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1941 Major League Baseball season

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

{{MLBseason|year=1941}}

{{Infobox sports season

| title = 1941 MLB season

| league = American League (AL)
National League (NL)

| sport = Baseball

| duration = Regular season:{{Bulleted list

| {{nowrap|April 14 – September 28, 1941 (AL)}}

| {{nowrap|April 15 – September 28, 1941 (NL)}}}}World Series:{{Bulleted list

| {{nowrap|October 1–6, 1941}}}}

| no_of_games = 154

| no_of_teams = 16 (8 per league)

| season = Regular season

| season_champs =

| MVP = AL: Joe DiMaggio (NYY)
NL: Dolph Camilli (BKN)

| MVP_link = Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award

| conf1 = AL

| conf1_link =

| conf1_champ = New York Yankees

| conf1_runner-up = Boston Red Sox

| conf2 = NL

| conf2_link =

| conf2_champ = Brooklyn Dodgers

| conf2_runner-up = St. Louis Cardinals

| finals = World Series

| finals_link = 1941 World Series

| finals_champ = New York Yankees

| finals_runner-up = Brooklyn Dodgers

| seasonslist = List of MLB seasons

| seasonslistnames = MLB

| prevseason_link = 1940 Major League Baseball season

| prevseason_year = 1940

| nextseason_link = 1942 Major League Baseball season

| nextseason_year = 1942

}}

{{MLB Team Maps (1941)}}

File:Walt_Judnich_1941.jpeg, circa 1941]]

The 1941 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1941. The regular season ended on September 28, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 38th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 5 on October 6. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to one, capturing their ninth championship in franchise history, since their previous in {{mlby|1939}}. This was the first Subway Series World Series to feature the Dodgers (the previous five featured the New York Giants). Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Cincinnati Reds from the {{mlby|1940}} season.

The ninth Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 8 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, home of the Detroit Tigers. The American League won, 7–5.

In addition to a five-game World Series between New York City teams, highlights of the season included Ted Williams batting .406, and Joe DiMaggio having a 56-game hitting streak; it has been called the "best baseball season ever".{{cite book |title=Baseball in '41: A Celebration of the "Best Baseball Season Ever" |first=Robert |last=Creamer |author-link=Robert Creamer |date=1991 |publisher=Viking Press |isbn=0670833746 |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballin4100crea }}

Schedule

{{See also|Major League Baseball schedule}}

The 1941 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the {{mlby|1904}} season (except for {{mlby|1919}}) and would be used until {{mlby|1961}} in the American League and {{mlby|1962}} in the National League.

American League Opening Day took place on April 14 with a game between the New York Yankees and Washington Senators, while National League Opening Day took place on the following day, featuring all eight teams. This was the first season since {{mlby|1939}} that both leagues opened on different days. The final day of the regular season was on September 28 and featured all sixteen teams, continuing the trend since the previous season. The World Series took place between October 1 and October 6.

Teams

An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" |League

! scope="col" |Team

! scope="col" |City

! scope="col" |Stadium

! scope="col" |Capacity

! scope="col" |Manager{{Cite web |title=1941 Major League Managers |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1941-managers.shtml |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

rowspan="10" style="{{Baseball primary style|American League}};" |{{Baseball secondary link|American League|American League}}

! scope="row" |Boston Red Sox

|Boston, Massachusetts

|Fenway Park

|35,000

|{{sortname|Joe|Cronin}}

scope="row" |Chicago White Sox

|Chicago, Illinois

|Comiskey Park

|50,000

|{{sortname|Jimmy|Dykes}}

rowspan="2" scope="row" |Cleveland Indians

| rowspan="2" |Cleveland, Ohio

|League Park

|22,500

| rowspan="2" |{{sortname|Roger|Peckinpaugh}}

Cleveland Stadium*

|78,811*

scope="row" |Detroit Tigers

|Detroit, Michigan

|Briggs Stadium

|58,000

|{{sortname|Del|Baker}}

scope="row" |New York Yankees

|New York, New York

|Yankee Stadium

|71,699

|{{sortname|Joe|McCarthy|dab=manager}}

scope="row" |Philadelphia Athletics

|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

|Shibe Park

|33,000

|{{sortname|Connie|Mack}}

rowspan="2" scope="row" |St. Louis Browns

| rowspan="2" |St. Louis, Missouri

| rowspan="2" |Sportsman's Park

| rowspan="2" |34,023

|{{sortname|Fred|Haney}}

{{sortname|Luke|Sewell}}
scope="row" |Washington Senators

|Washington, D.C.

|Griffith Stadium

|32,000

|{{sortname|Bucky|Harris}}

rowspan="8" style="{{Baseball primary style|National League}};" |{{Baseball secondary link|National League|National League (baseball)|National League}}

! scope="row" |Boston Braves

|Boston, Massachusetts

|National League Park

|37,746

|{{sortname|Casey|Stengel}}

scope="row" |Brooklyn Dodgers

|New York, New York

|Ebbets Field

|35,000

|{{sortname|Leo|Durocher}}

scope="row" |Chicago Cubs

|Chicago, Illinois

|Wrigley Field

|38,396

|{{sortname|Jimmie|Wilson|dab=baseball}}

scope="row" |Cincinnati Reds

|Cincinnati, Ohio

|Crosley Field

|29,401

|{{sortname|Bill|McKechnie}}

scope="row" |New York Giants

|New York, New York

|Polo Grounds

|56,000

|{{sortname|Bill|Terry}}

scope="row" |Philadelphia Phillies

|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

|Shibe Park

|33,000

|{{sortname|Doc|Prothro}}

scope="row" |Pittsburgh Pirates

|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

|Forbes Field

|33,537

|{{sortname|Frankie|Frisch}}

scope="row" |St. Louis Cardinals

|St. Louis, Missouri

|Sportsman's Park

|34,023

|{{sortname|Billy|Southworth}}

Standings

{{Flexbox wrap|start}}

=American League=

{{1941 American League standings|highlight=New York Yankees}}

{{Flexbox wrap|break}}

=National League=

{{1941 National League standings|highlight=Brooklyn Dodgers}}

{{Flexbox wrap|end}}

Postseason

The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 6 with the New York Yankees defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1941 World Series in five games.

=Bracket=

{{2TeamBracket

| RD1=World Series

| RD1-seed1=AL

| RD1-team1=New York Yankees

| RD1-score1=4

| RD1-seed2=NL

| RD1-team2=Brooklyn Dodgers

| RD1-score2=1

}}

Managerial changes

=Off-season=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Team

! Former Manager

! New Manager

scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |Chicago Cubs

| Gabby Hartnett

| Jimmie Wilson

scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |Cleveland Indians

| Ossie Vitt

| Roger Peckinpaugh

=In-season=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Team

! Former Manager

! New Manager

scope="row" style="text-align:center;" |St. Louis Browns

| Fred Haney

| Luke Sewell

League leaders

=American League=

{{Flexbox wrap|start}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Hitting leaders{{Cite web |title=1941 American League Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1941-batting-leaders.shtml |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

! style="width:15%;" |Stat

! Player

! style="width:15%;" |Total

AVG

| Ted Williams (BRS)

| .406

OPS

| Ted Williams (BRS)

| 1.287

HR

| Ted Williams (BRS)

| 37

RBI

| Joe DiMaggio (NYY)

| 125

R

| Ted Williams (BRS)

| 135

H

| Cecil Travis (WSH)

| 218

SB

| George Case (WSH)

| 33

{{Flexbox wrap|break}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Pitching leaders{{Cite web |title=1941 American League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1941-pitching-leaders.shtml |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

! style="width:15%;" |Stat

! Player

! style="width:15%;" |Total

W

| Bob Feller (CLE)

| 25

L

| Bobo Newsom (DET)

| 20

ERA

| Thornton Lee (CWS)

| 2.37

K

| Bob Feller (CLE)

| 260

IP

| Bob Feller (CLE)

| 343.0

SV

| Johnny Murphy (NYY)

| 15

WHIP

| Thornton Lee (CWS)

| 1.165

{{Flexbox wrap|end}}

=National League=

{{Flexbox wrap|start}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Hitting leaders{{Cite web |title=1941 National League Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1941-batting-leaders.shtml |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

! style="width:15%;" |Stat

! Player

! style="width:15%;" |Total

AVG

| Pete Reiser (BKN)

| .343

OPS

| Pete Reiser (BKN)

| .964

HR

| Dolph Camilli (BKN)

| 34

RBI

| Dolph Camilli (BKN)

| 120

R

| Pete Reiser (BKN)

| 117

H

| Stan Hack (CHC)

| 186

SB

| Danny Murtaugh (PHP)

| 18

{{Flexbox wrap|break}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Pitching leaders{{Cite web |title=1941 National League Pitching Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1941-pitching-leaders.shtml |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

! style="width:15%;" |Stat

! Player

! style="width:15%;" |Total

W

| Kirby Higbe (BKN)
Whit Wyatt (BKN)

| 22

L

| Rip Sewell (PIT)

| 17

ERA

| Elmer Riddle (CIN)

| 2.24

K

| Johnny Vander Meer (CIN)

| 202

IP

| Bucky Walters (CIN)

| 305.0

SV

| Jumbo Brown (NYG)

| 8

WHIP

| Whit Wyatt (BKN)

| 1.058

{{Flexbox wrap|end}}

Awards and honors

=Regular season=

class="wikitable"
colspan="3"|Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award

!National League

!American League

Most Valuable Player

| Dolph Camilli (BKN)

| Joe DiMaggio (NYY)

=Other awards=

class="wikitable"
colspan="3" |The Sporting News Awards
Award

! National League

! American League

Most Valuable Player{{Cite web |title=Most Valuable Player Award by The Sporting News {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snmv.shtml |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}

| Dolph Camilli (BKN)

| Joe DiMaggio (NYY)

Player of the Year{{Cite web |title=Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snml.shtml |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}

| —

| Ted Williams (BRS)

Manager of the Year{{Cite web |title=Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snmy.shtml |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}

| Billy Southworth (SLC)

| —

Executive of the Year{{Cite web |title=MLB Executive of the Year Award {{!}} Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_sney.shtml |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}

| —

| Ed Barrow (NYY)

Home field attendance

class="wikitable sortable"
style="text-align:center; font-size:larger;"
Team name

!Wins

!{{abbr|%±|Percent change}}

!Home attendance

!{{abbr|%±|Percent change}}

!{{abbr|Per game|Average home attendance per game}}

Brooklyn Dodgers{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/attend.shtml|title=Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|100

|13.6%

|1,214,910

|24.5%

|15,379

New York Yankees{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYY/attend.shtml|title=New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|101

|14.8%

|964,722

| −2.5%

|12,368

New York Giants{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/attend.shtml|title=San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|74

|2.8%

|763,098

|2.0%

|9,783

Cleveland Indians{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/attend.shtml|title=Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|75

| −15.7%

|745,948

| −17.4%

|9,688

Boston Red Sox{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/attend.shtml|title=Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|84

|2.4%

|718,497

|0.3%

|9,331

Detroit Tigers{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/attend.shtml|title=Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|75

| −16.7%

|684,915

| −38.4%

|8,895

Chicago White Sox{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/attend.shtml|title=Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|77

| −6.1%

|677,077

|2.5%

|8,571

Cincinnati Reds{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/attend.shtml|title=Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|88

| −12.0%

|643,513

| −24.3%

|8,146

St. Louis Cardinals{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/attend.shtml|title=St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|97

|15.5%

|633,645

|95.5%

|8,021

Chicago Cubs{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/attend.shtml|title=Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|70

| −6.7%

|545,159

|1.9%

|7,080

Philadelphia Athletics{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/attend.shtml|title=Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|64

|18.5%

|528,894

|22.4%

|6,869

Pittsburgh Pirates{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/attend.shtml|title=Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|81

|3.8%

|482,241

| −5.1%

|6,183

Washington Senators{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/attend.shtml|title=Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|70

|9.4%

|415,663

|9.0%

|5,329

Boston Braves{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/attend.shtml|title=Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|62

| −4.6%

|263,680

|9.1%

|3,469

Philadelphia Phillies{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/attend.shtml|title=Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|43

| −14.0%

|231,401

|11.7%

|3,045

St. Louis Browns{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/attend.shtml|title=Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors|access-date=September 8, 2020|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com}}

|70

|4.5%

|176,240

| −26.4%

|2,231

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |title=Baseball and Other Matters in 1941 |first=Robert |last=Creamer |author-link=Robert Creamer |date=2000 |publisher=Bison Books |isbn=0803264062 }}
  • {{cite news |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/the-story-of-the-los-angeles-browns-changed-baseball-forever |title=The L.A. Browns? How one day in '41 changed MLB |first=Mike |last=Petriello |website=MLB.com |date=December 25, 2020 |accessdate=May 8, 2021 |quote=And so, the vote was scheduled. It was to take place in Chicago on the morning of Monday, Dec. 8, 1941.}}
  • {{cite book |title=1941--The Greatest Year In Sports: Two Baseball Legends, Two Boxing Champs, and the Unstoppable Thoroughbred Who Made History in the Shadow of War |first=Mike |last=Vaccaro |author-link=Mike Vaccaro |date=2007 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0385517959 |url=https://archive.org/details/1941thegreatesty00vacc }}

External links

  • [https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/1941-schedule.shtml 1941 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference]

{{1941 MLB season by team}}

{{MLB seasons}}

Category:Major League Baseball seasons