Twenty-one appears to be the magic number, as for the third straight season, the champion finished with a 21-11 record. For the segment featuring teams from 1931-46, the 1937 New York Yankees finished strong to win the pennant, beating the 1935 Chicago Cubs and the 1940 Cincinnati Reds by two games.
Heading into the final week of the season, seven of the nine teams had a chance to finish with a winning record, though only four would end up doing so.
Thirty-one games were broadcast on my YouTube channel.
The upcoming Great Teams of the Past season 4 will feature teams from 1950-60.
| FINAL | W | L | PCT | GB | Run Diff. | AVG | ERA | FLD | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 New York Yankees | 21 | 11 | .656 | — | +28 | .248 | 3.13 | .981 | Stats |
| 1935 Chicago Cubs | 19 | 13 | .594 | 2.0 | +18 | .269 | 3.08 | .977 | Stats |
| 1940 Cincinnati Reds | 19 | 13 | .594 | 2.0 | +5 | .233 | 3.30 | .982 | Stats |
| 1931 Philadelphia Athletics | 18 | 14 | .563 | 3.0 | +19 | .238 | 3.08 | .981 | Stats |
| 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers | 16 | 16 | .500 | 5.0 | +6 | .231 | 3.42 | .986 | Stats |
| 1933 Washington Senators | 15 | 17 | .469 | 6.0 | -25 | .246 | 3.98 | .984 | Stats |
| 1946 Boston Red Sox | 15 | 17 | .469 | 6.0 | +2 | .237 | 3.63 | .983 | Stats |
| 1934 Detroit Tigers | 12 | 20 | .375 | 9.0 | -13 | .246 | 3.92 | .986 | Stats |
| 1934 St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 23 | .281 | 12.0 | -40 | .237 | 3.96 | .981 | Stats |
| BATTING | AVG | R | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SLG | OBP | SB | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 New York Yankees | .248 | 131 | 57 | 16 | 36 | 127 | .437 | .327 | 7 | 119 |
| 1935 Chicago Cubs | .269 | 128 | 50 | 14 | 19 | 126 | .391 | .318 | 14 | 73 |
| 1940 Cincinnati Reds | .233 | 116 | 57 | 11 | 20 | 113 | .364 | .285 | 14 | 73 |
| 1931 Philadelphia Athletics | .238 | 132 | 64 | 11 | 29 | 125 | .398 | .303 | 4 | 98 |
| 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers | .231 | 122 | 47 | 14 | 21 | 112 | .360 | .311 | 10 | 123 |
| 1933 Washington Senators | .246 | 110 | 62 | 18 | 12 | 108 | .372 | .302 | 13 | 88 |
| 1946 Boston Red Sox | .237 | 126 | 51 | 5 | 23 | 124 | .361 | .321 | 7 | 133 |
| 1934 Detroit Tigers | .246 | 121 | 63 | 6 | 14 | 117 | .354 | .319 | 36 | 121 |
| 1934 St. Louis Cardinals | .237 | 114 | 62 | 9 | 14 | 107 | .346 | .285 | 10 | 75 |
| PITCHING | ERA | CG | ShO | H | BB | K | BAA | WHIP | K/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 New York Yankees | 3.13 | 12 | 5 | 242 | 87 | 174 | .232 | 1.167 | 2.00 |
| 1935 Chicago Cubs | 3.08 | 8 | 1 | 242 | 108 | 185 | .226 | 1.208 | 1.71 |
| 1940 Cincinnati Reds | 3.30 | 7 | 0 | 234 | 89 | 135 | .222 | 1.119 | 1.52 |
| 1931 Philadelphia Athletics | 3.08 | 14 | 2 | 254 | 109 | 193 | .232 | 1.243 | 1.77 |
| 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers | 3.42 | 14 | 4 | 285 | 99 | 134 | .263 | 1.340 | 1.35 |
| 1933 Washington Senators | 3.98 | 6 | 2 | 280 | 89 | 97 | .261 | 1.307 | 1.09 |
| 1946 Boston Red Sox | 3.63 | 11 | 2 | 262 | 99 | 143 | .249 | 1.276 | 1.44 |
| 1934 Detroit Tigers | 3.92 | 12 | 1 | 282 | 99 | 160 | .258 | 1.306 | 1.62 |
| 1934 St. Louis Cardinals | 3.96 | 8 | 1 | 266 | 124 | 207 | .242 | 1.330 | 1.67 |
TEAM NOTES
1937 New York Yankees: The Yankees were at or near the top of the standings all season long, but found themselves two games back after week #5 with an 11-9 record. They won 10 of their final 12 games, including sweeps of the Athletics and Cardinals, to win the title. They had the second-best average (.248), led the league in home runs (36) and had the third-best ERA (3.13). Joe DiMaggio would probably be the MVP, leading the league in batting (.352) and tying for the lead in home runs with teammate Lou Gehrig (11), while setting league records for total bases (89) and slugging percentage (.712).
1935 Chicago Cubs: The Cubs had four of the top six hitters in the league, and five of the 12 batters that hit .300 or better, resulting in a team average of .269, more than 20 points better than anyone else. And, their team ERA of 3.08 shared the league lead. Somehow, all that wasn’t enough. Chicago was 15-7 at one point, then lost four straight and five of six to fall too far behind the Yankees to catch up. Frank Demaree’s season was symbolic of the Cubs’ season. He was batting .469 at the season’s halfway point, then went 7-for-48 in the next 12 games to fall to .330. In the final series of the season, he had three multi-hit games to regain the top spot, then went 0-for-5 in the finale to drop to third.
1940 Cincinnati Reds: The Reds were a surprise, tying for second despite having fewer big names than many of the other teams. They were stuck at 11-11 and then went 8-2 in the final 10 games. Other than ace Jim Turner (6-1, 2.53) and reliever Joe Beggs (10 saves), you won’t find many Reds among the league leaders. Opponents hit just .222 against the Reds’ pitching staff, the league’s best mark.
1931 Philadelphia Athletics: On paper, this looked like one of the favorites, but they underachieved. They had zero .300 hitters, even with Al Simmons (.390 real life, .285 here). Jimmie Foxx hit 10 home runs, one shy of the league lead, but batted just .230. The pitching staff’s 3.08 ERA tied for the league lead, but that was mostly thanks to Rube Walberg (6-2, 2.13) and Lefty Grove (5-2, 2.31).
1941 Brooklyn Dodgers: The Dodgers had a massive collapse. They were tied for first place at 15-9 with eight games left, then lost seven of the final eight to finish at .500. Pete Reiser (.300, league-lead seven triples) and Billy Herman (.294) were pretty good, but the rest of the lineup didn’t produce a lot. Curt Davis and Whit Wyatt were 6-0 and 5-1, respectively, heading into the final two series, but both pitchers lost each of their final starts. Somehow Luke Hamlin (0-4) became the only starter in the league to fail to win a game.
1933 Washington Senators: The Senators hung around .500 all season long. They had a three-game winning streak and a three-game losing streak early in the season, then spent the rest of the campaign never doing either more than two in a row.
1946 Boston Red Sox: Ted Williams just refuses to play well in these projects. He batted .265, fifth on the team and a far cry from the .342 he had in real life. Johnny Pesky hit well (.311) and Bobby Doerr (.292, eight home runs) outpaced his real-life performance. Dave Ferriss was the likely Cy Young Award winner, going 6-1 with a 1.39 ERA. He could have been the league’s only starter without a loss but was pounded in his final effort.
1934 Detroit Tigers: The Tigers didn’t do much but it was fun to see them collect 36 stolen bases, nearly three times as many as anyone else. Jo Jo White (13) and Billy Rogell (eight) finished 1-2 in the league. Their 3.92 team ERA was in the bottom third of the league, however.
1934 St. Louis Cardinals: I expected more of the famed Gashouse Gang. Although Dizzy Dean is all over the pitching leader categories, he finished just 1-4. Their leader in wins was a reliever, Jesse Haines, with three. The Dean brothers were 1-2 in the league in strikeouts but went a combined 3-8. Joe Medwick (,298, five home runs) and Ripper Collins (.283, 20 RBI) had decent offensive seasons, but they were the only ones. Leo Durocher finished with the lowest batting average (.165) of any starter in the league.
BATTING LEADERS
| AVERAGE .352 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees .351 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs .341 Frank Demaree, 1935 Cubs .324 Heinie Manush, 1933 Senators .316 Billy Herman, 1935 Cubs .313 Stan Hack, 1935 Cubs .311 Johnny Pesky, 1946 Red Sox .310 Charlie Gehringer, 1934 Tigers .305 Billy Rogell, 1934 Tigers .300 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees .300 Augie Galan, 1935 Cubs .300 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers RUNS 28 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees 28 Jimmie Foxx, 1931 Athletics 27 Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox 27 Dolph Camilli, 1941 Dodgers 25 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees 23 Augie Galan, 1935 Cubs 22 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers 22 Buddy Myer, 1933 Senators 22 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox 21 Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers HITS 46 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs 44 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees 44 Heinie Manush, 1933 Senators 44 Frank Demaree, 1935 Cubs 42 Billy Herman, 1935 Cubs 41 Johnny Pesky, 1946 Red Sox 40 Mule Haas, 1931 Athletics 40 Charlie Gehringer, 1934 Tigers 39 Augie Galan, 1935 Cubs 39 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers 39 Joe Medwick, 1934 Cardinals DOUBLES 15 Charlie Gehringer, 1934 Tigers 13 Johnny Pesky, 1946 Red Sox 12 Mickey Cochrane, 1931 Athletics 12 Goose Goslin, 1933 Senators 11 Buddy Myer, 1933 Senators 11 Pepper Martin, 1934 Cardinals 10 many TRIPLES 7 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers** 5 Lonny Frey, 1940 Reds 4 Stan Hack, 1935 Cubs 4 Heinie Manush, 1933 Senators 4 Joe Cronin, 1933 Senators 3 many HOME RUNS 11 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees* 11 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees* 10 Jimmie Foxx, 1931 Athletics 8 Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers 8 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox 8 Dolph Camilli, 1941 Dodgers 6 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs 6 Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox 6 Gabby Hartnett, 1935 Cubs 5 several | RBI 28 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox 26 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees 25 Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers 24 Jimmie Foxx, 1931 Athletics 24 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs 23 Dom DiMaggio, 1946 Red Sox 22 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers 22 Joe Medwick, 1941 Dodgers 21 Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox 21 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees 21 Harry Craft, 1940 Reds TOTAL BASES 89 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees** 71 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees 71 Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers 71 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs 71 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers 70 Jimmie Foxx, 1931 Athletics 69 Heinie Manush, 1933 Senators 66 Joe Medwick, 1934 Cardinals 63 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox 61 Mickey Cochrane, 1931 Athletics 61 Augie Galan, 1935 Cubs SLUGGING PCT. .712 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees** .645 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees .574 Jimmie Foxx, 1931 Athletics .568 Hank Greenberg, 1934 Tigers .558 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox .546 Pete Reiser, 1941 Dodgers .542 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs .507 Heinie Manush, 1933 Senators .505 Dolph Camilli, 1941 Dodgers .504 Joe Medwick, 1934 Cardinals .504 Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox ON-BASE PCT. .422 Lou Gehrig, 1937 Yankees .411 Ted Williams, 1946 Red Sox .404 Joe DiMaggio, 1937 Yankees .397 Chuck Klein, 1935 Cubs .394 Stan Hack, 1935 Cubs .391 Bobby Doerr, 1946 Red Sox .388 Billy Rogell, 1934 Tigers .386 Charlie Gehringer, 1934 Tigers .383 Bill Dickey, 1937 Yankees .382 Max Bishop, 1931 Athletics STOLEN BASES 13 Jo Jo White, 1934 Tigers 8 Billy Rogell, 1934 Tigers 6 Pepper Martin, 1934 Cardinals 5 Mickey Cochrane, 1934 Tigers 5 Lonny Frey, 1940 Reds 4 many ** GTOP single-season record * ties GTOP single-season record |
PITCHING LEADERS
| WINS 6 Rube Walberg, 1931 Athletics 6 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 6 Dave Ferriss, 1946 Red Sox 6 Jim Turner, 1940 Reds 6 Curt Davis, 1941 Dodgers 5 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees 5 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 5 General Crowder, 1933 Senators 5 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 5 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers ERA 1.39 Dave Ferriss, 1946 Red Sox 1.78 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees 2.12 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 2.13 Rube Walberg, 1931 Athletics 2.31 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 2.35 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 2.45 Curt Davis, 1941 Dodgers 2.53 Jim Turner, 1940 Reds 2.55 Schoolboy Rowe, 1934 Tigers 2.64 Larry French, 1935 Cubs COMPLETE GAMES 6 Dave Ferriss, 1946 Red Sox 6 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 5 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 5 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 5 Curt Davis, 1941 Dodgers 5 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers 4 many SHUTOUTS 3 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees* 2 Dave Ferriss, 1946 Red Sox 2 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 2 Curt Davis, 1941 Dodgers 2 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers 2 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees SAVES 10 Joe Beggs, 1940 Reds** 5 Jack Russell, 1933 Senators 4 Charlie Root, 1935 Cubs 3 Eddie Rommel, 1931 Athletics 3 Firpo Marberry, 1934 Tigers INNINGS PITCHED 70.0 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 70.0 Dizzy Dean, 1934 Cardinals 68.0 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 67.0 Schoolboy Rowe, 1934 Tigers 66.0 Curt Davis, 1941 Dodgers 65.7 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees 65.3 Tex Hughson, 1946 Red Sox 65.0 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 65.0 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers 65.0 Monte Pearson, 1937 Yankees | STRIKEOUTS 67 Dizzy Dean, 1934 Cardinals 61 Paul Dean, 1934 Cardinals 60 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 58 Schoolboy Rowe, 1934 Tigers 58 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers 52 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 52 George Earnshaw, 1931 Athletics 50 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 43 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees 43 Tex Hughson, 1946 Red Sox 43 Tommy Bridges, 1934 Tigers BATTING AVG. AGAINST .161 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics** .181 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees .190 Dizzy Dean, 1934 Cardinals .190 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees .194 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs .198 Larry French, 1935 Cubs .208 Rube Walberg, 1931 Athletics .209 Schoolboy Rowe, 1934 Tigers .209 Monte Pearson, 1937 Yankees .209 Jim Turner, 1940 Reds WHIP 0.792 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees** 0.914 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 0.923 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 0.995 Tex Hughson, 1946 Red Sox 1.000 Jim Turner, 1940 Reds 1.029 Dizzy Dean, 1934 Cardinals 1.044 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs 1.048 Monte Weaver, 1937 Yankees 1.051 Bucky Walters, 1940 Reds 1.067 Larry French, 1935 Cubs K/BB 4.30 Red Ruffing, 1937 Yankees 3.47 Lefty Gomez, 1937 Yankees 3.47 George Earnshaw, 1931 Athletics 2.87 Tex Hughson, 1946 Red Sox 2.68 Dizzy Dean, 1934 Cardinals 2.64 Whit Wyatt, 1941 Dodgers 2.50 Lefty Grove, 1931 Athletics 2.42 Schoolboy Rowe, 1934 Tigers 2.26 Paul Dean, 1934 Cardinals 2.17 Lon Warnecke, 1935 Cubs ** GTOP single-season record * tied GTOP single-season record |
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 