Connie Mack, for 50 years manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, retired on Oct. 18, 1950, in his 88th year. He had been associated with the game since 1884.
In the top player deal of the year, the New York Yankees sent pitchers Duane Pillette and Don Johnson, second baseman George (Snuffy) Stirnweiss, outfielder Jimmy Delsing and $50,000 to the St. Louis Browns for pitchers Tom Ferrick and Joe Ostrowski and the assignment of two St. Louis players to New York’s farm club at Kansas City, Missouri.
The Giants claimed pitcher Jim Hearn from the Cardinals on waivers in mid-season and the right-hander went on to post an 11-4 mark for the campaign.
Late in June the Yankees recalled pitcher Whitey Ford and he hung up nine victories against only one defeat to highlight the Bombers’ drive towards the AL championship.
MLB’s only no-hitter of the season was registered on Aug. 11 by Vern Bickford, Boston Braves’ right-hander, who set down the Dodgers, 7-0.
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Major League Races
After a 35-year drought, the Phillies captured the second NL pennant in club history with a dramatic, last-day victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Entering the final day of the season, the Phils held a one-game margin and were faced with the prospects of a three-game play-off for the title if Brooklyn should win the concluding game, thereby throwing the race into a tie.
With Robin Roberts hurling a five-hitter, however, and Dick Sisler providing the pay-off blow with a three-run homer, the Phillies posted a ten-inning, 4-1 triumph to win their first pennant since 1915.
The Yankees nailed down their 17th AL pennant on Sept. 29, backing into the title when the runner-up Tigers lost to Cleveland, thereby erasing themselves mathematically.
Billy Goodman, Red Sox, ousted George Kell of Detroit as the AL batting champion with an average of 354. Stan Musial of St. Louis captured the National league honours with .346.
Ralph Kiner retained his major league home run crown, clouting 47 round-trippers for the Pirates. Al Rosen, promising rookie Cleveland third baseman, led the American league with 37 homers.
All-Star Game
Red Schoendienst, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman, clouted a home run in the 14th inning to enable the NL stars to defeat the AL, 4-3, in the mid-summer classic at Comiskey park in Chicago on July 11, 1950.
World Series
In the lowest scoring series in history, the Yankees defeated the Phillies in four straight games to register their 13th world championship and mark their sixth win in the minimum number of contests.
Shockingly, Major League turnstile figures declined from 20,215,365 in 1949 to 17,462,977 in 1950.
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