The 1938 Philadelphia Phillies season was a season in American baseball. The team finished in eighth place – last in an eight-team National League – with a record of 45–105, 43 games behind the first-place Chicago Cubs and 24.5 games behind the seventh-place Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the first of five straight seasons in which the Phillies finished in last place. The Phillies wore blue and yellow on their uniforms in honor of the Tercentenary of New Sweden.[1]
The Phillies moved from their old home park, Baker Bowl, to Shibe Park midway through the season. Phillies president Gerald Nugent was eager to cut expenses and he cited the move as an opportunity for the Phillies to cut expenses by sharing stadium upkeep with the Philadelphia Athletics.[2]
^[a]The second game on June 12, 1938, was called due to the Pennsylvania Sunday curfew in the middle of the second inning[69] with the score 0–0.[70] Since the game was not yet official, it was replayed from the beginning on August 25.
^[b]The June 30, 1938, game was protested by the Phillies in the bottom of the first inning.[71] The protest is not mentioned in contemporary newspaper accounts.
^[c]The original schedule indicated single games on July 3 and August 10 in Brooklyn[72] which became a double-header on July 3. Contemporary newspaper accounts indicated the August 10 game was postponed due to rain.[73]
^[d]The original schedule indicated single games on July 10 (in Philadelphia) and August 11 (in Brooklyn) with Brooklyn[72] which became a double-header on July 10 (in Philadelphia).[74]
^[e]The original schedule indicated single games on June 9 and July 24 at Cincinnati[72] which became a double-header on July 24.
^[f]The second game on July 31, 1938, ended after seven innings due to the Pennsylvania Sunday curfew law[75][76] with the score 3–4.[77]
^[g]The original schedule indicated single games on August 7 and September 15 with St. Louis[72] which became a double-header on August 7.
^[h]The original schedule indicated single games on August 28 and 29 at Chicago[72] which became a double-header on August 28.[78]
^[i]The original schedule indicated a home game on September 8 with Brooklyn[72] which became an away game at Brooklyn. This became necessary because the August 11 away game at Brooklyn became the July 10 home game in Philadelphia.(See note d above.)
^[j]The September 18, 1938, game ended after five innings due to darkness with the score tied 1–1,[79] and an additional game was scheduled for September 19.[80]
^[k]The original schedule indicated single games on September 23 and 25 at Brooklyn[72] which became a double-header on September 25. September 23 was used to reschedule home games with Chicago that were postponed due to rain on September 20 and 21.
^[l]The original schedule indicated single games on September 26 and 27 at Boston[72] which became a double-header on September 27.
^[m]The original schedule indicated single games on October 1 and 2 with Brooklyn[72] which became a double-header on October 2.
^ ab"The Majors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. September 20, 1938. p. 22. Retrieved April 26, 2020. The rain may be the result of the 1938 New England hurricane.
^ ab"The Majors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. September 21, 1938. p. 16. Retrieved April 26, 2020. The rain may be the result of the 1938 New England hurricane.
^"Only 1,190 At Polo Grounds". The Windsor Daily Star. Windsor, ON. September 30, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
^"The Majors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA. October 1, 1938. p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
^"Pittsburgh Pirates 11, Philadelphia Phillies 5". retrosheet.org. June 12, 1938. Retrieved April 17, 2020. Start of game was delayed for two hours due to rain[.] ... Game 2 of scheduled doubleheader was cancelled after one inning due to Sunday curfew[.]
^"Pirates Crush Phillies, 11-5: Brown Gets Eighth Relief Victory". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, FL. Associated Press (AP). June 13, 1938. p. 8. Retrieved April 17, 2020. The game was delayed more than two hours by rain and a scheduled second contest was called in the second inning because of the Sunday curfew law. Neither team had scored.
^"New York Giants 14, Philadelphia Phillies 1". retrosheet.org. June 30, 1938. Retrieved April 18, 2020. This is the last game played by the Phillies in Baker Bowl[.] ... [Chuck] Klein flied into a double play to center [[Heinie] Mueller out at second (center to shortstop)]; Phillies Manager Jimmie Wilson argued Hank Leiber did not hold the ball before dropping it so Heinie Mueller did not have to tag up; Wilson protested the game[.]
^"Phils 6-3, Cubs 5-4". Meriden Record. Meriden, CT. Associated Press (AP). August 1, 1938. pp. 4, 11. Retrieved April 26, 2020. The second game went only seven innings due to Philadelphia's Sunday law.
^"Baseball Scores". The Ottawa Evening Citizen. Ottawa, ON. August 30, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved April 22, 2020. [Game] played previously[.]
^Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007