1950 Major League Baseball season

Schedule

The 1950 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the season (except for ) and would be used until in the American League and in the National League.

Opening Day took place on April 18, featuring all 16 teams, the first time since . The final day of the regular season was on October 1, which also saw all 16 teams play, continuing the trend from . This was the first time since that all 16 teams played their first and last games on the same days. The World Series took place between October 4 and October 7.

Rule changes

The 1950 season saw the following rule changes:

• Home team must bat second, in the bottom of the inning. This replaced the previous rule which would give the manager or captain of the home team preference to whether the home team would bat first or second. A major league game did not feature a home team in the top of the inning since 1914.
• The pitching mound must be 15 inches high. The previous rule stated that the maximum height was 15 inches but gave no minimum.
• Rules for determining winning and losing pitcher were formally established (though followed the same standard since 1920).
  • A winning pitcher is determined by the pitcher who is currently in the game when his team scores the leading run, where the team does not give up the lead later. A starting pitcher must pitch at least five innings, or else the win goes to the reliever deemed "most effective".
  • A losing pitcher is determined by the pitcher to give up the losing run.
• The size of all gloves, aside from first baseman and catcher's gloves, are regulated to be no more than 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. The size and shape of the webbing between the thumb and index finger was also regulated.
• The strike zone was redefined and shrunk to be from the armpits to the top of the knees of the batter.
• When a batter reaches first on a strikeout due to a passed ball on strike three, the pitcher is charged with an error, not a wild pitch. However, when determining earned runs for said pitcher, the ball is treated as a wild pitch, so that the pitcher would not be absolved for causing the opposing team scoring on said passed ball.
• For the 1950 season only, if a baserunner is attempting to steal a base, and is "well advanced towards the base" while a balk is called, the runner is awarded a stolen base.
• Rules regarding drafting high-school-age players were amended. Previously, a player who had either left school early or who did not finish high school on schedule had to wait until his last enrolled class (potentially later than the class in which he started school) graduated. Now, a high-school student could sign with a professional club after the class in which he first entered high school had graduated.
• In an arrangement between the major leagues and the US Department of Justice, teams could authorize broadcasts outside a 50-mile radius of their ballpark at hours when a team in the broadcast area was not playing.
• Players now had to remain on the disabled list for only 30 days instead of 60 (this introduced the 30-day disabled list, along with the already existing 60-day list).
• The National League made the following changes in regards to night games:
  • Aside from local ordinances, the 12:50a.m. curfew restriction for games was lifted, allowing tie games to continue indefinitely until a team won.
  • The suspended-game policy, which stated that a game that had to be halted (primarily) due to a curfew would resume the next time the two teams met, was restored.
  • The twilight doubleheader was restored, matching policy of the American League.
  • Ballpark lights were now allowed to be turned on when afternoon games ran into darkness before its conclusion.
• In contrast to the National League, the American League allowed ballpark lights to be turned on when afternoon games ran into darkness, but only during the final series of the season, and only for teams vying for first, second, third, or fourth place in the standings.

Teams

Standings

American League

National League

Tie games

8 tie games (4 in AL, 4 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.

American League

• Chicago White Sox, 2
• Cleveland Indians, 1
• Detroit Tigers, 3
• New York Yankees, 1
• Philadelphia Athletics, 1
• Washington Senators, 1

National League

• Boston Braves, 2
• Brooklyn Dodgers, 1
• Chicago Cubs, 1
• Philadelphia Phillies, 3
• Pittsburgh Pirates, 1

Postseason

The postseason began on October 4 and ended on October 7, with the New York Yankees sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1950 World Series in four games.

Bracket

| RD1-seed1=AL | RD1-team1=New York Yankees | RD1-score1=4 | RD1-seed2=NL | RD1-team2=Philadelphia Phillies | RD1-score2=0

Managerial changes

Off-season

In-season

League leaders

American League

National League

Awards and honors

Regular season

Other awards

Home field attendance

References

References

1. "These players integrated each MLB team".
2. "American League No Hitters". [[Baseball Almanac]].
3. "National League No Hitters". [[Baseball Almanac]].
4. Lukas, Paul. (October 19, 2007). "Long live the bullpen car - ESPN Page 2". ESPN.
5. "MLB Rule Changes {{!}} Baseball Almanac".
6. Belleville, Gary. (Spring 2023). "The Death and Rebirth of the Home Team Batting First".
7. Green, Jeremy. "1949 Winter Meetings: Bonuses, Bargains, and Broadcasts – Society for American Baseball Research".
8. (2013-12-13). "Pitching Mound History–balance between pitchers and batters".
9. Vaccaro, Frank. (Spring 2013). "Origin of the Modern Pitching Win".
10. "Rules History".
11. Holmes, Dan. (2021-02-07). "1950 rule forced Joe DiMaggio to ditch his favorite glove".
12. "A guide to rules changes in MLB (and sports) history".
13. "1950 Major League Managers".
14. "1950 American League Batting Leaders".
15. "1950 American League Pitching Leaders".
16. "1950 National League Batting Leaders".
17. "1950 National League Pitching Leaders".
18. "The Hutch Award, Lou Gehrig Award, Babe Ruth Award & Roberto Clemente Award Winners".
19. "1950 World Series". [[Baseball Reference]].
20. "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News".
21. "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News".
22. "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News".
23. "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News".
24. "MLB Executive of the Year Award".
25. "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
26. "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
27. "Cleveland Guardians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
28. "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
29. "Philadelphia Phillies Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
30. "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
31. "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
32. "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
33. "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
34. "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
35. "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
36. "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
37. "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
38. "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
39. "Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".
40. "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors".