• January 23 –
Hall of Fame election – the writers' vote again fails to select an inductee, despite a newly revamped voting process. Voting again favors earlier candidates from the 1900s and 1910s, but none is able to gain 75% of the vote. •
Jackie Robinson plays for the Montreal Royals, the AAA affiliate of the
Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first
African-American to play in organised baseball in the 20th century.
Vincent "Manny" McIntyre from
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada becomes the first
Black Canadian to sign a professional baseball contract (with the Sherbrooke Canadians). • April 23 – the Hall of Fame Committee clears the deadlock at the top of the writers' ballot by selecting 11 new inductees, primarily from the popular candidates of the 1900s and 1910s:
Jesse Burkett,
Frank Chance,
Jack Chesbro,
Johnny Evers,
Clark Griffith,
Tommy McCarthy,
Joe McGinnity,
Eddie Plank,
Joe Tinker,
Rube Waddell and
Ed Walsh. Selections of 19th century players are largely postponed. It is decided that the writers will henceforth select only players retired within the more recent past, rather than from the entire 20th century. • June 15 – when some ballplayers jump to the
Mexican League, MLB Commissioner
Happy Chandler mentions a lifetime suspension for them, but his penalty is later reduced (
1949). • July 14 – player–manager
Lou Boudreau of
Cleveland Indians hits four
doubles and one
home run, but
Ted Williams wallops three HRs and drives in eight runs, as the
Boston Red Sox top the Indians 11–10. In the Sox second–game win, the famous "Boudreau Shift" is born. Boudreau shifts all his players, except the
third baseman and
left fielder, to the right side of the diamond in an effort to stop Williams, who grounds out and walks twice while ignoring the shift. •
World Series –
St. Louis Cardinals defeat the
Boston Red Sox 4 games to 3. •
Negro World Series –
Newark Eagles defeat the
Kansas City Monarchs, 4 games to 3. •
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional) first official game held on January 12. ==
Basketball==