sox (1913) and Brooklyn Tip-Tops.
  • February   5 – Mike Hopkins, 79, catcher who appeared in just one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1902, hitting a single and one double in two at-bats to finish his major league career with a 1.000 batting average and a 1.500 slugging percentage.[7]
  • February   6 – Del Paddock, 64, third baseman who divided his playing time between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Highlanders in the 1912 season.
  • February 12 – Charlie Manlove, 89, 19th century catcher who played in 1884 for the Altoona Mountain City of the Union Association and the New York Gothams of the National League.

March

April

May

  • May   1 – Ernie Johnson, 64, middle infielder and third baseman whose 10-year career included stints with four teams from 1912–1925, being also a contributor to the 1923 World Series Champion Yankees, slashing .297/.333/.385 for the club in the regular season, and scoring the series-deciding run as a pinch runner in Game 6 against the New York Giants.
  • May   4 – Burt Keeley, 72, pitcher for the Washington Senators in the 1908 and 1909 seasons.
  • May   6 – Rube Dessau, 69, pitcher who played with the Boston Doves in 1907 and for the Brooklyn Superbas in 1910.
  • May   6 – Harry Berte, 79, middle infielder for the 1903 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • May   7 – Red Bluhm, 57, slick fielding first baseman in the minor leagues, who made one appearance as a pinch hitter for the Boston Red Sox in 1918.
  • May 12 – Charlie Young, 59, pitcher who played for the Baltimore Terrapins of the outlaw Federal League in 1915.
  • May 14 – Bert Cunningham, 86, pitcher who played from 1887 through 1901 for the Brooklyn Grays, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics, Buffalo Bisons, Louisville Colonels and Chicago Orphans,
  • May 14 – Red Dooin, 72, catcher and manager for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1902 to 1914, who caught 1,219 games for the team and posted a managing record of 392-370 (.514) between 1910 and 1914.
  • May 16 – Sal Campfield, 52, pitcher who played for the New York Giants in its 1896 season.
  • May 18 – Spec Harkness, 64, pitcher who played from 1910 to 1911 for the Cleveland Naps.
  • May 23 – Bill McGilvray, 69, outfielder for the 1908 Cincinnati Reds.
  • May 27 – Lew Ritter, 76, catcher who played for the Brooklyn Superbas over seven seasons from 1902 to 1908.
  • May 29 – Doc Lavan, 61, shortstop whose 21-year career included stints in the major leagues with the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals in a span of twelve seasons from 1913–1924.

June

July

  • July   3 – Fred Tenney, 80, first baseman and manager whose career lasted 17 seasons from 1894–1911, who was ranked behind only Hal Chase among first basemen of the Deadball Era, being also considered the originator of the 3-6-3 double play, while leading the National League in putouts in 1905 and 1907–1908 as well as in assists each year from 1901 through 1907, setting a major-league record with 152 in 1905 that lasted until Mickey Vernon topped it in 1949, hitting over .300 seven times and retiring with a .294/.371/.358 slash line, including 2,231 hits, 1,134 runs scored and 688 runs batted in.[11]
  • July 11 – Dutch Leonard, 60, left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers over eleven seasons from 1913–1925, who earned two World Series rings with Boston in 1915 and 1916, while leading the major leagues with an earned run average of 0.96 in 1914, setting a modern-era season record that still stands.[12]

August

September

October

  • October   4 – Bill Zimmerman, 65, German outfielder who played for the Brooklyn Robins in 1915.
  • October   8 – Joe Adams, 74, pitcher for the 1902 St. Louis Cardinals, who later became a successful manager in the minor leagues, being a mentor for future Hall of Famers Frank Chance and Ray Schalk, among others, while earning the nickname of Godfather of the Eastern Illinois League, according to the 1908 Spalding Guide.[17]
  • October 11 – Roy Beecher, 68, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1907 to 1908.
  • October 14 – Jim Banning, 87, 19th century catcher who played for the Washington Nationals of the National League in parts of two seasonsd from 1888–1889.
  • October 17 – Vince Shields, 51, Canadian pitcher for the 1924 St. Louis Cardinals.
  • October 22 – Howard McGraner, 63, pitcher who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 1912.
  • October 26 – Tom Angley, 48, backup catcher for the Chicago Cubs in its 1929 season.
  • October 26 – Mike Murphy, 64, catcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1912 and for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1916.
  • October 28 – Bob Lawson, 77, pitcher who played with the Boston Beaneaters in 1901 and for the original Baltimore Orioles in 1902.

November

December

  • December   6 – Don Hurst, 47, first baseman who played from 1928 through 1934 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, leading the National League with 143 RBI in 1932.
  • December 14 – Frank Hansford, 77, pitcher for the 1898 Brooklyn Bridegrooms.
  • December 28 – Deacon Jones, 60, pitcher who played from 1916 to 1918 for the Detroit Tigers.
  • December 29 – Bob Meinke, 65, shortstop who appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1910.

Sources

  1. August 25, 1952: Virgil Trucks hurls his second no-hitter of the season. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on February 22, 2018.
  2. 1952 International League season batting and pitching statistics. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on February 22. 2018.
  3. Bones Ely. Article written by Jacob Pomrenke. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 16, 2019.
  4. Ollie Pickering. Cooperstown Expert website. Retrieved on June 16, 2019.
  5. 1901 Chicago White Sox Regular Season Game Log. Retrosheet. Retrieved on June 16, 2019.
  6. Wilson, Nick C. (2005). Early Latino Ballplayers in the United States: Major, Minor and Negro Leagues, 1901-1949. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786420-12-4
  7. Mike Hopkins. Retrosheet. Retrieved on June 16, 2019.
  8. Deacon Phillippe. Article written by Mark Armour. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 17, 2019.
  9. Phenomenal Smith. Major and Minor League Statistics. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on June 17, 2019.
  10. How Smith became "Phenomenal". Article written by Bob Lemke. Published on February 6, 2012. Retrieved on June 17, 2019.
  11. Fred Tenney. Article written by Mark Sternman. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  12. Dutch Leonard. Article written by David Jones. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  13. Phil Douglas. Article written by Mike Lynch. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  14. Military-related Major League Deaths. Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  15. Arky Vaughan. Article written by Ralph Moses. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 5, 2019.
  16. Earl Sheely. Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame. MiLB.com. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  17. Spalding's official baseball guide. Page 227. Archive.org website. Retrieved on June 15, 2019.
  18. Fred McMullin article. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on February 22, 2018.
  19. Arlie Latham. Article written by Ralph Berge. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on June 5, 2019.
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