The Memphis Red Sox (MEM) won the first-half in the Negro American League. The Atlanta Black Crackers (ATN) won the second half. So the two Southern teams were supposed to square off in a best-of-seven championship series.
But the Black Crackers showed up late for the third game and had trouble securing a field for what should have been an Atlanta home game for game 4. So the series was abandoned after two games. At the NAL's winter meeting in December 1938, the Memphis Red Sox were officially declared the 1938 NAL champions.
The Negro National League attempted to put together a playoff between their top four teams, but problems, including several postponements due to weather and the refusal of the circuit-leading Homestead Grays to participate, led to the dissolution of the tournament.
September 8, 1938 at 44th and Parkside, Philadelphia PA League Championship Series Pittsburgh Crawfords 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 8 0 Philadelphia Stars 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 3 0 WP: Barney Morris, LP: Webster McDonald Retrosheet game file September 10, 1938 at 44th and Parkside, Philadelphia PA League Championship Series Pittsburgh Crawfords 0 3 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 - 10 12 2 Philadelphia Stars 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 - 5 7 4 WP: Johnny Taylor, LP: Rocky Ellis Retrosheet game file September 10, 1938 at 44th and Parkside, Philadelphia PA League Championship Series Pittsburgh Crawfords 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 5 1 Philadelphia Stars 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 - 3 5 2 WP: Henry McHenry, LP: Leroy Matlock Retrosheet game file September 11, 1938 at Oriole Park IV, Baltimore MD League Championship Series Pittsburgh Crawfords 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1 Baltimore Elite Giants 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 x - 10 10 0 WP: Andy Porter, LP: Theolic Smith Retrosheet game file September 18, 1938 at Martin Stadium, Memphis TN League Championship Series Atlanta Black Crackers 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 0 Memphis Red Sox 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 x - 6 8 2 WP: Ted Radcliffe, LP: Felix Evans Retrosheet game file September 19, 1938 at Martin Stadium, Memphis TN League Championship Series Atlanta Black Crackers 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 - 6 9 4 Memphis Red Sox 0 4 0 4 0 0 3 0 x - 11 12 2 WP: Porter Moss, LP: Cannonball Berry Retrosheet game file
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