1946 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1946 throughout the world.

Major League Baseball

 * World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3)
 * All-Star Game, July 9 at Fenway Park: American League, 12-0

Other champions

 * Negro League World Series: Newark Eagles over Kansas City Monarchs (4-3)
 * Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: East, 5-3 (first game, at Griffith Stadium); West, 4-1 (second game, at Comiskey Park)
 * All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Racine Belles

Awards and honors

 * Most Valuable Player
 * Ted Williams (AL) - OF, Boston Red Sox
 * Stan Musial (NL) - 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
 * The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
 * Stan Musial (NL) - 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
 * The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
 * Eddie Dyer (NL) - St. Louis Cardinals
 * The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
 * Del Ennis (Philadelphia NL, OF)

Events

 * January 12 - Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams receives his discharge from the U.S. Marine Air Corps after a three-year stint serving in World War II. In spite of the long absence from competitive baseball, Williams will return to the major leagues by hitting .342 with 38 home runs and 123 RBI in 1946.


 * January 12 - The first official professional game is played in Venezuela, launching the newly constituted four-team Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Venezuela. The league is composed of four teams: Cervecería Caracas, Magallanes, Vargas and Venezuela. The inaugural game is won by Magallanes over Venezuela, 5–2, behind strong pitching from Alex Carrasquel, who gives up 11 hits in a complete game effort.
 * January 20 - In a classic pitching matchup played in Caracas, Venezuela, Alex Carrasquel of Magallanes beat Roy Welmaker and Vargas club, 3–2, in 17 innings. In the six-and-a-half-hour marathon, Carrasquel is good enough to silence the bats of Roy Campanella and Sam Jethroe. Both pitchers go the distance in one of the greatest matchups ever.


 * September 13 - The Red Sox clinch the AL pennant, edging the Indians 1-0 at Cleveland's League Park II on Ted Williams' inside-the-park home run, the only one of his career. Williams punches the ball over the shift when Cleveland left fielder Pat Seerey pulls in behind the shortstop position. It is Boston's first pennant since 1918, the year of their last World Series title. The Boston margin at season's end is 12 games.

Births

 * March 15 - Bobby Bonds
 * April 8 - Catfish Hunter
 * May 18 - Reggie Jackson
 * May 20 - Bobby Murcer
 * August 25 - Rollie Fingers
 * October 14 - Al Oliver
 * November 5 - Jim Evans

Deaths

 * March 28 - Cumberland Posey, 55, owner of the Negro Leagues' Homestead Grays since the 1920 who built the team into a perennial power; previously an outfielder and manager
 * April 4 - Harry Cross, 64, sportswriter for several New York newspapers since 1909
 * May 19 - John K. Tener, 82, president of the National League from 1913 to 1918; won 25 games as pitcher from 1888-1890
 * June 17 - James Isaminger, 65, sportswriter for Philadelphia newspapers from 1905 to 1940 who played a major role in breaking the story of the Black Sox scandal
 * August 6 - Tony Lazzeri, 42, All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees who batted .300 five times and had seven 100-RBI seasons; had two grand slams and 11 RBI in a 1936 game, and batted .400 in 1937 World Series
 * November 5 - Alejandro Oms, 51, Cuban center fielder of the Negro Leagues
 * December 10 - Walter Johnson, 59, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Washington Senators who won over 400 games, second only to Cy Young, earned MVP awards in 1913 and 1924, and recorded 3508 strikeouts and 110 shutouts, both easily records; posted career 2.17 ERA and won 20 games 12 times, including 30-win seasons in 1912-13; led AL in strikeouts twelve times, ERA five times; won 38 1-0 games, also losing 26 by same score
 * December 10 - Damon Runyon, 62, famed New York sportswriter and author