Champions Major League Baseball MLB World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over St. Louis Browns (4–2), in the "Streetcar Series" Negro League World Series: Homestead Grays over Birmingham Black Barons (4–1) MLB All-Star Game, July 11 at Forbes Field: National League, 7–1 Negro League Baseball All-Star Game: West, 7–4
Other champions Amateur World Series: Venezuela All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: Milwaukee Chicks over Kenosha Comets
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame Kenesaw Mountain Landis Most Valuable Player Hal Newhouser (AL) – pitcher, Detroit Tigers Marty Marion (NL) – shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals The Sporting News Player of the Year Award Marty Marion (NL) – St. Louis Cardinals The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award Bobby Doerr (AL) – Second base, Boston Red Sox Marty Marion (NL) – Shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award Hal Newhouser (AL) – Detroit Tigers Bill Voiselle (NL) – New York Giants The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award Luke Sewell (AL) – St. Louis Browns
Statistical leaders American LeagueNational LeagueNegro American LeagueNegro National League Stat Player Total Player Total Player Total Player Total AVG Lou Boudreau (CLE) .327 Dixie Walker (BRO) .357 Jesse Douglas (CAG) .327 Roy Campanella (BEG/) .388 HR Nick Etten (NYY) 22 Bill Nicholson (CHC) 33 Bonnie Serrell (KCM) 4 Josh Gibson (HOM) 9 RBI Vern Stephens (SLB) 109 Bill Nicholson (CHC) 122 Lee Moody (KCM) 26 Marvin Williams (PHS) 50 W Hal Newhouser (DET) 29 Bucky Walters (CIN) 23 Verdell Mathis (MEM) 7 Bill Ricks (PHS) 11 ERA Dizzy Trout (DET) 2.12 Ed Heusser (CIN) 2.38 Robert Keyes1 (MEM) 0.64 Donald Troy (BEG) 1.63 K Hal Newhouser (DET) 187 Bill Voiselle (NYG) 161 Satchel Paige (KCM) 105 Bill Ricks (PHS) 103 1 All-time single-season earned run average record
Major league baseball final standings American League final standings
National League final standings
Negro league baseball final standings All Negro leagues standings below are per MLB and Seamheads. Negro American League final standings
Negro National League final standings
Negro World Series 1944 Negro World Series: Homestead Grays over Birmingham Black Barons 4–1.
Independent teams final standings The Atlanta Black Crackers and Jacksonville Red Caps played against the two leagues. vs. All Teams Independent Clubs W L T Pct. GBAtlanta Black Crackers592—Jacksonville Red Caps040—
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League final standings First half RankTeamWLPct.GB1 Kenosha Comets 36 23 .610 —2 South Bend Blue Sox 33 25 .569 2½3 Milwaukee Chicks 30 26 .536 4½4 Racine Belles 28 32 .467 8½5 Rockford Peaches 24 32 .429 10½6 Minneapolis Millerettes 23 36 .390 13
Second half RankTeamWLPct.GB1 Milwaukee Chicks 40 19 .678 —2 South Bend Blue Sox 31 27 .534 8½3 Rockford Peaches 29 28 .509 104 Kenosha Comets 26 31 .456 135 Racine Belles 25 32 .439 146 Minneapolis Millerettes 22 36 .379 17½ Composite records RankTeamWLPct.GB1 Milwaukee Chicks 70 45 .609 —2 South Bend Blue Sox 64 52 .552 6½3 Kenosha Comets 62 54 .469 8½4 Rockford Peaches 53 60 .456 165 Racine Belles 53 64 .453 186 Minneapolis Millerettes 45 72 .385 26½
Events January January 4 – A nationally syndicated newspaper article penned by American League president Will Harridge expresses confidence that the 1944 MLB season will go forward despite the loss of manpower to World War II service. With an estimated 190 AL players now in the military, and anticipating the departure of "scores of players" for the fighting ranks in 1944, Harridge writes that his league's owners believe that "their clubs will be able to field teams, and again do a good job of providing entertainment and relaxation." January 14 – The Chicago Cubs sign minor-league free agent pitcher Russ Meyer, who had been released by the cross-town White Sox after contracting appendicitis and peritonitis while serving stateside in the U.S. Army in 1943. Granted a medical discharge, Meyer, 20, will return to pro baseball this season with the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association, and eventually spend all or part of 13 seasons (–, ) in the majors. January 25 – Manpower concerns driven by World War II and the military draft have reached such proportions that St. Louis Cardinals owner Sam Breadon publicly frets that he won't be able to field a team when the season opens in April. National League chief Ford Frick responds, "As long as we have nine men to a team, we should play ball". Breadon's 1944 Cardinals will have enough talent to win 105 games, their third straight pennant, and the 1944 World Series. January 27 – Casey Stengel quits under fire as manager of the Boston Braves, less than a week after the financially struggling club is purchased by local heavy construction magnates Lou Perini, C. Joseph Maney and Guido Rugo—nicknamed the "Three Little Steam Shovels." Stengel, 53, has directed the Braves to a 373–491–6 (.432) record since , missing part of while recovering from a broken leg. Bob Coleman, a Boston coach who was acting manager during that medical leave of absence, will be named Stengel's full-fledged successor on February 12. January 31 – The New York Giants sign minor-league free agent outfielder Danny Gardella, 23. Classified "4-F" due to a punctured eardrum and exempt from military service, he has been playing semi-professionally in New York City since 1941. Gardella will bat .268 in 168 games as a Giant from May 14, 1944, to September 30, 1945, before becoming a central figure in the Mexican League "raids" of ; in October 1948, he will file (and eventually settle out of court) a lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause.
February
February 2 – Opposition is swift after maverick owner Alva Bradley of the Cleveland Indians repeats his contention that baseball should suspend operations for the duration of World War II "rather than promote a farce" by employing inferior players to fill out war-depleted rosters. Owners and executives such as Ed Barrow, Eddie Collins, Grace Comiskey, Warren Giles, Clark Griffith, Connie Mack and Branch Rickey strongly reject Bradley's suggestion. "I'm not alarmed," says Washington's Griffith, who was instrumental in securing a "green light" for baseball from Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1942 after the U.S. entered the conflict. "We'll play until we have no players left." February 6 – A committee composed of major and minor league owners and Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis announces a series of provisions designed to protect the interests of players now on clubs' "National Defense Lists" when they return to the game from military service. Provisions include prohibition of pay cuts for returning veterans, granting them more training time to get back into playing shape, and limiting clubs' rights to demote them to minor-league clubs. February 14 – Local industrialist Max C. Meyer halts his bid to purchase 75% control of the Brooklyn Dodgers when, at the 11th hour, additional "financial burdens" raise the asking price above the $1.01 million the jewelry manufacturer is willing to pay. The collapse of Meyer's offer means that three-quarters of the Dodgers' stock will continue to be managed by the Brooklyn Trust Company. February 17 – The Philadelphia Athletics acquire catcher Frankie Hayes from the St. Louis Browns for pitcher Sam Zoldak and minor-league outfielder Barney Lutz. Hayes, with Ray Mueller, is one of wartime baseball's two "iron men" catchers known for starting every one of his team's official games during the upcoming regular season; in 155 contests, he will catch 1,333 full innings and 135 complete games, with the Athletics' four backup backstops combining for only 16 innings among them."The 1944 Philadelphia Athletics roster." Retrosheet.
March March 1 – The St. Louis Browns trade catcher Rick Ferrell to the Washington Senators in exchange for catcher Tony Giuliani. However, Giuliani, who'd played for St. Louis during the 1936 and 1937 seasons, refuses to report. Washington completes the trade by sending outfielder Gene Moore to St. Louis in Giuliani's place. March 4 – Philadelphia's National League franchise, founded in 1883 and known as the Phillies since 1886 (and as the Phils in 1942),"Philadelphia Phillies Team History & Encyclopedia." Baseball Reference. announces the winning entry of a "re-name that team" fan contest, adopting the Philadelphia Blue Jays as its new identity. The winning name is suggested by Mrs. John Crooks of Philadelphia (and six other fans) from 634 entries and over 5,000 letters. Yet the "Phillies" nickname won't go away; it will remain the team's alternate identity and appear on the varsity's uniform shirts during the "Blue Jays" experiment until that ends in January 1950. March 11 – The 16 major league clubs prepare to open spring training camps, juggling concerns about players being drafted into military service, talent shortages, and workout facilities that, in the colder northern cities, demand indoor drills and weathering chilly, wet outdoor conditions. In New York, veteran Giants' shortstop Billy Jurges holds out to protest a pay cut of almost 10 percent; the Yankees learn that five-time All-Star second baseman Joe Gordon expects to be inducted into the armed services on March 16; and the Brooklyn Dodgers delay opening their Bear Mountain training camp until March 19. March 12 – After local baseball fans raise more than $15,000 for the purpose, Williamsport rejoins the Eastern League after a one-year absence. The new owners acquire the former Springfield Rifles franchise and transfer it to the Pennsylvania city. Williamsport gives the Class A Eastern circuit its eighth franchise for 1944.
April April 8 – The warm-weather Pacific Coast League begins its 170-game season; by the time all the minor leagues debut in the coming days, there are only ten loops active in "Organized Baseball", plus the independent Mexican League. The "Class E" Twin Ports League of 1943 vanishes, and is replaced by the Class D Ohio State League. April 13 – The Philadelphia Phillies obtain first baseman Tony Lupien on waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Harvard alumnus Lupien, 26, will appear in 153 games as the Phils' first-sacker in 1944 before entering the U. S. Navy. April 15 – Al Simmons, 41, returns to the Philadelphia Athletics, signing a free-agent contract. The future Hall of Famer, one of the brightest stars of Connie Mack's – dynasty, will appear in only four games in his third stint with the Athletics before drawing his release June 15 to join Mack's coaching staff. April 18 – Overshadowed by World War II, the 1944 MLB season begins with seven games featuring 14 of the 16 big-league teams. In the American League, the world-champion New York Yankees shut out the Boston Red Sox, 3–0, behind Hank Borowy at Fenway Park; Vern Stephens' ninth-inning home run delivers a 2–1 win for the visiting St. Louis Browns against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium; and the Philadelphia Athletics eke out a 3–2 triumph over the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. In the National League, the Chicago Cubs get only three hits, but Hank Wyse blanks the Cincinnati Reds, 3–0, at Crosley Field, before a sell-out crowd of 30,154, most in the majors; Bill Voiselle of the New York Giants bests Al Javery of the Boston Braves, 2–1, at the Polo Grounds; "Kewpie Dick" Barrett of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a 4–1 complete-game victory against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Shibe Park; and the defending NL champion St. Louis Cardinals throttle the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2–0, behind Max Lanier's two-hitter at Sportsman's Park."Events of Tuesday, April 18, 1944." Retrosheet.