Cincinnati Reds clinch the 1940 National League flag

Cincinnati Reds clinch the 1940 National League flag

ByThis Day in Baseball

The Reds clinch the National League flag, outdistancing the Dodgers and the late-rushing Cardinals. Bill McKechnie’s Cincinnati team makes only 117 errors during the season, 18 less than any previous team. The .981 fielding mark is the best up to this time. The defense, plus the pitching of Bucky Walters, Paul Derringer, and reliever Joe Beggs, brings the second straight NL flag to the Reds, despite multiple injuries to Ernie Lombardi. The big catcher went down again on September 15th, and the club turns to 39-year-old coach Jimmy Wilson for some of the backstopping. Wilson will end up as a World Series hero.

A rhubarb at Ebbets Field results in a suspension and fine for Leo Durocher for “inciting a riot.” Perhaps better known from the game is the photo showing an obese Brooklyn fan astride George Magerkurth, pummeling the veteran umpire.
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A rhubarb at Ebbets Field results in a suspension and fine for Leo Durocher for “inciting a riot.” Perhaps better known from the game is the photo showing an obese Brooklyn fan astride George Magerkurth, pummeling the veteran umpire.

ByBaseball

A rhubarb at Ebbets Field results in a suspension and fine for Leo Durocher for “inciting a riot.” Perhaps better known from the game is the photo showing an obese Brooklyn fan astride George Magerkurth, pummeling the veteran umpire.

Called up from the Eastern League in August, Phillies rookie Danny Litwhiler singles in both games of 7 – 1 and 3 – 2 losses to St. Louis, extending his hitting streak to 21 straight games. He will be stopped tomorrow by Whitey Moore at Cincinnati. He will hit .345 in 36 games.

ByBaseball

Called up from the Eastern League in August, Phillies rookie Danny Litwhiler singles in both games of 7 – 1 and 3 – 2 losses to St. Louis, extending his hitting streak to 21 straight games. He will be stopped tomorrow by Whitey Moore at Cincinnati. He will hit .345 in 36 games.

Rookie Johnny Lucadello of the St. Louis Browns hits homers from each side of the plate versus the New York Yankees

Johnny Lucadello  hits homers from each side of the plate Only Wally Schang, in 1916, had accomplished the same in the American League

ByThis Day in Baseball

Rookie Johnny Lucadello of the St. Louis Browns hits homers from each side of the plate versus the New York Yankees in a 16 – 4 Browns win. Only Wally Schang, in 1916, had accomplished the same in the American League. Mickey Mantle in 1955 will be the next AL player to do it. These are the only home runs Lucadello will hit all year.

1940 – The United States, Hawaii, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico meet in the 3rd annual World Amateur Baseball Championship tourney, the first championship series to feature more than 3 participants. Cuba, the host country, is the victor for the 2nd consecutive year. The initial tourney had been held in England in 1938 and was also won by the host country, Great Britain.

ByBaseball

1940 – The United States, Hawaii, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico meet in the 3rd annual World Amateur Baseball Championship tourney, the first championship series to feature more than 3 participants. Cuba, the host country, is the victor for the 2nd consecutive year. The initial tourney had been held in England in 1938 and was also won by the host country, Great Britain.

1940 – In a doubleheader, the Yankees’ first-game win at Cleveland puts them in first place, the only time they reach that spot. A second-game loss drops them out of first.

ByBaseball

1940 – In a doubleheader, the Yankees’ first-game win at Cleveland puts them in first place, the only time they reach that spot. A second-game loss drops them out of first.

1940 – Former major league infielder Sam Crane, serving time for the 1930 murder of his former sweetheart and her boyfriend, starts parole proceedings.

ByBaseball

1940 – Former major league infielder Sam Crane, serving time for the 1930 murder of his former sweetheart and her boyfriend, starts parole proceedings.

Johnny Mize equals a National League record with four extra-base hits - a double, a triple, and two home runs

Johnny Mize becomes the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in his career

ByThis Day in Baseball

Johnny Mize hits homers #’s 38, 39, and 40 in the first game of a doubleheader, becoming the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in his career. Despite the ‘Big Cat’s’ heroics, the Cardinals drop a pair to the Pirates, 16-14 and 9-4.

1940 – Detroit’s Bobo Newsom wins his 18th and hands Cleveland its 5th straight loss‚ topping the Tribe, 10 – 5. The Indians now lead the American League by a game.

1940 – Detroit’s Bobo Newsom wins his 18th and hands Cleveland its 5th straight loss‚ topping the Tribe, 10 – 5. The Indians now lead the American League by a game.

ByThis Day in Baseball

1940 – Detroit’s Bobo Newsom wins his 18th and hands Cleveland its 5th straight loss‚ topping the Tribe, 10 – 5. The Indians now lead the American League by a game.