1939 Boston Red Sox

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1939 Boston Red Sox / Franchise: Boston Red Sox / BR Team Page[edit]

Record: 89-62, Finished 2nd in American League (1939 AL)

Managed by Joe Cronin

Coaches: Moe Berg, Tom Daly, Hugh Duffy and Herb Pennock

Ballpark: Fenway Park

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1939 Boston Red Sox are remembered as Ted Williams' first major league team. He was 20 years old at the time, and led the team in several hitting categories.

The Red Sox finished second in the American League, although they were 17 games behind the New York Yankees who won 106 games. The Red Sox had won 88 games in 1938, won 89 in 1939, and would win 82 in 1940.

Several Hall of Famers were on the team, including Jimmie Foxx, who led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Joe Cronin was player-manager, and 21-year-old Bobby Doerr was in his third major league season. Pitcher Lefty Grove was 39 years old.

Grove dominated the pitching staff with a 15-4 record and a much lower ERA than anyone else. He led the American League in ERA, the last time that he would lead the league.

Cronin was in mid-career as a manager, having won a pennant in his rookie managerial year with the Washington Senators in 1933. He would not win another pennant until 1946, near the end of his managing days. In between, he would finish second in the league four times, including in 1939.

Most of the starting position players would return in 1940, with the exception of outfielder Joe Vosmik, who would be replaced by rookie Dom DiMaggio.

Awards and Honors[edit]

Standings[edit]

American League W L Pct. GB
New York Yankees 106 45 .702 --
Boston Red Sox 88 61 .591
Cleveland Indians 86 66 .566 13
Detroit Tigers 84 70 .545 16
Washington Senators 75 76 .497 23½
Chicago White Sox 65 83 .439 32
Philadelphia Athletics 55 97 .362 44
St. Louis Browns 43 111 .279 64½

Further Reading[edit]

  • Bill Nowlin, ed.: Lefty, Double-X and The Kid, Rounder Books, Burlington, MA, 2009.