The 1948

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 ...

was the championship series in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the 1948 season. The 45th edition of the World Series, it matched the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) champion

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

and 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 ...

(NL) champion Boston Braves. The Braves had won the

pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of , while the Indians had spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

for the

flag. Though superstar

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Bob Feller failed to win either of his two starts, the Indians won the Series in six games to capture their second championship and their first since (as well as their last to the present date). It was the first World Series to be televised beyond the previous year's limited New York-Schenectady-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington network and was announced by famed sportcasters

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 ...

Tom Hussey Thomas Goldsmith Hussey (November 10, 1910 – March 8, 1982) was a Major League Baseball announcer for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves. Early life Hussey was born on November 10, 1910 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas P. and M ...

(in Boston) and

Van Patrick Van Patrick (August 15, 1916 – September 29, 1974) was an American sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play work with the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers. Patrick, self-nicknamed "The Ole Announcer", called Lions games from 1950 until hi ...

(in Cleveland). This was the second appearance in the Fall Classic for both teams, with the Indians' lone previous appearance coming in a 1920 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Braves' lone previous appearance coming in a 1914 win against the Philadelphia Athletics. Consequently, this was the first, and to date only, World Series in which both participating teams had previously played in, but not yet lost, a previous World Series. Currently, this phenomenon can only be repeated if the Miami Marlins, the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

or the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

play against either the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

or the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

in a future World Series. Television coverage of the World Series increased this year, but due to the medium still being in its infancy coverage was strictly regional. Games played in Boston could only be seen in the Northeast, while when the series shifted to Cleveland those games were the first to be aired in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and Toledo. This was the only World Series played between to not to feature a New York team, and the last not won by a New York team until the 1957 Series (which the Braves, having relocated to

, won over the Yankees). The two teams would meet again in the 1995 Series, with the Braves—by then relocated to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

–winning. This was the first World Series, and the last until , in which both teams scored the same number of total runs.

Summary

Matchups

Game 1

Braves pitcher

Johnny Sain John Franklin "Johnny" Sain (September 25, 1917 – November 7, 2006) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was best known for teaming with left-hander Warren Spahn on the Boston Braves teams from 1946 to 1951. He ...

and Indians pitcher Bob Feller were engaged in a scoreless pitchers' duel when the Braves came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. Feller walked Braves catcher Bill Salkeld to open the inning. Braves manager,

Billy Southworth William Harold Southworth (March 9, 1893 – November 15, 1969) was an American outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player in and and from to for five big-league teams, Southworth took part in almost 1,200 games, fell j ...

then replaced the slow-footed Salkeld with

Phil Masi Philip Samuel Masi (January 6, 1916March 29, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. From though , he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Boston Braves (1939–1949), Pittsburgh Pirates (1949) and Chicago White Sox (1 ...

, who entered the game as a pinch runner. Mike McCormick followed with a sacrifice bunt, advancing Masi to second base. Feller issued an

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

Eddie Stanky Edward Raymond Stanky (born Stankiewicz (September 3, 1915 – June 6, 1999) was an American professional baseball second baseman, shortstop, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston ...

, who was replaced by Sibby Sisti. Feller then tried to

pick off In baseball, a pickoff is an act by a pitcher or catcher, throwing a live ball to a fielder so that the fielder can tag out a baserunner who is either leading off or about to begin stealing the next base. A pickoff attempt occurs when this throw ...

Masi at second base. Indians' shortstop Lou Boudreau appeared to tag Masi out, but

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

Bill Stewart called him safe.

Tommy Holmes Thomas Francis Holmes (March 29, 1917 – April 14, 2008) was an American right and center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career for the Boston Braves. He hit over .300 lifetime (.302) and every year fro ...

proceeded to hit a single that allowed Masi to score the only run of the game, giving the Braves a 1–0 victory. The umpire's controversial ruling touched off heated debates among the media and fans, especially after

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

photographs of the play were published. Although Feller allowed only two hits, he took the loss in what would be the closest he came to winning a World Series game. Upon his death in 1990, Masi's will revealed that he really was out on the pick-off play.

Game 2

The second game also made television history when a live broadcast of the Indians–Braves matchup was shown aboard the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's ''Marylander'' passenger train travelling between Washington, D.C. and New York City, using a receiver operated by Bendix Corporation technicians. An

reporter observing the demonstration said, "Technically, it was surprisingly good." The Braves scored a run in the first off

Bob Lemon Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Lemon was raised in California ...

on Bob Elliott's RBI single with two on, but Lemon held them scoreless for the rest of the game. After three shutout innings, Lou Boudreau hit a leadoff double in the fourth off

Warren Spahn Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notabl ...

, then scored on

Joe Gordon Joseph Lowell Gordon (February 18, 1915 – April 14, 1978), nicknamed "Flash" in reference to the comic-book character ''Flash Gordon'', was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yank ...

's single with Gordon advancing to second on the throw to home. One out later,

Larry Doby Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who was the second black player to break baseball's color barrier and the first black pl ...

's RBI single put the Indians up 2–1. Next inning, Dale Mitchell hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Boudreau's single. The Indians scored one more run in the ninth off

Nels Potter Nelson Thomas Potter (August 23, 1911 – September 30, 1990) was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher who appeared in 349 games in Major League Baseball over a dozen seasons between 1936 and 1949, most notably as a ...

when

Jim Hegan James Edward Hegan (August 3, 1920 – June 17, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to and to , most notably for the Cleveland Indians w ...

reached on an error, moved to third on two groundouts and scored on Bob Kennedy's single. The series was tied 1–1 heading to Cleveland.

Game 3

For the third straight game, no home runs were hit by either team. This would not happen again in a World Series until . The game's two runs came on

's groundout in the third after a double and walk and

's RBI single after a single and walk in the fourth, both off Vern Bickford. Gene Bearden pitched a complete shutout, allowing five hits while striking out four, as the Indians took a 2–1 series lead.

Game 4

Steve Gromek Stephen Joseph Gromek (January 15, 1920 – March 12, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the American League with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. In 447 career games, Gromek ...

of the Indians and

of the Braves pitched complete games each. The Indians struck first when Dale Mitchell hit a leadoff single in the first and scored on Lou Boudreau's double, then added to their lead on

's home run in the third. Marv Rickert's leadoff home run in the seventh cut the Indians' lead to 2–1, but they held on to take a 3–1 series lead.

Game 5

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

appeared for the Indians, becoming the first black pitcher to take the mound in World Series history. The previous day's single-game attendance record was broken with 86,288 fans. After two leadoff singles, Bob Elliott's three-run home run in the first off Indians starter Bob Feller made it 3–0 Braves. Dale Mitchell's leadoff home run in the bottom half off

put the Indians on the board. Elliott's second home run of the game in the third made it 4–1 Braves, but in the fourth after a leadoff single and walk, Walt Judnich's RBI single made it 4–2 Braves, then one out later,

's three-run home run put the Indians in front 5–4 and knock Potter out of the game. Bill Salkeld's home run in the sixth tied the game. Next inning,

hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on

Earl Torgeson Clifford Earl Torgeson (January 1, 1924 – November 8, 1990) was an American Major League Baseball player from Snohomish, Washington. A first baseman, he played on five teams for 15 years, from 1947 through 1961. He was known by his middle name, ...

's RBI single. Ed Klieman relieved Feller and allowed a walk, two-runs single to Marv Rickert, and another walk. Russ Christopher then allowed RBI singles to Mike McCormick and

's sacrifice fly off Paige capped the game's scoring at 11–5. Spahn pitched shutout innings of relief for the win, forcing a Game 6 in Boston.

Game 6

The Indians struck first in Game 6 when Dale Mitchell hit a leadoff double in the third off Bill Voiselle and scored on Lou Boudreau's RBI double, but the Braves tied the game on Mike McCormick's RBI single with two on off

in the fourth. A walk loaded the bases, but Voiselle grounded out to end the inning.

's leadoff home in the sixth put the Indians back in front 2–1. After a one-out walk and single,

's RBI groundout extended their lead to 3–1. Three straight singles in the eighth by Ken Keltner, Thurman Tucker and Eddie Robinson made it 4–1 Indians. In the bottom of the inning, the Braves loaded the bases off Lemon on a single, double and walk. Clint Conatser's sacrifice fly and

's RBI double off Gene Bearden made it 4–3 Indians, but Bearden pitched a scoreless ninth for the save to give the Indians the championship, currently their last.