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1931 Major League Baseball season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | 1931 MLB season |
| league | American League (AL) |
| National League (NL) | |
| sport | Baseball |
| duration | Regular season:{{Bulleted list |
| no_of_games | 154 |
| no_of_teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| season | Regular season |
| MVP | AL: Lefty Grove (PHA) |
| NL: Frankie Frisch (STL) | |
| MVP_link | Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award |
| conf1 | AL |
| conf1_champ | Philadelphia Athletics |
| conf1_runner-up | New York Yankees |
| conf2 | NL |
| conf2_champ | St. Louis Cardinals |
| conf2_runner-up | New York Giants |
| finals | World Series |
| finals_link | 1931 World Series |
| finals_champ | St. Louis Cardinals |
| finals_runner-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
| seasonslist | List of MLB seasons |
| seasonslistnames | MLB |
| prevseason_link | 1930 Major League Baseball season |
| prevseason_year | 1930 |
| nextseason_link | 1932 Major League Baseball season |
| nextseason_year | 1932 |
National League (NL) | April 14 – September 27, 1931}}World Series:{{Bulleted list | October 1–10, 1931}} NL: Frankie Frisch (STL) | conf1_runner-up = New York Yankees | conf2_runner-up = New York Giants | finals_runner-up = Philadelphia Athletics The 1931 major league baseball season began on April 14, 1931. The regular season ended on September 27, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Athletics as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 28th World Series on October 1 and ended with Game 7 on October 10. In the second iteration of this World Series matchup (and a rematch of the previous year), the Cardinals defeated the Athletics, four games to three, capturing their second championship in franchise history, since their previous in . Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Philadelphia Athletics from the season.
This was the first season that the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) selected a Most Valuable Player in each league.
Schedule
The 1931 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the season (except for ) and would be used until in the American League and in the National League.
Opening Day, April 14, featured all sixteen teams, the first time since the season. The final day of the regular season was on September 27, which also saw all sixteen teams play on the final day continuing the trend which began the previous season. This was the first time that both Opening Day and the final day of the season saw all sixteen teams play. The World Series took place between October 1 and October 10.
Rule changes
The 1931 season saw the following rule changes:
- The rule previously implemented in , that a sacrifice hit was awarded when any base runner advanced on a fly out, was eliminated.
- Regulations referring to a batter contacting his own ball were clarified as was the area of bases awarded a batter when a defensive player threw his glove at a batted or thrown ball or in the case of spectator interference.
- In the National League:
- The ground rule double rule was implemented, which states that balls that bounce over the fence entitle the batter to two bases. The rule was previously implemented by the American League in .
- Barnstorming rules were loosened, allowing a squad of players to go to Japan.
- A rule that only people in uniform be allowed on the playing field after ballpark gates were open was approved.
- The American League adopted the early- rule that when calling home runs, balls are to be called based on where the ball crosses the outfield fence, no matter if the ball lands in the stands or leaves the ballpark. The National League previously implemented this rule in .
Teams
An asterisk () denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at*
| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager | American League}};" | Boston Red Sox | Chicago White Sox | Cleveland Indians | Detroit Tigers | New York Yankees | Philadelphia Athletics | St. Louis Browns | Washington Senators | National League}};" | Boston Braves | Brooklyn Robins | Chicago Cubs | Cincinnati Reds | New York Giants | Philadelphia Phillies | Pittsburgh Pirates | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, Massachusetts | Fenway Park | 27,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Braves Field* | 46,500* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago, Illinois | Comiskey Park | 52,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland, Ohio | League Park | 21,414 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit, Michigan | Navin Field | 30,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York, New York | Yankee Stadium | 62,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Shibe Park | 33,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 34,023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington, D.C. | Griffith Stadium | 27,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston, Massachusetts | Braves Field | 46,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York, New York | Ebbets Field | 28,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago, Illinois | Wrigley Field | 40,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati, Ohio | Redland Field | 26,060 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 56,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Baker Bowl | 18,800 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Forbes Field | 41,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 34,023 |
Standings
American League
National League
Tie games
9 tie games (5 in AL, 4 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
American League
- Boston Red Sox, 1
- Chicago White Sox, 3
- Cleveland Indians, 1
- New York Yankees, 2
- Philadelphia Athletics, 1
- Washington Senators, 2
National League
- Boston Braves, 2
- Brooklyn Robins, 1
- Chicago Cubs, 2
- New York Giants, 1
- Philadelphia Phillies, 1
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1
Postseason
The postseason began on October 1 and ended on October 10 with the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1931 World Series in seven games.
Bracket
| RD1-seed1=AL | RD1-team1=Philadelphia Athletics | RD1-score1=3 | RD1-seed2=NL | RD1-team2=St. Louis Cardinals | RD1-score2=4
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager | Boston Red Sox | New York Yankees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heinie Wagner | Shano Collins | |||
| Bob Shawkey | Joe McCarthy |
League leaders
American League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Al Simmons (PHA) | .390 |
| OPS | Babe Ruth (NYY) | 1.195 |
| HR | Lou Gehrig (NYY) | |
| Babe Ruth (NYY) | 46 | |
| RBI | Lou Gehrig (NYY) | 185 |
| R | Lou Gehrig (NYY) | 163 |
| H | Lou Gehrig (NYY) | 211 |
| SB | Ben Chapman (NYY) | 61 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Lefty Grove1 (PHA) | 31 |
| L | Pat Caraway (CWS) | |
| Sam Gray (SLB) | 24 | |
| ERA | Lefty Grove1 (PHA) | 2.06 |
| K | Lefty Grove1 (PHA) | 175 |
| IP | Rube Walberg (PHA) | 291.0 |
| SV | Firpo Marberry (WSH) | |
| Wilcy Moore (BBOS) | 8 | |
| WHIP | Lefty Grove (PHA) | 1.077 |
1 American League Triple Crown pitching winner
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Chick Hafey (STL) | .349 |
| OPS | Rogers Hornsby (CHC) | .996 |
| HR | Chuck Klein (PHI) | 31 |
| RBI | Chuck Klein (PHI) | 121 |
| R | Chuck Klein (PHI) | |
| Bill Terry (NYG) | 121 | |
| H | Lloyd Waner (PIT) | 214 |
| SB | Frankie Frisch (STL) | 28 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Jumbo Elliott (PHI) | |
| Bill Hallahan (STL) | ||
| Heinie Meine (PIT) | 19 | |
| L | Si Johnson (CIN) | 19 |
| ERA | Bill Walker (NYG) | 2.26 |
| K | Bill Hallahan (STL) | 159 |
| IP | Heinie Meine (PIT) | 284.0 |
| SV | Jack Quinn (BRO) | 13 |
| WHIP | Carl Hubbell (NYG) | 1.121 |
Awards and honors
Regular season
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Frankie Frisch (STL) | Lefty Grove (PHA) |
| The Sporting News Awards | Award | National League | American League |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Chuck Klein (PHI) | Lou Gehrig (NYY) |
Home field attendance
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | −6.7% | 1,086,422 | −25.8% | 14,109 |
| New York Yankees | 94 | 9.3% | 912,437 | −22.0% | 11,850 |
| New York Giants | 87 | 0.0% | 812,163 | −6.5% | 10,412 |
| Brooklyn Robins | 79 | −8.1% | 753,133 | −31.4% | 9,910 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 107 | 4.9% | 627,464 | −13.1% | 8,366 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 101 | 9.8% | 608,535 | 19.7% | 7,802 |
| Boston Braves | 64 | −8.6% | 515,005 | 10.8% | 6,603 |
| Washington Senators | 92 | −2.1% | 492,657 | −19.8% | 6,236 |
| Cleveland Indians | 78 | −3.7% | 483,027 | −8.6% | 6,356 |
| Detroit Tigers | 61 | −18.7% | 434,056 | −33.2% | 5,637 |
| Chicago White Sox | 56 | −9.7% | 403,550 | −0.6% | 5,241 |
| Boston Red Sox | 62 | 19.2% | 350,975 | −21.0% | 4,387 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 66 | 26.9% | 284,849 | −4.7% | 3,748 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 58 | −1.7% | 263,316 | −31.9% | 3,420 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | −6.3% | 260,392 | −27.2% | 3,338 |
| St. Louis Browns | 63 | −1.6% | 179,126 | 17.8% | 2,326 |
Venues
Across 80 homes games, the Boston Red Sox played all 15 of their Sunday games at the Boston Braves home field of Braves Field (the remaining 65 home games were played at Fenway Park). This was the last of three consecutive seasons playing all Sunday games at Braves Field and 3rd of four consecutive season playing some games at Braves Field.
This was the last of 31 consecutive seasons that the Cleveland Indians played at their inaugural field, League Park (they would play full seasons at the Park in and , while , and to saw home games split with Cleveland Stadium.
References
References
- Levy, Gary. "1930 Winter Meetings: The Judge and the Mahatma Debate the Chain Store System – Society for American Baseball Research".
- Krabbenhoft, Herm. "Impact of the Varying Sacrifice Fly Rules on Batting Champs, 1931–2019 – Society for American Baseball Research".
- "MLB Rule Changes {{!}} Baseball Almanac".
- O'Gara, Connor. "Future Hall of Famer Al López Hits the Last 'Bounce' Home Run in Big League History".
- (December 17, 1930). "Changes are Made in the Baseball Playing Rules by Joint Rules Committee". Santa Cruz Evening News.
- Vincent, David. "How Rules Changes in 1920 Affected Home Runs – Society for American Baseball Research".
- "1931 Major League Managers".
- "1931 American League Batting Leaders".
- "1931 American League Pitching Leaders".
- "1931 National League Batting Leaders".
- "1931 National League Pitching Leaders".
- "Most Valuable Player Award by The Sporting News {{!}} Baseball Almanac".
- "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Seamheads.com Ballparks Database — 1931 Season".
- "Seamheads.com Ballparks Database".
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