1939 Boston Red Sox

1939 Boston Red Sox / Franchise: Boston Red Sox / BR Team Page

Record: 89-62, Finished 2nd in American League (1939 AL)

Managed by Joe Cronin

Coaches: Moe Berg, Tom Daly, Hugh Duffy and Herb Pennock

Ballpark: Fenway Park

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1939 Boston Red Sox are remembered as Ted Williams' first major league team. He was 20 years old at the time, and led the team in several hitting categories.

The Red Sox finished second in the American League, although they were 17 games behind the New York Yankees who won 106 games. The Red Sox had won 88 games in 1938, won 89 in 1939, and would win 82 in 1940.

Several Hall of Famers were on the team, including Jimmie Foxx, who led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Joe Cronin was player-manager, and 21-year-old Bobby Doerr was in his third major league season. Pitcher Lefty Grove was 39 years old.

Grove dominated the pitching staff with a 15-4 record and a much lower ERA than anyone else. He led the American League in ERA, the last time that he would lead the league.

Cronin was in mid-career as a manager, having won a pennant in his rookie managerial year with the Washington Senators in 1933. He would not win another pennant until 1946, near the end of his managing days. In between, he would finish second in the league four times, including in 1939.

Most of the starting position players would return in 1940, with the exception of outfielder Joe Vosmik, who would be replaced by rookie Dom DiMaggio.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Doc Cramer, Joe Cronin, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove

Standings

American League	W	L	Pct.	GB
New York Yankees	106	45	.702	--
Boston Red Sox	88	61	.591	9½
Cleveland Indians	86	66	.566	13
Detroit Tigers	84	70	.545	16
Washington Senators	75	76	.497	23½
Chicago White Sox	65	83	.439	32
Philadelphia Athletics	55	97	.362	44
St. Louis Browns	43	111	.279	64½

Further Reading

• Bill Nowlin, ed.: Lefty, Double-X and The Kid, Rounder Books, Burlington, MA, 2009.