1944 American League
MATHEWSON AWARD
for Pitching Excellence
Tiger pitcher Hal Newhouser won his first of two MVP Awards
this year; he and Carl Hubbell are the only pitchers to win that
many. He and teammate Dizzy Trout dominated the AL; their
accomplishments are tainted somewhat, however, by the fact that the war
had depleted the league of many of its best players.
1944 American League Pitchers
| | | WN | LS | GP | GS | CG | SH | SV | IP | HIT | BB | SO | ERA |
| H NEWHOUSER | DET | 29 | 9 | 47 | 34 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 312 | 264 | 102 | 187 | 222 |
| D TROUT | DET | 27 | 14 | 49 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 352 | 314 | 83 | 144 | 212 |
| H BOROWY | NY | 17 | 12 | 35 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 253 | 224 | 88 | 107 | 263 |
| J KRAMER | STL | 17 | 13 | 33 | 31 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 257 | 233 | 75 | 124 | 249 |
| T HUGHSON | BOS | 18 | 5 | 28 | 23 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 203 | 172 | 41 | 112 | 226 |
| N POTTER | STL | 19 | 7 | 32 | 29 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 232 | 211 | 70 | 91 | 283 |
| J HEVING | CLE | 8 | 3 | 63 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 120 | 106 | 41 | 46 | 195 |
| B BERRY | PHI | 10 | 8 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 111 | 78 | 23 | 44 | 195 |
As you can see, Newhouser and Trout were by far the best hurlers in
the league. They finished 1-2 in wins, ERA, innings pitched,
complete games, shutouts, and strikeouts. The difference between
the two is hardly worth measuring; Newhouser's won-loss record was
superior, and he was probably more deserving of the award.
Jack Kramer had
already failed several trials in the big leagues, but got another
chance when the playing ranks became depleted. He had a great year, leading
the St. Louis Browns to their first pennant. It was the only
pennant the Browns would win in their wretched history; in 1954
they moved to Baltimore to become the Orioles. Kramer pitched regularly a few more years, and wasn't
awful.
Hank Borowy had his third straight outstanding season for the
Yankees. Next year Borowy would immortalize himself; he was traded
to the Cubs in mid-season, and went 11-2 for Chicago, leading the
Cubs to the pennant, their last as of 2000. After that he never pitched
well again.
Tex Hughson was the same age as Borowy, and had his third
straight outstanding season for the Boston Red Sox. He spent the next season in
the army, then came back and had another fine year in 1946. After
that he hurt his arm, and his career ended almost immediately.
TOP FOUR 1944 AL MATHEWSON AWARD
Hal Newhouser
Dizzy Trout
Jack Kramer
Hank Borowy
1944