1942 Brooklyn Dodgers season

Offseason

• December 9, 1941: Heinie Mueller was purchased by the Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
• December 10, 1941: Mace Brown was purchased from the Dodgers the Boston Red Sox.
• December 10, 1941: Don Padgett was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
• December 10, 1941: Johnny Rizzo was purchased by the Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies.
• December 12, 1941: Pete Coscarart, Luke Hamlin, Babe Phelps and Jimmy Wasdell were traded by the Dodgers to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Arky Vaughan.
• March 13, 1942: Billy Sullivan was purchased by the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers.
• March 23, 1942: Frenchy Bordagaray was purchased by the Dodgers from the New York Yankees.
• Prior to 1942 season: Steve Nagy was signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers.

Regular season

The Dodgers were 73–30 and 10 games ahead on August 4, but the Cardinals went on to win 45 of their last 56 to grab the NL title. To exacerbate the problem, the Dodgers had also dropped several close games to St. Louis in September.

Defending NL batting champ Pete Reiser, hitting .380, was sidelined in mid-season after repeatedly crashing into the unpadded outfield wall in Ebbets Field. While he recovered from a fractured skull, Brooklyn could not keep up their early pace. A healthy Reiser may very well have made up the two-game difference.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• April 30, 1942: Schoolboy Rowe was purchased by the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers.
• May 19, 1942: Babe Dahlgren was purchased by the Dodgers from the Chicago Cubs.
• August 30, 1942: Bobo Newsom was purchased by the Dodgers from the Washington Senators.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts

Awards and honors

• 1942 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
  • Arky Vaughan starter
  • Joe Medwick starter
  • Pete Reiser starter
  • Billy Herman reserve
  • Mickey Owen reserve
  • Pee Wee Reese reserve
  • Whit Wyatt reserve
• TSN Major League All-Star Team
  • Mickey Owen

League top five finishers

Dolph Camilli

• #2 in NL in home runs (26)
• #2 in NL in RBI (109)
• #3 in NL in walks (97)

Hugh Casey

• MLB leader in saves (13)

Curt Davis

• #3 in NL in ERA (2.36)

Kirby Higbe

• #3 in NL in strikeouts (115)

Ducky Medwick

• #2 in NL in doubles (37)
• #4 in NL in RBI (96)

Pistol Pete Reiser

• NL leader in stolen bases (20)
• #4 in NL in batting average (.310)

Farm System

Howard Holmes William McWilliams Clancy Odell

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Santa Barbara

Notes

References

• Baseball-Reference season page
• Baseball Almanac season page

References

1. (October 3, 2021). "Trea Turner wins NL batting title, Dodgers beat Brewers 10-3".
2. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/muellhe02.shtml Heinie Mueller page at Baseball Reference]
3. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brownma01.shtml Mace Brown page at Baseball Reference]
4. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/p/padgedo01.shtml Don Padgett page at Baseball Reference]
5. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rizzojo01.shtml Johnny Rizzo page at Baseball Reference]
6. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/coscape01.shtml Pete Coscarart page at Baseball Reference]
7. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sullibi04.shtml Billy Sullivan page at Baseball Reference]
8. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bordafr01.shtml Frenchy Bordagaray page at Baseball Reference]
9. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nagyst01.shtml Steve Nagy page at Baseball Reference]
10. "HowStuffWorks "1942 Baseball Season"".
11. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rowesc01.shtml Schoolboy Rowe page at Baseball Reference]
12. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dahlgba01.shtml Babe Dahlgren page at Baseball Reference]
13. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/n/newsobo01.shtml Bobo Newsom page at Baseball Reference]