1940 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1940 throughout the world.

Major League Baseball

 * World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Detroit Tigers (4-3)
 * All-Star Game, July 9 at Sportsman's Park: National League, 4-0

Other champions

 * Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: East, 11-0

Awards and honors

 * Most Valuable Player
 * Hank Greenberg (AL) - OF, Detroit Tigers
 * Frank McCormick (NL) - 1B, Cincinnati Reds
 * The Sporting News Player of the Year Award
 * Bob Feller - P, Cleveland Indians
 * The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award
 * Hank Greenberg (AL) - OF, Detroit Tigers
 * Frank McCormick (NL) - 1B, Cincinnati Reds
 * The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award
 * Bill McKechnie - Cincinnati Reds

Events

 * September 24 - Jimmie Foxx hits 500th home run.

Births

 * February 25 - Ron Santo
 * March 6 - Willie Stargell
 * April 15 - Willie Davis
 * May 20 - Sadaharu Oh
 * July 18 - Joe Torre
 * July 20 - Tony Oliva
 * September 12 - Mickey Lolich
 * November 23 - Luis Tiant

Deaths

 * February 13 - Walter Barnes, 79, sports editor for several Boston newspapers from 1891 to 1933 who was that city's first regular sports columnist
 * August 21 - Ernest Thayer, 77, newspaper editor whose 1888 poem "Casey at the Bat" became a staple of baseball culture
 * October 17 - George Davis, 70, shortstop for the Giants and White Sox who set records for career hits (2600+) and RBI (1437) by a switch-hitter, and ranked third in total games upon retirement; batted .308 in 1906 World Series as White Sox upset Cubs
 * December 16 - Billy Hamilton, 74, center fielder and leadoff hitter for Philadelphia and Boston who batted .344 lifetime, winning two batting titles; led NL in runs four times and in walks and steals five times each; had eleven 100-run seasons including record 192 in 1894, and his 1690 career runs - over one per game - ranked second in history upon retirement; batted .343 and .369 for 1897-98 Boston champions