![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/1939-Judy-Garland-anthem-CLE-Memory-Project.jpg)
April 21, 1939: Bob Feller makes his first Opening Day start in front of Judy Garland
The Cleveland Indians were supposed to open the 1939 season on…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Williams-Ted-1939.jpg)
April 23, 1939: Ted Williams hits his first major-league home run
Ted Williams hit the first of his 521 major-league home runs…
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April 25, 1939: Lou Gehrig shows final flash of brilliance with two-hit game for Yankees
The warning signs about Lou Gehrig had been accumulating all…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Gehrig-McCarthy-1939.jpg)
April 30, 1939: Lou Gehrig plays his final game with Yankees
Baseball’s greatest streak ended on a cloudy spring afternoon…
![Cookie Lavagetto (Trading Card DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1941-Lavagetto-Cookie.jpg)
May 1, 1939: Brooklyn’s bats heat up in wacky win over Phillies
Nine games into his managerial career and Leo Durocher already…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/StrattonMonty.jpg)
May 1, 1939: Cubs, White Sox meet to raise funds for Monty Stratton’s accident recovery
When Monty Stratton opted to take a solo hunting trip for rabbits…
![](http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/GehrigLou-HOF.jpg)
May 2, 1939: Lou Gehrig’s streak ends in Detroit
Detroit’s Briggs Stadium, renamed after 1935 for new owner…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Williams-Ted-1939.jpg)
May 4, 1939: Who is that Kid? Ted Williams homers in dramatic Detroit debut
Boston Red Sox rookie Ted Williams was 20 years old when he first…
![Sam Chapman](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1939-Chapman-Sam.jpg)
May 5, 1939: Athletics’ Sam Chapman snaps 1-for-16 start to season by hitting for the cycle
Twelve games into the 1939 season found both the Philadelphia…
![Ted Williams (TRADING CARD DB)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Williams-Ted-1941-360x400.jpg)
May 9, 1939: Red Sox rookie Ted Williams hits game-winning homer in 10th to beat Browns
In the course of his career, Ted Williams hit 521 major-league…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PitlerJake.jpg)
May 10, 1939: Olean beats Bradford on New York-Penn League’s first day
Forty-one minor leagues operated in the United States in 1939.…
![Courtesy of Trading Card Database](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Trosky-Hal-TCDB-311x400.jpeg)
May 16, 1939: A’s fall in first night game at Shibe Park
Philadelphia's Shibe Park, opened in 1909, ushered in the modern…
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May 27, 1939: Tigers’ Charlie Gehringer hits for a natural cycle
On May 12, 1939, the St. Louis Browns hosted the Detroit Tigers…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/johnny%20rizzo.jpg)
May 30, 1939: Johnny Rizzo sets Pirates record with nine RBIs in a game
Jason Bay of the Pittsburgh Pirates had eight RBIs in a game…
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June 9, 1939: Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams homer for Red Sox in 18-7 win over Browns
Future Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams both homered…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/StengelCasey.jpg)
June 26, 1939: Boston Bees buzz past Class A affiliate Bradford in exhibition
On May 10, 1939, the small city of Bradford, Pennsylvania, reentered…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Stengel-Casey-Bees-1938.png)
June 27, 1939: Darkness descends after 23 innings for Bees, Dodgers
The Boston Bees and the Brooklyn Dodgers raced the sun for 23…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/250390-15517390Fr.jpg)
June 28, 1939: Yankees’ juggernaut continues with 23-2 smashing of A’s
What is a juggernaut? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/Williams-Ted-1939.jpg)
July 2, 1939: Ted Williams hits his first game-winning homer, off a future Hall of Famer
This game’s win was secured by Ted Williams’s first game-winning…
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July 4, 1939: Boston’s Jim Tabor hits two grand slams at Shibe Park
On July 4, 1939, the Boston Red Sox engaged the Philadelphia…
![](https://sabr.org/sites/default/files/LeiberHank.jpg)
July 4, 1939: Cubs’ Hank Leiber provides fireworks with three home runs
Sixteen games into the 1939 season, Cubs player-manager Gabby…
![Lou Gehrig pauses while giving a farewell address on July 4, 1939, at Yankee Stadium in New York (NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Gehrig-Lou-2830-98-CSU-495x400.jpg)
July 4, 1939: Lou Gehrig says farewell to baseball with ‘Luckiest Man’ speech at Yankee Stadium
Though both men were amazingly talented on the field, the Yankees’…
![1939 ASG (Courtesy of SABR-Rucker Archive)](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/49_-YS-during-1939-ASG-Rucker-495x400.png)
July 11, 1939: Yankees dominate, but an Indian saves the day in first Bronx All-Star Game
Yankee Stadium was the natural choice to hold the All-Star…
![](https://sabrweb.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Williams-Ted-32.73_BAT_NBL1.jpg)
July 15, 1939: Red Sox blow their second straight 5-0 lead, but win again thanks to ‘Ted the Terror’
For 20-year-old Ted Williams, this was the third visit to Cleveland.…