1933 in baseball


Headline Events of the Year

Major League Baseball

1 American League Triple Crown batting winner
2 National League Triple Crown batting winner

Major league baseball final standings

American League final standings

National League final standings

Negro leagues final standings

All Negro leagues standings below are per Seamheads.

Negro National League final standings

Homestead was expelled for raiding players.
Post-season:
  • Indianapolis and Pittsburgh won the first half.
  • *Indianapolis beat Pittsburgh in a one-game play-off.
  • Nashville and Pittsburgh won the second half.
  • *Pittsburgh beat Nashville in a 3-game play-off.
  • Indianapolis and Pittsburgh tied in a one-game play-off.
  • *Pittsburgh owner/League commissioner awarded the Pennant to Pittsburgh, over the objection of Indianapolis.

    Independent teams final standings

A loose confederation of teams existed that were not part of the Negro National League.

Events

  • As a rookie with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 61 consecutive games, breaking the PCL record of 49 games set by Jack Ness in 1914.

    January

  • January 7 – The Cleveland Indians trade Luke Sewell to the Washington Senators for Roy Spencer.

    February

  • February 9 – Brooklyn Dodgers and future Hall of Fame pitcher Dazzy Vance is traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with infielder Gordon Slade in exchange for pitcher Ownie Carroll and infielder Jake Flowers.

    March

  • March 11 – An earthquake hits the Los Angeles area, interrupting an exhibition game between the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants. Players from both teams were forced to huddle around the center of the diamond until the tremors stopped.
  • March 24 – Babe Ruth, another victim of the Great Depression, takes a pay cut of $23,000 from his previous salary of $75,000.

    April

  • April 12 – The Cleveland Indians defeat the Detroit Tigers, 4–1, in thirteen innings on Opening Day.
  • April 25 :
  • *During the New York Yankees' 16–0 drubbing of the Washington Senators, speedy Yankee outfielder Ben Chapman spikes Senators' second baseman Buddy Myer, leading to a wild 20-minute brawl. 300 fans join in, and all the involved players are suspended for five games and fined $100.
  • *Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Dick Bartell is four-for-four with four doubles in the Phillies' 7–1 victory over the Boston Braves.

    May

  • May 16 – The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians, 11–10, in twelve innings. Cleveland uses five pitchers; Washington uses six. The combined eleven pitchers used was at the time a record.
  • May 30 – John Stone of the Detroit Tigers becomes the first player in major league history to collect six extra base hits in a regulation length doubleheader‚ as he hit four doubles and two home runs against the St. Louis Browns.

    June

  • June 14 – Both New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy and first baseman Lou Gehrig are ejected from a game. McCarthy is suspended for three games. Gehrig is luckily not suspended, thus keeping his iron man streak intact.
  • June 16 – The New York Giants trade Sam Leslie to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Watty Clark and Lefty O'Doul.
  • June 17 – The Philadelphia Phillies trade Hal Lee and Pinky Whitney to the Boston Braves for Wes Schulmerich and Fritz Knothe.

    July

  • July 2 – The New York Giants' Carl Hubbell tied an MLB record for the longest shutout when he needed 18 innings to beat the St Louis Cardinals 1–0.
  • July 6 - The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held in Comiskey Park, Chicago, home of the Chicago White Sox. The American League defeated the National League, 4–2, highlighted by Babe Ruth's third inning home run
  • July 19 – Rick and Wes Ferrell become the first brothers on opposing teams to hit home runs in the same game, as Wes' Indians defeat Rick's BoSox, 8–7, in thirteen innings.
  • July 22 – The Washington Senators and New York Yankees are tied for first with 55–32 records. Washington beats the Detroit Tigers 4–3, while the Yanks fall to the Cleveland Indians 2–1. Washington maintains sole possession of first place for the remainder of the season.
  • July 26 – Rogers Hornsby joins the St. Louis Browns.
  • July 30 – St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dizzy Dean set a modern major league record striking out 17 Chicago Cubs batters. Besides, his battery teammate Jimmie Wilson also sets a new mark for a catcher while recording 18 putouts.

    August

  • August 4 – For the second game in a row, the New York Giants defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 18–1.
  • August 14 – 1933 American League MVP Jimmie Foxx hits for the cycle, and drives in nine runs to lead the Philadelphia Athletics to an 11–5 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
  • August 22 – The Detroit Tigers defeat the Washington Senators 10–8, snapping Washington's thirteen-game winning streak.
  • August 29 – The Chicago Cubs team that played the Brooklyn Dodgers featured Billy Herman playing second base, Babe Herman playing right field and Leroy Herrmann pitching.
  • August 31 – Right-handed Dutch Leonard makes his major league debut, pitching 7.1 innings and giving up three earned runs in the Brooklyn Dodgers' 10–3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

    September

  • September 1 – New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell throws a 10-inning, four-hit shutout and drives in the winning run in a 2–0 victory over the Boston Braves. Hubbell does not walk a batter and never goes as deep as a 3–2 count on any of them. It is both his 20th win and his 10th shutout of the year, while five of the shutouts are 1–0, to set a National League season-record. Braves' pitcher Fred Frankhouse is the hard-luck loser when his mates make two crucial errors in the 10th inning.
  • September 8 - In the second game of a double header against the Detroit Tigers, Mel Almada makes his MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox. Almada makes history as the first player born in Mexico to play in the major leagues.

    October

  • October 1 :
  • *At Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth attracts 25‚000 fans as he takes the mound against the Boston Red Sox. Ruth hits a fifth-inning home run and takes a 6–0 lead into the sixth inning‚ then hangs on for a 6–5, complete-game victory. Boston pitcher Bob Kline takes the loss. The Yankees back the Babe with 18 outfield putouts. It is the final pitching appearance of his career. Ruth now has ten winning seasons in ten years as a pitcher‚ a mark that will be matched in by Andy Pettitte. Ruth's record on the mound for the Yankees is a perfect 5–0.
  • *At 57 years old, former Washington Senators pitcher and current coach Nick Altrock takes a pinch hit at-bat in the Senators' eleven inning 3–0 loss to the Philadelphia A's.
  • October 3 – Mel Ott's two-run home run in the first gives the New York Giants the early lead in game one of the 1933 World Series at the Polo Grounds. They go on to win 4–2.
  • October 4 – A six-run sixth inning and superb pitching by Hal Schumacher carry the Giants to victory in game two of the World Series.
  • October 5 – Earl Whitehill shuts out the Giants in game three of the World Series, as Washington takes game three, 4–0.
  • October 6 – Blondy Ryan's eleventh-inning single gives the Giants the 2–1 victory in game four of the World Series.
  • October 7 – In Game 5 of the World Series, the Giants defeat the Senators 4–3 in ten innings, to win their fourth World Championship, four games to one. This would be the last World Series the Senators franchise would play in the nation's capital.

    November

  • November 15:
  • *The St. Louis Cardinals trade Jimmie Wilson to the Philadelphia Phillies for Spud Davis and Eddie Delker.
  • *The New York Giants trade Glenn Spencer to the Cincinnati Reds for George Grantham.
  • November 21 – Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Chuck Klein, who won the National League Triple Crown after hitting.368 with 28 home runs and 120 RBI, is sold to the Cubs for $125,000 and three players. Klein, who also led the NL in hits, doubles, extra bases, total bases, slugging, on-base % and OPS, and finished second in runs and fourth in stolen bases, is the only player in major league history to be traded after a Triple Crown season.

    December

  • December 12 – The Philadelphia Athletics trade Lefty Grove, Max Bishop, and Rube Walberg to the Boston Red Sox for Bob Kline, Rabbit Warstler and $125,000. They also send Mickey Cochrane to the Detroit Tigers for Johnny Pasek and $100,000, then package Pasek with George Earnshaw, and send them to the Chicago White Sox for Charlie Berry and $20,000.
  • December 20 – The Washington Senators trade Goose Goslin to the Detroit Tigers for John Stone.

    Movies

  • ''Elmer, the Great''

    Births

January