The1940Philadelphia Phillies season was the 58th season in thehistory of the franchise. The team, managed byDoc Prothro, began their third season atShibe Park and were picked by 73 of 76 writers in the pre-season Associated Press poll of baseball writers to finish last.[1] The Phillies lost 103 games and finished last, 50 games behind thepennant-winningCincinnati Reds.
In March 1940, the Phillies, along with theSt. Louis Browns andBoston Bees were made outstanding offers of $5,000,000 by attorneyRichard Cantillon for one of the teams to move its franchise toLos Angeles. Phillies ownerGerald Nugent quickly dismissed the possibility of the Phillies considering the move.[2]
The 1940 season was the 25th anniversary of the team's 1915 National League pennant, the Phillies' lone to date. Gerry Nugent announced in April 1940 that the organization would welcome back the players from the 1915 team to celebrate the anniversary.[3]
^[a]The original schedule indicated single games on June 2 and 3 and July 18 and 19 at St. Louis[50] which became double-headers on June 2[51] and July 19.[52]
^[b]The second game of a scheduled double-header on June 9, 1940, ended after eight innings due to the Pennsylvania Sunday curfew law[53] with the score 5–11.[54]
^[c]The St. Louis Cardinals turned a double-play in the second game on July 19, 1940.[55] Contemporary newspaper accounts,[56] as well as Retrosheet,[55] indicate that the Phillies protested the game, but Baseball-Reference.com does not indicate that an official protest had occurred.[57]
^[d]The original schedule indicated single games on August 9 and 11 with New York[50] which became a double-header on August 11.[58]
^[e]The original schedule indicated single games on September 20 and 22 at Brooklyn[50] which became a double-header on September 22.[59]
^[f]The original schedule indicated single games on September 23 and 24 at Boston[50] which became a double-header on September 23.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. July 3, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedOctober 8, 2019.Boston at Philadelphia called at end of third, account of rain.
^"Bees 8, Phils 3".Meriden Record. Meriden, CT.Associated Press (AP). July 4, 1940. p. 4. RetrievedOctober 8, 2019.The second game of a scheduled doubleheader was called at the end of the third on account of rain. Neither team had scored.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. August 13, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedOctober 28, 2019.Called account of rain end of first.
^"Rain Foils Dodgers".The Windsor Daily Star. Windsor, ON. August 14, 1940. p. 3 (Section 2). RetrievedOctober 28, 2019.The Brooklyn Dodgers-Philadelphia Phillies game was stopped in the second inning by rain yesterday with the Dodgers ahead, 3 to 0. The game will be played today as part of a double-header.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. August 17, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedOctober 7, 2019.
^"Majors At A Glance".The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. August 28, 1940. p. 25. RetrievedNovember 24, 2019.
^"Majors At A Glance".The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. August 30, 1940. p. 33. RetrievedNovember 11, 2019.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. June 3, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedOctober 27, 2019.Philadelphia at St. Louis, played former date.
^"Majors At A Glance".The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. July 19, 1940. p. 28. RetrievedOctober 27, 2019.
^"Cubs Grab Pair With 27-Hit Attack; Pirates, Phils Divide".The Windsor Daily Star. Windsor, ON. June 10, 1940. p. 4 (Section 2). RetrievedOctober 21, 2019.The game was called at the end of the eighth because of the 6 o'clock Sunday law.
^"Play-by-Play on Pirate-Philly Double Bill".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. June 10, 1940. p. 20. RetrievedOctober 21, 2019.The game was called at this time to comply with the Sunday baseball law.
^ab"St. Louis Cardinals 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3 (2)".retrosheet.org. July 19, 1940. RetrievedNovember 16, 2019.[Heinie] Mueller was apparently forced at 2nd and started to leave field; however, umpires ruled that 2bman[Joe] Orengo had missed the base; Orengo threw wildly to 1st trying to get the batter;[Johnny] Rizzo was called out for passing Mueller as Mueller was leaving field; Cardinals then tagged out Mueller; play was ruled a double play, Orengo [w]as charged with error for dropping throw and Phillies played rest of game under protest, which was disallowed[.]
^"Cards Twice Beat Quakers: Take First Game, 3-to-2, Second, 5-to-3".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA.Associated Press (AP). July 20, 1940. p. 12. RetrievedNovember 16, 2019.ManagerDoc Prothro announced he was continuing play under protest after a freak play in the fourth.Dutch Mueller singled.[Johnny] Rizzo hit toJimmy Brown and Mueller beat the throw to[Joe] Orengo at second. Orengo threw wild to first, and Rizzo reached second. But Mueller thought he had been called out and started for the dugout as Rizzo passed him. Orengo then tagged Mueller, the Cards claimed Rizzo was out for passing Mueller and the umpire upheld them.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. August 9, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedNovember 23, 2019.New York at Philadelphia will be played as part of double header Aug. 11.
^"Today's Results".Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. September 20, 1940. p. 1 (Final). RetrievedNovember 23, 2019.Philadelphia at Brooklyn will be played as part of a double header Sept. 22.
^Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed.,The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. RetrievedDecember 17, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
