1954 IN BASEBALL



Contents
Champions
Major League Baseball
Other champions
Awards and honors
Statistical Leaders
Major League Baseball final standings
American League final standings
National League final standings
Events
January-March
April-June
July-September
October-December
Movies
Births
Deaths

Champions


Major League Baseball


World Series: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians (4-0)

All-Star Game, July 13 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 11-9
Other champions


Caribbean World Series: Caguas Creoles [Criollos de Caguas] (Puerto Rico)

College World Series: Missouri

Japan Series: Chunichi Dragons over Nishitetsu Lions (4-3)

Little League World Series: National, Schenectady, New York

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Kalamazoo Lassies

Awards and honors



MLB Most Valuable Player Award


Yogi Berra, New York Yankees, C


Willie Mays, New York Giants, OF

MLB Rookie of the Year Award


Bob Grim, New York Yankees, P


Wally Moon, St. Louis Cardinals, OF

The Sporting News Player of the Year Award


Willie Mays New York Giants

The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award


Bob Lemon Cleveland Indians


Johnny Antonelli New York Giants

The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award


Leo Durocher New York Giants

Statistical Leaders


  'American League' 'National League'
Type Name Stat Name Stat
AVG Bobby Avila CLE .341 Willie Mays NYG .345
HR Larry Doby CLE 32 Ted Kluszewski CIN 49
RBI Larry Doby CLE 126Ted Kluszewski CIN 141
Wins Bob Lemon CLE &
Early Wynn CLE
23 Robin Roberts PHI 23
ERA Mike Garcia CLE 2.64 Johnny Antonelli SFG 2.30

Major League Baseball final standings


American League final standings

'American League'
'Club' 'Wins' 'Losses' 'Win %'   'GB'
Cleveland Indians 111 43 .721 --
New York Yankees 103 51 .669 8
Chicago White Sox 94 60 .610 17
Boston Red Sox 69 85 .448 42
Detroit Tigers 68 86 .442 43
Washington Senators 66 88 .429 45
Baltimore Orioles 54 100 .351 57
Philadelphia Athletics 51 103 .331 60

National League final standings

'National League'
'Club' 'Wins' 'Losses' 'Win %'   'GB'
New York Giants 97 57 .630 --
Brooklyn Dodgers 92 62 .597 5
Milwaukee Braves 89 65 .578 8
Philadelphia Phillies 75 79 .487 22
Cincinnati Reds 74 80 .481 23
St. Louis Cardinals 72 82 .468 25
Chicago Cubs 64 90 .416 33
Pittsburgh Pirates 53 101 .344 44

Events


January-March


January 14 - Former New York Yankees great Joe Dimaggio marries actress Marilyn Monroe in San Francisco.
April-June


April 13


★ The brand new Baltimore Orioles open in Detroit and lose to the Detroit Tigers, 3-0. Don Larsen takes the loss against Steve Gromek. The Tigers start fast and will 12 of their first 18 games.



★ First baseman Tom Alston becomes the first black player in St. Louis Cardinals history.


★ Second baseman Curt Roberts becomes the first black player in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

April 15 - The Orioles Clint Courtney hits the first home run in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Following a 90-minute parade, they draw an opening day record of 46,354 in a 3-1 afternoon win over the Chicago White Sox. Bob Turley strikes out nine in besting Virgil Trucks. Vern Stephens and Clint Courtney homer for the O's.

April 17 - OF/1B Nino Escalera becomes the first black player in Cincinnati Reds history.

June 12 - Jim Wilson of the Milwaukee Braves pitches the only no-hitter thrown in the major leagues in 1954, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0.
July-September


July 13 - The American League makes an 8th inning comeback to win the All-Star game, 11-9. Washington Senators rookie left-hander Dean Stone is the winning pitcher without officially facing a batter, as he throws out Red Schoendienst trying to steal home in the top of the 8th, ending that half of the inning.

July 31 - Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves hits four home runs successfully in a game, one of only 15 times this has been done in major league history. The Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 15-7.

September 6 - Outfielder Carlos Paula becomes the first black player in Washington Senators history.

September 29 - In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, Willie Mays of the New York Giants makes one of the greatest catches in history when he races back to deep center field in the Polo Grounds to make an over-the-head catch of Cleveland Indians' Vic Wertz's 462-foot drive in the 8th inning with the score tied 2-2. Wertz drove in the 2 runs in the first inning with a triple. Dusty Rhodes hits a pinch-hit, 3-run, 260-foot Home run off Bob Lemon to give the Giants a 5-2 victory.
October-December


October 2 - In Game 4 of the 1954 World Series, The New York Giants sweep the Cleveland Indians with the best record in history, as they score 4 runs in the 5th to take a 7-0 lead. The final is 7-4 as Don Liddle defeats Bob Lemon.

October 28 - The Major League owners vote down ths sale of the Athletics to a Philadelphia syndicate. A week later, Arnold Johnson buys a controlling interest in the Athletics from the Connie Mack family for 3.5 million dollars and moves the team to Kansas City.

Movies



★ ''Roogie's Bump''

Births



April 8 - Gary Carter

July 6 - Willie Randolph

July 10 - Andre Dawson

August 14 - Mark Fidrych

October 3 - Dennis Eckersley

November 10 - Bob Stanley

December 6 - Mike Parrott

December 26 - Ozzie Smith

Deaths



January 5 - Rabbit Maranville, 62, rambunctious shortstop who set a career record with 2,153 games at the position and was MVP runner-up on the 1914 "Miracle Braves"

February 16 - Red Parnell, 48, All-Star left fielder in the Negro Leagues, most notably with the Philadelphia Stars

March 12 - Bob Quinn, 84, executive who owned the Boston Red Sox from 1923 to 1933 and also ran three other franchises

May 22 - Chief Bender, 70, Hall of Fame pitcher who won 212 games, starring for 3 Philadelphia Athletics world champion teams

July 13 - Grantland Rice, 73, sportswriter

October 5 - Oscar Charleston, 57, star center fielder of the Negro Leagues

October 19 - Hugh Duffy, 87, Hall of Fame center fielder who batted a record .438 in 1894

October 22 - Earl Whitehill, 54, 200-game winning pitcher

December 9 - Bill McGowan, 58, American League umpire since 1925 who worked in 8 World Series, and who did not miss a single inning from 1925 until 1942

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