1937 St. Louis Cardinals season
| 1937 St. Louis Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Major League affiliations | |
| |
| Location | |
| |
| |
| Results | |
| Record | 81–73 (.526) |
| League place | 4th |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Sam Breadon |
| General manager(s) | Branch Rickey |
| Manager(s) | Frankie Frisch |
| Local radio |
KMOX (France Laux, Jim Alt) KWK (Ray Schmidt, John O'Hara, Allan Anthony) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1937 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 56th season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 46th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 81–73 during the season and finished 4th in the National League.
Offseason
At the start of January 1937, general manager Branch Rickey named Robert L. Finch vice president of all Cardinals minor league baseball teams.[1] Their star pitcher, Dizzy Dean, spent the preseason in a contract dispute, even threatening to quit baseball. He finally signed for an estimated $24,000 on March 19.[2]
Regular season
As the season was set to begin, the Cardinals were considered the favorites to win the National League and face the New York Yankees in the 1937 World Series.[3]
Outfielder Joe Medwick won the MVP Award this year, batting .374, with 31 home runs and 154 RBIs. Conversely, Dizzy Dean battled injuries, staged a mid-game strike, engaged in multiple fights and was even suspended for a time. Dean finished with a 13–10 record and only one win after the All-Star Break and was named the "biggest bust of the year" by an Associated Press poll after the season.[2]
Season summary
The Cardinals started their season strongly, winning seven of their first eight games and jumping out to a 1½-game lead by the end of April. They were in second place as late as June 27, just half a game out of first place with a record of 35–24. However, they never rose any higher, spending the rest of the year in either third or fourth place, ending the season by losing six of eight and with their largest deficit of the year of 15 games out of first place.[4]
Season standings
| National League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 95 | 57 | 0.625 | — | 50–25 | 45–32 |
| Chicago Cubs | 93 | 61 | 0.604 | 3 | 46–32 | 47–29 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 86 | 68 | 0.558 | 10 | 46–32 | 40–36 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 81 | 73 | 0.526 | 15 | 45–33 | 36–40 |
| Boston Bees | 79 | 73 | 0.520 | 16 | 43–33 | 36–40 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 62 | 91 | 0.405 | 33½ | 36–39 | 26–52 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 61 | 92 | 0.399 | 34½ | 29–45 | 32–47 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 56 | 98 | 0.364 | 40 | 28–51 | 28–47 |
Record vs. opponents
1937 National League Records Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | BR | CHC | CIN | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
| Boston | — | 15–7 | 9–13 | 11–11 | 10–10 | 14–8 | 11–11 | 9–13 | |||||
| Brooklyn | 7–15 | — | 8–14 | 12–10–1 | 6–16 | 10–11 | 12–10 | 7–15–1 | |||||
| Chicago | 13–9 | 14–8 | — | 14–8 | 12–10 | 14–8 | 9–13 | 17–5 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 11–11 | 10–12–1 | 8–14 | — | 8–14 | 11–11 | 1–21 | 7–15 | |||||
| New York | 10–10 | 16–6 | 10–12 | 14–8 | — | 15–7 | 16–6 | 14–8 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 8–14 | 11–10 | 8–14 | 11–11 | 7–15 | — | 11–11 | 5–17–2 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 11–11 | 10–12 | 13–9 | 21–1 | 6–16 | 11–11 | — | 14–8 | |||||
| St. Louis | 13–9 | 15–7–1 | 5–17 | 15–7 | 8–14 | 17–5–2 | 8–14 | — | |||||
Roster
| 1937 St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||
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| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | Medwick, JoeJoe Medwick | 156 | 633 | 237 | .374 | 31 | 154 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frisch, FrankieFrankie Frisch | 17 | 32 | 7 | .219 | 0 | 4 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean, DizzyDizzy Dean | 27 | 197.1 | 13 | 10 | 2.69 | 120 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake, SheriffSheriff Blake | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.71 | 20 |
| Andrews, NateNate Andrews | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.00 | 6 |
| Dean, PaulPaul Dean | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ∞ | 0 |
Farm system
References
- ↑ "Rickey Names Finch Cardinal Official". Los Angeles Times. January 3, 1937. p. A7.
- 1 2 "Dean Biggest 'Bust' of Year". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. December 21, 1937. p. 9.
- ↑ "Yankees, Cardinals Scribes' Favorites". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 24, 1937. p. 9.
- ↑ 1937 Cardinals Schedule and Results
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007