Warren Spahn signs with the Braves (June 4, 1940)

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1940, 1942, 1946, Boston Bees, Buffalo, June 4, Warren Spahn, World War II

Warren Spahn – Milwaukee Braves

June 4, 1940, was a great day. The Boston Bees (also know as the Braves) sign South Park High School (Buffalo, NY) standout Warren Spahn, who will make his major league debut in 1942. He appears in two games as a 20 year-old for Boston before serving three years in the Army during World War II.

The Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient will return to the National League in 1946 to win the first game of his career at the age of 25 en route to becoming the all-time winningest southpaw in the history of the game with 363 victories.

The pitcher who hit two grand slams in one game (July 3, 1966)

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1940, 1966, Atlanta Braves, August 13, Bobby Bragan, July 3, Tony Cloniger

Tony Cloninger

Sunday, July 3, 1966…this was the day we should all remember as one of the best performances an Atlanta Braves pitcher has ever had.  The Braves took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in an afternoon ball game in front of 27,000 fans.  When the fans

The Braves took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in an afternoon ball game in front of 27,000 fans.  When the fans arrived to the facility, they had no idea what they were about to witness.

The Braves and manager Bobby Bragan sent a young 25-year-old right hander named Tony Cloninger to the mound.  He came into the game with an 8-7 record and a 4.35 ERA and had a .200 batting average.  On this night, he would improve all of those categories.

Cloninger was born on August 13, 1940, in North Carolina and was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958.  The righty pitched with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves from 1961-1968, Cincinnati Reds from 1968-1971 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972.

It is the first inning. Tony comes to the plate with bases loaded. Tony does the unthinkable and hits a grand slam. Call it a day and go home.

But … Tony is there to pitch and pitch he does.

He comes up again in the fourth. And boom, another grand slam. Cloninger became the first player in the National League, and the only pitcher to date, to hit two grand slams in the same game!!

As the game ended, Cloninger finished his complete game with five strikeouts and picked up his ninth win of the season.  He was the player of the game, going 3-5 with nine RBI’s and a complete-game win on the mound.  The Braves won this match up against the Giants 17-3.

Crazy stat…just five starts prior, Cloninger went 3-5 at the plate with hit two homers and five RBIs.  He also pitched a complete game on this night and only gave up five hits and one run.

One Additional Crazy stat…on Cloninger’s first start of the 1966 season, he threw a complete game 13 innings and gave up 10 hits, three runs, three walks and had 12 strikeouts.  Talk about saving your bullpen.

Source: Atlanta Braves flashback Friday: The pitcher who hit two grand slams in one game

Joe Callahan played for the Bees (1939 – 1940)

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1939, 1940, Boston Bees, Chicago Cubs, Joe Callahan, June 15, May 24, September 13

Joseph Thomas Callahan was born on October 8, 1916 in East Boston, MA.  He played parts of two seasons, 1939 and 1940, for the Boston Bees.

Joe was a right handed pitcher. His debut was September 13, 1939 against the Chicago Cubs. He pitched 2.0 innings, giving up 3 hits with no strike outs. The Bees would lose in front of 3,999 brave souls 15 to 4.

His last game was on June 15, 1940, also against the Cubs. He pitched 2.1 innings giving up 4 hits, striking out 1 with 3 walks. The Bees would lose 11 to 5.

He passed away on May 24, 1949 in West Roxbury, MA (Aged 32.228) and is buried in New Calvary Cemetery, Boston, MA.

Ray Berres – A Boston Bee and Brave

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1907, 1940, 1941, 2007, August 31, Boston Bees, Boston Braves, February 1, Ray Berres

Ray Berres – Boston Bee and Brave

Raymond Frederick Berres played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934, 1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–40), Boston Bees/Braves (1940–41) and New York Giants (1942–45). He batted and threw right-handed.

Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Berres on August 31, 1907, he was a 5 ft 9 in 170-lb, light-hitting catcher who, thanks to his fine glove, managed to play in 11 major league seasons for four National League teams, usually in a backup role. He provided fine catching, quality game-calling, and a respectable throwing arm.

Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) in the 1933 Rule 5 draft, he debuted with Brooklyn in 1934, backing up Al Lopez behind the plate.

He returned to the minor leagues in 1935, but became Brooklyn’s starting catcher when Lopez was traded to Boston in December 1935. His most productive season came as a 1936 rookie, when he posted career highs in batting average (.240), hits (64) and doubles. The Pittsburgh Pirates, short of catching, signed him a year later.

Before the 1940 season, Berres was traded by Pittsburgh to the Boston Bees in exchange for Lopez. He played in part of two seasons with the Boston franchise, including their first year as the Braves in 1941, when he appeared in a career-high 120 games while hitting .201(56-for-279); he also led the NL in fielding percentage with a .995 mark.

Berres died in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin on February 1, 2007 from pneumonia at the age of 99. Berres was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Manny Salvo wins the bean ball battle (1942)

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1940, 1942, Boston Bees, February 7, June 30, Manny Salvo, Sacramento

Manny Salvo

Manuel Salvo (June 30, 1913 – February 7, 1997) was a 6 ft 4 in right-hander played for the New York Giants (1939), Boston Bees (1940), Boston Braves (1941–1943), and Philadelphia Phillies (1943). His nickname was “Gyp”, short for “Gypsy”.

A native of Sacramento, California, Salvo had his best season statistically in 1940 with the Bees. He won 10, lost 9, making it the only season of his career in which he finished with more wins than losses. He also shared the National League lead with 5 shutouts, and ranked eighth in the league with a 3.08 earned run average.

In 1942, Salvo and Wyatt had a memorable bean ball battle. They were both fined after two bench clearing brawls. In the eight inning, Salvo hit Wyatt in the ribs with a a pitch. The Dodger’s pitched retaliated by throwing his bat at Salvo. The Braves took advantage and won 2-0.

While Salvo had a poor win-loss record, his career Adjusted ERA+ was only slightly below average at 98. He only pitched for one winning team, the 1939 Giants, and at 77–74 they were barely over the .500 mark.

Salvo died at the age of 83 in Vallejo, California.

 

Sig Broskie played one month for the Boston Bees (September 1940)

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1911, 1940, 1975, Boston Bees, Fort Worth, March 23, May 17, September 11, September 29, Sig Broskie

Sig Broskie

Sigmund Theodore “Chops” Broskie (March 23, 1911 – May 17, 1975) is a former Boston Bees catcher.

He played one season with the Boston Bees for the month of September in 1940. His debut was September 11, 1940 in a game against Cincinnati. He had one at bat with no hits. His last game was September 29, 1940 against the New York Giants. He had one hit.

Sid had a long and prolific career in the minors for 12 seasons. He even played in Fort Worth 3 different times.

 

Eddie Miller (1939 – 1942)

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1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, Boston Bees, Eddie Miller

Eddie Miller

Edward Robert Miller (November 26, 1916 – July 31, 1997) was a shortstop who played for 14 seasons in the National League between 1936 and 1950. He was a talented fielder and a perennial All-Star during the 1940’s.

Here are some key things to know about Miller:

1. Born in Pittsburgh on November 26, 1916, Miller made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1936 as a 19-year-old.
2. He played in 41 games over 2 seasons with the Reds before being traded to the New York Yankees in 1938 in exchange for Willard Hershberger. Miller never played for the Yankees at the major league level.
3. Miller was traded to the Boston Bees less than a year later.
4. Miller became the starting shortstop while in Boston, and established himself as one of the National League’s best shortstops during his four seasons there.
5. His first season with Boston was shortened when he fractured his ankle in a collision with Al Simmons. He recovered in 1940 to a career-best .276 for the Bees while leading all NL shortstops in fielding percentage and appearing in the MLB All-Star Game.
6. His batting average fell over the next two seasons with Boston, he led all shortstops in fielding percentage both years.
7. Miller was an All-Star in 1941 and was named as a starter in the All-Star Game in 1942.
8. After the 1942 season, he was traded back to the Reds in exchange for Eddie Joost and Nate Andrews.

Source: Eddie Miller (infielder) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

 

Jim Tobin helps the troubled Bees (1940)

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1940, 1941, Boston Bees, Casey Stengel, Jim Tobin, Knucleball

Jim Tobin

Jim Tobin came to the Boston Bees in 1940 as a knuckler. He was a great one at that. But he was also a slugger who could hit with power. While Tobin played only one major league game at a position other than pitcher, he pinch-hit over 100 times in his major league career. The fine-hitting hurler batted .230/.303/.345 in the majors. He totaled 35 doubles, 17 homers and 102 RBI in 796 at-bats. Not bad for a pitcher.

It wasn’t a great time to come to Boston. Those were dark times to our beloved Braves. Tobin came to us from Pittsburgh. It was an off season trade right before the 1940 season. It would be the last season we would use the name “the Bees”.

In 1941, the great Casey Stengel, our manager, began using Tobin more and more. He hoped he could boost the moral of the club with some winning ways. It didn’t help the team. They continued to stink. Tobin excelled and became the most reliable starter we had. He led the club in wins and shutouts from 1941 to 1945.

Chet Ross and the 1940 Boston Bees

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1917, 1940, 1989, April 1, Boston Bees, Chet Ross, February 21, Vince DiMaggio

Chet Ross

Chester James Ross was born on April 1, 1917 in Buffalo, NY and died on February 21, 1989. He played six seasons with the Bees and Braves. That was from 1939 to 1944.

In 1940 he struck our 127 times. Now that is a lot of strike outs. He was just short of Vince DiMaggio’s record. Like lots of strike out kings, he could also hit homers. In 1940 he hit 17 with 89 RBI’s.

But it was all for naught career wise. He hit just six home runs the rest of his career. Lots of injuries didn’t help. Being named Chester and born on April Fool’s Day probably didn’t either.

Source: Chet Ross – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Buddy Hassett – (1938 – 1941)

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1911, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1997, August 23, Boston Bees, Boston Braves, Buddy Hassett, Columbus Redbirds, Norfolk Tars, September 5, Wheeling Stogies

Buddy Hassett

John Aloysius “Buddy” Hassett born on September 5, 1911 and died August 23, 1997. He played first base  from 1936 to 1942.

Hassett started his professional baseball career in 1933 with the Wheeling Stogies and batted .332. In 1934 he played for the Norfolk Tars and hit .360.He also set the league record at the time for stolen bases. In 1935 he played for the Columbus Redbirds and hit .337 in the American Association and won a starting job in the majors for the next seven seasons.

He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, previously the Boston Bees, and New York Yankees. His major league career was cut short by World War II. In 1936 he set the record for fewest strikeouts by a rookie. He struck out just 17 times in 635 at bats. This record still stands.

In 1939, as a new first baseman for the Bees, Buddy led the club in hitting with a .308 average. He was also fifth in the league with 13 steals. The only challenge was that he could not hit for power.

In 1940, Buddy tied the National League record with 10 consecutive hits over three games in June yet he his batting average was just .234. That was 50 points lower than any other season during his career.

After serving in the Navy from 1943 to 1945, Hassett played in the minor leagues for a few years. He also managed for the Yankees farm team, the Newark Bears in the minors until 1950. Hassett was player coach of a team of players from the US Navy Pre-flight training program in Chapel Hill, NC that went to New York to play a War Chest benefit against a team of All Stars from the Yankees and Cleveland Indians, coached by Babe Ruth. The Navy team won the game and included Ted Williams, Johnny Sain, and Johnny Pesky along with Hassett. Hassett saw action in the Pacific aboard the Carrier the USS Bennington.

via Buddy Hassett – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

1940 Boston Bees season

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1940, Boston Bees, Casey Stengel

Boston Bees 1940 Season

The new trend in baseball in the 1940’s was to install lights for night games. The Braves (then known as the Boston Bees) had not invested yet. Probably a good thing. They played their first night game at the Polo Grounds. It was May 24, 1940. They lost 8-1. The next week they lost in the lights at Forbes Field. There were only two teams that year without lights.

It really didn’t matter in 1940 whether they played in the lights or not. They ended the season, under Casey Stengel as manager, in 7th place. They were 34 1/2 games behind with a 65-87 record.

A great place to grow up for baseball (1940)

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1940, Atlanta Braves, Joe Torre, July 18, Milwaukee Braves

Joe Torre – Milwauke Braves

Brooklyn NY was a great place to grow up in the 1950’s. Great for baseball lovers that is. I have a great affinity for Joe Torre. We share the same birth day, July 18. He was born in 1940 however and grew up in Brooklyn.

He caught, played first base and the outfield. He was both a Milwaukee and Atlanta Brave from 1960 to 1968.

He came to the Braves via its farm club in Louisville. In May of 1961 Del Crandall went out for the season with a shoulder injury. We needed a catcher. So, we brought up Joe, a slightly pudgy 20 year old. He earned his keep that first day. He caught both ends of a double header. He had a single, a double and home run. He showed the strength of his arm by throwing out 3 runners. Tested early and proven.