1940 Boston Red Sox season explained

Boston Red Sox
Season:	1940
League:	American League
Ballpark:	Fenway Park
City:	Boston, Massachusetts
Record:	82–72 (.532)
League Place:	4th (tied; 8 GB)
Owners:	Tom Yawkey
President:	Tom Yawkey
General Managers:	Eddie Collins
Managers:	Joe Cronin
Radio:	WAAB (Jim Britt, Tom Hussey)
Espntn:	bos
Brtn:	BOS

The 1940 Boston Red Sox season was the 40th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished tied for fourth place in the American League (AL) with a record of 82 wins and 72 losses, eight games behind the Detroit Tigers.

Preseason

Transactions

• November 12, 1939: The Red Sox purchase outfielder Dom DiMaggio and pitcher Larry Powell from the San Francisco Seals.^[1]
• December 8, 1939: The Red Sox purchase infielder Marvin Owen from the Chicago White Sox.^[2]
• December 26, 1939: The Brooklyn Dodgers purchase infielder Louis "Boze" Berger from the Red Sox off of waivers.^[3]
• January 25, 1940: The Red Sox announce the signing of pitcher Earl Johnson to a contract.^[4]
• February 2, 1940: Catcher Moe Berg is removed from the active roster.^[5] Berg would remain with the Red Sox as a coach for the 1940 and 1941 seasons.^[6]
• February 8, 1940: The Red Sox sell pitcher Elden Aukur to the St. Louis Browns.^[7]
• February 13, 1940: The Red Sox sell outfielder Joe Vosmik to the Brooklyn Dodgers.^[8]
• March 29, 1940: The Red Sox send pitcher Russell Evans to the Minneapolis Millers to complete the deal in which Herb Hash, George Lacy, and Bill Butland were sent to the Red Sox from Minneapolis.^[9]
• April 14, 1940: Pitcher Ted Olson is sold by the Red Sox to the Baltimore Orioles.^[10]

Regular season

Transactions

• April 23: The Red Sox sign pitcher Emmett O'Neill of St. Mary's College.^[11]
• April 25: The St. Louis Browns sell catcher Joe Glenn to the Boston Red Sox.^[12]
• April 28: The Philadelphia Phillies announce the purchase of first baseman Art Mahan from the Louisville Colonels.^[13]
• July 25: Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw M. Landis fines the Red Sox $500 and forces them to release Pitcher Larry Jansen after Red Sox scout Ernie Johson signed Jansen to an illegal "blank contract."^[14]
• August 3: The Brooklyn Dodgers purchase pitcher Lesley Flowers from the Louisville Colonels.^[15]
• August 13: The Red Sox purchase pitcher Bill Fleming from the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League.^[16]
• August 19: The Red Sox claim infielder Charles Gelbert off of waivers from the Washington Nationals.^[17]
• September 5: The Red Sox announce the acquisition of shortstop Skeeter Newsome from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Hal Seling and another player to be named later.^[18]
• September 6: The Red Sox announce the purchase of pitcher Mike Ryba from the Rochester Red Wings for cash and a player to be named later.^[19]
• September 11: The Red Sox sell outfielder Leo Nonnenkamp to the Newark Bears.^[20]

Opening Day lineup

7		RF
8		CF
9		LF
3		1B
4		SS
1		2B
5		3B
2	Gene Desautels	C
10		P

Roster

1940 Boston Red Sox
Roster
Pitchers		CatchersInfielders		OutfieldersOther batters		ManagerCoaches (First base) (Third base) (Pitching)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		71	222	50	.225	0	17
1B		144	515	153	.297	36	119
2B		151	595	173	.291	22	105
SS		149	548	156	.285	24	111
3B		120	459	131	.285	21	81
OF		150	661	200	.303	1	51
OF		144	561	193	.344	23	113
OF		108	418	126	.301	8	46

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	130	534	171	.320	5	73
	63	131	37	.282	0	13
	30	91	18	.198	0	8
	51	68	19	.279	2	13
	43	62	20	.323	0	7
	20	57	12	.211	0	6
	22	47	6	.128	0	4
	10	19	9	.474	0	4
	9	7	0	.000	0	1

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	22	153.1	7	6	3.99	62
	25	120.0	6	6	5.18	53
	3	21.0	1	2	5.57	5

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	36	182.2	10	16	4.73	57
	41	157.2	12	6	5.08	102
	31	143.2	5	9	4.95	80
	34	120.0	7	7	4.95	36
	39	119.0	12	7	4.01	55
	35	100.0	8	6	6.03	40
	17	70.1	6	2	4.09	26
	13	68.1	4	2	5.00	36
	10	46.1	1	2	4.86	24
	4	19.1	1	0	8.84	9
	6	15.0	0	1	9.00	6
	3	11.2	1	0	0.77	8

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	12	1	0	0	5.52	13
	1	0	0	0	4.50	1

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball.

Source:^[21]

External links

• 1940 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference
• 1940 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com

Notes and References

1. News: November 13, 1939 . Third DiMaggio To Big Leagues . 6 . . June 18, 2023.
2. News: December 8, 1939 . Boston Sox Purchase Infielder Marvin Owen . 1 . . June 18, 2023.
3. News: December 27, 1939 . Brooklyn Dodgers Buy Berger From Boston . 9 . . June 18, 2023.
4. News: Former Gael Hurler Signs With Red Sox . 1 . . June 18, 2023.
5. News: February 2, 1940 . Moe Berg Appears Destined To Be Bull Pen Catcher . 10 . . June 18, 2023.
6. Book: Ethnic and Racial Minorities in the U.S. Military: An Encyclopedia . . 2013 . 978-1-59884-427-6 . Bielakowski . Alexander M. . 1 . Santa Barbara, California . 90.
7. News: February 9, 1940 . Elden Aukur Sold By Sox . 20 . . June 19, 2023.
8. News: King . Bill . Vosmik Drops Out Of .300 Class Gets Sold Down River To Dodgers . 4 . . June 19, 2023.
9. News: March 29, 1940 . Red Evans Sent to Minneapolis by Red Sox . 7 . . June 19, 2023.
10. News: April 15, 1940 . Red Sox Drop Olson . 23 . . June 19, 2023.
11. News: April 24, 1940 . Emmett O'Neill To Join Red Sox . 1 . . June 19, 2023.
12. News: April 26, 1940 . Joe Glenn Sold to Red Sox . 17 . . June 20, 2023.
13. News: April 29, 1940 . Phillies Purchase Mahan From Colonels . 8 . . June 20, 2023.
14. News: July 25, 1940 . Landis Plasters Fine on Red Sox . 19 . . June 20, 2023.
15. News: August 3, 1940 . Dodgers' Presnell Goes, Buys Southpaw . 7 . . June 20, 2023.
16. News: August 14, 1940 . Red Sox Purchase Fleming . 13 . . June 20, 2023.
17. News: August 20, 1940 . Sox Obtain Infielder . 12 . . June 20, 2023.
18. News: September 5, 1940 . Red Sox Acquire Skeeter Newsome from Baltimore . 10 . . June 20, 2023.
19. News: September 6, 1940 . Mike Ryba Is Sold To Red Sox By Rochester . 21 . . June 20, 2023.
20. News: September 11, 1940 . Give Up On Nonnenkamp . 3 . . June 20, 2023.
21. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007