1948 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1948 throughout the world.

• Negro League World Series: Homestead Grays over Birmingham Black Barons (4–1)
• World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4–2)
• All-Star Game, July 13 at Sportsman's Park: American League, 5–2
• Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: West, 3–0

• All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Rockford Peaches
• College World Series: USC
• Little League World Series: Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

• Cuban League: Leones del Habana
• Mexican Pacific League: Ostioneros de Guaymas
• Puerto Rican League: Leones de Ponce
• Venezuelan League: Cervecería Caracas

• Interamerican Series: Buffalo All-Stars

• Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Herb Pennock
  • Pie Traynor
• Most Valuable Player
  • Lou Boudreau (AL)
  • Stan Musial (NL)
• Rookie of the Year
  • Alvin Dark
• The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
  • Lou Boudreau Cleveland Indians
• The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award
  • Bob Lemon Cleveland Indians
  • Johnny Sain Boston Braves
• The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
  • Billy Meyer Pittsburgh Pirates

v t e American League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road Cleveland Indians 97 58 .626 — 48‍–‍30 49‍–‍28 Boston Red Sox 96 59 .619 1 55‍–‍23 41‍–‍36 New York Yankees 94 60 .610 2½ 50‍–‍27 44‍–‍33 Philadelphia Athletics 84 70 .545 12½ 36‍–‍41 48‍–‍29 Detroit Tigers 78 76 .506 18½ 39‍–‍38 39‍–‍38 St. Louis Browns 59 94 .386 37 34‍–‍42 25‍–‍52 Washington Senators 56 97 .366 40 29‍–‍48 27‍–‍49 Chicago White Sox 51 101 .336 44½ 27‍–‍48 24‍–‍53

Red Sox White Sox   Indians Tigers Athletics Browns Yankees Senators Locations of teams for the 1942–1953 American League seasons American League

v t e National League Team W L Pct. GB Home Road Boston Braves 91 62 .595 — 45‍–‍31 46‍–‍31 St. Louis Cardinals 85 69 .552 6½ 44‍–‍33 41‍–‍36 Brooklyn Dodgers 84 70 .545 7½ 36‍–‍41 48‍–‍29 Pittsburgh Pirates 83 71 .539 8½ 47‍–‍31 36‍–‍40 New York Giants 78 76 .506 13½ 37‍–‍40 41‍–‍36 Philadelphia Phillies 66 88 .429 25½ 32‍–‍44 34‍–‍44 Cincinnati Reds 64 89 .418 27 32‍–‍45 32‍–‍44 Chicago Cubs 64 90 .416 27½ 35‍–‍42 29‍–‍48

Braves Dodgers Cubs Reds Giants Phillies Pirates Cardinals Locations of teams for the 1943–1952 National League seasons National League

All Negro leagues standings below are per Seamheads.^[1]

vs. Negro American League vs. Major Black Teams Negro American League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct. (1) Birmingham Black Barons 62 28 2 .685 — 67 40 3 .623 (2) Kansas City Monarchs 65 35 3 .646 2 69 37 3 .647 Cleveland Buckeyes 47 53 3 .471 20 50 58 4 .464 Indianapolis Clowns 38 55 5 .413 25½ 45 78 7 .373 Memphis Red Sox 42 63 4 .404 27½ 49 69 4 .418 Chicago American Giants 35 55 1 .390 27 38 60 2 .390 (1) First half champion   (2) Second half champion

Black Barons American Giants Clowns Buckeyes Monarchs Red Sox Locations of teams for the 1948 Negro American League season Negro American League

This was the sixteenth and final season of the Negro National League. Homestead and Baltimore each won a half of the season. As such, they were matched against each other in the postseason. In the playoffs, Homestead won Games 1 and 2 before a curfew called Game 3 in the ninth inning. Game 4 went to Baltimore, but Homestead had protested that Game 3 should be played from where Game 3 had been stopped (8–4, bases loaded) rather than the start of the ninth inning (tied). The league agreed, but Baltimore refused to play and therefore forfeited.^[2]

vs. Negro National League vs. Major Black Teams Negro National League W L T Pct. GB W L T Pct. (2) Homestead Grays 46 24 2 .653 — 58 25 4 .690 (1) Baltimore Elite Giants 49 29 2 .625 1 53 30 2 .635 Newark Eagles 32 29 1 .524 9½ 39 34 3 .533 Philadelphia Stars 30 33 2 .477 12½ 34 35 3 .493 New York Cubans 19 29 1 .398 16 30 31 1 .492 New York Black Yankees 9 41 0 .180 27 13 48 0 .213 (1) First half champion   (2) Second half champion

Elite Giants Grays    Black Yankees Cubans Eagles Stars Locations of teams for the 1948 Negro National League season Negro National League Notes: Homestead Grays played in both Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, with the majority in Washington, D.C. New York Black Yankees played in both Rochester and New York, with the majority in Rochester.

1948 was the 23rd and final time that there was a "Playoff Series" held between black baseball teams. 1913 is retroactively the only one not in the major league era of Negro league baseball (1920–1948). 1948 is the only time that saw both the American and National League hold a postseason series to determine the pennant (Major League Baseball would not hold such a format for 21 years).^[3][4]

• Negro American League Championship Series: Birmingham Black Barons over Kansas City Monarchs 4–3 (one tie).
• Negro National League Championship Series: Homestead Grays over Baltimore Elite Giants 2–1 (one forfeit).
• 1948 Negro World Series: Homestead Grays over Birmingham Black Barons 4–1.

• February 24 – The New York Yankees trade catcher Aaron Robinson and pitchers Bill Wight and Fred Bradley for pitcher Ed Lopat of the Chicago White Sox.
• February 27 – Herb Pennock and Pie Traynor are elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

• March 30 – The Pacific Coast League integrates, as John Ritchey of the San Diego Padres pinch hits against the Los Angeles Angels.

• April 18:
  • At Yankee Stadium, 62,369 fans—the largest ever for an exhibition game—watch the Brooklyn Dodgers edge the New York Yankees, 5–3.
  • Before 26,663 fans at Fenway Park, the Boston Braves salvage a victory in the three-game exhibition series with the Boston Red Sox, winning 3–2 behind a solid pitching performance from Warren Spahn.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals sign outfielder Joe Medwick. Medwick would be a member of the Cardinals until July of the 1948 season, when he opted to retire.
• April 20 – George Vico of the Detroit Tigers hits a home run off the very first pitch he sees in the majors. In doing so, he became the fifth player in major league history to accomplish the feat.
• April 21 – Leo Durocher of the Brooklyn Dodgers returns from his one-year suspension. He uses 24 players, a new MLB record, in a 9–5 loss to the New York Giants.
• April 25 – Ted Kluszewski of the Reds hits the first home run of his distinguished career, a three-run shot off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Hal Gregg.

• May 16 – Pete Gray, one-armed outfielder with the 1945 St. Louis Browns, starts his comeback at Class-A Elmira Pioneers.

• June 7 – The Chicago Cubs claimed Gene Mauch off waivers from the Brooklyn Dodgers
• June 13 – Appearing at Yankee Stadium just nine weeks before his death, the legendary Babe Ruth is honored by the New York Yankees in an emotional pre-game ceremony and his jersey number 3 is retired. This will be the final appearance of Ruth at the Stadium, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
• June 30 – Bob Lemon pitched a no-hitter as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Detroit Tigers, 2–0.

• July 7 – The Cleveland Indians sign Satchel Paige, a veteran Negro league pitcher. He would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
• July 13 – At Sportsman's Park, home of the St. Louis Browns, the American League defeats the National League, 5–2, in the All-Star Game.
• July 18 – Chicago White Sox left fielder Pat Seerey hits four home runs in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics, to become the fifth Major League player to do so. The White Sox win, 12–11, in 11 innings.
• July 24 – Four members of the Duluth Dukes are killed when their bus is involved in an accident near St. Paul, Minnesota. The driver of the truck is also killed, and fourteen are injured. The injured list include Mel McGaha, a future major league manager in the 1960s, and the infielder Elmer Schoendienst, younger brother of the St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Red Schoendienst. The tragedy recalls the 1946 bus crash involving the Spokane Indians baseball team which took the lives of nine players.^[5]

• August 12 – In the second game of a doubleheader, the Cleveland Indians rap out 29 hits in a 26–3 win over the St. Louis Browns. The Indians set a Major League record as 14 different players hit safely.
• August 13 – Willard Brown of the St. Louis Browns becomes the first black player to homer in the American League, when he pinch-hits an inside-the-park home run off pitcher Hal Newhouser in a 6–5 win over the Detroit Tigers.
• August 16 – Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest player in baseball history, dies from cancer in New York City at the age of 53. His open casket was placed on display in the rotunda of Yankee Stadium, where it remained for two days; 77,000 people filed past to pay him tribute.
• August 21 – The 2nd Little League World Series tournament is held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Lock Haven All Stars of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania defeated the St. Petersburg All Stars of St. Petersburg, Florida in the championship game, by a score of 5–4.

• September 9 – Rex Barney of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 2–0 no-hitter over the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds.
• September 26 – At Braves Field, Boston Braves' Bob Elliott hits a three-run homer, as the Braves beat the New York Giants, 3–2, and clinch the Braves' first National League pennant since 1914.

• October 4 – The Cleveland Indians defeat the Boston Red Sox, 8–3, in an American League one-game playoff game after finishing the season tied for first place. The Indians win the pennant and advance to the World Series. The Red Sox defeat disappointed Boston fans who had been rooting the entire season for an All-Boston World Series between the AL Red Sox and the National League Braves. It was the second time an All-Boston World Series had been thwarted as in 1891, when the NL champion Boston Beaneaters refused to meet the American Association champion Boston Reds in a proposed 1891 World Series due to inter-league squabbling over player contracts.
• October 11 – The Cleveland Indians defeat the Boston Braves, 4–3, in Game 6 of the World Series to win their second World Championship title, four games to two. In Game 4, Larry Doby became the first black player to hit a home run in the World Series. The Braves were back in the Series after a 34 year absence. This was also both the first AL pennant and WS Championship for the Indians in 28 years. To date, the Indians have yet to win another World Series.
• October 12 – The New York Yankees hire Casey Stengel to be the manager beginning with the 1949 season.

• November 10 – The Chicago White Sox acquire young left handed pitcher Billy Pierce from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for All-Star catcher Aaron Robinson, in a move that will give them their pitching ace for the next decade. Detroit even sweetens the deal with $10,000. Pierce will win 186 games for the White Sox over the next 13 years, but Robinson will last fewer than three seasons in Detroit.
• November 26 – National League president Ford Frick steps in and pays $350 for funeral services, including the cost of a coffin, for the unclaimed body of Hack Wilson. The former slugger, who had died probably of alcohol abuse a few days earlier in a Baltimore hospital, is identified only as a white male.

• December 2 – Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals is named National League Most Valuable Player. In one of the best seasons ever, Musial led the NL in batting average (.376), runs (135), RBI (131), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18) and slugging pct. (.702).
• December 3 – The New York Yankees release shortstop Frankie Crosetti, ending his playing career. He would remain with the team as a coach through the 1968 season.

• The Babe Ruth Story

• January 1 – Randy Bobb
• January 5:
  • Charlie Hough
  • Bill Laxton
• January 10 – Larry Hardy
• January 11:
  • Rick Henninger
  • Glenn Redmon
• January 13 – Les Cain
• January 16 – Tsuneo Horiuchi
• January 19 – Ken Frailing
• January 22 – Fred Cambria
• January 25 – Ed Goodson
• January 27 – Tom Trebelhorn
• January 30 – Dave Moates

• February 6 – Doug Howard
• February 10:
  • Jim Barr
  • John Gamble
• February 12 – Francisco Estrada
• February 15 – Ron Cey
• February 21 – Bill Slayback
• February 22:
  • Bruce Christensen
  • Tom Griffin
  • Mike Rogodzinski
• February 26 – Hiromitsu Kadota
• February 28 – Mark Wiley

• March 4:
  • Tom Grieve
  • Leron Lee
• March 8 – Joe Staton
• March 9:
  • Darrel Chaney
  • John Curtis
  • Dan Neumeier
• March 10 – Wayne Twitchell
• March 11 – César Gerónimo
• March 12 – Bob Watkins
• March 13 – Steve Barber
• March 19 – Paul Powell
• March 20 – Chuck Seelbach
• March 22:
  • Jake Brown
  • Carlos Velázquez
• March 25 – Mike Nagy

• April 1 – Willie Montañez
• April 4 – Leon Hooten
• April 7 – Rick Sawyer
• April 10 – Lee Lacy
• April 18 – Ron Schueler
• April 19 – Rick Miller
• April 24 – Bob Beall
• April 28 – Pablo Torrealba
• April 30 – Mike Barlow

• May 1 – Von Joshua
• May 2 – Larry Gowell
• May 6 – Frankie Librán
• May 7 – Ken Hottman
• May 8:
  • Steve Braun
  • Miguel Puente
• May 14 – Dave LaRoche
• May 15:
  • Yutaka Enatsu
  • Billy North
• May 17 – Carlos May
• May 19 – Al Santorini
• May 23 – Reggie Cleveland
• May 24 – Hideji Kato
• May 26 – Bob Hansen
• May 27 – Gary Nolan

• June 2 – Joe Pactwa
• June 5 – Mark Schaeffer
• June 10 – Bob Randall
• June 11 – Dave Cash
• June 16 – Ron LeFlore
• June 17:
  • Dave Concepción
  • Gary Ryerson
• June 25 – Clay Kirby

• July 3 – Phil Meeler
• July 4:
  • Ed Armbrister
  • Wayne Nordhagen
• July 5 – Dave Lemonds
• July 7:
  • Bob Gallagher
  • Tommy Moore
• July 8 – Lerrin LaGrow
• July 10 – Rich Hand
• July 13 – Rob Belloir
• July 14:
  • Pepe Frías
  • Earl Williams
• July 21 – John Hart
• July 22 – Jesse Hudson
• July 24 – Mike Adams
• July 26 – John Knox
• July 29 – Hisashi Yamada

• August 1 – Tommy Smith
• August 4 – Johnny Grubb
• August 9:
  • Bill Campbell
  • Gary Timberlake
• August 13 – Erskine Thomason
• August 16 – Mike Jorgensen
• August 17 – Bill Parsons
• August 19 – John Boles
• August 21:
  • John Ellis
  • Craig Robinson
• August 23 – Ron Blomberg
• August 27 – Lew Beasley
• August 30 – Steve Simpson

• September 1 – Dick Lange
• September 11 – Jeff Newman
• September 18:
  • Ken Brett (d. 2003)
  • Lee Richard
• September 21:
  • Gary Lance
  • Aurelio López (d. 1992)
• September 24 – Eric Soderholm
• September 25 – Ray Busse
• September 27 – Carlos López
• September 30:
  • Craig Kusick
  • Rusty Torres

• October 1 – Bill Bonham
• October 4 – Dave Johnson
• October 8:
  • Rick Stelmaszek
  • Bernie Williams
• October 13 – Randy Moffitt
• October 14:
  • Ed Figueroa
  • Brent Strom
• October 19 – Rimp Lanier
• October 21 – Bill Russell
• October 26 – Toby Harrah
• October 31 – Mickey Rivers

• November 3:
  • Rick Kreuger
  • Ed Montague
• November 7:
  • Buck Martinez
  • Tom Walker
• November 16 – Don Hahn
• November 24 – Steve Yeager

• December 1 – George Foster
• December 2 – Wayne Simpson
• December 5 – Buddy Harris
• December 9 – Doc Medich
• December 11 – Gene Hiser
• December 14 – Ralph Garcia
• December 15 – Doug Rau
• December 20 – Jim Norris
• December 21 – Dave Kingman
• December 22 – Steve Garvey
• December 23 – Alec Distaso
• December 26:
  • Chris Chambliss
  • Dave Rader

• January 4 – Biff Schlitzer, 63, who pitched from 1908 through 1914 for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Buffalo Blues.
• January 8 – Howdy Caton, 53, shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates over parts of four seasons from 1917 to 1920.
• January 9 – Art Jahn, 52, part-time outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies during two seasons spanning 1925 to 1928.
• January 14 – Art Benedict, 85, second baseman who appeared in three games with the Philadelphia Quakers in 1883.
• January 23 – Frank Doljack, 40, outfielder who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1930 through 1934 and the Cleveland Indians in 1943.
• January 30 – Herb Pennock, 53, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in a span of 22 seasons from 1912 to 1934, who during his career posted a lifetime record of 240–161 with a 3.60 ERA in 617 games; collected a perfect 5–0 with a 1.95 ERA in six World Series trips—five with the Yankees, including their first World Series championship; general manager of Philadelphia Phillies from 1944 until his death.
• January 31 – Clarence Lehr, 61, who played some outfield and infield utility positions with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911.

• February 1 – Jim McCormick, 79, infielder who played three games for the National League St. Louis Browns in 1892.
• February 10 – Bill Clancy, 68, first baseman for the 1905 Pittsburgh Pirates.
• February 14 – Mordecai Brown, 71, Hall of Fame pitcher whose loss of two fingers in a childhood accident gave him remarkable movement on pitches, winning 20 games six straight years for the Chicago Cubs, while posting a career record of 239–130 with a 2.06 earned run average; the third best ERA in Major League Baseball history amongst pitchers inducted into the Hall of Fame, as well as the best in MLB history for any pitcher with more than 200 wins.^[6]
• February 16 – Percy Coleman, 71, pitcher who played from 1897 to 1898 for the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds.
• February 19 – Bob Groom, 63, pitcher for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Terriers, St. Louis Browns and Cleveland Indians during 10 seasons from 1909 to 1918, who also hurled a no-hitter in 1917 against the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox.^[7]
• February 21 – Irv Ray, 84, shortstop who played with the Boston Beaneaters of the National League in 1888 and 1889, and the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association from 1889 to 1891.

• March 1 – Rebel Oakes, 64, center fielder who played from 1909 through 1913 with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, and later served as a player-manager for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the outlaw Federal League in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
• March 10 – Stub Brown, 77, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles from 1893 to 1894 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1897.
• March 17 – Ike Butler, 74, pitcher for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles.
• March 18 – Fritz Von Kolnitz, 54, third baseman who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1914 to 1915 and the Chicago White Sox in 1916.
• March 23 – Dutch Meier, 68, outfielder and shortstop who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1906.
• March 24 – Jimmy Bannon, 76, outfielder for the St. Louis Browns in 1893 and the Boston Beaneaters from 1894 to 1896.
• March 30 – Charlie Krause, 76, second baseman for the 1901 Cincinnati Reds.

• April 1 – Heinie Jantzen, 57, outfielder for the 1912 St. Louis Browns.
• April 3 – Candy Jim Taylor, 64, Negro league baseball third baseman and manager.
• April 16 – Dick Kauffman, 59, first baseman who played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1914 and 1915 seasons.
• April 17 – Pat Deisel, catcher for the 1902 Brooklyn Superbas and the 1903 Cincinnati Reds.
• April 25 – Bertrum Hunter, 42, Negro league baseball player.
• April 27 – Ad Yale, 78, who appeared in four games with the Brooklyn Superbas in the 1905 season.

• May 2 – Dick Cogan, 76, two-way player for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Orphans and New York Giants over part of three seasons spanning 1897–1900.
• May 4 – John Dolan, 80, pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Columbus Solons, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Chicago Colts in a span of five seasons between 1890 and 1895.
• May 7 – Hi Ladd, 78, backup outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters in the 1898 season.
• May 18 – Frank Schneiberg, 68, pitcher for the 1910 Brooklyn Superbas.
• May 19 – Frank Browning, 65, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in its 1910 season.
• May 26 – Bill Sweeney, 62, valuable middle infielder and third baseman whose eight-year National League career began and ended with Chicago (1907, 1914) but was largely spent with the Boston Doves/Rustlers/Braves (1907–1913); stellar 1912 season included .344 batting average, third in NL, with 204 hits, second in the circuit; also set an NL record in 1912 with 425 putouts by a second baseman that would stand for 21 years, while leading the NL both in assists (475) and double plays (75).^[8]

• June 5 – Jack McCarthy, 78, left fielder who played for five teams in 12 seasons between 1893 and 1907, whose career batting average of .287 in 1,092 games was achieved during the hard hitting era of the late 1890s and the dead-ball era of the early 1900s, as his .321 average with the Cleveland Blues in 1901 was ninth best in the American League.
• June 10 – Hosea Siner, 63, backup infielder for the 1909 Boston Doves.
• June 12 – Rasty Wright, 52, pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns in part of five seasons between 1917 and 1923.
• June 26 – Jimmy Esmond, 58, shortstop who played from 1911 to 1912 with the Cincinnati Reds, and for the Indianapolis Hoosiers and Newark Peppers of the outlaw Federal League in a span of two seasons from 1914 to 1915.

• July 1 – Pete Knisely, 60, outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs over parts of four seasons from 1912 to 1915.
• July 3 – Charles Witherow, 96, pitcher who appeared in just one game for the Washington Nationals in 1875. Last surviving player of the National Association of Professional Baseball Players.
• July 5 – Ed Smith, 84, Canadian pitcher who played in 1884 for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association.
• July 11 – Bert Hall, 58, for the 1911 Philadelphia Phillies.
• July 18 – Chick Hartley, 67, outfielder who played for the New York Giants in the 1902 season.
• July 19 – Charlie See, 51, outfielder who played from 1919 through 1921 for the Cincinnati Reds.
• July 26 – Homer Davidson, 63, catcher and right fielder who appeared in four games for the Cleveland Naps in 1914.
• July 27 – Joe Tinker, 68, Hall of Fame shortstop who along second baseman Johnny Evers and first baseman Frank Chance anchored a famed infield double play combination, which is memorialized in the legendary poem Baseball's Sad Lexicon, as the trio led the Chicago Cubs during the glory years of 1906–1910 to four National League pennants and two World Series titles.
• July 29 – Arnie Stone, 55, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1923 and 1924 seasons.

• August 7 – Jimmy Wacker, 64, pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1909 season.
• August 9:
  • Chick Bowen, 51, backup outfielder for the 1919 New York Giants.
  • Harry Lord, 66, third baseman who played from 1907 through 1910 for the Boston Americans and Red Sox, before joining the Chicago White Sox from 1910 to 1914 and the Buffalo Blues in 1915.
• August 12 – Billy Graulich, 80, catcher and first baseman who played for the 1891 Philadelphia Phillies.
• August 13 – Nig Perrine, 63, backup infielder for the 1907 Washington Senators.
• August 14 – Phil Collins, 46, pitcher who posted an 80–85 (4.66) record in 292 games for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals over eight seasons between 1923 and 1935; his home park for most of his career was Baker Bowl, a notorious batter-friendly stadium in the lively ball era.
• August 16 – Babe Ruth, 53, Hall of Fame right fielder and left-handed pitcher, who is considered the greatest star in baseball history, setting enduring records for most home runs in a season (60) and lifetime (714), as well as most career RBI (2,213); lifetime .342 hitter also posted a 94–46 record and 2.28 ERA as a pitcher while playing for seven World Series champions, first with Boston Red Sox (1915, 1916, 1918), then New York Yankees (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932); won 1923 MVP award, at a time when AL rules prohibited winning it more than once; batted .326 with 42 hits (15 homers and 33 RBI) in 41 World Series games, after going 3–0 (0.87 ERA) in three Fall Classic starts (1916, 1918), setting a record for consecutive shutout innings pitched (292⁄3) that lasted for 43 years.
• August 19 – Fred Odwell, 75, outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds during four seasons from 1904 to 1907, who led the National league in home runs in 1905.
• August 20 – Walter Blair, 64, catcher for the New York Highlanders from 1907 through 1911, who later played and managed for the Buffalo Buffeds/Blues of the Federal League during their only two seasons in 1914 and 1915.
• August 26 – Rip Cannell, 68, outfielder who played from 1904 to 1905 for the Boston Beaneaters of the National League.
• August 29 – Charlie Graham, 70, catcher for the 1906 Boston Red Sox, before becoming manager and owner of the PCL San Francisco Seals.

• September 3 – Bert Husting, 60, two-star athlete in the 1890s University of Wisconsin teams, who later pitched in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Americans and Philadelphia Athletics from 1900 to 1902.
• September 8 – Bill Byers, 70, backup catcher for the 1904 St. Louis Cardinals.
• September 18 – Art Devlin, 68, third baseman who played from 1904 through 1911 with the New York Giants and the Boston Braves from 1912 to 1913, also a member of the 1905 World Series champion team.
• September 23 – Rich Durning, 55, pitcher for the Brooklyn Robins from 1917 to 1918.
• September 26 – Elmer Leifer, 55, who made 10 appearances as a pinch hitter with the Chicago White Sox in 1921.

• October 1 – Lew Camp, 80, 19th-century Major League Baseball infielder who played with the St. Louis Browns in 1892 and for the Chicago Colts from 1893 to 1894.
• October 7 – Doc Imlay, 59, pitcher for the 1913 Philadelphia Phillies.
• October 8 – Al Orth, 76, softly thrower but curveball specialist, who pitched with the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators and New York Highlanders in a span of 15 seasons from 1895 to 1909, winning 204 games for them, yet struck out just 948 batters in 3,354 innings of work, while remaining an effective pitcher during the early years of the American League, posting career season-highs with 27 wins and 133 strikeouts for the Highlanders in 1906.^[9]
• October 12 – Bill Gardner, 82, pitcher who played three games for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association in 1887.
• October 20 – Ed Kusel, 62, pitcher for the 1909 St. Louis Browns.
• October 24:
  • Harry Grabiner, 57, minority owner and vice president of the Cleveland Indians since 1946; previously served for 30 years (1915–1945) in the front office of the Chicago White Sox.
  • Jack Thoney, 68, well-traveled outfielder and infielder who played from 1902 through 1911 for the Cleveland Bronchos, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, New York Highlanders and Boston Red Sox.
• October 28 – Roy Ellam, 62, shortstop who played with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1909 season and for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1918.
• October 31 – Dick Redding, 58, star pitcher of the Negro leagues who set numerous strikeout records and pitched several no-hitters.

• November 1 – Fred Mollenkamp, 58, first baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1914 season.
• November 4 – Jake Powell, 40, outfielder for the Washington Senators, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies in a span of 11 seasons from 1930 to 1945, who helped the Yankees win the World Series every year from 1936 to 1939, and hit a .455 average in the 1936 series.
• November 7 – Jake Smith, 61, pitcher who appeared in two games for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 1911 season.
• November 15 – Joe Wagner, 59, second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1915 season.
• November 18 – Joe Regan, 76, outfielder for the 1898 New York Giants.
• November 22 – Bob Emmerich, 57, center fielder for the Boston Braves in the 1923 season.
• November 23 – Hack Wilson, 48, Hall of Fame center fielder for four different clubs during 12 seasons from !923–1934, most prominently with the Chicago Cubs between 1926 and 1931, who finished his career with a lifetime .307 batting average, 244 home runs, 1,063 RBI and four home run titles, hitting 56 long balls in 1930, to set a National League record that stood for 68 years, while driving in 191 runs in the same season, which still the all-time major league record.
• November 30 – Frank Bowerman, 79, catcher and battery-mate for Christy Mathewson on the New York Giants, who also played for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates, and later managed the 1909 Boston Doves.

• December 3:
  • Gus Bono, 54, pitcher for the 1920 Washington Senators.
  • Fred Buckingham, 72, pitcher who played for the Washington Senators in its 1895 season.
• December 6 – Bill Dammann, 76, pitcher who played from 1897 through 1899 for the Cincinnati Reds.
• December 8 – Pelham Ballenger, 54, third baseman for the Washington Senators in the 1928 season.
• December 26 – Joe Pate, 56, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics over parts of two seasons from 1926 to 1927.
• December 27 – Marv Peasley, 60, pitcher who appeared in two games for the Detroit Tigers in 1910.
• December 29 – Larry Hoffman, 70, third baseman for the 1901 Chicago Orphans.

• Baseball Reference – 1948 MLB Season Summary
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players born in 1948
• Baseball Reference – MLB Players died in 1948

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