1948 Boston Braves season

The 1948 Boston Braves season was the 78th consecutive season of the Major League Baseball franchise, its 73rd in the National League. It produced the team's second NL pennant of the 20th century, its first since 1914, and its tenth overall league title dating to 1876.

1948 Boston Braves
1948 National League Champions
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record91–62 (.595)
League place1st
Other information
OwnersLouis R. Perini
General managersJohn J. Quinn
ManagersBilly Southworth
Local televisionWBZ-TV/WNAC-TV
Local radioWHDH
(Jim Britt, Tom Hussey)
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Led by starting pitchers Johnny Sain and Warren Spahn (who combined for 39 victories), and the hitting of Bob Elliott, Jeff Heath, Tommy Holmes and rookie Alvin Dark, the 1948 Braves captured 91 games to finish 61⁄2 paces ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals. They also attracted 1,455,439 fans[1] to Braves Field, the third-largest gate in the National League and a high-water mark for the team's stay in Boston. The 1948 pennant was the fourth National League championship in seven years for Braves' manager Billy Southworth, who had won three NL titles (1942–44, inclusive) and two World Series championships (1942 and 1944) with the Cardinals. Southworth would be posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 2008.

However, the Braves fell in six games to the Cleveland Indians in the 1948 World Series, and would experience a swift decline in both on-field success and popularity over the next four seasons. Attendance woes—the Braves would draw only 281,278 home fans[1] in 1952—forced the team's relocation to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in March 1953. (It later moved to Atlanta in 1966.)

After playing .500 baseball in April and May 1948, the Braves vaulted into first place on the strength of a 39–21 record during June and July. Hampered by second baseman Eddie Stanky's broken ankle and center fielder Jim Russell's season-ending illness, the club slumped slightly in August, going only 14–17 and falling out of the lead August 29. But then it righted itself to win 21 of its final 28 games, regain the top spot September 2, and clinch the NL flag on the 26th. Meanwhile, the city's American League team, the Red Sox, ended their season in a first-place tie with the Indians and lost a playoff game to Cleveland at Fenway Park on October 4; this ruined the prospect of what would have been the only all-Boston World Series, now an impossibility since the Braves left Boston after the 1952 season. (The Tribe were doubtlessly very unpopular in Beantown after defeating both of their teams in the post-season.)

For both the Braves and Red Sox, the 1948 season was the first in which their games were broadcast on television, with telecasts alternating between WBZ-TV and WNAC-TV and the teams sharing the same announcers. The first-ever telecast of a major league game in New England occurred on Tuesday night, June 15, with the Braves defeating the visiting Chicago Cubs 6–3 behind Sain's complete game.[2][3]

Offseason

Regular season
Postcard showing the team.

Season standings
National League W L Pct. GB Home Road
Boston Braves 9162 0.595 — 45–31 46–31
St. Louis Cardinals 8569 0.552 6½ 44–33 41–36
Brooklyn Dodgers 8470 0.545 7½ 36–41 48–29
Pittsburgh Pirates 8371 0.539 8½ 47–31 36–40
New York Giants 7876 0.506 13½ 37–40 41–36
Philadelphia Phillies 6688 0.429 25½ 32–44 34–44
Cincinnati Reds 6489 0.418 27 32–45 32–44
Chicago Cubs 6490 0.416 27½ 35–42 29–48

Record vs. opponents
1948 National League record

Sources:
Team BOS BR CHC CIN NYG PHI PIT STL
Boston —14–816–6–113–811–1114–812–1011–11
Brooklyn 8–14—11–1118–411–11–115–79–1312–10
Chicago 6–16–111–11—10–1211–117–158–1411–11
Cincinnati 8–134–1812–10—10–1211–119–1310–12
New York 11–1111–11–111–1112–10—14–812–107–15
Philadelphia 8–147–1515–711–118–14—12–10–15–17
Pittsburgh 10–1213–914–813–910–1210–12–1—13–9–1
St. Louis 11–1110–1211–1112–1015–717–59–13–1—

Roster
1948 Boston Braves
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders

Other batters

 Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Starters by position

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
CPhil Masi11337695.253544
1BEarl Torgeson134438111.2531067
2BEddie Stanky6724779.320229
SSAl Dark137543175.322348
3BBob Elliott151540153.28323100
OFTommy Holmes139585190.325661
OFJeff Heath115364116.3192076
OFJim Russell8932285.264954

Other batters

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
Mike McCormick115343104.303139
Clint Conatser9022460.277323
Sibby Sisti8322154.244021
Bill Salkeld7819848.242828
Frank McCormick7518045.250434
Connie Ryan5112226.213010
Bobby Sturgeon347817.21804
Danny Litwhiler13339.27306
Marv Rickert3133.23102
Ray Sanders541.25002
Paul Burris242.50000

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Johnny Sain42314.224152.60137
Warren Spahn36257.015123.71114
Bill Voiselle37215.213133.6389
Vern Bickford33146.01153.2760
Glenn Elliott13.0103.002

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Red Barrett32128.1783.6540
Nels Potter1885.0522.3347
Jim Prendergast1016.21110.263
Johnny Beazley316.0014.504

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Clyde Shoun365144.0125
Bobby Hogue408223.2343
Ernie White150221.968
Al Lyons71007.825
Johnny Antonelli40002.250
Ed Wright30001.932
Ray Martin20000.000

1948 World Series
Main article: 1948 World Series

Game 1

October 6, 1948, at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts

Team123456789RHE
Cleveland000000000040
Boston00000001X122
WP: Johnny Sain (1–0)   LP: Bob Feller (0–1)

Game 2

October 7, 1948, at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts

Team123456789RHE
Cleveland000210001481
Boston100000000183
WP: Bob Lemon (1–0)   LP: Warren Spahn (0–1)

Game 3

October 8 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio

Team123456789RHE
Boston000000000051
Cleveland00110000X250
WP: Gene Bearden (1–0)   LP: Vern Bickford (0–1)

Game 4

October 9, 1948, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio

Team123456789RHE
Boston000000100170
Cleveland10100000X250
WP: Steve Gromek (1–0)   LP: Johnny Sain (1–1)
Home runs:
BOS: Marv Rickert (1)
CLE: Larry Doby (1)

Game 5

October 10, 1948, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio

Team123456789RHE
Boston30100160011120
Cleveland100400000562
WP: Warren Spahn (1–1)   LP: Bob Feller (0–2)
Home runs:
BOS: Bob Elliott 2 (2), Bill Salkeld (1)
CLE: Dale Mitchell (1), Jim Hegan (1)

Game 6

October 11, 1948, at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts

Team123456789RHE
Cleveland0010020104100
Boston000100020390
WP: Bob Lemon (2–0)   LP: Bill Voiselle (0–1)
Home runs:
CLE: Joe Gordon (1)
BOS: None

Farm system
See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Milwaukee Brewers American Association Nick Cullop
A Hartford Chiefs Eastern League Earl Browne
B Evansville Braves Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League Bob Coleman
B Pawtucket Slaters New England League Hughie Wise
B Jackson Senators Southeastern League Willis Hudlin
C Kingston Ponies Border League Ben Lady
C Eau Claire Bears Northern League Andy Cohen
C Leavenworth Braves Western Association Dutch Dorman
D Bluefield Blue-Grays Appalachian League George Lacy
D Marysville Braves Far West League Ed Wheeler, James Keller
and Spencer Harris
D Mount Vernon Braves Illinois State League Creepy Crespi
D Owensboro Oilers KITTY League Rex Carr
D High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms North Carolina State League Jim Gruzdis
D Richmond Braves Ohio–Indiana League Ollie Byers

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Evansville

Notes
  1. Baseball-Almanac.com
  2. Halper, Donna L., June 15, 1948: Televised Baseball Debuts in Boston. Society for American Baseball Research
  3. Retrosheet box score:1948-06-15
  4. Hoyt Wilhelm at Baseball-Reference
  5. Eddie Stanky at Baseball-Reference
  6. Carl Sawatski at Baseball-Reference

References
  • Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
  • 1948 Boston Braves season at Baseball Reference
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