YEAR IN REVIEW : 1954 American League

Off the field...

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) backed a coup by Colonel Carlos Armas to overthrow the Guatemalan Government. The government, ruled under Jacobo Arbenz Guzman, supported a Communist-authored land reform bill that expropriated most of the land holdings of United Fruit Company. The Guatemalan actions had led to a U.S. arms embargo, but they later purchased arms from Czechoslovakia providing an excuse for the uprising.

After hearing the case of Brown versus the Board of Education, Chief Justice Earl Warren (United States Supreme Court) formally ruled that all forms of segregation were unconstitutional. The landmark case was a first step in mandating racial equality and initiated the desegregation of all public institutions in the United States of America.

In the American League...

The Boston Red Sox managed to pull off a rare triple play, but still lost to the Baltimore Orioles during a seventeen-inning game that set a new American League record for time consumed at four hours and fifty-eight minutes, and tied the Major League mark (set seven weeks earlier) for the most players used in a single game (forty-two).

On August 30th, the Cleveland Indians completed an embarrassing eleven home-game sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox. It was the first such sweep since the New York Yankees, led by "Murderers Row", had blanked the laughable St. Louis Browns back in 1927.

Mickey Vernon of the Washington Senators tallied his 2,000th career hit on September 2nd. He also notched his nineteenth home run of the season for a franchise record for left-handers.

In the National League...

Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals hit five home runs during a May 2nd doubleheader against the New York Giants. In a strange coincidence, eight-year-old Nate Colbert (who would grow up to play for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics) was in attendance and would become the only other player in Major League history to tie Musial's mark. Both teams split for the day as the Cards won the first game 10-6 and the Giants took the second 9-7.

On May 4th, the Phillies and Cardinals set a Major League record (later broken) by using a staggering forty-two combined players during an eleven-inning, 14-10 Philly victory. Philadelphia used seven pitchers throughout the effort and the St. Louis topped them with eight men on the mound.

At Ebbets Field, Milwaukee Brave Joe Adcock hit four home runs and added a double for a total of eighteen total bases during a 15-7 massacre over the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 31st. Adcock's eighteen bases set a Major League record and when combined with the seven bases from the day before, gave him a two-day tally of twenty-five. The combined total tied the slugger with Ty Cobb for most bases in two consecutive games.

Around the League...

"The Yankee Clipper" Joe DiMaggio married Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe in San Francisco. Nine months later the two were divorced, but continued to maintain an on-again, off-again relationship. DiMaggio had reportedly told friends that the two were going to be re-married shortly before her death from a drug overdose eight years later. In the years that followed, he rarely spoke of her and had roses delivered to her gravesite twice a week for the next two decades. He never married again.

Rightfielder Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals outpolled every other National League player in the 1954 All-Star balloting.

In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, New York Giants outfielder Willie Mays made what many consider to be the greatest catch in World Series history. "Say Hey" managed to hold the game to a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning after racing back to deep centerfield and making an awkward "over-the-head" snatch of Cleveland Indian Vic Wertz's 462-foot drive.

The Major League owners association voted down the sale of the Athletics to a syndicate representing the city of Philadelphia. One week later, Arnold Johnson emerged to buy a controlling interest in the franchise from the Mack family for a reported $3.5 million dollars. He later decided to move the team to Kansas City amidst mixed emotions from the rest of the league.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"For the first time since 1954, it's the - yes! - the first-place Indians. Talk about a real-life 'Field of Dreams.' It don't get any better than this." - Walter Shapiro [fantasizing about a strike free season] in Time (1994)

1954 American League Player Review

1953 | 1954 Hitting Statistics League Leaders | 1954

Base on Balls Ted Williams Boston 136 Top 25
Batting Average Bobby Avila Cleveland .341 Top 25
Doubles Mickey Vernon Washington 33 Top 25
Hits Nellie Fox Chicago 201 Top 25
Harvey Kuenn Detroit
Home Runs Larry Doby Cleveland 32 Top 25
On Base Percentage Ted Williams Boston .516 Top 25
RBI Larry Doby Cleveland 126 Top 25
Runs Mickey Mantle New York 129 Top 25
Slugging Average Minnie Minoso Chicago .535 Top 25
Stolen Bases Jackie Jensen Boston 22 Top 25
Total Bases Minnie Minoso Chicago 304 Top 25
Triples Minnie Minoso Chicago 18 Top 25
1954 A.L. History | 1954 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1954 American League Pitcher Review

1953 | 1954 Pitching Statistics League Leaders | 1954

Complete Games Bob Lemon Cleveland 21 Top 25
Bob Porterfield Washington
ERA Mike Garcia Cleveland 2.64 Top 25
Games Sonny Dixon Washington 54 Top 25
Philadelphia
Saves Johnny Sain New York 22 Top 25
Shutouts Mike Garcia Cleveland 5 Top 25
Virgil Trucks Chicago
Strikeouts Bob Turley Baltimore 185 Top 25
Winning Percentage Sandy Consuegra Chicago .842 Top 25
Wins Bob Lemon Cleveland 23 Top 25
Early Wynn Cleveland
1954 A.L. History | 1954 N.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1954 American League Team Standings

1954 All-Star Game | 1954 Team Standings | 1954 World Series

Cleveland Indians 111 43 .721 0
New York Yankees 103 51 .669 8
Chicago White Sox 94 60 .610 17
Boston Red Sox 69 85 .448 42
Detroit Tigers 68 86 .442 43
Washington Senators 66 88 .429 45
Baltimore Orioles 54 100 .351 57
Philadelphia Athletics 51 103 .331 60

1954 American League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Boston 654
Batting Average New York .268
Doubles Boston 244
Hits Boston 1,436
Home Runs Cleveland 156
On Base Percentage New York .351
Runs New York 805
Slugging Average New York .408
Stolen Bases Chicago 98
Triples Washington 69

1954 American League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Cleveland 77
ERA Cleveland 2.79
Fewest Hits Allowed Cleveland 1,220
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Baltimore 78
Fewest Walks Allowed Cleveland 486
Saves New York 37
Shutouts Chicago 23
Strikeouts Boston 707
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

On April 13, 1954, the Baltimore Orioles played their first Major League game and lost to the Detroit Tigers 3-0. Two days later they played their first game at Memorial Stadium and won 3-1 over the Chicago White Sox in front of 53,371 fans who were happy to see baseball return to Baltimore for the first time since 1902.

On April 26, 1901, the Philadelphia Athletics played their first game. On September 26, 1954, they played their final game until they are relocated to Kansas City for the 1955 season.

Other notable dates in 1954 include: June 12 - Bob Feller 2,500th career strikeout, July 6 - Cleveland Indians scored 8 runs during the first inning (a new record), September 6 - Carlos Paula became first black player on the Washington Senators, and September 25 - Cleveland Indians won their 111th game of the season to set a new American League watermark.