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1950 Major League Baseball season
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The 1950 major league baseball season began on April 18, 1950. The regular season ended on October 1, with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 47th World Series on October 4 and ended with Game 4 on October 7. The Yankees swept the Phillies in four games, capturing their 13th championship in franchise history, and their second of five consecutive World Series titles.
The 17th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 11 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago White Sox. The National League won, 4–3.
On Opening Day, April 18, the Boston Braves became the fifth team in MLB to break the color line when they fielded Sam Jethroe.[1]
The only no-hitter of the season was pitched by Vern Bickford on August 9, in the Boston Braves 7–0 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.[2][3] This season saw the first use of a bullpen car, by the Cleveland Indians.[4]
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Schedule
The 1950 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 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.
Opening Day took place on April 18, featuring all 16 teams, the first time since 1947. The final day of the regular season was on October 1, which also saw all 16 teams play, continuing the trend from 1946. This was the first time since 1947 that all 16 teams played their first and last games on the same days. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 7.
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Rule changes
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The 1950 season saw the following rule changes:
- Home team must bat second, in the bottom of the inning. This replaced the previous rule which would give the manager or captain of the home team preference to whether the home team would bat first or second. A major league game did not feature a home team in the top of the inning since 1914.[5][6]
- The pitching mound must be 15 inches high. The previous rule stated that the maximum height was 15 inches but gave no minimum.[7][5][8]
- Rules for determining winning and losing pitcher were formally established (though followed the same standard since 1920).[5][9]
- A winning pitcher is determined by the pitcher who is currently in the game when his team scores the leading run, where the team does not give up the lead later. A starting pitcher must pitch at least five innings, or else the win goes to the reliever deemed "most effective".[10]
- A losing pitcher is determined by the pitcher to give up the losing run.[10]
- The size of all gloves, aside from first baseman and catcher's gloves, are regulated to be no more than 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. The size and shape of the webbing between the thumb and index finger was also regulated.[5][11]
- The strike zone was redefined and shrunk to be from the armpits to the top of the knees of the batter.[5][12]
- When a batter reaches first on a strikeout due to a passed ball on strike three, the pitcher is charged with an error, not a wild pitch. However, when determining earned runs for said pitcher, the ball is treated as a wild pitch, so that the pitcher would not be absolved for causing the opposing team scoring on said passed ball.[10]
- For the 1950 season only, if a baserunner is attempting to steal a base, and is "well advanced towards the base" while a balk is called, the runner is awarded a stolen base.[10]
- Rules regarding drafting high-school-age players were amended. Previously, a player who had either left school early or who did not finish high school on schedule had to wait until his last enrolled class (potentially later than the class in which he started school) graduated. Now, a high-school student could sign with a professional club after the class in which he first entered high school had graduated.[7]
- In an arrangement between the major leagues and the US Department of Justice, teams could authorize broadcasts outside a 50-mile radius of their ballpark at hours when a team in the broadcast area was not playing.[7]
- Players now had to remain on the disabled list for only 30 days instead of 60 (this introduced the 30-day disabled list, along with the already existing 60-day list).[7]
- The National League made the following changes in regards to night games:
- Aside from local ordinances, the 12:50 a.m. curfew restriction for games was lifted, allowing tie games to continue indefinitely until a team won.[7]
- The suspended-game policy, which stated that a game that had to be halted (primarily) due to a curfew would resume the next time the two teams met, was restored.[7]
- The twilight doubleheader was restored, matching policy of the American League.[7]
- Ballpark lights were now allowed to be turned on when afternoon games ran into darkness before its conclusion.[7]
- In contrast to the National League, the American League allowed ballpark lights to be turned on when afternoon games ran into darkness, but only during the final series of the season, and only for teams vying for first, second, third, or fourth place in the standings.[7]
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Teams
Standings
American League
National League
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Postseason
The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 7, with the New York Yankees sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1950 World Series in four games.
Bracket
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | Philadelphia Phillies | 0 | ||
Managerial changes
Off-season
In-season
League leaders
American League
National League
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Awards and honors
Regular season
Other awards
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Home field attendance
See also
References
External links
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