The 1948 New York Yankees season was the team's 46th season. The team finished with a record of 94–60, finishing 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians and 1.5 games behind the second-place Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Bucky Harris. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium.
The fractional games-behind came about due to the frenzied pennant race, which saw the Yankees, Red Sox and Indians all battling it out to the end. The Yankees fell just a little short, and the Red Sox and Indians finished in a tie for first at 96–58. They held a one-game playoff, which counted as part of the regular season, so the Indians' victory raised their record to 97–58, and dropped the Red Sox to 96–59.
The Yankees did not renew Bucky Harris' contract after the season, opting instead to hire Casey Stengel starting in 1949. This move raised some eyebrows, but Stengel had just led the Oakland Oaks to the Pacific Coast League pennant in 1948, demonstrating that with good talent, he had a good chance to succeed. The Yankees were about to begin the most dominating stretch of their long dynasty.
Babe Ruth's death
On July 26, 1948, Babe Ruth attended the premiere of the film The Babe Ruth Story, a biopic about his life. William Bendix portrayed Ruth. Shortly thereafter, Ruth returned to the hospital for the final time. He was barely able to speak. Ruth's condition gradually became worse, and in his last days, scores of reporters and photographers hovered around the hospital. Only a few visitors were allowed to see him, one of whom was National League president and future Commissioner of Baseball, Ford Frick. "Ruth was so thin it was unbelievable. He had been such a big man and his arms were just skinny little bones, and his face was so haggard," Frick said years later.
On August 16, the day after Frick's visit, Babe Ruth died at age 53. His body lay in repose in Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth's funeral was two days later at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. Ruth was then buried in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, New York. The procession ended at Gate of Heaven Cemetery where 6,000 people came witness Ruth's gravesite. His casket was covered with a blanket of roses and orchids.
At his death, the New York Times called Babe Ruth, "a figure unprecedented in American life. A born showman off the field and a marvelous performer on it, he had an amazing flair for doing the spectacular at the most dramatic moment."
Offseason February 24, 1948: Bill Wight, Fred Bradley, and Aaron Robinson were traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for Eddie Lopat.Eddie Lopat page at Baseball Reference Prior to 1948 season: Al Cicotte and Gus Triandos were signed as an amateur free agents by the Yankees.Al Cicotte page at Baseball ReferenceGus Triandos Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Roster 1948 New York Yankees Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches
Player stats = Indicates team leader
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 82 228 61 .268 0 19 1B 94 302 75 .248 11 41 2B 141 515 130 .252 3 32 3B 127 446 131 .294 12 64 SS 128 464 117 .252 6 50 OF 153 594 190 .320 39155 OF 88 309 138 .317 13 55 OF 146 598 181 .308 25 100
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 125 469 143 .305 14 98 113 363 109 .300 3 48 83 247 66 .267 6 44 44 118 24 .203 3 11 53 88 22 .250 1 12 19 50 9 .180 1 9 22 38 8 .211 0 4 14 29 8 .276 0 3 4 14 8 .571 0 1 17 14 4 .286 0 0 5 5 1 .200 0 2 6 5 1 .200 0 0 1 2 0 .000 0 0 1 0 0 ---- 0 0
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 39 236.1 16 7 3.77 101 33 226.2 17 11 3.65 83 36 222.2 19 8 3.84 124 28 155.2 9 10 3.41 71 16 78.0 5 3 4.50 30
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 31 133.2 8 5 3.30 101 20 76.2 5 3 3.76 25 22 62.1 5 2 4.04 25
Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L SV ERA SO 55 107.2 7 8 16 4.26 77 19 38 2 3 1 3.79 11 15 25 1 0 0 2.88 12 1 2 0 0 0 4.50 2 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 0
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Grand Forks, Twin Falls, Independence, BlackstoneJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
Notes
References 1948 New York Yankees at Baseball Reference 1948 New York Yankees team page at www.baseball-almanac.com