More 1950 Baseball Season Highlights

Check out more 1950 baseball season highlights, including Vern Bickford's feats for the Braves and Yogi Berra’s record number of hits for a catcher:

  • The Browns hire hypnotist David Tracy during the season to rid the team of its defeatist complex.
  • On June 8, the Browns are beaten 29-4 by the Red Sox at Fenway -- the most lopsided game of the century.
  • Vern Bickford of the Braves no-hits Brooklyn on August 11.
  • Bickford tops the majors in both innings (312) and CGs (27).
  • On April 18 at St. Louis, the Cards and Pirates play the first “Opening Night” game in major league history.
  • TV provides baseball with an extra $2.3 million in new revenues in 1950.
  • Yankee Vic Raschi sets a major league record (since broken) when he retires 32 batters in a row.
  • Brooklyn’s Duke Snider tops the National League in hits (199) and total bases (343).
  • Ralph Kiner wins his fifth consecutive National League homer crown (47).
  • Warren Spahn tops the National League in wins (21) and Ks (191).
  • Detroit’s George Kell leads the American League in hits (218) and doubles (56).
  • Pittsburgh’s Johnny Hopp goes 6-for-6 on May 14.
  • Cleveland finishes fourth in the American League with a better record than the Phils.
  • The American League boasts four excellent teams and four bad teams -- fourth-place Cleveland finishes 25 games ahead of fifth-place Washington.
  • Cleveland’s Al Rosen leads the American League in homers with 37, which is also an American League rookie record.
  • Robin Roberts is the Phils’ first 20-game winner since 1917, as he wins exactly 20.
  • The Braves finish above .500 for the last time in Boston.
  • The Indians trade Mickey Vernon to Washington for Dick Weik.
  • In September, the Yanks buy Johnny Hopp from Pittsburgh for bench strength.
  • The White Sox send Cass Michaels and two other players to Washington for Eddie Robinson, Al Kozar, and Ray Scarborough.
  • A new balk rule is instituted.
  • On May 3, Vic Raschi commits four balks in one game.
  • The White Sox set a new American League record for fewest steals in a season (19).
  • Called up from the minors in June, Yankee rookie Whitey Ford goes 9-1.
  • Yogi Berra’s 192 hits set a record for an American League catcher.
  • Yankee Jackie Jensen plays in both a Rose Bowl and a World Series.
  • The A’s allow 6.6 runs per game on the road.
  • The Red Sox score a major league record 625 runs at home.
  • The Red Sox score 216 runs in 22 games against the Browns.
  • Pitcher Bill Wight sets an American League record for futility when he goes 0-for-61 at the plate.
  • Detroit’s Jerry Priddy helps turn 150 DPs to set an American League record for second basemen.

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