The 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers team won 104 games in the season, but fell two games short of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League pennant race. The Dodgers' 104 wins tied the 1909 Chicago Cubs for the most wins by a team that failed to finish first in its league (or, since 1969, division); this record lasted until

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, when the Dodgers won 106 games but finished a game behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

Offseason

* December 9, 1941: Heinie Mueller was purchased by the Dodgers from 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 ...

. * December 10, 1941: Mace Brown was purchased from the Dodgers the Boston Red Sox. * December 10, 1941: Don Padgett was purchased by the Dodgers from the St. Louis Cardinals. * December 10, 1941: Johnny Rizzo was purchased by the Dodgers from the

. * December 12, 1941: Pete Coscarart, Luke Hamlin, Babe Phelps and

Jimmy Wasdell James Charles Wasdell (May 15, 1914 – August 6, 1983) was an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball ( MLB) for all or portions of 11 seasons between and for the Washington Senator ...

were traded by the Dodgers to 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 ...

in exchange for

Arky Vaughan Joseph Floyd "Arky" Vaughan (March 9, 1912 – August 30, 1952) was an American professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1932 and 1948, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers, primarily as a sh ...

. * March 13, 1942: Billy Sullivan was purchased by the Dodgers from the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. * March 23, 1942:

Frenchy Bordagaray Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray (January 3, 1910 – April 13, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodg ...

was purchased by the Dodgers from the New York Yankees. * Prior to 1942 season: Steve Nagy was signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers.

Regular season

The Dodgers were 73–30 and 10 games ahead on August 4, but the Cardinals went on to win 45 of their last 56 to grab the NL title. To exacerbate the problem, the Dodgers had also dropped several close games to St. Louis in September. Defending NL batting champ Pete Reiser, hitting .380, was sidelined in mid-season after repeatedly crashing into the unpadded outfield wall in Ebbets Field. While he recovered from a fractured skull, Brooklyn could not keep up their early pace. A healthy Reiser may very well have made up the two-game difference.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* April 30, 1942: Schoolboy Rowe was purchased by the Dodgers from the

. * May 19, 1942: Babe Dahlgren was purchased by the Dodgers 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 ...

. * August 30, 1942: Bobo Newsom was purchased by the Dodgers from the Washington Senators.Bobo Newsom page at Baseball Reference
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Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

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

Other batters

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

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Bases on balls; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

1942 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1942 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the tenth playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 6 ...

starter ** Joe Medwick starter ** Pete Reiser starter **

Billy Herman William Jennings Bryan Herman (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many ...

reserve ** Mickey Owen reserve ** Pee Wee Reese reserve ** Whit Wyatt reserve * TSN Major League All-Star Team ** Mickey Owen

League top five finishers

Dolph Camilli * #2 in NL in home runs (26) * #2 in NL in RBI (109) * #3 in NL in walks (97) Hugh Casey * MLB leader in saves (13) Curt Davis * #3 in NL in ERA (2.36) Kirby Higbe * #3 in NL in strikeouts (115) Ducky Medwick * #2 in NL in doubles (37) * #4 in NL in RBI (96) Pistol Pete Reiser * NL leader in stolen bases (20) * #4 in NL in batting average (.310)

Farm System

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Santa Barbara

Notes

References

Baseball-Reference season pageBaseball Almanac season page

External links

1942 Brooklyn Dodgers uniformAcme Dodgers page

Retrosheet
{{Los Angeles Dodgers * Los Angeles Dodgers seasons Brooklyn Dodgers season Brooklyn 1940s in Brooklyn Flatbush, Brooklyn