1934 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1934 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1934 in baseball.

Sports season

1934 MLB season

League| American League (AL)
National League (NL)
Sport| Baseball
Duration| Regular season:

* April 17 – September 30, 1934

World Series:

* October 3–9, 1934

Number of games| 154
Number of teams| 16 (8 per league)
Regular season
Season MVP| AL: Mickey Cochrane (DET)
NL: Dizzy Dean (SLC)
AL champions| Detroit Tigers
AL runners-up| New York Yankees
NL champions| St. Louis Cardinals
NL runners-up| New York Giants
World Series
Champions| St. Louis Cardinals
Runners-up| Detroit Tigers
MLB seasons

← 1933

1935 →

Red Sox

White Sox

Indians

Tigers

Athletics

Browns

Yankees

Senators

Locations of teams for the 1934–1939 American League seasons
American League

Braves

Dodgers

Cubs

Reds

Giants

Phillies

Pirates

Cardinals

Locations of teams for the 1932–1935 National League seasons
National League

The 1934 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1934. The regular season ended on September 30, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 31st World Series on October 3 and ended with Game 7 on October 9. The Cardinals then defeated the Tigers, four games to three, capturing their third championship in franchise history, since their previous in 1931. Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the New York Giants from the 1933 season.

The second Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 10 at the Polo Grounds in New York, New York, home of the New York Giants. The American League won, 9–7.

## Schedule

[edit]

See also: Major League Baseball schedule

The 1934 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.

Opening Day, April 17, featured all sixteen teams, the first since the 1931 season. The final day of the regular season was on September 30, which also saw all sixteen teams play, continued the trend which began with the 1930 season. This was the second time that both Opening Day and the final day of the season saw all sixteen teams play, the previous being in 1931. The World Series took place between October 3 and October 9.

## Rule changes

[edit]

The 1934 season saw the following rule changes:

* The National and American Leagues agree to adopt a uniform ball, authorizing respective Presidents John Heydler and Will Harridge to meet with manufactures and settle on a ball for both leagues.[1]
* Both leagues agreed to prohibit "synthetic" doubleheaders (which is when teams would postpone weekday games to have two games on a weekend day) on Sundays until after June 15.[1]
* Both leagues altered the practices governing counting players on option toward team limits and salary responsibility for optioned players.[1]

## Teams

[edit]

League  | Team  | City  | Stadium  | Capacity  | Manager[2]

|
|
|
|
|

American League | Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 35,000  | Bucky Harris
Chicago White Sox | Chicago, Illinois | Comiskey Park | 52,000  | Lew Fonseca
Jimmy Dykes
Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | League Park | 21,414  | Walter Johnson
Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | Navin Field | 30,000  | Mickey Cochrane
New York Yankees | New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 62,000  | Joe McCarthy
Philadelphia Athletics | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Shibe Park | 33,000  | Connie Mack
St. Louis Browns | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 34,023  | Rogers Hornsby
Washington Senators | Washington, D.C. | Griffith Stadium | 32,000  | Joe Cronin
National League | Boston Braves | Boston, Massachusetts | Braves Field | 46,500  | Bill McKechnie
Brooklyn Dodgers | New York, New York | Ebbets Field | 32,000  | Casey Stengel
Chicago Cubs | Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 40,000  | Charlie Grimm
Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Crosley Field | 26,060  | Bob O'Farrell
Burt Shotton
Chuck Dressen
New York Giants | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 56,000  | Bill Terry
Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Baker Bowl | 18,800  | Jimmie Wilson
Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 41,000  | George Gibson
Pie Traynor
St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 34,023  | Frankie Frisch

## Standings

[edit]

### American League

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

American League Team  | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road

|
|
|
|
|
|

Detroit Tigers | 101 | 53  | .656  | —  | 54‍–‍26  | 47‍–‍27
New York Yankees | 94 | 60  | .610  | 7  | 53‍–‍24  | 41‍–‍36
Cleveland Indians | 85 | 69  | .552  | 16  | 47‍–‍31  | 38‍–‍38
Boston Red Sox | 76 | 76  | .500  | 24  | 42‍–‍35  | 34‍–‍41
Philadelphia Athletics | 68 | 82  | .453  | 31  | 34‍–‍40  | 34‍–‍42
St. Louis Browns | 67 | 85  | .441  | 33  | 36‍–‍39  | 31‍–‍46
Washington Senators | 66 | 86  | .434  | 34  | 34‍–‍40  | 32‍–‍46
Chicago White Sox | 53 | 99  | .349  | 47  | 29‍–‍46  | 24‍–‍53

### National League

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

National League Team  | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road

|
|
|
|
|
|

St. Louis Cardinals | 95 | 58  | .621  | —  | 48‍–‍29  | 47‍–‍29
New York Giants | 93 | 60  | .608  | 2  | 49‍–‍26  | 44‍–‍34
Chicago Cubs | 86 | 65  | .570  | 8  | 47‍–‍30  | 39‍–‍35
Boston Braves | 78 | 73  | .517  | 16  | 40‍–‍35  | 38‍–‍38
Pittsburgh Pirates | 74 | 76  | .493  | 19½  | 45‍–‍32  | 29‍–‍44
Brooklyn Dodgers | 71 | 81  | .467  | 23½  | 43‍–‍33  | 28‍–‍48
Philadelphia Phillies | 56 | 93  | .376  | 37  | 35‍–‍36  | 21‍–‍57
Cincinnati Reds | 52 | 99  | .344  | 42  | 30‍–‍47  | 22‍–‍52

## Postseason

[edit]

The postseason began on October 3 and ended on October 9 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Detroit Tigers in the 1934 World Series in seven games.

### Bracket

[edit]

| World Series |

|
|

|  |  |  |
| AL | Detroit Tigers | 3 |
| NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 |

## Managerial changes

[edit]

### Off-season

[edit]

Team  | Former Manager  | New Manager

|
|

Boston Red Sox | Marty McManus | Bucky Harris
Brooklyn Dodgers | Max Carey | Casey Stengel
Cincinnati Reds | Donie Bush | Bob O'Farrell
Detroit Tigers | Del Baker | Mickey Cochrane
Philadelphia Phillies | Burt Shotton | Jimmie Wilson

### In-season

[edit]

Team  | Former Manager  | New Manager

|
|

Chicago White Sox | Lew Fonseca | Jimmy Dykes
Cincinnati Reds | Bob O'Farrell | Burt Shotton
Burt Shotton | Chuck Dressen
Pittsburgh Pirates | George Gibson | Pie Traynor

## League leaders

[edit]

### American League

[edit]

Hitting leaders[3] Stat  | Player  | Total

|
|

AVG | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY)  | .363
OPS | Lou Gehrig (NYY)  | 1.172
HR | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY)  | 49
RBI | Lou Gehrig1 (NYY)  | 166
R | Charlie Gehringer (DET)  | 135
H | Charlie Gehringer (DET)  | 214
SB | Billy Werber (BRS)  | 40

1 American League Triple Crown batting winner

Pitching leaders[4] Stat  | Player  | Total

|
|

W | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY)  | 26
L | Bobo Newsom (SLB)  | 20
ERA | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY)  | 2.33
K | Lefty Gomez2 (NYY)  | 158
IP | Lefty Gomez (NYY)  | 281.2
SV | Jack Russell (WSH)  | 8
WHIP | Lefty Gomez (NYY)  | 1.133

2 American League Triple Crown pitching winner

### National League

[edit]

Hitting leaders[5] Stat  | Player  | Total

|
|

AVG | Paul Waner (PIT)  | .362
OPS | Ripper Collins (SLC)  | 1.008
HR | Ripper Collins (SLC)
Mel Ott (NYG)  | 35
RBI | Mel Ott (NYG)  | 135
R | Paul Waner (PIT)  | 122
H | Paul Waner (PIT)  | 217
SB | Pepper Martin (SLC)  | 23

Pitching leaders[6] Stat  | Player  | Total

|
|

W | Dizzy Dean (SLC)  | 30
L | Si Johnson (CIN)  | 22
ERA | Carl Hubbell (NYG)  | 2.30
K | Dizzy Dean (SLC)  | 195
IP | Van Mungo (BKN)  | 315.1
SV | Carl Hubbell (NYG)  | 8
WHIP | Carl Hubbell (NYG)  | 1.032

## Awards and honors

[edit]

### Regular season

[edit]

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards

BBWAA Award  | National League  | American League
Most Valuable Player | Dizzy Dean (SLC)  | Mickey Cochrane (DET)

The Sporting News Awards

Award  | National League  | American League
Most Valuable Player[7] | Dizzy Dean (SLC)  | Lou Gehrig (NYY)

## Home field attendance

[edit]

Team name  | Wins  | %± | Home attendance  | %± | Per game

|
|
|
|
|

Detroit Tigers[8] | 101  | 34.7%  | 919,161  | 186.4%  | 11,490
New York Yankees[9] | 94  | 3.3%  | 854,682  | 17.4%  | 11,100
New York Giants[10] | 93  | 2.2%  | 730,851  | 20.9%  | 9,745
Chicago Cubs[11] | 86  | 0.0%  | 707,525  | 19.1%  | 9,189
Boston Red Sox[12] | 76  | 20.6%  | 610,640  | 127.2%  | 7,930
Brooklyn Dodgers[13] | 71  | 9.2%  | 434,188  | −17.6%  | 5,639
Cleveland Indians[14] | 85  | 13.3%  | 391,338  | 0.9%  | 5,017
Washington Senators[15] | 66  | −33.3%  | 330,074  | −24.6%  | 4,343
St. Louis Cardinals[16] | 95  | 15.9%  | 325,056  | 26.9%  | 4,222
Pittsburgh Pirates[17] | 74  | −14.9%  | 322,622  | 11.7%  | 4,136
Philadelphia Athletics[18] | 68  | −13.9%  | 305,847  | 2.9%  | 4,024
Boston Braves[19] | 78  | −6.0%  | 303,205  | −41.4%  | 4,043
Chicago White Sox[20] | 53  | −20.9%  | 236,559  | −40.5%  | 3,154
Cincinnati Reds[21] | 52  | −10.3%  | 206,773  | −5.3%  | 2,651
Philadelphia Phillies[22] | 56  | −6.7%  | 169,885  | 8.6%  | 2,393
St. Louis Browns[23] | 67  | 21.8%  | 115,305  | 30.9%  | 1,517

## Events

[edit]

* June 6 – Myril Hoag of the New York Yankees hits six singles against the Boston Red Sox.[24]
* June 9 – In the eighth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators hit 5 consecutive doubles – the most ever hit consecutively in an inning.[25]
* July 8 – In the course of the Philadelphia Athletics–Boston Red Sox game, Athletics player Bob Johnson hits a fly ball off Red Sox pitcher Hank Johnson, which is caught by center fielder Roy Johnson[26]
* July 10 – At the All-Star Game held at the Polo Grounds in New York City, New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell strikes out five consecutive American League batters. These batters are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin: all future Hall-of-Famers.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Long, Jason C. "1933 Winter Meetings: The Sell-Off – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved April 11, 2025.
2. ^ "1934 Major League Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
3. ^ "1934 American League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
4. ^ "1934 American League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
5. ^ "1934 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
6. ^ "1934 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
7. ^ "Most Valuable Player Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
8. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
9. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
10. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
11. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
12. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
13. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
14. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
15. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
16. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
17. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
18. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
19. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
20. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
21. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
22. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
23. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
24. ^ Pellowski, Michael J (2007). The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts. United States: Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 352. ISBN 9781402742736.
25. ^ "Team Doubles Records". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
26. ^ Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240\. ISBN 9781553650386..

## External links

[edit]

* 1934 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference

* v
* t
* e

1934 MLB season by team

Major League Baseball|

| American League|

* Boston
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* New York
* Philadelphia
* St. Louis
* Washington

|

National League|

* Boston
* Brooklyn
* Chicago
* Cincinnati
* New York
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* St. Louis

Negro National League|

* Baltimore
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Nashville
* Newark
* Philadelphia Bacharach Giants
* Philadelphia Stars
* Pittsburgh

* 1934 All-Star Game
* 1934 World Series
* 1934 East–West All-Star Game

* v
* t
* e

Major League Baseball seasons

Pre-modern era|

| Beginnings|

* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881

|

Competition|

* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891

NL monopoly|

* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900

Modern era|

| Dead-ball era|

* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920

|

Live-ball era|

* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941

World War II|

* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945

Post-war and integration|

* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960

First expansion|

* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968

Birth of division play|

* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993

Wild Card begins|

* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011

Wild Card expansion|

* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

Pitch clock era|

* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

See also|

* Major League Baseball schedule
* Major League Baseball

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[%±]: Percent change
*[Per game]: Average home attendance per game