The Philadelphia Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 season involved the A's finishing 5th in the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 with a record of 72 wins and 82 losses.

Spring training

The Athletics considered using the Bader Field

Bader Field (ballpark)

Bader Field was a baseball stadium in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It was located at the Bader Field airport and was referred to by the same name as the airfield. It was named after the former mayor of Atlantic City Edward L. Bader, who purchased the land for the airfield.The New York...

 ballpark in Atlantic City

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

 for their 1944 spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

 site. On November 17, 1943, Connie Mack

Connie Mack

Connie Mack may refer to:* Connie Mack I , Hall of Fame baseball manager, player, owner* Connie Mack III , U.S. Representative , U.S. Senator from Florida * Connie Mack IV , U.S...

 examined Bader Field and the National Guard Armory as one possibility. But he knew the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 were already considering it. The A's went to McCurdy Field

McCurdy Field

McCurdy Field, located in Frederick, Maryland, is the former home of the Frederick Hustlers, Warriors, and Frederick Keys, a class A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The current stadium structure is largely an aluminum superstructure with dual brick buildings on the sides...

 in Frederick, Maryland

Frederick, Maryland

Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...

 when the Yankees chose Atlantic City.

Notable transactions

• October 11, 1943: Don Heffner
  Don Heffner
  Donald Henry Heffner was an American second baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball.Born in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania, Heffner entered baseball in 1929. After all or parts of four seasons with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles, Heffner joined the New York Yankees for the 1934...
  
   and Bob Swift
  Bob Swift
  Robert Virgil Swift was an American catcher, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball.Swift is pictured in one of the most famous photographs in American sporting history. He was the catcher for the Detroit Tigers on August 19, 1951, when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent midget...
  
   were traded by the Athletics to the Detroit Tigers
  Detroit Tigers
  The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
  
   for Rip Radcliff
  Rip Radcliff
  Raymond Allen Radcliff was a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played mainly for the Chicago White Sox, but also played for the St. Louis Browns and the Detroit Tigers. His best season came in when he batted .342 and finished 9th in AL MVP voting...
  
  .
• February 17, 1944: Sam Zoldak
  Sam Zoldak
  Samuel Walter Zoldak was a Major League Baseball pitcher for nine seasons. He was nicknamed "Sad Sam". He played for the St. Louis Browns from 1944 to 1948, the Cleveland Indians from 1948 to 1950, and the Philadelphia Athletics from 1951 to 1952.-Early life:He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
  
   and Barney Lutz (minors) were traded by the Athletics to the St. Louis Browns
  Baltimore Orioles
  The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
  
   for Frankie Hayes
  Frankie Hayes
  Frank Witman Hayes was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to and, was highly regarded for his defensive abilities. He played most of his career for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics and also spent time with the St. Louis Browns,...
  
  .

Notable transactions

• April 15, 1944: Al Simmons
  Al Simmons
  Aloysius Harry Simmons , born Aloisius Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930's...
  
   was signed as a free agent by the Athletics.

Roster

1944 Philadelphia Athletics
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches

Starters by position

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		155	581	144	.248	13	78
OF		140	506	151	.298	7	60

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	28	75	18	.240	1	8
	19	35	4	.114	0	2
	4	6	3	.500	0	2
	5	4	1	.250	0	0

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	35	215.1	14	14	2.97	84
	27	185.2	9	11	3.39	65
	29	177.1	10	12	4.06	78

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	53	10	8	12	1.94	44
	1	0	0	0	3.00	2

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lancaster