1946 Boston Braves season

{{Infobox baseball team season

| name = Boston Braves

| season = 1946

| misc =

| league = National League

| ballpark = Braves Field

| city = Boston, Massachusetts

| record = 81–72 (.529)

| league_place = 4th

| owners = Louis R. Perini

| general_managers = John J. Quinn

| managers = Billy Southworth

| television =

| radio = WNAC
(Jim Britt, Tom Hussey)

|}}

The 1946 Boston Braves season was the 76th in the history of the Major League Baseball franchise, and its 71st season as a charter member of the National League. In finishing 81–72 (.529) and in fourth place, the Braves enjoyed their most successful year since 1933, and signaled the post-World War II renaissance of the franchise under its new ownership group, headed by Louis R. Perini, and its Baseball Hall of Fame manager, Billy Southworth, in his first year at the Boston helm after departing the St. Louis Cardinals. The 1946 team set a new club record for attendance, with 969,373 paying fans passing through Braves Field's turnstiles; it would break that record in {{mlby|1947}}.

Regular season

The Braves' home schedule began on an inauspicious note April 16. Perini and his partners had invested $500,000 in refurbishing Braves Field, lowering the playing surface to improve sight lines, installing lights for night baseball, and applying a fresh coat of green paint to the wooden grandstands. But colder than expected April weather foiled their plans. The club's home opener, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, attracted 19,482 fans, who witnessed a 5–3 Boston victory. However, some 13,000 of those fans were dismayed to discover that their clothing was smeared with green paint, still wet, from their grandstand seats.[https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-16-1946-the-wearing-of-the-green-at-braves-opening-day/ Brady, Bob, April 16, 1946: The 'wearing of the green' at Braves' Opening Day,] Society for American Baseball Research The seats eventually dried out, as the Braves went on an early-season road trip punctuated by a Sunday doubleheader played at Fenway Park, home of the American League Red Sox.

On the other hand, the first-ever MLB night game to be played in the city of Boston, on May 11 against the New York Giants, was an off-field success. The contest, on a Saturday night, drew 37,407 fans to Braves Field—the team's largest crowd since 1933—with the home side sporting satin uniforms, specially designed to glow under the arc lights of night baseball.[https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-11-1946-braves-field-hosts-its-first-game-under-the-lights/ Wisnia, Saul, May 11, 1946: Braves Field hosts its first game under the lights,] Society for American Baseball Research On the field, however, the Giants' Monte Kennedy outpitched Boston's Johnny Sain, 5–1.Retrosheet [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B05110BSN1946.htm box score (11 May 1946): "New York Giants 5, Boston Braves 1"]

Despite his May 11 setback, Sain was the Braves' leading pitcher, winning 20 games and posting a superb 2.21 earned run average, second-best in the National League. Although a poor May and June doomed their pennant chances, a strong 36–23 mark during August and September enabled the Braves to claim the final spot in the first division, only one game out of third place.

= Season standings =

= Record vs. opponents =

= Roster =

colspan="10" style="background-color: #0f437c; color: white; text-align: center;" \| 1946 Boston Braves
class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"
colspan="10" style="background-color: #af0039; color: white; text-align: center;" \| Roster
valign="top" \| Pitchers {{MLBplayer\|19\|Frank Barrett}} {{MLBplayer\|13\|Mort Cooper}} {{MLBplayer\|35\|Don Hendrickson}} {{MLBplayer\|17\|Johnny Hutchings}} {{MLBplayer\|21\|Al Javery}} {{MLBplayer\|34,36\|Si Johnson}} {{MLBplayer\|38\|Jim Konstanty}} {{MLBplayer\|26\|Bill Lee}} {{MLBplayer
-\|Dick Mulligan}} {{MLBplayer\|32\|Johnny Niggeling}} {{MLBplayer\|25\|Bill Posedel}} {{MLBplayer\|22\|Earl Reid}} {{MLBplayer\|17\|Steve Roser}} {{MLBplayer\|33\|Johnny Sain}} {{MLBplayer\|15\|Elmer Singleton}} {{MLBplayer\|21\|Warren Spahn}} {{MLBplayer\|19,34\|Lefty Wallace}} {{MLBplayer\|18\|Ernie White}} {{MLBplayer\|23\|Ace Williams}} {{MLBplayer\|16\|Ed Wright}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Catchers {{MLBplayer\|15\|Bob Brady}} {{MLBplayer\|27\|Stew Hofferth}} {{MLBplayer\|10\|Phil Masi}} {{MLBplayer\|27\|Ken O'Dea}} {{MLBplayer\| 6\|Don Padgett}} {{MLBplayer\|18\|Hugh Poland}} Infielders {{MLBplayer\|14\|Dick Culler}} {{MLBplayer\|23\|Alvin Dark}} {{MLBplayer\|11\|Nanny Fernandez}} {{MLBplayer\|20\|Billy Herman}} {{MLBplayer\|12\|Johnny Hopp}} {{MLBplayer\| 3\|Johnny McCarthy}} {{MLBplayer\|20\|Skippy Roberge}} {{MLBplayer\| 8\|Connie Ryan}} {{MLBplayer\|4,5,37\|Ray Sanders}} {{MLBplayer\| 2\|Sibby Sisti}} {{MLBplayer\| 4\|Max West}} {{MLBplayer\| 7\|Whitey Wietelmann}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Outfielders {{MLBplayer\| 2\|Johnny Barrett}} {{MLBplayer\|24\|Carden Gillenwater}} {{MLBplayer\| 1\|Tommy Holmes}} {{MLBplayer\|22\|Danny Litwhiler}} {{MLBplayer\|31\|Mike McCormick}} {{MLBplayer\| 3\|Tommy Neill}} {{MLBplayer\|4,5\|Bama Rowell}} {{MLBplayer\| 6\|Chuck Workman}} Other batters {{MLBplayer\|32\|Ducky Detweiler}} {{MLBplayer
-\|Dee Phillips}} \| width="25px" \| \| valign="top" \| Manager {{MLBplayer\|30\|Billy Southworth}} Coaches {{MLBplayer\|28\|Johnny Cooney}} {{MLBplayer\|29\|Jake Flowers}} {{MLBplayer\| 9\|Bob Keely}}

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

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" \| Pos ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| AB ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| H ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| Avg. ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| HR ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| C	Phil Masi	133	397	106	.267	3	62
align="center" \| 1B	Ray Sanders	80	259	63	.243	6	35
align="center" \| 2B	Connie Ryan	143	502	121	.241	1	48
align="center" \| SS	Dick Culler	134	482	123	.255	0	33
align="center" \| 3B	{{sortname\|Nanny\|Fernandez}}	115	372	95	.255	2	42
align="center" \| OF	Carden Gillenwater	99	224	51	.228	1	14
align="center" \| OF	Bama Rowell	95	293	82	.280	3	31
align="center" \| OF	Tommy Holmes	149	568	176	.310	6	79

{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BSN/1946.shtml|title=1946 Boston Braves Batting and Pitching Statistics|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date= January 1, 2021}}

== Other batters ==

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| AB ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| H ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| Avg. ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| HR ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| RBI
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| Johnny Hopp	129	445	148	.333	3	48
align="center" \| Billy Herman	75	252	77	.306	3	22
align="center" \| Danny Litwhiler	79	247	72	.291	8	38
align="center" \| Skippy Roberge	48	169	39	.231	2	20
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Mike\|McCormick\|Mike McCormick (outfielder)}}	59	164	43	.262	1	16
align="center" \| Don Padgett	44	98	25	.255	2	21
align="center" \| Whitey Wietelmann	44	78	16	.205	0	5
align="center" \| Stew Hofferth	20	58	12	.207	0	10
align="center" \| Chuck Workman	25	48	8	.167	2	7
align="center" \| Tommy Neill	13	45	12	.267	0	7
align="center" \| Johnny Barrett	24	43	10	.233	0	6
align="center" \| Ken O'Dea	12	32	7	.219	0	2
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Alvin\|Dark}}	15	13	3	.231	0	1
align="center" \| Johnny McCarthy	2	7	1	.143	0	1
align="center" \| Hugh Poland	4	6	1	.167	0	0
align="center" \| Bob Brady	3	5	1	.200	0	0
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Dee\|Phillips}}	2	2	1	.500	0	0
align="center" \| Ducky Detweiler	1	1	0	.000	0	0
align="center" \| Max West	1	1	0	.000	0	0
align="center" \| Sibby Sisti	1	0	0	----	0	0
align="center"

= Pitching =

== Starting pitchers ==

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| IP ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| Johnny Sain	37	265.0	20	14	2.21	129
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Mort\|Cooper}}	28	199.0	13	11	3.12	83
align="center" \| {{sortname\|Bill\|Lee\|Bill Lee (right-handed pitcher)}}	25	140.0	10	9	4.18	32
align="center" \| Warren Spahn	24	125.2	8	5	2.94	67
align="center" \| Johnny Niggeling	8	58.0	2	5	3.26	24
align="center" \| Johnny Hutchings	1	3.0	0	1	9.00	1

== Other pitchers ==

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| IP ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| Ed Wright	36	176.1	12	9	3.52	44
align="center" \| Si Johnson	28	127.0	6	5	2.76	41
align="center" \| Lefty Wallace	27	75.1	3	3	4.18	27
align="center" \| Al Javery	2	3.1	0	1	13.50	0

== Relief pitchers ==

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" \| Player ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| G ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| W ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| L ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SV ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| ERA ! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" \| SO
class="wikitable sortable"
align="center" \| Bill Posedel	19	2	0	4	6.99	9
align=center \| {{sortname\|Frank\|Barrett\|Frank Barrett (baseball)}}	23	2	4	1	5.09	12
align="center" \| Elmer Singleton	15	0	1	1	3.74	17
align="center" \| Steve Roser	14	1	1	1	3.60	18
align="center" \| Ernie White	12	0	1	0	4.18	8
align="center" \| Jim Konstanty	10	0	1	0	5.28	9
align="center" \| Dick Mulligan	4	1	0	0	2.35	4
align="center" \| Whitey Wietelmann	3	0	0	0	8.10	2
align="center" \| Earl Reid	2	1	0	0	3.00	2
align="center" \| Don Hendrickson	2	0	1	0	4.50	2
align="center" \| Ace Williams	1	0	0	0	----	0

Farm system

{{MLB Farm System|level7=AAA|team7=Indianapolis Indians|league7=American Association|manager7=Bill Burwell

|level8=AAA|team8=Seattle Rainiers|league8=Pacific Coast League|manager8=Bill Skiff and Jo-Jo White

|level9=A|team9=Hartford Chiefs|league9=Eastern League|manager9=Dutch Dorman

|level10=B|team10=Evansville Braves|league10=Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League|manager10=Bob Coleman

|level11=B|team11=Pawtucket Slaters|league11=New England League|manager11=Hughie Wise

|level12=B|team12=Jackson Senators|league12=Southeastern League|manager12=Travis Jackson

|level13=B|team13=Vancouver Capilanos|league13=Western International League|manager13=Syl Johnson and Eddie Carnett

|level14=C|team14=Raleigh Capitals|league14=Carolina League|manager14=Charles Carroll and Ray Thomas

|level15=C|team15=Miami Beach Flamingos|league15=Florida International League|manager15=Max Rosenfeld

|level16=C|team16=Leavenworth Braves|league16=Western Association|manager16=Charles Carman

|level17=D|team17=Bluefield Blue-Grays|league17=Appalachian League|manager17=Walt DeFreitas and Bud Clancy

|level18=D|team18=Owensboro Oilers|league18=KITTY League|manager18=Earl Browne

|level19=D|team19=Mahanoy City Bluebirds|league19=North Atlantic League|manager19=Buck Boyle and Charles Dugan

|level20=D|team20=Richmond Roses|league20=Ohio State League|manager20=Merle Settlemire

}}LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Evansville, Raleigh, OwensboroJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997

Notes

References

[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BSN/1946.shtml 1946 Boston Braves at Baseball Reference]

Category:Boston Braves seasons

Boston Braves

Category:1940s in Boston