1936
Changes- Swap two teams leagues - The Texas Rangers moved to the AL, and the Milwaukee Brewers moved to the NL.
- Release random ranked - Arky Vaughan (White Sox), the #2 ranked position player in baseball, became a free agent. He signed with the Expos.
- Change secondary (larger) - The secondary roster can now have up to 51 players on it.
Off-Season
- Roy Hobbs signed with the Cardinals in free agency.
- Shortstop Charlie Hollocher moved from the Expos to the Braves, leaving a gap that was filled by Arky Vaughan. Hollocher previously played for the Red Sox for many years.
American League
Boston Red Sox (92-62)
Detroit Tigers (91-63)
New York Yankees (86-68)
Cleveland Indians (79-75)
Kansas City Royals (79-75)
Chicago White Sox (78-76)
Minnesota Twins (76-78)
Baltimore Orioles (75-79)
Texas Rangers (74-80)
St. Louis Browns (66-88)
Washington Senators (66-88)
Providence Angels (62-92)
AL MVP: Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) (5th award)
AL CYA: Cy Blanton (Detroit) (2nd award, 1st in AL)
AL ROY: Johnny Mize (Minnesota)
National League
Montreal Expos (93-61)
St. Louis Cardinals (92-62)
Brooklyn Dodgers (85-69)
Chicago Cubs (84-70)
Louisville Colonels (82-72)
Philadelphia Phillies (79-75)
Milwaukee Brewers (75-79)
Boston Braves (73-81)
Pittsburgh Pirates (71-83)
Cincinnati Reds (68-86)
Newark Bears (67-87)
New York Giants (55-99)
NL MVP: Joe DiMaggio (Louisville)
NL MOP: Larry French (Cincinnati) (2nd award)
NL ROY: Joe DiMaggio (Louisville)
Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) .284, Babe Phelps (Newark) .272
Home Runs: Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) 63, Joe DiMaggio (Louisville) 62
Runs Batted In: Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) 118, Hank Greenberg (Brooklyn) 149
Stolen Bases: Ben Chapman (Baltimore) 17, Jack Burns (Pittsburgh) 25
WAR: Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) 14.4, Joe DiMaggio (Louisville) 14.6
Wins: Lefty Grove (Cleveland) 24, Johnny Allen (Brooklyn) 21
ERA: Pete Donohue (St. Louis) 1.77, Larry French (Cincinnati) 1.84
Strikeouts: David Price (Minnesota) 288, Johnny Allen (Brooklyn) 140
Saves: Dutch Ulrich (New York) 31, Ken Jones (Brooklyn) 30
WAR: Pete Donohue (St. Louis) 10.0, Larry French (Cincinnati) 14.9
Notes
- The Red Sox won the pennant for the first time since 1911. Lou Gehrig, Chick Hafey, and ace Johnny Babich led the way.
- The NL pennant headed north of the border for the first time. Carlton Fisk, Arky Vaughan, and Dale Alexander (acquired from Kansas City at the deadline) were key.
- The Tigers won eight of their last ten games, but it wasn't enough to catch Boston. Cy Blanton helped Detroit concede the fewest runs in the AL.
- Baltimore fell to below .500 after winning the World Series, with ace Paul Derringer missing most of the season through injury.
- Rookies DiMaggio and Johnny Mize (Minnesota) were superstars. DiMaggio hit .268/.345/.685 for a 238 OPS+, while Mize was .284/.388/.620.
- Greenberg finished first in the NL in RBI, second in homers, and third in average.
Achievements & Milestones
- Jim Bottomley (Minnesota) hit three homers in a single game.
- Kiki Cuyler (Newark) hit for the cycle.
- Lefty Grove (Cleveland) and Claude Passeau (Kansas City) both threw perfect games. Grove also threw two other no-hitters. Freddie Fitzsimmons (NY Yankees) threw a 12-inning no-hitter.
- Goose Goslin (Providence), Roy Hobbs (Cardinals) and Bernie Friberg (Cleveland) reached 2000 hits.
- Glenn Wright (Newark) hit 300 home runs.
- Jimmie Foxx (Cleveland) joined the 400 homer club at 28.
- Syl Johnson (Pittsburgh) and Red Lucas (Newark) picked up their 200th wins.
- Pete Donohue (Browns) won his 300th game.
- Ray Roberts (Browns) saved his 300th game.
- Pete Donohue (Browns) threw his 112th career shutout, passing Harry Krause for the all-time record.
- David Price (Minnesota) broke Lefty Grove's single-season strikeout record. He became the second man to strikeout 15 batters in a single game, against Baltimore.
World Series
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Montreal defeated Boston, 5 games to 4.
- Ed Durham was the series MVP, allowing just one run as he won both his starts.
- Arky Vaughan (Montreal) was injured in the first inning of Game One, and would miss the rest of the series.
- Boston won Game Two in eleven innings, as doubles by Jack Cummings and Birdie Tebbetts brought home a run. Bob Newsom pitched 10.1 frames for the Expos.
- Durham threw a shutout in Game Three, as Montreal won 5-0.
- Johnny Welch (Boston) pitched eight innings for just a single hit in Game Six, giving the Red Sox a 2-0 win, and taking them to the cusp of a title.
- Billy Werber (Montreal) and Dale Alexander (Montreal) each had 3 RBI in an 8-3 win.
- Ralph Birkofer (Montreal) threw a three-hit shutout in the deciding Game Nine, as the Expos won 3-0. Jackie Hayes walked and scored twice.
- Jack Warner (Montreal) and Jackie Hayes (Montreal) each had seven hits.
- Lou Gehrig (Boston) went 6-27.
- The Expos came back from 4-2 down to win their first World Series title.
Retirements
- Clyde Barnhart. Three-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger. Twice led AL in RBI, and three times in triples.
- Ray Blades. Outfielder for New Jersey/Newark. Strong hitter, with a 140 OPS+, and 267 career home runs. 1929 world champion.
- Bill Doak. 1932 AL MOP. Veteran workhorse who was at the top of the rotation for many Kansas City teams. 288-353 record, with a 101 ERA+. All-time leader in games lost.
- Joe Judge. Six-time All-Star for Baltimore. Frequent league leader in walks and stolen bases. 126 OPS+, 2442 hits, and 402 steals in a poor era for it. Two rings, and WS MVP in 1919.
Draft
- The Giants picked Bobby Doerr first overall.
- Tommy Henrich went second to Providence.
- The Browns picked catcher Don Padgett third.
- Washington chose Ken Keltner at #4
- Texas picked Vince DiMaggio, brother of the NL MVP, ninth.
Joe DiMaggio was NL MVP and Rookie of the Year.
Dale Alexander won the World Series with Montreal.