1930s Baseball: History, MVPs & MLB Champions

1930s-baseball

I won’t claim to be an expert historian on baseball, but this is my first post on RetroWaste about old time baseball and I couldn’t be more excited about the addition of this category.

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I have been reading and collecting baseball since I was 5 years old. I pitched varsity baseball throughout high school and my son is pretty much the best pitcher in his 12 year old league right now.

I love baseball.

So, now that I’ve got that out of the way — baseball in the 1930s.

So much has been said, but bottom line, it was NOT the 20s and it wasn’t the 40s. The glamour teams and big name stars were gone and replaced with guys who were best known for being Jewish.

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Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig both fizzled out at the end of the decade and the Depression crushed attendance.

As a collector, the 1930s produced one of the best baseball card sets of all time: the 1933 Goudey baseball card set. I love the way those cards look and feel. They’re honestly as close to perfection as I could hope for in a baseball card.

Another huge thing happened in the 1930s: LIGHTS! LIGHTS! LIGHTS!

My beloved Cincinnati Reds put lights into their stadium and night time baseball caught on like wildfire.

The Yankees dominated the second half of the decade — winning four Championships in a row.

While the mid-30s were owned by guys like Ott, Foxx and Dean, the late 1930s introduced three guys who would shape the next decade: Williams, Feller and DiMaggio (of, course I’m talking about Dom, haha)

Another one of my favorite parts of baseball, the Hall of Fame, was built in 1939. The first inductees?

Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. Not a bad group.

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List of World Series winners in the 1930s

Year

Winning Team

Series

Losing Team

1930

Philadelphia Athletics (AL)

4–2

St. Louis Cardinals (NL)

1931

St. Louis Cardinals (NL)

4–3

Philadelphia Athletics (AL)

1932

New York Yankees (AL)

4–0

Chicago Cubs (NL)

1933

New York Giants (NL)

4–1

Washington Senators (AL)

1934

St. Louis Cardinals (NL)

4–3

Detroit Tigers (AL)

1935

Detroit Tigers (AL)

4–2

Chicago Cubs (NL)

1936

New York Yankees (AL)

4–2

New York Giants (NL)

1937

New York Yankees (AL)

4–1

New York Giants (NL)

1938

New York Yankees (AL)

4–0

Chicago Cubs (NL)

1939

New York Yankees (AL)

4–0

Cincinnati Reds (NL)

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List of American League MVPs in the 1930s

1931Lefty GrovePhiladelphiaP
1932Jimmie FoxxPhiladelphia1B
1933Jimmie FoxxPhiladelphia1B
1934Mickey CochraneDetroitC
1935Hank GreenbergDetroit1B
1936Lou GehrigNew York1B
1937Charlie GehringerDetroit2B
1938Jimmie FoxxBoston1B
1939Joe DiMaggioNew YorkOF

List of National League MVPs in the 1930s

1931Frankie FrischSt. Louis2BB
1932Chuck KleinPhiladelphiaOFL
1933Carl HubbellNew YorkPR
1934Dizzy DeanSt. LouisPR
1935Gabby HartnettChicagoCR
1936Carl HubbellNew YorkPR
1937Joe MedwickSt. LouisOFR
1938Ernie LombardiCincinnatiCR
1939Bucky WaltersCincinnatiPR
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Browse 1930s Baseball by year below

1934-MLB-Team-Photos

1934: Team Photos Of Every MLB Team »

If you're looking for team photos of every Major League Baseball team from the 1934 season, look no further!
Lefty Grove & Mickey Cochrane (1930)

Baseball in 1930 »

In 1930, the Philadelphia Athletics won 102 games to win the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. Lou Gehrig & Chuck Klein had monster seasons.
1935 Detroit Tigers Team Photo

Baseball in 1935 »

The best player in baseball in 1935 was Hank Greenberg. He led the Detroit Tigers to a championship over the surprising, but consistent, Chicago Cubs.
1931 w517 Baseball Cards

1931 W517 Complete Set: Checklist & Pictures »

Check out what every 1931 W517 baseball card looks like right here. This page has the complete checklist and picture of every card from the 1931 W517 set.

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