The 1950 Boston Red Sox season was the 50th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished third in the American League (AL) with a record of 94 wins and 60 losses, four games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees. This was the last time that the Red Sox won at least 90 games until their return to the World Series in 1967.
| 1950 Boston Red Sox | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Record | 94–60 (.610) | |
| League place | 3rd (4 GB) | |
| Owners | Tom Yawkey | |
| President | Tom Yawkey | |
| General managers | Joe Cronin | |
| Managers | Joe McCarthy, Steve O'Neill | |
| Television | WBZ-TV/WNAC-TV (Jim Britt, Tom Hussey, Bump Hadley) | |
| Radio | WHDH (Jim Britt, Tom Hussey, Leo Egan) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com BB-reference | |
| ||
The team scored 1,027 runs, one of only six teams to score more than 1,000 runs in a season in the modern era (post-1900), and, along with the 1999 Cleveland Indians, are one of two teams to do so post-World War II.[1] The 1950 Red Sox compiled a .302 batting average, and remain the most recent major league team to record a .300 or higher team batting average for a season.[2]
In a game on June 8, the Red Sox set a major league record for total bases by a team in one game, which still stands. During their 29–4 win over the St. Louis Browns, the Red Sox collected 28 hits: 7 home runs, 1 triple, 9 doubles, and 11 singles for 60 total bases.[3][4] The Red Sox, who had already beaten the Browns 20–4 the day before, became only the second team since 1901 (after the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates) to score 20 or more runs in consecutive games.[5][6]
Offseason
Trades and Transactions
- October 24, 1949: It is reported that Dick Gernert, a junior at Temple University, has signed with the Red Sox over the weekend.[7]
- November 17, 1949: The Red Sox draft pitcher George Copeland from the Rochester Red Wings for $10,000.[8]
- December 1, 1949: The Red Sox purchase pitcher Al Papai from the St. Louis Browns off waivers for $10,000.[9]
- February 26, 1950: The Red Sox announce the sale of pitcher Jack Kramer to the New York Giants for a reported sum of $25,000.[10]
- April 14, 1950: The Red Sox sign third baseman Ken Keltner as a free agent.[11]
Regular Season
Trades and Transactions
- May 7: The Red Sox in a trade with the Washington Senators send outfielder Tommy O'Brien and infielder Merrill Combs to the Senators in exchange for outfielder Clyde Vollmer.[12]
- May 8: The Red Sox sell pitcher Harry Dorish to the St. Louis Browns for an undisclosed amount of cash.[13]
- June 2: Tom Umphlett reveals that he has recently signed a contract with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent.[14]
- June 7: The Red Sox sign outfielder Neil Chrisley as an amateur free agent.[15]
- June 21: The Red Sox sign amateur free agent Faye Throneberry on a $6000 contract.[16]
Season Standings
| American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 98 | 56 | 0.636 | — | 53–24 | 45–32 |
| Detroit Tigers | 95 | 59 | 0.617 | 3 | 50–30 | 45–29 |
| Boston Red Sox | 94 | 60 | 0.610 | 4 | 55–22 | 39–38 |
| Cleveland Indians | 92 | 62 | 0.597 | 6 | 49–28 | 43–34 |
| Washington Senators | 67 | 87 | 0.435 | 31 | 35–42 | 32–45 |
| Chicago White Sox | 60 | 94 | 0.390 | 38 | 35–42 | 25–52 |
| St. Louis Browns | 58 | 96 | 0.377 | 40 | 27–47 | 31–49 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 52 | 102 | 0.338 | 46 | 29–48 | 23–54 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH | |||||
| Boston | — | 15–7 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 9–13 | 19–3 | 19–3 | 12–10 | |||||
| Chicago | 7–15 | — | 8–14 | 6–16–2 | 8–14 | 11–11 | 12–10 | 8–14 | |||||
| Cleveland | 12–10 | 14–8 | — | 13–9–1 | 8–14 | 17–5 | 13–9 | 15–7 | |||||
| Detroit | 12–10 | 16–6–2 | 9–13–1 | — | 11–11 | 17–5 | 17–5 | 13–9 | |||||
| New York | 13–9 | 14–8 | 14–8 | 11–11 | — | 15–7 | 17–5 | 14–8–1 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 3–19 | 11–11 | 5–17 | 5–17 | 7–15 | — | 8–14 | 13–9 | |||||
| St. Louis | 3–19 | 10–12 | 9–13 | 5–17 | 5–17 | 14–8 | — | 12–10 | |||||
| Washington | 10–12 | 14–8 | 7–15 | 9–13 | 8–14–1 | 9–13 | 10–12 | — | |||||
Opening Day lineup
| 7 | Dom DiMaggio | CF |
| 6 | Johnny Pesky | 3B |
| 9 | Ted Williams | LF |
| 5 | Vern Stephens | SS |
| 2 | Al Zarilla | RF |
| 1 | Bobby Doerr | 2B |
| 10 | Billy Goodman | 1B |
| 14 | Matt Batts | C |
| 17 | Mel Parnell | P |
Roster
| 1950 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders
Other batters
| Manager Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Birdie Tebbetts | 79 | 268 | 83 | .310 | 8 | 45 |
| 1B | Walter Dropo | 136 | 559 | 180 | .322 | 34 | 144 |
| 2B | Bobby Doerr | 149 | 586 | 172 | .294 | 27 | 120 |
| SS | Vern Stephens | 149 | 628 | 185 | .295 | 30 | 144 |
| 3B | Johnny Pesky | 127 | 490 | 153 | .312 | 1 | 49 |
| OF | Al Zarilla | 130 | 471 | 153 | .325 | 9 | 74 |
| OF | Ted Williams | 89 | 334 | 106 | .317 | 28 | 97 |
| OF | Dom DiMaggio | 141 | 588 | 193 | .328 | 7 | 70 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Goodman | 110 | 424 | 150 | .354 | 4 | 68 |
| Matt Batts | 75 | 238 | 65 | .273 | 4 | 34 |
| Clyde Vollmer | 57 | 169 | 48 | .284 | 7 | 37 |
| Tom Wright | 54 | 107 | 34 | .318 | 0 | 20 |
| Buddy Rosar | 27 | 84 | 25 | .298 | 1 | 12 |
| Tommy O'Brien | 9 | 31 | 4 | .129 | 0 | 3 |
| Ken Keltner | 13 | 28 | 9 | .321 | 0 | 2 |
| Lou Stringer | 24 | 17 | 5 | .294 | 0 | 2 |
| Fred Hatfield | 10 | 12 | 3 | .250 | 0 | 2 |
| Jim Piersall | 6 | 11 | 4 | .364 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Maxwell | 3 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Merl Combs | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Scherbarth | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Parnell | 40 | 249.0 | 18 | 10 | 3.61 | 93 |
| Joe Dobson | 39 | 206.2 | 15 | 10 | 4.18 | 81 |
| Chuck Stobbs | 32 | 169.1 | 12 | 7 | 5.10 | 78 |
| Willard Nixon | 22 | 101.1 | 8 | 6 | 6.04 | 57 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Kinder | 48 | 207.0 | 14 | 12 | 4.26 | 95 |
| Mickey McDermott | 38 | 130.0 | 7 | 3 | 5.19 | 96 |
| Walt Masterson | 33 | 129.1 | 8 | 6 | 5.64 | 60 |
| Harry Taylor | 3 | 19.0 | 2 | 0 | 1.42 | 8 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Papai | 16 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6.75 | 19 |
| Dick Littlefield | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9.26 | 13 |
| Charley Schanz | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8.34 | 14 |
| Earl Johnson | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.24 | 6 |
| Jim McDonald | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.79 | 5 |
| Gordie Mueller | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.29 | 1 |
| Jim Suchecki | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 3 |
| James Atkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 |
| Dave Ferriss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 1 |
| Bob Gillespie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.25 | 0 |
| Frank Quinn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 |
| Phil Marchildon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 0 |
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Roanoke, Marion[17]
References
External links
- 1950 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference
- 1950 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com