1952 in baseball
The following are the baseball events of the year 1952 throughout the world.
| Years in baseball |
Champions
[edit]Major League Baseball
[edit]- World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4โ3)
- All-Star Game, July 8 at Shibe Park: National League, 3โ2 (5 innings)
Other champions
[edit]- All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: South Bend Blue Sox
- College World Series: Holy Cross
- Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Nankai Hawks (4โ2)
- Little League World Series: Norwalk National, Norwalk, Connecticut
Winter Leagues
Awards and honors
[edit]- Baseball Hall of Fame
- MLB Most Valuable Player Award
- Hank Sauer (CHC, National)
- Bobby Shantz (PHA, American)
- MLB Rookie of the Year Award
- Joe Black (BRO, National)
- Harry Byrd (PHA, American)
- The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
- The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
- Robin Roberts (PHI, National)
- Bobby Shantz (CLE, American)
- The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
- Joe Black (BRO, National)
- Clint Courtney (SLB, American)
- The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
Statistical leaders
[edit]| American League | National League | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Player | Total | Player | Total |
| AVG | Ferris Fain (PHA) | .327 | Stan Musial (STL) | .336 |
| HR | Larry Doby (CLE) | 32 | Ralph Kiner (PIT) Hank Sauer (CHC) |
37 |
| RBI | Al Rosen (CLE) | 105 | Hank Sauer (CHC) | 121 |
| W | Bobby Shantz (PHA) | 24 | Robin Roberts (PHI) | 28 |
| ERA | Allie Reynolds (NYY) | 2.06 | Hoyt Wilhelm (NYG) | 2.43 |
| K | Allie Reynolds (NYY) | 160 | Warren Spahn (BSN) | 183 |
Major league baseball final standings
[edit]American League final standings
[edit]
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National League final standings
[edit]
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All-American Girls Professional Baseball League final standings
[edit]| Rank | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Wayne Daisies | 67 | 42 | .613 | โ |
| 2 | South Bend Blue Sox | 64 | 45 | .587 | 3 |
| 3 | Rockford Peaches | 55 | 54 | .505 | 10 |
| 4 | Grand Rapids Chicks | 50 | 60 | .455 | 17ยฝ |
| 5 | Kalamazoo Lassies | 49 | 60 | .450 | 18 |
| 6 | Battle Creek Belles | 43 | 67 | .344 | 24 |
Nippon Professional Baseball final standings
[edit]Central League final standings
[edit]| Central League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri Giants | 120 | 83 | 37 | 0 | .692 | โ |
| Osaka Tigers | 120 | 79 | 40 | 1 | .664 | 3.5 |
| Nagoya Dragons | 120 | 75 | 43 | 2 | .636 | 7.0 |
| Taiyo Whales | 120 | 58 | 62 | 0 | .483 | 25.0 |
| Kokutetsu Swallows | 120 | 50 | 70 | 0 | .417 | 33.0 |
| Hiroshima Carp | 120 | 37 | 80 | 3 | .316 | 44.5 |
| Shochiku Robins | 120 | 34 | 84 | 2 | .288 | 48.0 |
Pacific League final standings
[edit]| Pacific League | G | W | L | T | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nankai Hawks | 121 | 76 | 44 | 1 | .633 | โ |
| Mainichi Orions | 120 | 75 | 45 | 0 | .625 | 1.0 |
| Nishitetsu Lions | 120 | 67 | 52 | 1 | .563 | 8.5 |
| Daiei Stars | 121 | 55 | 65 | 1 | .458 | 21.0 |
| Hankyu Braves | 108 | 49 | 58 | 1 | .458 | 20.5 |
| Tokyu Flyers | 108 | 49 | 59 | 0 | .454 | 21.0 |
| Kintetsu Pearls | 108 | 30 | 78 | 0 | .278 | 40.0 |
Events
[edit]January
[edit]
- January 3 โ The Chicago Cubs purchase the contract of 34-year-old knuckleballer Willie Ramsdell from the Cincinnati Reds. With his 17 losses in 1951, Ramsdell tied for the National League lead in that dubious category with Paul Minner (Cubs) and Ken Raffensberger (Reds).
- January 16 โ The Boston Braves release outfielderโmanager Tommy Holmes, 34, from his players' contract. He had batted only .172 in 1951 in 32 games, mostly as a pinch hitter.
- January 31 โ Harry Heilmann with 203 votes, and Paul Waner with 195, become the newest members of the Hall of Fame.
February
[edit]- February 6 โ The Cleveland Indians sign veteran outfielder Pete Reiser as a free agent. Reiser, 32, was a National League batting and stolen base champion and a "five-tool" star for the pre-World War II Brooklyn Dodgers, but a plethora of serious injuriesโshoulder separations, broken bones (including a skull fracture), and concussions, most of them sustained when he ran fearlessly into outfield walls in pursuit of fly ballsโhas wrecked his career. Released in November 1951 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, his third NL team, Reiser will hit only .136 in 34 games for Cleveland in 1952, most of them as a pinch hitter, through July 5 in what is his last year as an active player.
- February 14 โ The St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers make a seven-player trade, in which the Browns send left-handed pitcher Dick Littlefield, catcher Matt Batts, first baseman Ben Taylor and outfielder Cliff Mapes to Detroit for southpaws Bob Cain and Gene Bearden and first baseman Dick Kryhoski. Ironically, in Cain the Browns obtain the Tiger pitcher who faced 3ย ft 7ย in (1.09ย m), 60ย lb (27ย kg) Eddie Gaedel in Bill Veeck's legendary stunt on August 19, 1951.
- February 16 โ Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent most of those years.
- February 21 & 26 โ Thomas Fine of Cuba's Leones de la Habana hurls the first no-hitter in Caribbean Series history, a 1โ0 masterpiece against Al Papai and Venezuela's