1939 in the Negro Leagues
From BR Bullpen
| 1939 in baseball |
|---|
| Japanese baseball |
| American League |
| National League |
| Negro Leagues |
| << 1938 1940 >> |
1939 in the Negro Leagues
Contents |
[edit] Standings
- BOLD indicates League Champion
[edit] Negro National League
- Source: The Negro Leagues Book by Dick Clark and Larry Lester
| Rank | Team | G | W | L | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homestead Grays | 47 | 33 | 14 | .702 |
| 2 | Newark Eagles | 49 | 29 | 20 | .592 |
| 3 | Baltimore Elite Giants | 46 | 25 | 21 | .543 |
| 4 | Philadelphia Stars | 63 | 31 | 32 | .492 |
| 5 | New York Black Yankees | 36 | 15 | 21 | .417 |
| 6 | New York Cubans | 27 | 5 | 22 | .185 |
[edit] Negro American League
- Source: The Negro Leagues Book by Dick Clark and Larry Lester
| Rank | Team | G | W | L | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Monarchs | 24 | 17 | 7 | .708 |
| 2 | Chicago American Giants | 28 | 17 | 11 | .607 |
| 3 | Cleveland Bears | 18 | 9 | 9 | .500 |
| 4 | Memphis Red Sox | 22 | 11 | 11 | .500 |
| 5 | St. Louis Stars | 22 | 10 | 12 | .455 |
| 6 | Toledo Crawfords | 19 | 8 | 11 | .421 |
| 7 | Indianapolis ABCs | 12 | 2 | 10 | .167 |
- The Toledo Crawfords replaced the Indianapolis ABCs jn the second half.
[edit] Independent Teams
- Source: Teams list from The Negro Leagues Book by Dick Clark and Larry Lester; records are from The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues, John Holway
[edit] Leading Players
[edit] Batters
[edit] Pitchers
[edit] Postseason
Kansas City won the first half of the NAL pennant, and the St. Louis Stars took the second half. A best of seven playoff was scheduled, but St. Louis was unable to secure home grounds, so the playoff was set back to a best of five. The Monarchs won in three straight games, though the remaining two games were played as exhibitions, the fifth game set as a benefit for local charities.
The Monarchs took the first game on August 31 at Oklahoma City's Holland Field, winning 4-1 before a crowd of 3,000 under the lights, Hilton Smith striking out 12. They won game two by a 7-2 count on September 1 at Muskogee, Oklahoma before a similar-sized crowd, manager-pitcher Andy Cooper striking out seven and center fielder Turkey Stearnes hitting a long home run.
The Monarchs clinched the series and pennant on Sunday, September 3, beating St. Louis 6-5 in the first game of a double-header, Hilton Smith beating Theo Smith. St. Louis won the second game 5-1 in seven innings, and also won the Labor Day benefit game the following day, but the series was over after three.
There was no Colored World Series this season.
| Negro League Seasons
Early Era
|
