| 1948 New York Yankees | |
|---|---|
| League | American League |
| Ballpark | Yankee Stadium |
| City | New York City |
| Record | 94–60 (.610) |
| League place | 3rd |
| Owners | Dan Topping andDel Webb |
| General managers | George Weiss |
| Managers | Bucky Harris |
| Television | WABD (Mel Allen,Russ Hodges, Bill Slater) |
| Radio | WINS (AM) (Mel Allen,Russ Hodges) |
The 1948New York Yankees season was the team's 46th season. The team finished with a record of 94–60, finishing 2.5 games behind theCleveland Indians and 1.5 games behind the second-placeBoston Red Sox. New York was managed byBucky Harris. The Yankees played their home games atYankee Stadium.
The fractional games-behind came about due to the frenzied pennant race, which saw the Yankees, Red Sox and Indians all battling it out to the end. The Yankees fell just a little short, and the Red Sox and Indians finished in a tie for first at 96–58. They held a one-game playoff, which counted as part of the regular season, so the Indians' victory raised their record to 97–58, and dropped the Red Sox to 96–59.
The Yankees did not renew Bucky Harris' contract after the season, opting instead to hireCasey Stengel starting in 1949. This move raised some eyebrows, but Stengel had just led theOakland Oaks to thePacific Coast League pennant in 1948, demonstrating that with good talent, he had a good chance to succeed. The Yankees were about to begin the most dominating stretch of their long dynasty.
On July 26, 1948,Babe Ruth attended the premiere of the filmThe Babe Ruth Story, a biopic about his life.William Bendix portrayed Ruth. Shortly thereafter, Ruth returned to the hospital for the final time. He was barely able to speak. Ruth's condition gradually became worse, and in his last days, scores of reporters and photographers hovered around the hospital. Only a few visitors were allowed to see him, one of whom wasNational League president and futureCommissioner of Baseball,Ford Frick. "Ruth was so thin it was unbelievable. He had been such a big man and his arms were just skinny little bones, and his face was so haggard," Frick said years later.
On August 16, the day after Frick's visit, Babe Ruth died at age 53. His body layin repose in Yankee Stadium.Babe Ruth's funeral was two days later atSt. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. Ruth was then buried in theCemetery of the Gate of Heaven inHawthorne, New York.[1] The procession ended atGate of Heaven Cemetery where 6,000 people came witness Ruth's gravesite. His casket was covered with a blanket of roses and orchids.[2]
At his death, the New YorkTimes called Babe Ruth, "a figure unprecedented in American life. A born showman off the field and a marvelous performer on it, he had an amazing flair for doing the spectacular at the most dramatic moment."[3]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 97 | 58 | .626 | — | 48–30 | 49–28 |
| Boston Red Sox | 96 | 59 | .619 | 1 | 55–23 | 41–36 |
| New York Yankees | 94 | 60 | .610 | 2½ | 50–27 | 44–33 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 84 | 70 | .545 | 12½ | 36–41 | 48–29 |
| Detroit Tigers | 78 | 76 | .506 | 18½ | 39–38 | 39–38 |
| St. Louis Browns | 59 | 94 | .386 | 37 | 34–42 | 25–52 |
| Washington Senators | 56 | 97 | .366 | 40 | 29–48 | 27–49 |
| Chicago White Sox | 51 | 101 | .336 | 44½ | 27–48 | 24–53 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH | |||||
| Boston | — | 14–8 | 11–12 | 15–7 | 14–8 | 12–10 | 15–7 | 15–7 | |||||
| Chicago | 8–14 | — | 6–16 | 8–14 | 6–16 | 6–16 | 8–13–1 | 9–12–1 | |||||
| Cleveland | 12–11 | 16–6 | — | 13–9 | 10–12 | 16–6 | 14–8–1 | 16–6 | |||||
| Detroit | 7–15 | 14–8 | 9–13 | — | 9–13 | 12–10 | 11–11 | 16–6 | |||||
| New York | 8–14 | 16–6 | 12–10 | 13–9 | — | 12–10 | 16–6 | 17–5 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 10–12 | 16–6 | 6–16 | 10–12 | 10–12 | — | 18–4 | 14–8 | |||||
| St. Louis | 7–15 | 13–8–1 | 8–14–1 | 11–11 | 6–16 | 4–18 | — | 10–12 | |||||
| Washington | 7–15 | 12–9–1 | 6–16 | 6–16 | 5–17 | 8–14 | 12–10 | — | |||||
| 1948 New York Yankees | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders Other batters | Manager Coaches | ||||||
| = Indicates team leader |
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 | Gus Niarhos | 82 | 228 | 61 | .268 | 0 | 19 |
| 1B | George McQuinn | 94 | 302 | 75 | .248 | 11 | 41 |
| 2B | Snuffy Stirnweiss | 141 | 515 | 130 | .252 | 3 | 32 |
| 3B | Billy Johnson | 127 | 446 | 131 | .294 | 12 | 64 |
| SS | Phil Rizzuto | 128 | 464 | 117 | .252 | 6 | 50 |
| OF | Joe DiMaggio | 153 | 594 | 190 | .320 | 39 | 155 |
| OF | Johnny Lindell | 88 | 309 | 138 | .317 | 13 | 55 |
| OF | Tommy Henrich | 146 | 598 | 181 | .308 | 25 | 100 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yogi Berra | 125 | 469 | 143 | .305 | 14 | 98 |
| Bobby Brown | 113 | 363 | 109 | .300 | 3 | 48 |
| Charlie Keller | 83 | 247 | 66 | .267 | 6 | 44 |
| Steve Souchock | 44 | 118 | 24 | .203 | 3 | 11 |
| Cliff Mapes | 53 | 88 | 22 | .250 | 1 | 12 |
| Hank Bauer | 19 | 50 | 9 | .180 | 1 | 9 |
| Sherm Lollar | 22 | 38 | 8 | .211 | 0 | 4 |
| Ralph Houk | 14 | 29 | 8 | .276 | 0 | 3 |
| Charlie Silvera | 4 | 14 | 8 | .571 | 0 | 1 |
| Frankie Crosetti | 17 | 14 | 4 | .286 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Collins | 5 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 2 |
| Bud Stewart | 6 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Phillips | 1 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Lonny Frey | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allie Reynolds | 39 | 236.1 | 16 | 7 | 3.77 | 101 |
| Eddie Lopat | 33 | 226.2 | 17 | 11 | 3.65 | 83 |
| Vic Raschi | 36 | 222.2 | 19 | 8 | 3.84 | 124 |
| Spec Shea | 28 | 155.2 | 9 | 10 | 3.41 | 71 |
| Bob Porterfield | 16 | 78.0 | 5 | 3 | 4.50 | 30 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Byrne | 31 | 133.2 | 8 | 5 | 3.30 | 101 |
| Red Embree | 20 | 76.2 | 5 | 3 | 3.76 | 25 |
| Frank Hiller | 22 | 62.1 | 5 | 2 | 4.04 | 25 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Page | 55 | 107.2 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 4.26 | 77 |
| Karl Drews | 19 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3.79 | 11 |
| Randy Gumpert | 15 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.88 | 12 |
| Dick Starr | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 2 |
| Cuddles Marshall | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
Probably nowhere in all the imaginative field of fiction could one find a career more dramatic and bizarre than that portrayed in real life by George Herman Ruth. Known the world over, even in foreign lands where baseball is never played, as the Babe, he was the boy who rose from the obscurity of a charitable institution in Baltimore to a position as the leading figure in professional baseball. He was also its greatest drawing-card, its highest salaried performer—at least of his day—and the idol of millions of youngsters throughout the land.