1942 Season

28 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1942 Major League Baseball season was played by 28 teams. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees. Ted Williams led with 36 home runs, Ted Williams led with 137 RBI, and Johnny Pesky led with 205 hits. This page carries the 1942 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1942 Bracket
World Series SLN def. NYA (4-1)
NWS KCM def. HG (4-0)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1932 1937 1941 1942 1943 1947 1952

⚾ Batting Leaders

1942 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 468 plate appearances at 151 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Ted Williams .356 2 Johnny Pesky .331 3 Stan Spence .323 4 Joe Gordon .322 5 George Case .320

OPS qualified

1 Ted Williams 1.147 2 Charlie Keller .930 3 Wally Judnich .912 4 Mel Ott .912 5 Enos Slaughter .906

Home Runs all players

1 Ted Williams 36 2 Mel Ott 30 3 Chet Laabs 27 4 Dolph Camilli 26 5 Charlie Keller 26

RBI all players

1 Ted Williams 137 2 Joe DiMaggio 114 3 Johnny Mize 110 4 Dolph Camilli 109 5 Charlie Keller 108

Hits all players

1 Johnny Pesky 205 2 Stan Spence 203 3 Enos Slaughter 188 4 Joe DiMaggio 186 5 Ted Williams 186

Runs all players

1 Ted Williams 141 2 Joe DiMaggio 123 3 Mel Ott 118 4 Dom DiMaggio 110 5 Harlond Clift 108

Stolen Bases all players

1 George Case 44 2 Mickey Vernon 25 3 Joe Kuhel 22 4 Phil Rizzuto 22 5 Pete Reiser 20
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1942 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 151 innings at 151 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Mort Cooper 1.78 2 Ted Lyons 2.10 3 Johnny Beazley 2.13 4 Tiny Bonham 2.27 5 Curt Davis 2.36

WHIP qualified

1 Tiny Bonham 0.99 2 Mort Cooper 0.99 3 Ted Lyons 1.07 4 Bill Lohrman 1.11 5 Curt Davis 1.12

Wins all pitchers

1 Mort Cooper 22 2 Tex Hughson 22 3 Johnny Beazley 21 4 Tiny Bonham 21 5 Claude Passeau 19

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Johnny Vander Meer 186 2 Mort Cooper 152 3 Bobo Newsom 134 4 Kirby Higbe 115 5 Tex Hughson 113

Saves all pitchers

1 Hugh Casey 13 2 Ace Adams 11 3 Johnny Murphy 11 4 Joe Beggs 8 5 Mace Brown 6
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

NAL

Kansas City Monarchs ★ 36-14 Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes 42-22 Memphis Red Sox 34-27 Birmingham Black Barons 25-23 Chicago American Giants 8-36 Jacksonville Red Caps 7-30

NN2

Homestead Grays ★ 23-10 Baltimore Elite Giants 24-14 Philadelphia Stars 19-22 Newark Eagles 16-18 New York Cubans 8-14 New York Black Yankees 8-20

American League

New York Yankees ★ 103-51 Boston Red Sox 93-59 St. Louis Browns 82-69 Cleveland Indians 75-79 Detroit Tigers 73-81 Chicago White Sox 66-82 Washington Senators 62-89 Philadelphia Athletics 55-99

National League

St. Louis Cardinals ★ 106-48 Brooklyn Dodgers 104-50 New York Giants 85-67 Cincinnati Reds 76-76 Pittsburgh Pirates 66-81 Chicago Cubs 68-86 Boston Braves 59-89 Philadelphia Phillies 42-109

The 1942 season in brief

The best record in the 1942 standings belonged to the Kansas City Monarchs, who finished 36-14. Nobody in 1942 fared worse than the Chicago American Giants (8-36). In the 1942 standings, the Kansas City Monarchs (36-14) edged the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (42-22) in the Negro American League, Negro National League honors went to the Homestead Grays, whose 23-10 beat the Baltimore Elite Giants's 24-14, the St. Louis Cardinals topped the National League at 106-48, a few games clear of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Boston Red Sox (93-59) finished a distant second to the New York Yankees (103-51) in the American League. Alongside the American and National Leagues, the 1942 page carries standings for the Negro American League and Negro National League, whose seasons MLB now treats as major league. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series over the New York Yankees, 4 games to 1. Earlier rounds sent through the Kansas City Monarchs over the Homestead Grays in the series the bracket labels NWS (4-0). Ted Williams led the majors with 36 home runs, ahead of Mel Ott with 30. Ted Williams's .356 is the best average on the qualified board, with Johnny Pesky next at .331. The board counts only hitters with 468 or more plate appearances, which is what 151 team games require. Full batting and pitching tables are on the 1942 leaders page.

1942 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1942?
The St. Louis Cardinals won the 1942 World Series, beating the New York Yankees.
How many teams played in 1942?
28 teams played in the 1942 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1942?
Ted Williams led with 36 home runs in 1942.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1942?
Ted Williams led with 137 RBI in 1942.
Who led MLB in hits in 1942?
Johnny Pesky led with 205 hits in 1942.
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