1947 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 1947 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1947 in baseball.

Sports season

1947 MLB season

League| Major League Baseball
Sport| Baseball
Duration| April 15 – October 6, 1947
Number of games| 154
Number of teams| 16
Regular season
Season MVP| AL: Joe DiMaggio (NYY)
NL: Bob Elliott (BSB)
AL champions| New York Yankees
AL runners-up| Detroit Tigers
NL champions| Brooklyn Dodgers
NL runners-up| St. Louis Cardinals
World Series
Champions| New York Yankees
Runners-up| Brooklyn Dodgers
MLB seasons

← 1946

1948 →

Red Sox

White Sox

Indians

Tigers

Athletics

Browns

Yankees

Senators

Locations of teams for the 1942–1953 American League seasons
American League

Braves

Dodgers

Cubs

Reds

Giants

Phillies

Pirates

Cardinals

Locations of teams for the 1943–1952 National League seasons
National League

The 1947 Major League Baseball season, was contested from April 15 through October 6, 1947. The American League and National League both featured eight teams, with each team playing a 154-game schedule. The World Series was contested between the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers, with the Yankees winning in seven games, capturing the 11th championship in franchise history.

On April 15, Opening Day for the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson was in the Dodgers' lineup, playing first base against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field.[1] His appearance in a major league game broke the baseball color line, the practice of excluding players of black African descent. Later in the season, Larry Doby debuted with the Cleveland Indians on July 5, becoming the first black player in the American League.[2]

## Statistical leaders

[edit]

|  | American League | National League

|
|

Type | Name | Stat | Name | Stat
AVG | Ted Williams BSR | .343 | Harry Walker SLC/PHP | .363
HR | Ted Williams BSR | 32 | Ralph Kiner PIT
Johnny Mize NYG | 51
RBI | Ted Williams BSR | 114 | Johnny Mize NYG | 138
Wins | Bob Feller CLE | 20 | Ewell Blackwell CIN | 22
ERA | Joe Haynes CWS | 2.42 | Warren Spahn BSB | 2.33
SO | Bob Feller CLE | 196 | Ewell Blackwell CIN | 193
SV | Ed Klieman CLE
Joe Page NYY | 17 | Hugh Casey BKN | 18
SB | Bob Dillinger SLB | 34 | Jackie Robinson BKN | 29

## Standings

[edit]

### American League

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

New York Yankees | 97 | 57  | .630  | —  | 55‍–‍22  | 42‍–‍35
Detroit Tigers | 85 | 69  | .552  | 12  | 46‍–‍31  | 39‍–‍38
Boston Red Sox | 83 | 71  | .539  | 14  | 49‍–‍30  | 34‍–‍41
Cleveland Indians | 80 | 74  | .519  | 17  | 38‍–‍39  | 42‍–‍35
Philadelphia Athletics | 78 | 76  | .506  | 19  | 39‍–‍38  | 39‍–‍38
Chicago White Sox | 70 | 84  | .455  | 27  | 32‍–‍43  | 38‍–‍41
Washington Senators | 64 | 90  | .416  | 33  | 36‍–‍41  | 28‍–‍49
St. Louis Browns | 59 | 95  | .383  | 38  | 29‍–‍48  | 30‍–‍47

### National League

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* v
* t
* e

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Brooklyn Dodgers | 94 | 60  | .610  | —  | 52‍–‍25  | 42‍–‍35
St. Louis Cardinals | 89 | 65  | .578  | 5  | 46‍–‍31  | 43‍–‍34
Boston Braves | 86 | 68  | .558  | 8  | 50‍–‍27  | 36‍–‍41
New York Giants | 81 | 73  | .526  | 13  | 45‍–‍31  | 36‍–‍42
Cincinnati Reds | 73 | 81  | .474  | 21  | 42‍–‍35  | 31‍–‍46
Chicago Cubs | 69 | 85  | .448  | 25  | 36‍–‍43  | 33‍–‍42
Philadelphia Phillies | 62 | 92  | .403  | 32  | 38‍–‍38  | 24‍–‍54
Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | 92  | .403  | 32  | 32‍–‍45  | 30‍–‍47

## Postseason

[edit]

### Bracket

[edit]

| World Series |

|
|

|  |  |  |
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 |
| NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | 3 |

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Joe DiMaggio (1951)

* Baseball Hall of Fame: Carl Hubbell; Frankie Frisch; Mickey Cochrane; Lefty Grove
* Most Valuable Player: Joe DiMaggio (AL); Bob Elliott (NL)
* Rookie of the Year: Jackie Robinson
* The Sporting News Player of the Year Award: Ted Williams (AL) – OF, Boston Red Sox
* The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award: Bucky Harris (AL) – New York Yankees

## Managers

[edit]

### American League

[edit]

Team  | Manager  | Comments

|
|

Boston Red Sox | Joe Cronin | Finished 3rd
Chicago White Sox | Ted Lyons |
Cleveland Indians | Lou Boudreau |
Detroit Tigers | Del Baker | Finished 2nd
New York Yankees | Bucky Harris | Won World Series
Philadelphia Athletics | Connie Mack |
St. Louis Browns | Muddy Ruel |
Washington Senators | Ossie Bluege |

### National League

[edit]

Team  | Manager  | Comments

|
|

Boston Braves | Billy Southworth | Finished 3rd
Brooklyn Dodgers | Clyde Sukeforth and Burt Shotton | Won Pennant
Chicago Cubs | Charlie Grimm |
Cincinnati Reds | Johnny Neun |
New York Giants | Mel Ott |
Philadelphia Phillies | Ben Chapman |
Pittsburgh Pirates | Billy Herman and Bill Burwell |
St. Louis Cardinals | Eddie Dyer | Finished 2nd

## Home field attendance

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|

New York Yankees[3] | 97  | 11.5%  | 2,178,937  | -3.8%  | 28,298
Brooklyn Dodgers[4] | 94  | -2.1%  | 1,807,526  | 0.6%  | 23,173
New York Giants[5] | 81  | 32.8%  | 1,600,793  | 31.2%  | 21,063
Cleveland Indians[6] | 80  | 17.6%  | 1,521,978  | 44.0%  | 19,513
Boston Red Sox[7] | 83  | -20.2%  | 1,427,315  | 0.7%  | 17,621
Detroit Tigers[8] | 85  | -7.6%  | 1,398,093  | -18.8%  | 17,476
Chicago Cubs[9] | 69  | -15.9%  | 1,364,039  | 1.6%  | 17,266
Pittsburgh Pirates[10] | 62  | -1.6%  | 1,283,531  | 71.1%  | 16,247
Boston Braves[11] | 86  | 6.2%  | 1,277,361  | 31.7%  | 16,589
St. Louis Cardinals[12] | 89  | -9.2%  | 1,247,913  | 17.5%  | 16,207
Philadelphia Athletics[13] | 78  | 59.2%  | 911,566  | 46.6%  | 11,687
Philadelphia Phillies[14] | 62  | -10.1%  | 907,332  | -13.2%  | 11,784
Cincinnati Reds[15] | 73  | 9.0%  | 899,975  | 25.7%  | 11,688
Chicago White Sox[16] | 70  | -5.4%  | 876,948  | -10.8%  | 11,693
Washington Senators[17] | 64  | -15.8%  | 850,758  | -17.2%  | 11,049
St. Louis Browns[18] | 59  | -10.6%  | 320,474  | -39.1%  | 4,162

## Events

[edit]

### April–June

[edit]

* April 15 – Major League Baseball's color line is officially broken when Jackie Robinson makes his Major League debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field.
* April 27 – It is Babe Ruth Day at Yankee Stadium. Despite having throat cancer, he speaks to the packed house, proclaiming, "The only real game, I think, in the world is baseball."
* June 18 – Ewell Blackwell pitches a no-hitter, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6–0 win over the Boston Braves.

### July–September

[edit]

* July 5 – Larry Doby makes his debut for the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black baseball player in the American League, and fully integrating Major League Baseball.
* July 8 – At Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, the American League defeats the National League, 2–1, in the All-Star Game.
* July 10 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Don Black throws a no-hitter in a 3–0 win over the Philadelphia Athletics.
* July 19 – Hall of Fame Negro leagues player Willard Brown makes his major league debut with the St. Louis Browns. Brown would only appear in 21 games for St. Louis in his only major league season, batting .179 with one home run and six runs batted in.
* July 20 – With both Hank Thompson and Willard Brown in the starting line-up, the St. Louis Browns become the first major league club to field two black players at the same time. Both players play all nine innings of both games of a doubleheader with the Boston Red Sox.
* August 13 – The St. Louis Browns' Willard Brown clubs a pinch hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer against Detroit Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser, to become the first African American player to hit a home run in American League history.
* August 20 – Washington Senators relief pitcher Tom Ferrick loses both games of a doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians. While pitching with the St. Louis Browns the previous season, Ferrick won both games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics on August 4.
* August 26 – Brooklyn Dodgers' Dan Bankhead became the first black pitcher in the majors. He homered in his first major league plate appearance, but didn't fare well on the mound. In 3 1⁄3 innings of relief, he gave up 10 hits and six earned runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the game, 16–3.
* September 3 – Bill McCahan of the Philadelphia Athletics no-hits the Washington Senators in a 3–0 victory.

### October–December

[edit]

* October 6 – The New York Yankees defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5–2, in Game 7 of the World Series to win their eleventh World Championship, four games to three. This was the first World Series involving a nonwhite player, as Dodgers first baseman Jackie Robinson had racially integrated Major League Baseball at the beginning of the season. It was also the first Series to be shown on television although coverage was limited to New York City and surrounding environs.
* November 27 – Triple Crown winner Ted Williams (.343 BA, 32 home runs, 114 RBI) is edged out by Joe DiMaggio (.315, 20, 97) for the American League MVP Award by one point. One BBWAA member fails to include Williams anywhere on his ballot.

## See also

[edit]

* 1947 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Spatz, Lyle. "April 15, 1947: Jackie Robinson's major league debut". SABR. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
2. ^ McMurray, John. "Larry Doby". SABR. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
3. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
4. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
5. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
6. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
7. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
8. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
9. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
10. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
11. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
12. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
13. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
14. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
15. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
16. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
17. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
18. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* 1947 Major League Baseball season schedule at Baseball Reference

* v
* t
* e

1947 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 American League|

* Birmingham
* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Indianapolis
* Kansas City
* Memphis

Negro National League|

* Baltimore
* Homestead
* New York Black Yankees
* New York Cubans
* Newark
* Philadelphia

* 1947 All-Star Game
* 1947 World Series
* 1947 East–West All-Star Game
* 1947 Negro World Series

* 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