1937 San Diego Padres season

The 1937 San Diego Padres season, was the second season for the original San Diego Padres baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team began in 1903 as the Sacramento Solons, a charter member of the PCL. The team moved several times and were the Hollywood Stars from 1926 to 1935. Team owner Bill Lane moved the team from Hollywood to San Diego in 1936.[1] The 1937 Padres won the PCL pennant after defeating Sacramento Solons and the Portland Beavers in post-season series.

1937 San Diego Padres (PCL)
LeaguePacific Coast League
BallparkLane Field
CitySan Diego
Record97–81
League place3rd
OwnersBill Lane
ManagersFrank Shellenback

Season overview

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The 1937 PCL season ran from April 2 to September 19, 1937. The Padres, led by manager Frank Shellenback, finished third in the PCL with a 97–81 record. The Padres qualified for the PCL's four-team playoffs. They defeated the first-place Sacramento Solons, four games to none, in the opening round, and then defeated the second-place Portland Beavers in the championship series, again by four games to zero.[2]

Ted Williams, age 18 when the season began, played in left field for the 1937 Padres, compiling a .291 batting average with 23 home runs in 138 games.[3] On December 7, 1937, the Padres dealt Williams, described in the next day's The Boston Globe as "a string-bean 19-year-old outfielder from San Diego", to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash plus outfielder Dom D'Allessandro and infielder Al Niemiec.[4] In 1999, Williams was ranked as number eight on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he was the highest-ranking left fielder.[5]

Catcher George Detore won the 1937 PCL batting crown with a .334 batting average. Five other Padres also finished the 1937 season with batting averages higher than Williams: right fielder Rupe Thompson (.326), second baseman Jimmie Reese (.314), first baseman George McDonald (.312), center fielder Hal Patchett (.306), and outfielder Cedric Durst (.293).[3][6]

San Diego's outfielders also ranked as the league's best defensively. Center fielder Hal Patchett led the PCL (all positions) with a .993 fielding percentage, committing only three errors with 442 putouts and five assists. Right fielder Rupe Thompson led the league's outfielders with 27 assists.[7]

The Padres' pitching staff was led by Tiny Chaplin who appeared in 43 games and compiled a 23–15 win–loss record with a 2.72 earned run average (ERA).[3] Manny Salvo compiled a 19–13 record and led the PCL with 196 strikeouts.

1937 PCL standings

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Team W L Pct. GB
Sacramento Solons 102 76 .573 --
San Francisco Seals 98 80 .551 4.0
San Diego Padres 97 81 .545 5.0
Portland Beavers 90 86 .511 11.0
Los Angeles Angels 90 88 .506 12.0
Seattle Indians 81 96 .458 20.5
Oakland Oaks 79 98 .446 22.5
Mission Reds 73 105 .410 29.0

Statistics

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Batting

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

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR SLG RBI SB
C George Detore 133 434 145 .334 3 .442 72 16
RF, 3B Rupe Thompson 169 647 211 .326 16 .464 92 13
2B Jimmie Reese 138 506 159 .314 2 .399 78 4
1B George McDonald 163 632 197 .312 4 .388 102 5
CF Hal Patchett 169 689 211 .306 8 .419 66 21
RF, LF Cedric Durst 137 458 134 .293 2 .369 57 4
LF Ted Williams 138 454 132 .291 23 .504 98 1
SS George Myatt 155 565 159 .281 6 .365 51 33
SS, 3B, 2B Joe Berkowitz 126 422 107 .254 0 .318 35 3
3B Ernie Holman 94 305 68 .223 1 .272 28 2
C Chick Starr 92 278 61 .219 0 .273 34 0

[3][6]

Pitching

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

Player G IP W L PCT ERA SO
Tiny Chaplin 43 318.0 23 15 .605 2.72 151
Manny Salvo 46 278.0 19 13 .594 3.08 196
Dick Ward 42 284.0 18 18 .500 4.44 92
Wally Herbert 39 244.0 17 14 .548 3.02 90
Howard Craghead 42 245.0 16 13 .552 3.27 119
Herman Pillette 36 126.0 4 5 .444 3.79 38

[3][8]

References

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  1. ^ Braven Dyer (July 2, 1937). "Bill Lane Fooled Pessimists and Found Himself a Gold Mine When He Moved His Ball Club to San Diego". Los Angeles Times. p. II-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Padres Beat Ducks Again: San Diego Triumphs, 6-4, to Clinch Coast League Honors". Los Angeles Times. October 4, 1937. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "1937 San Diego Padres". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Sox Give Cash, D'Allesandro, Niemic For Outfielder Williams, San Diego". The Boston Globe. December 8, 1937. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". The Sporting News. 1999. p. 20.
  6. ^ a b "Detore Wins Coast Loop Bat Crown By .0001 Point". Los Angeles Times. November 28, 1937. p. II-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Oakland Oaks Were Best Defensive Club In Coast League's 1937 Averages". The Sacramento Bee. December 4, 1937. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Ludolph Most Effective Coast Hurler". Los Angeles Times. November 28, 1937. p. II-16 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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  • "The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957", by Dennis Snelling (McFarland 2011)