Joe McCarthy resigned as manager of the New York Yankees on Friday, May 24, 1946, by telegram from his farm outside Buffalo. The club was 22-13, 35 games into the season. He blamed a recurring gall-bladder condition. Almost everybody else blamed the new boss, Larry MacPhail. Bill Dickey took over.
Sixteen seasons, eight pennants, seven World Series titles. It ended with a telegram.
A New Boss, and Not a Quiet One
McCarthy had spent his whole Yankees career working for owners who let him alone. Jacob Ruppert and Ed Barrow ran the business, and Marse Joe ran the ballclub, and the arrangement produced the machine that won four straight titles from 1936 through 1939.
Then the Ruppert estate sold out. In January 1945, MacPhail, Dan Topping, and Del Webb bought the Yankees for $2.8 million, and MacPhail took over as president. He was loud, he was restless, and he didn't think a manager's clubhouse was any of the manager's business. (This was the man who'd put lights in Crosley Field and Ebbets Field. Leaving a manager pushing 60 to his own devices wasn't in his nature.)
The timing didn't help. The wartime Yankees had finished third in 1944 and fourth in 1945. The stars came home from the service in 1946, and the Red Sox came roaring out of the gate anyway, winning 15 straight and sitting at 21-3 by May 10.
The Plane Ride
The breaking point came on a mid-May swing through Cleveland and Detroit. After the Yankees dropped two straight to the Indians, McCarthy -- drinking, by most accounts -- lit into left-hander Joe Page in front of the whole team on the club's flight, over Page's late nights out.
MacPhail didn't keep it in the family. He criticized the Page scene publicly and went after the club for not hustling. McCarthy, sick and sore and furious, went home to the farm he called "Yankee Farm" and stayed there.
Then he sent the wire.
It is with extreme regret that I must request that you accept my resignation as manager of the Yankee Baseball Club, effective immediately. My doctor advises that my health would be seriously jeopardized if I continued.
He added that health was the sole reason and that the decision was entirely voluntary. Nobody bought the second half. One contemporary report put it bluntly: McCarthy was a sick man, sure, but the real reason he wasn't coming back was MacPhail.
Three Managers, One Summer
Dickey was 38, a catcher coming back from the Navy, and he took the job as player-manager. He didn't embarrass anybody. The Yankees went 57-48 under him and stayed comfortably above .500, which is what you'd expect from a roster with Joe DiMaggio in center field and nothing like what you'd need to catch a Red Sox team that won 104 games.
By September, Dickey wanted to know if he'd be back in 1947. MacPhail wouldn't say. On September 12, Dickey quit too, and coach Johnny Neun ran the last 14 games, going 8-6. The 1946 Yankees finished 87-67, third, 17 games behind Boston.
MacPhail had already brought in his guy. He introduced Bucky Harris as a front-office hire on September 9 and named him the 1947 manager on November 5. Harris won the World Series in his first season in the Bronx, which made MacPhail look smart for about one night.
| Resignation Announced | Friday, May 24, 1946 |
| Games Into Season | 35 (22-13, .629) |
| Stated Reason | Recurring gall-bladder condition |
| McCarthy's Yankees Record | 1,460-867 (.627), 1931-1946 |
| Pennants / Titles With Yankees | 8 AL pennants, 7 World Series |
| Bill Dickey, 1946 | 57-48 (.543) in 105 games |
| Johnny Neun, 1946 | 8-6 (.571) in the final 14 games |
| 1946 Final Record | 87-67, third place, 17 GB |
Where Marse Joe Went Next
McCarthy didn't stay retired. He managed the Red Sox from 1948 into June 1950, a strange coda that put him in the other dugout for the best rivalry in the sport. The Veterans Committee sent him to Cooperstown in 1957.
His 1,460 wins with the Yankees are still the franchise record. His seven World Series titles still tie Casey Stengel for the most by any manager. The lights MacPhail hung that spring get most of the 1946 headlines, and that's backwards -- the Stadium got a new switch, but the franchise lost the man who'd built the machine.
New Owners
Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping, and Del Webb buy the Yankees from the Ruppert estate for $2.8 million. MacPhail becomes club president.
The Page Blowup
After two straight losses in Cleveland, McCarthy berates Joe Page in front of the team on a flight. MacPhail criticizes him publicly.
McCarthy Resigns
McCarthy wires his resignation from his farm outside Buffalo, citing his health. The Yankees are 22-13. Bill Dickey takes over.
First Night Game
The Stadium's first night game ends in a 2-1 loss to Washington.
Dickey Steps Down
After MacPhail won't commit to him for 1947, Dickey resigns at 57-48. Johnny Neun finishes 8-6.
Harris Hired
MacPhail names Bucky Harris the 1947 manager. The Yankees win the 1947 World Series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Joe McCarthy resign as Yankees manager in 1946?
Officially, McCarthy resigned on May 24, 1946, because of a recurring gall-bladder condition; his telegram said his doctor warned that his health would be seriously jeopardized if he continued. Contemporary reports and later accounts also point to his drinking and a bad relationship with new club president Larry MacPhail, who'd publicly criticized him after he berated pitcher Joe Page on a team flight.
Who replaced Joe McCarthy as Yankees manager?
Bill Dickey, the Hall of Fame catcher, became player-manager on May 24, 1946. He went 57-48 before resigning on September 12, and coach Johnny Neun finished the season 8-6. Bucky Harris became the permanent manager for 1947.
What was Joe McCarthy's record as Yankees manager?
McCarthy went 1,460-867 (.627) with the Yankees from 1931 to 1946, winning eight American League pennants and seven World Series titles. His 1,460 wins are the most by any manager in franchise history.
How many managers did the Yankees have in 1946?
Three: Joe McCarthy (22-13), Bill Dickey (57-48), and Johnny Neun (8-6). The team finished 87-67, third in the American League, 17 games behind the Boston Red Sox.
Sixteen years of pennant races, and the last word came over the wire. McCarthy never managed another game in pinstripes.