Frank E. McKinney resigns as president of the Pirates. He sells interests in the club to John Galbreath and Tom Johnson, with Galbreath assuming the presidency. Vice President Bing Crosby retains his minority interest.
At Fenway Park, Vern Stephens crashes a 3-run home run, his 200th career homer, in the 1st off Fred Hutchinson. Detroit wins, 9 – 5, with a little help in the 9th from umpire Jim Boyer. Boyer calls time just before pinch-hitter Tom Wright triples to CF. In his do-over, Wright grounds out. Stephens joins five other active players with more than 200 homers: Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize, Ted Williams, Joe Gordon, and Bill Nicholson.
The Yankees obtain their first black players, OF Elston Howard and P Frank Barnes. They purchase them from the Kansas City Monarchs and assign them to the Muskegon Clippers (Central League).
The Pirates purchase 3B Bob Dillinger from the Athletics for $35,000.
1950 – At Chicago, the Phils split with the Cubs, winning the nitecap, 8 – 3, as Bubba Church beats big Bob Rush. Chicago wins the opener, 5 – 2, with Paul Minner besting Robin Roberts. The Phils now share the top spot in the National League with Boston and the Cards.
1950 – Yankee rookie Whitey Ford wins his first major league game, beating the visiting White Sox, 4 – 3. Tom Ferrick finishes for New York.
Arguably the most memorable of today’s record-breaking home run total comes off the bat of career bench player Ted Beard, helping his cellar-bound Bucs salvage a split with the still contending Braves. At 5 foot, 8 inches, en route to a career .285 slugging percentage (albeit in the midst of his career year, with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and an OPS of nearly .700), Beard launches one over Forbes Field’s 86-foot high right field grandstand roof, just the second time in the grandstand’s 25-year existence this feat has been accomplished, its sole predecessor being Babe Ruth’s final major league home run on May 25, 1935.
Major League players connect for 37 home runs today for a new record. Leading the offense is Cincinnati with two wins over the Giants, 16 – 4 and 11 – 10. In the American League, the Red Sox and Indians hit seven home runs in their doubleheader split: Moose Dropo collects three homers.
The Cubs knock the Phillies out of a tie for first place, sweeping a doubleheder, 8 – 0 and 10 – 3. The Cubs lose Phil Cavarretta when he is hit by a Ken Johnson pitch in the first game, fracturing his forearm. Hank Sauer takes over at 1B. Walt Dubiel fires the shutout and Doyle Lade is the complete game winner in the second game. The loss in the second contest goes to Bob Miller, the first defeat for the rookie after eight straight wins. Ex-Bruin Russ Meyer loses the first game after defeating the Cubs five straight times. The Mad Monk, the greatest ever Cubs killer, will win his next 17 decisions against Chicago before losing on May 11, 1955.
The Colonial League ceases operation, citing the competition of television and radio as the cause of its failure.
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