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…
April 30, 1939: Lou Gehrig plays his final game with Yankees
Baseball’s greatest streak ended on a cloudy spring afternoon…
May 1, 1939: Brooklyn’s bats heat up in wacky win over Phillies
Nine games into his managerial career and Leo Durocher already…
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…
May 2, 1939: Lou Gehrig’s streak ends in Detroit
Detroit’s Briggs Stadium, renamed after 1935 for new owner…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
May 16, 1939: A’s fall in first night game at Shibe Park
Philadelphia's Shibe Park, opened in 1909, ushered in the modern…
May 27, 1939: Tigers’ Charlie Gehringer hits for a natural cycle
On May 12, 1939, the St. Louis Browns hosted the Detroit Tigers…
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…
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…
June 26, 1939: Boston Bees buzz past Class A affiliate Bradford in exhibition
On May 10, 1939, the small city of Bradford, Pennsylvania, reentered…
June 27, 1939: Darkness descends after 23 innings for Bees, Dodgers
The Boston Bees and the Brooklyn Dodgers raced the sun for 23…
June 28, 1939: Yankees’ juggernaut continues with 23-2 smashing of A’s
What is a juggernaut? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary,…
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…
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…
July 4, 1939: Cubs’ Hank Leiber provides fireworks with three home runs
Sixteen games into the 1939 season, Cubs player-manager Gabby…
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’…
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…
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.…
July 19, 1939: Arky Vaughan hits for reverse natural cycle, leads Pirates past crippled Giants
The July 20, 1939, headline in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette read,…
August 6, 1939: Late home runs lift West to win in Negro League all-star game
As the Cheers resident know-it-all Cliff Clavin might have said,…