More 1937 Baseball Season Headlines

Following are more headlines from the 1937 baseball season, including the 1937 World Series battle between the Yankees and the Giants.

Rudy York: 18 August HRs

Rudy York couldn't win a regular job until he went on his record home run binge of 18 moon shots in August 1937. York also drove in 49 runs in August to set another major league record. For the season, York hit .307 with 35 home runs and 103 RBI in a mere 375 at-bats. Tried and found wanting at catcher, third base, and the outfield, York finally forced the Tigers to move Hank Greenberg to left field in 1940 so that he could play first base. York was known for his power binges. On July 27, 1946, he blasted two grandslams and drove in ten runs in one game.

Gus Suhr's Skein Finally Ends

Gus Suhr was little more than a journeyman first baseman in the majors. His claim to fame was a National League-record streak of 822 consecutive games, which ended in 1937. Returning after the 1940 season to the San Francisco Seals, for whom he had hit .381 with 51 homers in 1929, Suhr played three full seasons while collecting just one homer.

Joe McCarthy Takes Yanks All the Way

By 1937, Joe McCarthy was already being called a "push-button manager" who, with all the talent the Yankees had, couldn't miss winning. Close observers, however, knew that many of his players were household names by virtue of being Yankees. With other teams, they would have been nonentities.

1937 Giants Take National League Pennant

The Giants clinched the 1937 National League flag. Shortstop Dick Bartell was the club's infield anchor. Carl Hubbell led the National League in wins that season with 22. Cliff Melton won 20 games as a rookie that year.

Lefty Gomez: 21-11

Lefty Gomez went 21-11 in 1937, leading the American League in wins, ERA (2.33), strikeouts (194), and shutouts (six). He also won two 1937 World Series games. Gomez anchored a pitching staff that was far and away the best in the league.

Yankees Take 1937 World Title

Rookie Tommy Henrich had a respectable season that year, hitting .320 in 206 at-bats and collecting 14 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, and 42 RBI. Batting practice pitcher Paul Schreiber was activated briefly in 1945 after not having pitched in pro ball since 1931. This Yankees team was extremely well-rounded. They scored 44 more runs than any other American League team and allowed 69 fewer runs than any other American League club. They topped the league in homers, shutouts, and saves.

Find highlights from the 1937 baseball season on the next page.

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