The 1934

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth and last in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

with a record of 52–99, 42 games behind the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

. Their .344 winning percentage remains the lowest in franchise history and the 99 losses were the worst in the franchise history until the 1982 Reds lost 101 games. Because the schedule did not have 162 games at this time, and the Reds only won 52 games this season compared to 1982, when they lost 101 games, when at the same time winning 61 games, nine more than this team, the 1934 Reds are actually a weaker team than the 1982 team, thus making this team the worst in franchise history overall.

Off-season

In February 1934,

Powel Crosley Jr. Powel Crosley Jr. (September 18, 1886 – March 28, 1961) was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosl ...

purchased the Cincinnati Reds Sidney Weil to become the owner of the ballclub. Crosley kept the team from going bankrupt and possibly leaving Cincinnati. After Crosley purchased the club, team general manager

Larry MacPhail Leland Stanford "Larry" MacPhail Sr. (February 3, 1890 – October 1, 1975) was an American lawyer and an executive in Major League Baseball. He served as a high-ranking executive, including club president and general manager, with the Cincinn ...

insisted that

Redland Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 in baseball, 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals (AFL), Cincinnati Bengals fo ...

be renamed in honor of the man who had saved the team. The park was renamed

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) an ...

, and Crosley himself took the opportunity to advertise his Crosley cars. After purchasing the team, Crosley hired

Red Barber Walter Lanier "Red" Barber (February 17, 1908 – October 22, 1992) was an American sports announcer and author. Nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", he was primarily identified with broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four d ...

as the Reds play-by-play commentator on

WSAI WSAI (1360 AM) is a Cincinnati, Ohio commercial radio station. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, its studios, as well as those of iHeartMedia's other Cincinnati stations, are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood secti ...

. Following the 1933 season, the club fired manager

Donie Bush Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (; October 8, 1887Sources differ as to Bush's date of birth. Sources listing the date as October 8, 1887, include (i) baseball-reference.com, and (ii) findagrave.com. Sources listing the date as October 3, 1887, include ( ...

after a 58–94 season. The Reds did not name a replacement until later in the off-season. On November 15, 1933, the Reds traded second baseman

George Grantham George Grantham may refer to: * George Grantham (baseball) * George Grantham (musician) George Grantham (born January 20, 1947) is an American drummer and vocalist best known for his work with pioneering country rock band Poco. Grantham and p ...

to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in exchange for pitcher

Glenn Spencer Glenn Spencer may refer to: * Glenn Spencer (American football), American college football coach * Glenn Spencer (baseball), Major League Baseball pitcher {{hndis, Spencer, Glenn ...

. Spencer had a record of 0–2 with a 5.13 ERA in 17 games with the Giants in 1933. He previously pitched with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and led the league in games finished in 1930 with 22. Two days later, on November 17, Cincinnati traded away pitcher

Red Lucas Charles Fred "Red" Lucas (April 28, 1902 – July 9, 1986) was an American professional baseball pitcher and pinch hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1923 to 1938 for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and P ...

and outfielder

Wally Roettger Walter Henry Roettger (August 28, 1902 – September 14, 1951) was an American professional baseball player who was an outfielder in the major leagues from to . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and Pitt ...

to the

for outfielder

Adam Comorosky Adam Anthony Comorosky (December 9, 1905 – March 2, 1951) was an American former Major League Baseball player. Comorosky started working in the coal mines of Swoyersville, Pennsylvania, at the age of 12, where he worked as a breaker boy. His ...

and second baseman

Tony Piet Anthony Francis Piet, born Anthony Francis Pietruszka (December 7, 1906 – December 1, 1981) was an infielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1938. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers ...

. Lucas, who had been with the Reds since 1926, earned a record of 109-99 and a 3.64 ERA in 257 games with the team. He led the National League in complete games on three occasions (1929, 1931 and 1932), and led the league in shutouts in 1928. Comorosky played in 64 games with the Pirates in 1933, hitting .284 with a home run and 15 RBI. His best season was in 1930, when Comorosky hit .313 with 12 home runs, 119 RBI and leading the league with 23 triples and 33 sacrifice bunts. Piet had an average of .323 with a home run and 42 RBI in 107 games with Pittsburgh in 1933. Less than a week later, on November 23, the Reds selected shortstop

Gordon Slade Gordon Leigh Slade (October 9, 1904 – January 2, 1974), nicknamed Oskie, was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1930 to 1935 for the Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers, St. Louis Cardina ...

off of waivers from the

. Slade struggled in 1933, hitting .113 with 3 RBI in 39 games. In December, Cincinnati purchased pitcher

Joe Shaute Joseph Benjamin Shaute (August 1, 1899 in Peckville, Pennsylvania – February 21, 1970 in Scranton, Pennsylvania) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1922 to 1934, and during his 13-year career, he played primarily for the Cl ...

from the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

. Shaute had a 3–4 record with a 4.29 ERA in 41 games with Brooklyn in 1933. On December 20, the club acquired infielder

Mark Koenig Mark Anthony Koenig (July 19, 1904 – April 22, 1993) was an American baseball shortstop who played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played with the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds and New York Gi ...

from the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in exchange for infielders

Irv Jeffries Irvine Franklin Jeffries (September 10, 1905 – June 8, 1982) was an infielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox ...

and Otto Bluege. Koenig hit .284 with three home runs and 25 RBI in 80 games with Chicago. Koenig was a two time

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

champion, as he was part of the 1927 and 1928

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. On January 11, the Reds traded away recently acquired

Glenn Spencer Glenn Spencer may refer to: * Glenn Spencer (American football), American college football coach * Glenn Spencer (baseball), Major League Baseball pitcher {{hndis, Spencer, Glenn ...

to the

for catcher

Bob O'Farrell Robert Arthur O'Farrell (October 19, 1896 – February 20, 1988) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 21 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the New Yo ...

and pitcher

Syl Johnson Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I' ...

. The Reds then named O'Farrell as the player/manager of the team. O'Farrell had previous player/managerial experience, as he led the Cardinals to a 92–61 and a second-place finish in the National League in 1927. As a player, O'Farrell hit .239 with two home runs and 20 RBI in 55 games in 1933. O'Farrell was named the

National League Most Valuable Player The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

in 1926. Johnson finished the previous season with a 5–9 record with a 3.46 ERA in 44 games. On February 6, Cincinnati selected pitcher

Dazzy Vance Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned twenty years. Known for ...

off of waivers from the

. Vance, who would turn 43 before the season began, had a 6–2 record with a 3.55 ERA in 28 games with the Cardinals in 1933. Vance played with the

from 1922 to 1932, during which he led the National League in strikeouts in seven consecutive seasons (1922–1928), wins twice (28 in 1924, 22 in 1925), ERA three times (2.16 in 1924, 2.09 in 1928, and 2.61 in 1930), shutouts four times (1922, 1925, 1928, and 1930) and complete games two times (1924 and 1927). Vance was the

in 1924. In March, the team purchased pitcher Don Brennan from the

. Brennan was 5–1 with a 4.98 ERA in 18 games during his rookie season in 1933 with New York.

Regular season

The rebuilding Reds struggled to begin the season, winning only five of their first 24 games to quickly find themselves in last place. On May 16, Cincinnati traded pitcher

and outfielder Johnny Moore to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

for pitcher

Ted Kleinhans Theodore Otto Kleinhans (born Traugott Otto Kleinhans, April 8, 1899 – July 24, 1985) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was born in Deer Park, Wisconsin. Kleinhans played 4 seasons in Major League Baseball, with the Philadelphia Phillies ...

, outfielder Art Ruble and outfielder

Wes Schulmerich Edward Wesley Schulmerich (August 21, 1901 – June 26, 1985) was an American Major League Baseball player from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he played baseball and football at what is now Oregon State University where he partici ...

. Less than a week later, the Reds traded Ruble to the Oakland Oaks of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

for outfielder Harlin Pool. By the end of May, Cincinnati had a record of 8–27 and was 15.5 games behind the

for first place. The Reds played better baseball in June, posting a 13–16 record during the month, however, Cincinnati remained in last place with a 21–43 record, 19.5 games behind the pennant leading

. On June 25, the Reds lost pitcher

to the

off of waivers. In July, Cincinnati acquired infielder Alex Kampouris from the Sacramento Senators of the

. Kampouris had a .277 average with 19 home runs with the Senators at the time of the trade. On July 27, player/manager

asked and was granted his release from the team after the team had a record of 30–60. Coach

Burt Shotton Burton Edwin Shotton (October 18, 1884 – July 29, 1962) was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947; 1948–50), he won two National League pennants and served as Jackie Rob ...

was named the interim manager for one game. After a win of 11–2 over the

on July 28, the Reds named former player

Chuck Dressen Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in ''The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both Baseball Reference and Retr ...

as manager. Dressen played with Cincinnati from 1925 to 1931, hitting .273 with 11 home runs and 218 RBI in 630 games. Dressen had previously managed the

Nashville Vols The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...

of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

since 1932, although he briefly left the Vols to play with the

late in the 1933 season. Under Dressen, the Reds continued to struggle, as in 60 games as manager, the team had a 21–39 record. Overall, Cincinnati finished the season with a 52–99 record, and finished in last place for the fourth consecutive season. The 52 wins tied the 1901 club for the fewest in a season in club history, while the 99 losses and .344 winning percentage were the worst in team history. Outfielder Harlin Pool, who was acquired by the Reds during the season, led the team with a .327 batting average while hitting two home runs and 50 RBI in 99 games. Outfielder

Chick Hafey Charles James "Chick" Hafey (February 12, 1903 – July 2, 1973) was an American player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (1924–1931) and Cincinnati Reds (1932–1935, 1937), Hafey was a strong line-drive hitt ...

hit .293 with a team high 18 home runs in 140 games. First baseman

Jim Bottomley James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was an American professional baseball player, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1922 to 1937, most prominently as a member of the St. Louis ...

hit .284 with 11 home runs, a team high 78 RBI and 11 triples, in 142 games.

Paul Derringer Samuel Paul Derringer (October 17, 1906 – November 17, 1987) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three National League teams from 1931 to 1945, primarily the Cincinnati Reds. He won 20 games for Cincin ...

led the Reds pitching staff, earning a record of 15–21 with a 3.59 ERA in 47 games. He led the Reds with 122 strikeouts and 18 complete games. Benny Frey earned a record of 11–16 with a team best 3.52 ERA in 39 games.

Si Johnson Silas Kenneth Johnson (October 5, 1906 – May 12, 1994) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 492 Major League games pitched over 17 seasons for the Cincinnati Reds (1928–36), St. Louis Cardinals ...

led the NL in losses, as he was 7–22 with a 5.22 ERA in 46 games. Johnson had also previously led the NL in losses in 1931.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Other pitchers

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

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: TorontoJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition''. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

References

External links

1934 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference
{{Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds seasons Cincinnati Reds season